We recently took a quick poll asking whether or not people would take the CDAL. The results are in!

By Steve Moran

You may remember that a few weeks ago we published an article about the Argentum Senior Living Executive Director Certification, something we at Senior Housing Forum are big fans of. We included in that article a quick poll asking whether or not people would take the test to become certified. We had 54 responses.

The results were . . . hmm . . . I am not quite sure. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Have You Taken the Test?

Forms response chart. Question title: Have You Taken The CDAL?. Number of responses: 54 responses.

The results here were not particularly surprising and they mostly confirm what Brenda Bacon told us in the first interview. For me, the big bright spot was that most people had heard of the certification program, which suggests they have done a good job of bringing awareness of the certification to the industry.

Will You Take the Test?

Forms response chart. Question title: Do you plan on taking it?. Number of responses: 47 responses.

My initial response was, โ€œWow, thatโ€™s not very good?โ€  But on reflection, it is actually not too bad. As more people become certified and more operators either require certification or give preference to certified executive directors this number will go up.  

Finally, We Asked the โ€œWhy Notโ€ Question?

We had 25 responses, this is a summary of those:

  • Cost was the number one reason. Several suggested that if it were $400-$500 it would be more attractive. That was a number range I suggested in the linked article.

  • Unsure at this time, but would be cool to have.

  • If my company paid I would take the test. It seems like a good idea.

  • I’m getting close to retirement and do not feel it is necessary; cost & time commitment are also factors.

  • It is not a requirement and my other industry skills supersede this content.

  • I have worked in AL for a combined total of about 10 years, but never at the community level. As a VP of HR, it would be nice to have a better idea of what is required of Executive Directors but I do not meet the in community qualifications. I have a BBA and am working on an MBA.

  • It is a โ€œnice to have — not need to haveโ€.

  • It is not yet recognized and valued by employers/providers.

  • I would love to take it right away if my organization sponsors me.

  • It doesn’t seem worth it . . . it needs to involve the whole industry not just Argentum.

Finally, a big thanks for taking the time to complete the survey. Even these little things help our industry sector get better.