Education and Training
Environmental Health Specialist
Environmental health specialists must have one of the following combinations of education and training to obtain registration in Oregon:
- Bachelor's degree from a university or college with at least 45 quarter-hours of science background in environmental sanitation and two years of experience in environmental health working under the supervision of an environmental health specialist
- Or, a graduate degree in community health or public health and one year of experience in environmental health working under the supervision of an environmental health specialist
- Reciprocity: Bachelor's or graduate degree as noted above and
affidavit of licensure demonstrating proof of current active registration with no current or pending disciplinary action. The registration must have been issued by a regulatory body of another state or a national association recognized by the board.
Environmental Health Trainee
Applicants who do not meet the work experience requirements but who meet the educational requirements may obtain a trainee license. Each combination of education and experience has a specific training period (as specified above).
A trainee may take the written examination before completion of the required work experience but must take the Oregon Laws and Rules examination before a trainee registration will be issued. (Please see more information below under
Oregon Laws & Rules Examination.)
Environmental Health Trainee Status and Title
Once you have received your environmental healh specialist trainee registration and begin work, please be sure to include your status as a "trainee" when presenting yourself in a professional setting. This could include things such as your title, your email signature line, your business cards, and survey reports, to name a few. Omitting the word "trainee" from your title when presenting yourself in a professional setting could constitute a violation of board laws and rules. Please refer to Oregon Revised Statute 700.020 and 676.612(2)(d); and Oregon Administrative Rule 331-020-0075(12).
Application Process
Environmental health specialists and trainees must pay all relevant
fees and submit forms available online or by request to the HLO.
National Environmental Health Association Examination
Applicants for registration as an environmental health specialist must pass the Registered Environmental Health Specialist Examination (REHS). The exam must be passed within three years preceding the date of application for registration.
Applicants approved to sit for the REHS examination receive a letter from HLO describing the necessary steps to take the exam. Requests to sit for the REHS examination usually take two to three weeks for processing by NEHA.
Note: Applicants who are coming to Oregon via the reciprocity pathway (already licensed in another state) do not need to take the REHS examination.
For a blueprint and study materials, visit
www.neha.org.
Oregon Laws and Rules Examination
To obtain an Environmental Health Specialist Trainee registration, applicants must complete an Oregon Laws and Rules examination. This examination is administered through Workday Oregon, an online examination portal which can be accessed through the internet.
The Environmental Health Specialist Trainee Oregon Laws and Rules Examination Information Bulletin will provide specific information regarding content covered within each examination domain and specific information pertaining to the study references used to source the examination.
A Workday Oregon User Guide assists candidates through the steps necessary to access the examination and print the required certificate of completion which must be submitted to the Health Licensing Office with the Environmental Health Specialist Trainee Registration Application.
The following information will provide the necessary details about the examination:
Renewal Process
Application for registration renewal should be made in advance of the registration expiration date, which is one year from the date of issuance. If the renewal is made by the expiration date, the cost to renew is the same as the original registration fee.
Renew Online
Forms