In the blink of an eye, my role as Plastic Surgical Nursing Certification Board (PSNCB) President has come to an end. It has been a true honor to serve as board president and take a stand for the importance of nursing certification in our specialty. The PSNCB works diligently to achieve our primary goal of maintaining the high standards required for the honor and privilege of wearing the certified aesthetic nurse specialist (CANS) and certified plastic surgical nurse (CPSN) credentials. The board consists of a president, a secretary/treasurer, four directors, a public member, and an ISPAN liaison. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to these dedicated individuals who have helped me fulfill the PSNCB goals. These special people include
* Kathy Mortl, Secretary/Treasurer;
* Marilyn Cassetta, Director;
* Erin Catanese, Director;
* Lisa Griffin, Director;
* Leslie Harmon, Director;
* Mary Totten, Public Member; and
* Gerri Obi, ISPAN Liaison.
I want to especially recognize the exceptional service provided by Marilyn Cassetta, Gerri Obi, and Mary Totten. Although their terms as board members have ended, their contributions were vital in helping PSNCB maintain our high standards for certification.
In addition, I am thankful for the amazing support provided by Executive Director, Aurelie Alger, JD; and Administrator, Aviana Fore from our ISPAN management association: Professional Relations and Research Institute (PRRI).
CERTIFICATION
As PSNCB president, my ongoing message has been to promote certification of plastic and aesthetic nurses. Obtaining certification is truly the highest recognition of professional competence in our specialty. To those who are not CANS or CPSN certified, I urge you to consider the importance of becoming certified and to make obtaining certification your professional goal. Please visit the PSNCB website (https://psncb.org/) and review the eligibility criteria for certification.
The PSNCB believes that mastering a common knowledge base, implementing the nursing process, and demonstrating a high level of skill in the practice setting are necessary for nurses working in the specialty practice of plastic and aesthetic nursing.
Achieving certification deserves professional recognition. As I have said before, consider your certification to be a badge of honor! The PSNCB proudly reports that we currently have a grand total of 654 certified nurses in our specialty. Of these, 396 hold the CANS certification and 258 hold the CPSN certification.
MAINTAINING YOUR CERTIFICATION
To those who are currently certified, display your credentials proudly and maintain your certification. Certification promotes continuous learning, which is vital for providing safe and exceptional care of patients in our specialty.
To maintain your certification, you must submit an online recertification packet every 3 years. One piece of valuable advice I can give you is to start your recertification packet as soon as possible. Your new recertification packet is available 1 month after you successfully complete your previous recertification packet. For those who just became certified by taking the examination, your recertification packet is available 1 month after you are entered into the PSNCB system.
The new online application process will make recertifying so much easier! Simply login to the PSNCB website and start your application by providing your demographics and then clicking on the SAVE tab. Each time you attend a conference or complete a continuing education event, all you have to do is login to open your packet and upload your credits. Instead of placing your continuing education certificates in a folder to upload at a later date, make it a habit to login and upload them as soon as you earn them. Then, when it is time to submit your recertification packet, you have already done most of the work!
The PSNCB carefully reviews each of the recertification packets according to the guidelines published on our website. Before submitting your recertification packet, please take time to review the guidelines. We continue to receive recertification packets that must be marked incomplete and returned to the certificant because the recertification guidelines were not followed.
CERTIFICATION PINS
New lapel certification pins are available for all certified nurses! I want to extend a very special thank you to Marilyn Cassetta for all of her work in getting the pins designed and manufactured. During our 2021 ISPAN Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, the PSNCB will be providing certification pins for all nurses who have been certified for at least 5 years. Nurses who have been certified for at least 5 years and are unable to attend the meeting will receive their pins by mail. The certification pins will also be available to any certified nurse who donates to the Plastic Surgical Nurses Foundation.
ACCREDITATION
One of my most important goals as PSNCB president was ensuring our certification process earns accreditation by the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC). Accreditation by the ABSNC is very prestigious as it demonstrates compliance with the highest certification standards in the industry. This process has taken many years and was started under the presidency of my predecessor Jacquie Frazee. When she passed the presidential baton to me, one of Jacquie's goals was for me to take this project to the finish line. I am happy to say that with many hours of hard work completed by both the PSNCB and the members of PRRI, we have submitted our completed accreditation packet. We are currently waiting on a final review by the ABSNC and hope to proudly announce our accreditation very soon.
I will be forever grateful for the honor of serving each of you as the president of PSNCB. As I pass my presidential baton to the next leader, I have full confidence that the PSNCB will continue to maintain the high standards for plastic and aesthetic nurse specialty certification that have been established so that each of you can proudly wear this badge of honor!
Respectfully submitted
Renee J. Hinojosa, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, CPSN, CANS
President, PSNCB