Who is the NAMACB?
Since 1998, the National Ayurvedic Medical Association has led the effort to establish the practice of Ayurveda in America, with one of its main goals to support the development of Ayurvedic educational and professional standards nationally. Through these efforts the NAMA Certification Board was founded in March 2017 to maintain the certification arm of the profession.
Earning NAMACB certification represents a significant professional achievement. As an emerging healthcare profession in the U.S., Ayurvedic medicine is not yet widely recognized. Building off of educational competencies and standards developed by the National Ayurvedic Medical Association, NAMACB certification is the first well-established credentialing process for Ayurvedic medicine in the U.S.; as such, it provides one of the few means by which clients, healthcare entities, government agencies and others can determine whether individual practitioners are qualified.
Our Mission
To promote the health and well-being of the public, ensure public safety, and advance the professional practice of Ayurvedic medicine by establishing and promoting nationally recognized Ayurvedic professional certification credentials that reflect evidence-informed standards of competence.
The Importance of Credentialing
It helps employers judge the skills of existing or potential employees.
It helps to build more value of the profession in the public eye.
It gives the general public a basis for evaluating a service provider.
It allows those who are certified to differentiate themselves from others in the profession and to advance their career.
““The creation of a board certified exam is one of the most pivotal junctures in professionalizing Ayurveda in the United States and propelling it forward as a recognized healthcare system. The support they provide to the community is valuable beyond measure” ”
Our Certification Exams
NAMA invested in a rigorous exam development process that included partnering with a world-renowned test development company and a team of psychometricians. The use of testing standards set by the testing industry is key to producing fair and defensible exams that will be recognized by state regulatory boards as the profession moves toward licensure.
Over 25 subject matter experts in the field of Ayurvedic education and practice participated in the process of creating the exams in collaboration with the testing company and with psychometricians trained in the complex requirements of industry-standard exam development.
The required steps include the following:
Job Task Analysis
Blueprint Survey
Item Writer Training
Technical Review
Beta Testing
Post Beta Analysis
Forms Build
Standard Setting
The NAMACB has launched two exams to date: the Ayurvedic Health Counselor exam and the Ayurvedic Practitioner exam. The Ayurvedic Doctor exam is currently under development.
The exams establish the Ayurvedic profession in the United States as;
Useful: Achieves our professional goals.
Credible: Has perceived value and holds up under the scrutiny of others in the health care field.
Reliable: Consistently measures whatever the test is measuring.
Valid: The scores provide meaningful information based upon the purpose of the test(s).
Legally Defensible: Has followed the best practices to help ensure the test scores are fair, reliable and valid.