For Employers
What an IBHBOT credential means for your hyperbaric program, how to match credentials to roles, and how your facility helps an AHT earn the Registered mark.
Why the Credential Holds Up
- Independent exams. A committee of practitioners writes and owns every board exam. No training site or instructor writes or reviews exam questions.
- A published blueprint. The technician exam has 150 questions, 125 scored and 25 unscored pilot items, weighted across eight published content domains.
- Experience before the Registered mark. The RHT is issued only after 500 documented clinical hours, at least 40 of them under direct preceptor supervision. It also needs a signed competency checklist, two emergency drill records, transcutaneous oximetry sign-off where performed and a director attestation.
- Tied to the license. Each candidate applies for the credential their license supports, so no credential implies skills outside the holder’s license.
- Kept current. Credentials renew every 36 months with continuing education or a refresher course, and IBHBOT audits a random sample of renewals each year.
- Verifiable. Every credential holder is listed on the public registry with status and expiration date.
If Your Job Posting Names Another Board’s Credential
Many hyperbaric job postings name the NBDHMT technologist credential. Here is how it lines up with IBHBOT’s technician credentials.
| IBHBOT | NBDHMT technologist | |
|---|---|---|
| Introductory course | 41.5 hours | 40 hours |
| Clinical hours for the experienced credential | 500, at least 40 directly supervised (RHT) | 480, including a 40-hour supervised internship |
| Credential while gaining experience | Yes, the AHT is issued at the end of the course | No, it is issued once the hours are complete |
| Open to staff without a license | Yes | No, an existing license or certification is required |
| Renewal | AHT every 36 months: recertification course or 48 CE hours. RHT every 2 years, 24 CE hours | Every 2 years, 24 CE hours |
To accept both, write the posting so either credential qualifies:
“Hyperbaric technician credential required: IBHBOT Registered Hyperbaric Technician (RHT) or NBDHMT technologist credential. New technicians may hold the IBHBOT Associate Hyperbaric Technician (AHT) and must earn the RHT within 12 months of hire.”
Matching Credentials to Roles
| Role in your facility | IBHBOT credential to look for |
|---|---|
| Entry-level hyperbaric technician or chamber operator | AHT, with an expectation to reach RHT |
| Experienced or lead hyperbaric technician | RHT |
| Preceptor for new technicians | RHT with at least two years of hyperbaric experience |
| Registered or practical nurse in a hyperbaric or wound care unit | AHN, with an expectation to reach HNS |
| PA, NP or physician attending hyperbaric treatment | HMP, alongside the training your accreditor and payers require |
| Medic for dive operations, dive teams, offshore or expedition work | DMT-A for paramedics, NPs and PAs; DMT-B for EMTs |
| Dive medic who also staffs a clinical chamber | DMT plus AHT or RHT |
Your medical director and your accreditor’s standards decide the final requirement. In a job posting: “IBHBOT AHT or RHT, or an equivalent hyperbaric credential, within 12 months of hire.”
Supporting an AHT Toward the RHT
Your facility is where an AHT earns the Registered mark. You provide 500 hours of hyperbaric work logged by date and duty, a qualified preceptor with at least 40 hours of direct supervision, item-by-item competency sign-off, records of two emergency drills, and an attestation from your hyperbaric medical or program director.
A preceptor’s signature is a professional attestation. Sign only for hours you can document and competencies you have observed.
What Stays with Your Facility
IBHBOT certifies individuals. It does not accredit, inspect or approve facilities. Medical direction, credentialing and privileging, duties within each license, NFPA 99 Chapter 14 obligations, and orientation on your own chambers remain yours.
Using the IBHBOT Name
Name credentialed staff (“Our team includes Jane Doe, RHT”) and link to the registry. Do not imply your facility is certified by IBHBOT or display the seal without written permission.
Paying for Your Staff
Your organization can cover exam fees for the people you want credentialed. Buy exam vouchers and give each candidate a code to enter at checkout, or request an invoice and pay by card, check or bank transfer.
How a Voucher Works
You buy vouchers. IBHBOT sends you one code per voucher. Your candidate applies as usual and enters the code at checkout, so they pay nothing. The board still reviews every application before anyone tests.
Questions Employers Ask
Can Non-Licensed Staff Hold the AHT?
Yes. A non-licensed AHT works under the license and direction of your hyperbaric physician. They perform the tasks the physician trains them for and delegates to them, under that physician’s supervision and your facility’s policies. The AHT is their hyperbaric qualification.
Our Candidate Trained Online. Is That Enough?
Knowledge is taught in the course and tested on the exam. Hands-on competence is verified in your facility: an AHT works under supervision, and the RHT is issued only after 500 clinical hours with a signed competency checklist.
Who Pays for Certification?
Anyone can pay: the candidate, an employer or a sponsor. Your organization can buy exam vouchers online or request an invoice. Pay for your staff.