FAQ & Testing Information
Our selections are chosen to expose health practitioners to new research and perspectives in hopes the experience will improve our practice and benefit the health of our public. Tests are written by trained item writers and each test is reviewed by three highly qualified dietitians and graded against the self-study criteria set by the Commission on Dietetic Registration. Self-study courses are approved for a 3-year period. Toward the end of the period, we evaluate whether to go for another 3 years if the content is still current. Look online on the product's page to see the current expiration dates
How many hours can I get through self-study?
Most professionals can get all their hours through self-study. Individual state licensure boards may vary.
What is the difference between the long and short courses?
The difference is the depth of the review and the number of questions—both courses use the same book. The longer 25 hour courses usually have about 125 questions and 15 hour courses have about 75 or so questions. You may only take one course on a book, unless it's a new edition and has a new review.
Office phone hours
We are open Monday-Thursday 9:00am-3:30pm Central, Friday 9am-12pm. Call Toll Free 877-560-6025 or 940-497-3558 for customer service. You can also email us at: service@helmpublishing.com.
Paying online and coupons
Our website is available 24/7. Use Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, PayPal, or Amazon Pay to pay for your online order. Only one coupon code or discount is valid per order. Prices are subject to change without prior notice, based upon changes in publishers' book prices or availability of the product from our suppliers.
We Respect Your Privacy
We do not sell or share your personal information with anyone. It is only used to provide customer service to you. We do not sell advertising nor accept funds from any outside source that could cause the appearance of conflict of interest.
Shipping U.S. orders
U.S. orders are shipped via Priority or First Class Mail, or by UPS, usually within 2 business days. You should receive your order 3-5 business days after it leaves our office. An Overnight or 2nd Day Air order must be placed online or by phone no later than 1 pm Central for it to be shipped that day.
Shipping outside the U.S.
Helm Publishing has recently moved to a new shopping cart and we can now process international orders! We suggest that you purchase Online Test Only versions of courses from us and then acquire a downloaded version of the book, a hard copy locally, or you may order the book from Helm Publishing as well. Shipping charges apply. You may pay with credit card, PayPal, or AmazonPay. If you order Online Test Only options, you will have immediate access to the online test. (We cannot accept orders from Russia, Turkey, or China at this time.)
Refund, Exchange, and Complaints Policies
If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact Helm Publishing immediately at 940-497-3558. You will receive a full refund or exchange if the product is returned in perfect resale condition, or we are notified about an online test within 30 days. If it is 31-60 days after the date of purchase, you may exchange the product or receive a credit. No refunds are given for online tests that have been completed.
We encourage comments about courses or any individual questions to be send to the office at any time and to be listed on the course evaluations. Please contact us at the above phone number or by email service@helmpublishing.com with any complaints. For RDs/DTRs, feedback about any course or problems can be sent directly to qualitycpe@eatright.org.
New Free Ethics Course
The Commission on Dietetic Registration has asked that we incorporate the June 1, 2018 Code of Ethics into our ethics courses. The new free 1 hour ethics course, Nutrition Business: Ethics and Legalities 2022, is available for download on our homepage under Special Discounts & Promotions, Download Free Ethics Course. It will expire May 31st, 2024. This course is available to everyone and we hope you enjoy it!
The former ethics course is no longer available at our online testing site. If you have already completed the course, you can still access your certificate online. If you have not completed the course, please help yourself to the new PDF course available for download.
At your convenience, return the Question & Answer page and Critical Thinking Evaluation for credit: Email to service@helmpublishing.com, Fax to 940-497-2927, or Mail to Helm Publishing, P.O. Box 2105, Lake Dallas, TX 75065.
A Certificate of Completion and the answers will be emailed to you after we receive your answers. Learning Codes: 1000, 1050, 1070, 7030, 7070, 7110. Level 1 CPE. Type of Test: 720/Paper. Suggested Performance Indicators: 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.4, 1.1.5, 2.1.8. The free ethics course may not be completed more than once per customer. Please see the course for additional information.
Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) for RDNs and NDTRs
Helm Publishing, Inc.'s courses are approved by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). Our new Provider number under Prior Approval is #259. Our long-time Provider #HE001 was for our courses under Approved Provider. In the future, after May 31st, 2024, only #259 will be used for our courses.
The Commission on Dietetic Registration's (CDR) is replacing its Approved Provider program, which approved businesses, with Prior Approval of individual self-study courses for three years. We switched to the Prior Approval program February 23rd, 2023. Business will go on as usual!
All our current courses are approved until May 31st, 2024 or their established expiration date, whichever comes first, but we plan to quickly submit courses in order to approve them for 3 more years. Please check individual product pages for the course expiration date.
Using the new system, our outstanding lineup of courses will continue to grow! Thank you for trusting Helm Publishing with your continuing education needs!
New courses approved by CDR after January 1, 2020 are required to have the mandatory Critical Thinking Evaluation added to our courses. The Certificate of Completion will not be available to you until the mandatory Critical Thinking Evaluation is submitted online or with your answers for the paper version. Complete instructions are included in How to Take This Course for paper/printed or web-based/online tests when you are taking your courses.
Feedback about any course or problem can be sent directly to CDR for RD/RDNs qualitycpe@eatright.org.
Our courses fit two definitions for CDR in the Portfolio: #720 paper/printed or #740 web-based/online.
