Healthcare Facility Design Professional (HFDP)

1. Review eligibility requirements: Visit the ASHE HFDP page (ashe.org/hfdp) and confirm you meet the education and professional experience prerequisites — typically a combination of a relevant degree and documented work experience on healthcare facility projects.

1. Gather documentation: Compile records of your healthcare design experience, including project descriptions, employer verification, and educational transcripts. ASHE requires this documentation as part of the application.

1. Submit your application: Complete the online application through ASHE's website and pay the application/exam fee. Applications are reviewed by ASHE staff to verify eligibility before you are approved to sit for the exam.

1. Obtain the exam content outline: Download the HFDP Exam Content Outline from ASHE, which details the knowledge domains and topic weightings covered on the exam. This is your primary study guide framework.

1. Study and prepare: Use ASHE's recommended resources, including the FGI Guidelines, NFPA 101 Life Safety Code, ASHRAE standards, and ASHE's own educational offerings (webinars, conference sessions, and the ASHE Healthcare Facility Design Certificate Program). Allow 2–4 months of focused preparation.

1. Schedule and sit for the exam: Once approved, schedule your computer-based exam at an authorized testing center. The exam is proctored in-person at third-party testing facilities.

1. Receive your results and credential: Results are typically provided immediately or shortly after the exam. Upon passing, you will receive your HFDP certificate, digital badge, and be listed in ASHE's online registry.

1. Maintain your certification: Track your continuing education activities and renew every three years by submitting 45 PDHs and paying the renewal fee through ASHE's online portal.

The HFDP exam evaluates knowledge across the full lifecycle of healthcare facility design, with content organized into several major domains based on ASHE's published exam content outline.

Regulatory and Code Compliance is a core area, covering the FGI Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals and Outpatient Facilities, NFPA 101 Life Safety Code, The Joint Commission (TJC) standards, and applicable federal and state regulations. Candidates must understand how these codes interact and apply to real project scenarios.

Building Systems and Infrastructure covers mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems specific to healthcare environments, including HVAC requirements for infection control, medical gas systems, electrical redundancy, and emergency power. ASHRAE standards (including ASHRAE 170 for ventilation in healthcare) are heavily represented in this domain.

Infection Prevention and Control tests knowledge of how facility design decisions — including air pressure relationships, surface materials, isolation room design, and construction infection control risk assessments (ICRA) — affect patient safety and infection outcomes.

Project Delivery and Planning addresses programming, space planning, evidence-based design principles, and the coordination of multidisciplinary design teams in complex healthcare environments. This includes understanding phased construction in occupied facilities.

Patient Safety and Quality evaluates how design choices support patient safety goals, reduce medical errors, and align with Lean and evidence-based design methodologies. Topics include wayfinding, visibility, noise reduction, and patient-centered design principles.

The HFDP occupies a well-defined niche at the intersection of healthcare and the built environment. Administered by the American Society for Health Care Engineering (ASHE) — a personal membership group of the American Hospital Association — the credential carries strong institutional backing within the U.S. healthcare facilities community. It is most widely recognized in North America, particularly among healthcare systems, hospital networks, and the architecture/engineering firms that serve them. While not as broadly recognized as LEED AP or professional licensure, within the healthcare design sector it is considered a meaningful differentiator.

Demand for the credential has grown alongside the broader expansion of healthcare construction in the United States, driven by aging infrastructure, regulatory complexity, and the post-pandemic emphasis on resilient, infection-resistant facility design. The FGI Guidelines revision cycle (updated every four years) and evolving ASHRAE standards keep the body of knowledge dynamic, reinforcing the value of a credential that requires ongoing education. Healthcare construction spending in the U.S. has consistently exceeded $40 billion annually, sustaining strong demand for qualified design professionals.

Compared to alternatives like the Certified Healthcare Constructor (CHC) — which targets construction managers rather than designers — or the Certified Healthcare Facility Manager (CHFM), which focuses on operations, the HFDP is uniquely positioned for the design and pre-construction phase. LEED AP and WELL AP are broader sustainability credentials that complement but do not replace HFDP. The credential's relatively small holder community (estimated in the low thousands) means it remains a genuine differentiator rather than a commodity credential, though this also limits its name recognition outside specialized healthcare design circles.

The Healthcare Facility Design Professional (HFDP) certification was developed by the American Society for Health Care Engineering (ASHE), a personal membership group of the American Hospital Association, in response to growing demand for a standardized credential recognizing specialized expertise in healthcare facility design. The program was established in the early 2010s as healthcare construction complexity increased — driven by more stringent FGI Guidelines, evolving infection control requirements, and the need for multidisciplinary teams to navigate the unique regulatory environment of hospitals and outpatient facilities. ASHE, which had long provided education and advocacy for healthcare engineers and facility professionals, created the HFDP to extend its credentialing reach to architects, designers, and consultants working on the design side of healthcare projects.

Since its launch, the HFDP has grown steadily as healthcare systems increasingly specify credentialed design professionals on major capital projects. The exam content is periodically updated to reflect revisions to the FGI Guidelines (published every four years), new ASHRAE standards, and changes to The Joint Commission's environment of care requirements. ASHE has also developed preparatory education — including certificate programs and conference tracks — to support candidates, reinforcing the credential's integration into the broader ASHE professional development ecosystem.