AACN News—April 2005—Certification

Vol. 23, No. 4, APRIL 2006

Nominations Invited for Positions on AACN Certification Corporation Board of Directors

The annual Call for Nominations of leaders to fill positions on the AACN Certification Corporation Board of Directors is under way. Terms begin July 1, 2006.

Simply complete the nomination form that appears in the center of this issue of AACN News or that is available online. The AACN Leadership Framework is also available online.

Following is a description of the director positions for which nominations are being sought. Reimbursement for travel as well as other expenses is provided for all of these national volunteer positions.

Nominations close June 3, 2005.

Director
(2 positions open,
3-year terms)
A director actively participates in governance to ensure the corporation’s financial viability and growth; evaluates organizational outcomes based on established priorities and action plans; monitors the impact of corporation initiatives on patient care and healthcare delivery systems; articulates positions and policies to key stakeholders; and ensures a successful relationship between AACN and AACN Certification Corporation. Nominations for both nurse leaders and consumer representatives are accepted.

Celebrate Your Certified Status
Activities Abound at the NTI

Numerous events and activities at AACN’s National Teaching Institute and Critical Care Exposition, May 7 through 12 in New Orleans, La., are geared to certified nurses.

Certification Celebration
This year, for the first time, AACN Certification Corporation will host a celebratory banquet for CCRN Alumni and current certificants with the following credentials: ACNP, CCNS, CCRN, CMC, CSC and PCCN. This dinner event, cosponsored by Hill-Rom in partnership with AACN Certification Corporation, is from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 11. Atrium Medical Corp. will again provide special memento coffee mugs. Tickets may be purchased for $35 with NTI registration fees. The traditional CE speaker will be replaced with a special CE Passport, which will allow all attendees to earn up to three Category A credits online at their convenience through June 30.

New Preconference Sessions
Building Item Writing Skills
Sunday May 8, 1:30-4:30 p.m.
Lawrence J. Fabrey of Applied Measurement Professionals, Inc., will instruct participants on the development process of certification examinations, including the purpose of a job analysis, anatomy of an item, classification of cognitive levels of items, test-wiseness, and evaluating items from a content and psychometric viewpoint. Participants will be given the opportunity to produce and evaluate items with their colleagues.

2-Day PCCN Review Course
Saturday-Sunday May 7-8
Experts will provide an overview of selected patient care topics, including cardiovascular, pulmonary, endocrine, neurological, hematological-immunological, gastrointestinal, renal and multisystem. In addition, professional caring and ethics practice content will be covered.

Certification Oasis
Cosponsored by Clarian Health Partners and AACN Certification Corporation, the Oasis Lounge will provide attendees who are ACNP-, CCNS-, CCRN-, CMC-, CSC- and PCCN-certified a place to catch a quiet moment between sessions, learn about what’s new in certification and enjoy light refreshments with colleagues. Individuals interested in attaining certification are welcome to stop in and speak with representatives of AACN Certification Corporation. Informal informational sessions will be scheduled early in the week to provide updates on specialty and subspecialty nursing certifications.

For more information and to register for the NTI, visit the NTI Web site or call (800) 899-2226.

Subspecialty Exams Are for Already Certified Nurses

AACN Certification Corporation’s new subspecialty certifications in cardiac medicine (CMC) and cardiac surgery (CSC) give nurses who already have the CCRN or other clinical specialty certifications the opportunity to validate additional knowledge, skills and abilities in an even more specialized practice area.

These new subspecialty certification exams were developed following a job analysis of nurses working with acutely and critically ill patients. The subspecialty exams are more complex than the CCRN and PCCN exams.

The new subspecialty exams focus only on the clinical judgment component. The specialty certifications test the holistic patient. Although patient teaching, caring practices and ethical behavior are extremely important, AACN Certification Corporation assumes that the specialty certification exams would already have tested these skills, knowledge and abilities.

PCCN and CCRN are equivalent credentials, but with a different focus of care. Many cardiac nurses who do not work with hemodynamic monitoring and ventilator support find PCCN certification perfect for them, with the ultimate path toward CMC or CSC certification. To best determine your pathway, review the Exam Blueprints in the Exam Handbook, which can be found online at www. aacn.org > Certification.

Deadline Extended to Augment Clinical Hours for CCNS Exam

The deadline to augment clinical hours through a transcripted practicum and obtain 500 clinical hours required to be eligible for the CCNS exam has been extended until July 1, 2006. The extension accommodates students working on their clinical hours during the spring semester.