California Board of Registered Nursing (CA-BRN) for RNs
Helm Publishing, Inc., is a continuing education provider for RNs in California and any states that accept their approval, #13934.
National Certifying Board for Diabetes Educators (NCBDE) for Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialists (CDCES)
Helm Publishing, Inc.'s courses are approved by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). To satisfy the requirements for certification renewal of the Certification Board for the Diabetes Care and Education (CBDCE), continuing education activities must be diabetes-related and approved by a provider on the CBDCE list of Approved Providers (www.cbdce.org). CBDCE does not approve continuing education.
National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC) for CHES and MCHES
Helm Publishing, Inc., a designated provider of continuing education contact hours (CHEC) in health education by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. Selected courses are designated for Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES) and/or Master Certified Health Education Specialists (MCHES).
CHES/MCHES members must buy online courses in the "By Profession" CHES category (https://www.helmpublishing.com/collections/all/ches) to have hours recorded and reported properly. Helm Publishing is Provider #114228. After passing your online exam, download and print a copy of your Certificate of Completion in the "Achievements" tab. Exams completed online by Dec 31st, March 31st, June 30th, and Sept 30th will be reported to NCHEC by the 15th of the following month.
American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
The American College of Sports Medicine's Professional Education Committee certifies that "Helm Publishing, Inc." meets the criteria for official ACSM Approved Provider status from (2020 - December 2023). Approved Providers and their content reflect the concepts of their respective organizations and do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of ACSM. Providership #873100. All courses are approved for ACSM professionals.
Does Helm Publishing submit my hours to my accrediting body?
Only Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES) have their hours reported to their accrediting body on a quarterly basis. Everyone receives a Certificate of Completion, either emailed or downloaded after an online test. Use the Certificate to document your hours, and have it available in case of audit.
- Step 1: Go to www.helmpublishing.com and buy the "online course" or "online test" option. An email with your testing site link will be sent to you immediately. Keep this email. When purchasing an online test, there is a brief 15 minute delay as your account is being updated in our Online Test System. Please give our websites a few moments before accessing your course.
- Step 2: Your book will be mailed within two business days. A PDF of the test questions may be downloaded by opening your course in the testing center, and under the Additional References tab. It will be helpful to scan the questions on the test before reading the book in order to get a feel for what information is deemed core to the topic.
- Step 3: When you want to submit your answers, login to the testing site (use same email and password used to purchase the online test). You can also go to the testing site from your account and our homepage, "Online Test Login."
- Step 4: Fill in all the answers, and click the "Submit" button to grade the test. A passing grade is 70% or higher. You get credit on the date you submit (and pass) the exam.
- Step 5: You will be given your score, and if you passed, you can print a copy of your Certificate of Completion from a computer not a mobile device. If the test has fill-in questions, please allow 2 business days for hand-grading and then go to "Achievements." The test can be purchased again immediately, if you failed.
Can I print my Certificate of Completion from my mobile device?
You can take the test on your mobile device but you must print the Certificate from a computer—that function is not available by mobile device yet. It's on our wish list.
Why is the online test graded (passing is 70%+) and the paper one is accepted when you see the work was done?
We believe that professionals want to be recognized for their effort. So, we ask that the completed answer sheet be submitted to show their work, or on the online exam, a passing grade (70%+) be achieved. If someone could go online and answer questions randomly without reading the book—and make a score of 45 on the test but still pass—the validity of the CPE hours would be compromised.
This is an open-book exam. The date you mail the completed answer sheet and certificate to Helm Publishing is the date you receive credit for the course (keep a postal receipt if your timeline is close for state or national records). RD and DTR exams that are postmarked by May 31st will be reported in the current year. A certificate and answers will be sent to each person who completes the course. All courses are approved for at least one year from the date of purchase, but all courses are approved for 3-year periods so you may have more time. Please allow 2 weeks for processing exams.
- Step 1: Read the book and answer the questions as you go. It will be helpful to scan the questions on the test before reading the book in order to get a feel for what information is deemed core to the topic.
- Step 2: Answer the questions on the answer sheet and fill out the evaluation.
- Step 3: Sign the Certificate of Completion. Keep copies in the event forms become lost and mail the completed answer sheet, certificate and evaluation to: Helm Publishing, P.O. Box 2105, Lake Dallas, TX 75065.
- Step 4: Review the correct answers that will be sent back to you along with the signed Certificate of Completion. RNs must retain this record for four years, and RDs and DTRs must retain records for five years.
- Step 5: RDs and DTRs can use the certificate to document their hours in their portfolios. Other health professionals may use their Certificates to report contact hours to their member organizations.
Helm Publishing is the only provider of Step One (46-hour self-study course) of the Intuitive Eating Certification program. The test is only available online. You can buy any or all of the five elements needed to complete our self-study course: book, online test, coaching audiobook, workbook, and 2 pre-recorded webinars. You will be emailed a link to download the webinars. Please download and save the webinars to your computer. The IE test has some fill-in questions, so please allow 2 business days for hand-grading. You will be notified when it is graded. If you successfully pass with 70% or higher, please return to the testing site to complete the mandatory Critical Thinking Evaluation. You can then download/print a Certificate of Completion for the course under "Achievements." Submit the Certificate to Intuitive Eating at etriboleassistant@gmail.com.
Ordering from outside the U.S.? Order from the Intuitive Eating - International product page.