As President of the Plastic Surgical Nursing Certification Board (PSNCB), I have an ongoing theme in my messages to you and that is to promote certification. After all, as the title states, it is the highest degree of professional competence in our specialty. To those of you who are not a certified plastic surgical nurse (CPSN) or certified aesthetic nurse specialist (CANS), consider making certification a professional goal. The PSNCB believes that the attainment of a common knowledge base, use of the nursing process, and a specialized level of skill in the practice setting are required for the specialty of plastic and aesthetic nursing, and this accomplishment should receive professional recognition. We are proud to say that we currently have 382 CANS and 257 CPSN certifications! Visit the PSNCB Web site and review the specific criteria that must be met to be eligible to sit for either one of the certification examinations.
MAINTAINING YOUR CERTIFICATION
To those who are currently certified, please take note that you must maintain your certification by turning in an online application every 3 years. I want to encourage you to start your recertification packet as soon as it is available, which is usually about 1 month after your last packet was accepted. Trust me on this one, as it will make the recertification process much easier and less stressful. Simply go to the PSNCB Web site and click on the nurse's login tab. Your recertification information will be available including your expiration date and a tab to begin your recertification online application. You may work on each section of the application on your own time frame. Just use the "Save Application" tab and your application will be ready for you the next time you log in. Each time you complete any type of continuing education, be sure to upload your certificate and save it. It is best to do this after completion of any activity because this helps ensure that you will be ready to submit your packet when you have met all the requirements. For successful acceptance, your packet must meet all the criteria outlined in the Recertification Guidelines. Here are some helpful hints to keep in mind when completing your packet.
RECERTIFICATION HELPFUL HINTS
* There are five forms (charts). These are for the different types of continuing education options that you may have participated in. Please make sure to enter your continuing education in the appropriate area, with the correct certificate.
* All continuing education credits must be dated within your 3-year recertification period.
* Form 1 is only for your core-specific credits, and you must have at least 30 core credits to meet the acceptance requirement. These credits must be specific to Plastic/Aesthetic Surgery, Ophthalmology, Dermatology, or Facial Plastic Surgery (ENT).
* You must submit at least 45 total credits to meet the acceptance requirement.
* Any journal article entry must list the original publication date of the article, not the date when you took the continuing education test to earn the credit.
* Both the CPSN and CANS are nursing certifications; therefore, only a total of 15 continuing medical units (CMEs) are accepted. All other credits must be approved by an accredited provider of nursing education. An approved provider of either medical (CME, PRA, AMA) or nursing (ANCC, AANP, ISPAN, Council on Continuing Education, etc.) continuing education must be listed on any uploaded certificate.
* Abstracts are not acceptable for continuing education.
* You must submit at least two safety credits. These credits can be accumulated in any category and may include, but are not limited to, the Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals (http://www.jointcommission.org). Sometimes safety credits are listed on your certificate but many times they are not. The title of the program should indicate that some type of patient safety was addressed. Some acceptable examples include preventing medication errors, fall prevention, and so on. Remember you can also use BCLS, ACLS, and PALS courses, which count for one patient safety credit.
* The last section of your packet is for a supervisor or supervising physician to complete. For CANS, the supervising physician must be board-certified in one of the four core specialties. The physician must sign the attestation form. A current and unencumbered license and proof of certification for this physician must be uploaded as well. For CPSN, a supervising physician or a supervisor may sign the attestation form stating that you are working with a board-certified plastic surgeon. A current and unencumbered license and proof of certification must also be uploaded for the named board-certified plastic surgeon.
CERTIFICATION RECOGNITION
The recognition of our certified nurses is especially important to both PSNCB and ISPAN. On both the PSNCB and ISPAN home pages, a star symbol is displayed, stating "Is your nurse certified?" Any individual can click on this symbol, enter a name, city, and state, and find out if a nurse is certified.
Plans are being made for an event honoring our certified nurses at the ISPAN 2020 Meeting in October. We also plan to have information-gathering opportunities for those of you who are not yet certified and wish to achieve that professional goal. Unfortunately, as I am completing this message to you, a decision has not been made on the status of the meeting-Will we meet in person or virtually?
Remember the PSNCB is here for you. Please feel free to reach out to the Board with any questions.
Respectfully submitted,
Renee J. Hinojosa, MSN, APRN,
ACNS-BC, CPSN, CANS
President, PSNCB