Is it time for you to renew your ONC credential? You can start preparing your application now!! Renewal can be done either by continuing education or examination. If you're like me, you don't want to take that test again.
Renewal notices are sent approximately 6 months before the June 30 deadline. If you are scheduled to renew and do not get your application, notify the ONCB as soon as possible. Once you receive the packet, it is your responsibility to correctly complete the forms. If the forms are not complete, your application will be returned and you will need to pay a $25 resubmission fee. Do it right the first time!!
If you are renewing by continuing education, gather the proof of your contact hours. You need 100 total hours, 70 in Category A (orthopaedic content) and 30 in Category B (general nursing). If you have more than 70 contact hours in Category A, you only need enough hours in Category B to bring your total to 100 contact hours. For example, I have 86 hours in Category A so I need only 14 hours in Category B. You can also carry hours over if you acquired them after April 30 of your previous renewal cycle. Caution: Hours cannot be split. For example, you earned 26 contact hours at Congress and need only 2 of them to reach your 70 Category A hours. You must count all 26 hours on one application and cannot split the credit from that offering between two recertification cycles.
Guidelines for contact hours are included with your renewal application. To save yourself some anguish, read them carefully before proceeding. For example, I prepared and presented a program on epidural analgesia in 2000. I presented the same program again this year, but I can use it only once toward recertification in this 5-year period.
As you are completing your application, call ONCB with any questions. Knowledgeable staff and members of the Committee for Certification Renewal can help you!!
Other requirements include a current unrestricted nursing license and the appropriate fee. Remember the late fee option, the perfect solution for some one who has financial constraints or needs a little more time to complete the application. This option allows you to submit your application until September 30 with payment of an additional $25. It does NOT allow you to earn additional contact hours; all hours must have been completed before the regular deadline of June 30.
A word to the wise [horizontal ellipsis] gather your hours and total them now. Do you have enough? If not, you have time to gain more hours before the application deadline. Access the NAON Web site (http://naon.inurse.com) or check the pages of Orthopaedic Nursing for more continuing education opportunities.
Note: If you have moved since you received your last ONC card, you are responsible for providing your correct address to the ONCB (800-561-ONCB).