I am slowly coming "down" from the "high" of yet another spectacular convention. The planning committee did a phenomenal job in putting on our 34th Annual Convention; it deserves a huge round of applause. The educational content covered all aspects of Plastic Surgical Nursing; there was something for everyone, in all types of practices. In addition, for those of you who took my suggestion from an earlier letter and stepped outside of the box, congratulations on taking that step. I am sure you learned something new or at least had a refresher course on an area of practice you have not participated in for a while.
I arrived a couple days early along with a committee of nurses from varied practices to review and rewrite the certification examination. The examination is reviewed every 5 years, some questions are modified, others are deleted, and new questions are developed. It was an interesting process, and I know that the committee members would agree with me, a great learning opportunity. Margery Garbin, president of Center for Nursing Education and Testing, guided us along the way. First, we reviewed the entire examination, deciding if the question was good, needed revision, or needed to be deleted. Peg had statistical analysis to help us determine if the questions were good or not. Once the entire test was dissected, we then turned our attention to revising and developing new questions. We ran out of time, so we were assigned "homework" to complete the task; according to Peg, this is not uncommon. Once the committee submits the remaining questions, we will review the test before it is used. The new test will most likely make its debut next year. I thank Peg for her guidance and the committee members for their dedication. We accomplished a great deal of work in those 2 days.
The examination will continue to test all areas of Plastic Surgical Nursing, pediatric to adult, reconstructive and cosmetic, as well as the varied areas of practice settings, such as the office, operating room, surgical unit, or even a medi-spa. Remember, the examination is not designed to test your personal work environment. The Core is an excellent study guide as well as articles in the Plastic Surgical Nursing and the review course. I advise anyone preparing for the examination to identify your strengths and study your weaknesses.
I would like to encourage any member who has at least 2 years of experience in the field of plastic surgical nursing to take the CPSN examination. It is the "icing on the cake." You are taking the extra step to demonstrate your excellence in the field. For some, it means an increase in pay; for others, it is pure gratification. It can be used as a bargaining point for career advancement or a pay increase, but whatever reason, it is so very rewarding to use CPSN after your name. To use the words from Joanne Gladfelter, a past president of ASPSN, and an advocate for our members to obtain scholarship grants from Allergan Academy [horizontal ellipsis] the reasons to become a CPSN are:
Certification shows your commitment to the specialty of plastic surgical nursing.
Certification boosts self-esteem.
Certification promotes professionalism.
Certification establishes competency in specialty skills and comprehension.
Certification demonstrates achievement and leadership[horizontal ellipsis]
Not only do I encourage, I challenge those of you without your CPSN to take that step. Scholarship grants are available. Purchase a Core, start studying, take the review course, fill out the application, and take the examination.
Sue Kunz, BS, RN, CPSN
PSNCB President 2009