IHPSO FAQ
Frequently asked questions about IHPSO.
Answers about Professional Membership, Core Education, Standards, assessments, the Public Registry and the current development status of additional IHPSO programs.
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP
Membership, pricing and requirements.
What is IHPSO Professional Membership?
IHPSO Professional Membership documents fulfilment of applicable IHPSO Membership Requirements and commitment to ongoing Professional Conduct. It is not a government licence and does not automatically expand statutory Scope of Practice.
Who can become a Member?
IHPSO Professional Membership is available to individuals aged 18 or over who are acting in a professional or business capacity. It is not offered for primarily private or consumer purposes. Membership is taken in a personal capacity, so the Professional ID and the recorded credentials stay with the individual rather than with an employer.
How much is Membership?
USD 199 per year at launch. The first Membership year includes all four required Core Courses and their assessments. Renewal is currently USD 199 per year and is not a commitment for future years.
Does payment immediately create ACTIVE status?
No. Payment opens the Membership Pathway. ACTIVE status requires fulfilment of applicable Requirements and the designated approval process.
Does Membership renew automatically?
It is designed to renew annually where automatic renewal has been validly agreed at checkout and is permitted by applicable law.
Can I cancel?
Automatic renewal may be cancelled for the next renewal period. Unless another termination or suspension ground applies, status continues until the end of the paid term. Partial refunds are generally not provided except where mandatory law requires otherwise.
CORE EDUCATION & ASSESSMENTS
Four required Core Courses.
Which Core Courses are required?
Ethics & Professional Conduct, Scope of Practice, Evidence & Scientific Communication, and Safety & Risk Fundamentals.
How extensive are the courses?
Each Core Course contains ten lessons with Professional Scenarios, IHPSO Professional Checks and Key Points.
How do assessments work?
Each course ends with 20 questions. The pass mark is 80 percent. A failed assessment does not satisfy the Core Requirement.
Are retakes allowed?
Yes, unlimited, until at least 80 percent is achieved.
What credentials are awarded?
IHPSO Ethics Trained, Scope Trained, Evidence Trained and Safety Trained, plus the corresponding Certificates.
Do these courses grant government professional authority?
No. Core Education creates a shared IHPSO Professional Foundation but does not replace required education or government/profession-specific authorization.
STANDARDS & EVIDENCE
What IHPSO Standards do.
What are IHPSO Standards?
They form a Professional Standards Framework. Universal foundations address Ethics, Scope, Evidence and Safety. Standards Fields organize additional field-specific standards; Health is the first Field.
Which Health Standards exist?
Health Standards Library 1.0 contains H-01 through H-12: Health Information & Claims; Biomarkers & Laboratory Data; Wearables & Consumer Health Technology; Supplements & Nutritional Interventions; Nutrition & Metabolic Health; Sleep & Recovery; Exercise & Physical Performance; Heat, Cold & Environmental Exposure; Stress, Breathwork & Mental Wellbeing; Hormonal & Reproductive Health Communication; Longevity & Healthy Ageing; Emerging & Experimental Health Interventions.
Which Evidence Levels does IHPSO use?
Where scientifically applicable: ESTABLISHED, SUPPORTED, EMERGING, EXPERIMENTAL and INSUFFICIENT. Classifications are claim-specific.
Does EXPERIMENTAL mean ineffective?
No. In the IHPSO evidence context it means the specific claim is not yet sufficiently established; it is not a regulatory status.
Do Standards replace laws or medical guidelines?
No.
PROFESSIONAL REGISTRY
Verification and current status.
What is the Public Registry?
It makes published Professional Profiles and current IHPSO status verifiable and separates IHPSO-verified data from Professional-provided information.
When is a profile published?
Not through payment alone. After Requirements are fulfilled it is initially created unpublished and is published following the designated IHPSO approval.
What is the Professional ID?
A permanent individual identifier in the format IHPSO-P-000001. It remains through expiry, employer changes or later reactivation.
What happens on expiry?
A published profile may remain visible and be marked EXPIRED, distinguishing “never registered” from “no longer current”.
What happens to my Certificates and Badges if Membership ends?
They remain valid records of what was completed and when, and their verification addresses keep working. What changes is the Membership status shown alongside them, which will read EXPIRED. A completed course is not withdrawn because a Membership lapsed.
How does the QR code on a Certificate work?
It leads to a permanent IHPSO verification record which shows the completion and, separately, the current Membership status. It keeps working after a status changes, so a Certificate shared earlier can still be checked later. The record always shows the position at the time of checking rather than at the time of issue.
Does the Registry verify external professional licences?
Not automatically. It verifies IHPSO status and information expressly identified as verified.
EDUCATION PROVIDERS
What is available now – and what is not yet live.
Can Education Providers already become IHPSO Recognized or Accredited?
No. Education Provider Recognition is a separate IHPSO programme and it is not open. No organisation holds IHPSO Provider Recognition today, and no application is possible until the requirements are published.
May Providers use IHPSO Standards?
Publicly available Standards may be used as a reference. This does not mean a course, Provider or organisation has been reviewed, approved, accredited, recognized or endorsed by IHPSO.
Can interest be registered?
Yes. Providers and organisations may contact IHPSO. An expression of interest is not an application, pre-approval or promise of future Recognition.
SCOPE & PROFESSIONAL AUTHORITY
IHPSO status does not create new statutory authority.
Does Membership expand my Scope of Practice?
No. Scope arises from actual competence, professional role, applicable rules and context.
Does Membership create medical or diagnostic authority?
No. Professionals must work within their actual and legally permitted Scope of Practice.
What does Referral mean?
A question or situation is appropriately transferred or escalated to a qualified professional when it falls outside one's scope or requires different expertise. A Red Flag is an indication, not a diagnosis.
MORE QUESTIONS
Didn't find your question?
If your question about IHPSO Membership, Standards, Education, the Registry or Education Providers is not answered here, you can contact IHPSO through the Contact page. IHPSO can answer questions about its own framework and published requirements. Individual medical, tax or legal advice is not the purpose of the FAQ or general Contact channel.
Still have a question about IHPSO?
Review the Membership, Standards and Education pages or contact IHPSO if your question is not answered there.
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