In a blink of an eye, 2019 is behind us and here we are full swing into 2020! I am honored to be serving as your PSNCB President for another term. This is a very busy committee as our primary goal is to maintain the high standards that have been created for the honor and privilege of wearing the credentials of certified plastic surgical nurse (CPSN) and of certified aesthetic nurse specialist (CANS). This work is shared among the hardworking professionals of the PSNCB. As I glance over the list of extraordinary individuals who form this board, I am amazed to see the levels of education, credentials, and the positions each one is holding professionally. The board consists of president, secretary/treasurer, directors (n = 4), and a public member. Allow me to introduce this wonderful group of professionals that make up our board.
PSNCB BOARD MEMBERS
Sharon Fritzsche, DNP, RN, FNP-BC, CPSN, ISPAN-F, is our secretary/treasurer. Sharon is originally from North Carolina but has lived in California since 1981. She is currently practicing as a nurse practitioner with the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Department at Loma Linda University Medical Center. Her service with PSNCB started in 2014 as a director. She will continue to serve for another 2-year term as secretary/treasurer. In addition, Sharon has been an active member of ISPAN for 22 years where she has served in multiple roles on various committees including president of the organization.
Marilyn Cassetta, BSN, BScN, RN, CPSN, CANS, serves as a director for PSNCB. Originally from San Jose, CA, Marilyn now lives in New South Wales, Australia, since sailing there in 1991. She brings an international flare to our group. Marilyn is an independent contractor working "within" the private, clinical settings of three separate plastic surgery practices. She has served as a PSNCB director for the past 2 years and has agreed to serve another 2-year term. In addition, Marilyn has been a member of ISPAN for 33 years, serving on the Plastic Surgical Nursing Foundation as well as a manuscript reviewer for the Plastic Surgical Nursing journal.
Lisa Griffin, RN, CPSN, OCN, is also one of our directors. Lisa was born and raised in Ontario, Canada, and relocated to Florida in 2007. She is currently a full-time primary care nurse in the outpatient setting of the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Program at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, where she works directly with two board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeons. Her service to PSNCB started in 2017, and she has committed to serving another 2-year term on the board. She has been an active member of ISPAN since 2008.
Leslie Harmon, BSN, RN, CPSN, CANS, became our newest director for PSNCB in 2019. She describes herself as a Little Rock, AR, native with a bit of Texas spirit. Leslie is the clinical and surgical services director at the Little Rock Cosmetic Surgery Center. She has been an active member of ISPAN since 2005.
Kathy Mortl, BSN, RN, CPSN, CANS, ISPAN-F, is also a director for PSNCB and lives in Mequon, WI. She is an RN Injector for Dr. Michelle Bonnes, a board-certified plastic surgeon. She also works in the operating room at St. Luke's Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI. Kathy just completed 2 years of service with PSNCB and has agreed to serve another 2-year term. She has been an active member of ISPAN since 1990 and is currently serving on the ISPAN Clinical Practice Committee. In addition, she is the Editor of the ISPAN Newsletter and a member of the Editorial Board and Skin Care Department Chair for the Plastic Surgical Nursing journal.
Mary Totten, Public Member, is originally from Iowa but relocated to the Tampa, FL, area almost 11 years ago because of the warmer climate. She is a Software Quality Assurance Engineer at CrossMedia-11c. Mary has just completed serving a 2-year term on PSNCB and has agreed to continue serving as our public member for another 2-year term.
CERTIFICATION NUMBERS
We are proud to announce that in 2019 we had 24 CPSNs and 71 CANSs join us as new certified nurses. This brings us to a grand total of 305 CPSNs and 402 CANSs or 707 certified nurses in our specialty. These are truly numbers we should be proud of!
RECERTIFICATION (REQUIRED EVERY 3 YEARS)
For those of you who are currently certified, it is very important that you review and become familiar with the recertification guidelines posted on the PSNCB Web site. In fact, there is a box that you must check, stating "I attest that I have downloaded and read the recertification guideline instructions before I begin my recertification application." This step must be done before you can move forward and complete your recertification packet.
Our online application process will make recertifying so much easier. Simply login on to the PSNCB Web site and start your application by providing your demographics and hitting the save tab. This process can start within 1 month of completing your previous recertification packet. Newly certified nurses can start this process as soon as they have been entered into the PSNCB database. Each time you attend a conference or complete a continuing education event, you can open your packet and upload your credits. Rather than placing your certificates in a folder to upload later, make it a habit to do this as soon as you complete the event. Then when it is time to submit, the continuing education requirements are complete!
We have had a few questions about uploading a current nursing license as most states do not issue a new card upon license renewal. It is acceptable to upload a snapshot from your State Board of Nursing stating that you are in good standing and your license is current.
NEW IN 2020
As we enter 2020, there will be an increase in the fees for taking one of the certification examinations or submitting a recertification packet. These new fees are listed as follows:
Certification examination fee
* ISPAN member-$295
* Nonmember-$395
Recertification
* ISPAN member-$200
* Nonmember-$350
Retired status-$100
The PSNCB truly believes in promoting and upholding the highest standards of plastic and reconstructive surgical nursing practice through the development, implementation, coordination, and evaluation of all aspects of the certification and recertification process. A PSNCB goal of 2020 is to provide you with the ability to post the PSNCB Certification Seal on your Web site. We are excited to be able to offer you this invaluable way to promote yourself as a certified plastic or aesthetic nurse. We will share the details of this process as they become available.
For those of you who are not certified, the PSNCB truly hopes that you will make it one of your 2020 goals. Please feel free to reach out to any of the board members if you have any questions.
Respectfully submitted
Renee J. Hinojosa, MSN, APRN,
ACNS-BC, CPSN, CANS
President, PSNCB