Professional Guardian certification is through the National Guardianship Association and the Center for Guardianship Certification, not through GCA Oregon. Certification is not currently required by Oregon law, but it may be difficult for a professional practitioner to obtain court appointment, bonding, malpractice insurance or client referrals without it. GCA supports use of professional guardians and conservators in Oregon who are fully trained and certified for the work they do.

See Becoming a Guardian, above, for information about training and experience that are needed to be qualified to take the certification tests, nationally and in Oregon.

Full Guardian Certification in Oregon involves passing the national certification test and an Oregon-specific test, not necessarily at the same time. Test preparation can be done by self-study, by a test-review class, or via other training or supervision resources.