Gaining proficiency in Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (#FHIR) has been high on my list of professional goals ever since I joined Verily in April 2022. Though, aside from just learning it, I wanted a way to measure whether I actually understood the material. After a bit of browsing for FHIR resources (pun intended), I came across Health Level Seven International's certifications and saw that one existed for HL7 FHIR R4 Proficiency and knew that I'd sit for the exam at some point in the future. Further, HL7 introduced a new set of FHIR certifications in 2024, including a new 'Foundation' certification that replaces HL7 FHIR R4 Proficiency which will retire in December 2024. Of course, I also added that to my list of professional goals.

As of last month, I sat for and passed both exams and received the certifications. In this article, I want to describe my experience preparing for and taking the two exams.