As President of the Plastic Surgical Nursing Certification Board (PSNCB), I sincerely hope 2021 is starting out on a positive note with good health and happiness for you and your family. As this new year begins, have you thought about what your professional goals are for 2021? Hopefully, your goals include becoming certified or maintaining your current certifications. The number of certified nurses within our specialty is impressive-381 certified aesthetic nurse specialist (CANS) and 257 certified plastic surgery nurse (CPSN) certifications at the end of 2020.
2021 PSNCB MEMBERS
I am pleased to share with you the continued commitment of the PSNCB members for another year:
* President, Renee J. Hinojosa, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, CPSN, CANS, Reno, NV
* Secretary-Treasurer, Kathleen M. Mortl, BSN, RN, CANS, CPSN, Mequon, WI
* Marilyn Cassetta, BScN, RN, CPSN, CANS, Double Bay, NSW, Australia
* Director, Erin Catanese, BSN, RN, CPSN, Mundelein, IL
* Director, Lisa G. Griffin, RN, CPSN, OCN, Zephyrhills, FL
* Director, Leslie E. Harmon, BSN, RN, CANS, CPSN, Little Rock, AR
* ISPAN Board Liaison, Gerrie Obi, MSN, ARNP, RN, CPSN, ISPAN-F, Jacksonville, FL
* Public Member, Mary Totten, Wesley Chapel, FL
CERTIFICATION
In an era when medical education is available online through so many vendors, you now have an opportunity to obtain your certification through the PSNCB-the official body for CPSN and CANS. Along with your credentials, CPSN and CANS are trademarks you can proudly display on your Web sites! This is something you can share with your clients to assure them you are one of the elite members of the plastic and aesthetic nursing communities. The PSNCB Web site has valuable information about the requirements to be eligible to sit for one of these certification examinations.
MAINTAINING YOUR CERTIFICATION
To those who are currently certified, please take note that you must maintain your certification by submitting an online application every 3 years. I want to encourage you to start your recertification packet as soon as it is available. Your recertification packet is available 1 month after your previous packet was accepted. Trust me on this one! 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 where you can begin your online recertification application. You can work through each section at your own pace. Just click on the "Save Application" tab and your application will be waiting for you the next time you log in. Each time you complete any type of continuing education, be sure to upload your certificate of completion and save it. It is best to do this after completing any educational activity. This helps ensure that you will be ready to submit your packet as soon as you have met all the requirements.
Remember that you must adhere to the practice requirements during your 3-year recertification period. Part of your recertification packet is an attestation form that documents your work with a board-certified physician during this period of time. For the CPSN certification, this includes the specialties of plastic surgery, facial plastics (ENT), or oculoplastics. For the CANS certification, this includes plastic surgery, ENT, dermatology, or ophthalmology. If you change your practice environment, it is important to remember that you must continue to adhere to these requirements.
CERTIFICATION WEBINAR
The PSNCB was pleased to offer a complementary certification webinar in October 2020. It was very well received and will remain available for interested individuals. The webinar can be found by clicking the "view program" button under the Certification Webinar heading on the home page of the PSNCB Web site. The participants presented excellent questions during the webinar, and those questions were either answered during the presentation or posted on the PSNCB Web site for your review.
PSNCB WEB SITE
The PSNCB Web site is full of valuable information about becoming CPSN and CANS certified and maintaining your certifications. Please take some time to visit the site to stay current with the most up-to-date information on CPSN and CANS certification.
Respectfully submitted,
Renee J. Hinojosa, MSN, APRN,
ACNS-BC, CPSN, CANS
President PSNCB