February Electronic Bulletin

February 2015

The electronic news bulletin contains important information for all current certificants as well as those seeking certification. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns. nncc@nncc-exam.org or 888-884-6622.

Sent to those committed to excellence!

IN THIS E-NEWS BULLETIN, PLEASE FIND THE FOLLOWING SHORT NEW BRIEFS FROM THE NNCC:

• Important Notice for Dialysis Technicians and Nurse Managers
• Educational Offerings
• Firewall Issues
• Reminder: CNN Examination Eligibility Change
• CCHT-A and CD-LPN/LPN Examinations Now Available
• E-Mail NNCC For Assistance
• Continuing Education, Credential Verification Reminders
• NNCC On Facebook!!
• CCHT Recertification Information You Need To Know

ATTENTION ALL DIALYSIS TECHNICIANS AND NURSE MANAGERS: NNCC in 2015

NNCC is gearing up for a busy year. To meet the initial national certification requirements mandated by CMS, a large number of dialysis technicians were certified within a period of months. That group of dialysis technicians is nearing the time required for recertification. NNCC would like to remind you to please submit your applications for recertification within 3 months of your expiration date. This will allow enough time for NNCC to review your application, and if needed, work with you to be sure all eligibility criteria are met and recertification is provided in a timely manner.

NOTE: Recertification may be submitted up to 4 months in advance of the recertification date if all continuing education credit (appropriate to the person's scope of practice) has been obtained. It is extremely urgent that you carefully review all eligibility criteria and your options for recertification.

If you have questions regarding your certification, please contact NNCC directly. NNCCs regular business hours are Monday - Friday, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm EST. As phone lines can get busy, you may also contact NNCC through the NNCC website, www.nncc-exam.org. Click the Contact NNCC button to receive a timely response.

EDUCATIONAL OFFERINGS

National Kidney Foundation

March 25 - 29, 2015; Gaylord Texan, Dallas, TX

The NKF annual spring meeting is a great opportunity to meet and network with all types of nephrology care providers. Sessions include interactive workshops, presentation of current nephrology information and debates. There are specific sessions for all types of providers, including one specifically for nurses and technicians. Click here for more information on this meeting.

National Association of Nephrology Technicians

March 16 – 19, 2015; Tropicana Hotel, Las Vegas, NV

The NANT National Annual Symposium will be held 16 - 19 March 2015 at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. The full schedule and registration links will be available in fall 2014. Click here for more information.

American Nephrology Nurses Association National Symposium

April 19 – 22, 2015; Lake Buena Vista, FL

The goal of the national ANNA symposium is to provide an opportunity to network with other nephrology professional in an environment that will enhance nephrology knowledge and practice. Sessions will allow practitioners to expand their knowledge, enhance clinical skills and incorporate evidence into clinical practice. Click here for more information on this meeting.

Save the Date in 2016!!

National Kidney Foundation - For future planning, the 2016 NKF Spring Meeting is scheduled for April 27 - May 1, 2016 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, MA.

Annual Dialysis Conference - Mark your calendars and plan to attend this meeting Feb. 27 - March 1, 2016 in Seattle, Washington. Note that the abstract deadline for this meeting is October 5, 2015.

There are also several websites that offer continuing education. If you need assistance in finding some of these websites, NNCC would be happy to help. Contact us to request a list of some websites and other educational offerings to help in meeting your recertification criteria.

FIREWALL ISSUES

It appears that some corporate or work email systems may have firewalls that block the electronic communications provided by NNCC. If you are not getting emails from NNCC on a regular basis and have provided NNCC with your work email address, you may wish to use a personal email address instead. Please contact NNCC to update your contact information at nncc@nncc-exam.org.

Please share this news bulletin with anyone you feel may be interested or have need of this information.

REMINDER: CHANGES IN WORK CRITERIA FOR CNN EXAMINATION EFFECTIVE 1/1/15

Just as a reminder, changes in the number of work hours in different settings for CNN exam applicants went into effect January 1, 2015. The applicant must have a minimum of 3000 hours of nephrology nursing experience as a registered nurse in a clinical, management/charge, administrative, patient education, staff education, case management, clinical outcomes/quality improvement/quality assurance/compliance, consulting or research capacity within three (3) years prior to submitting the exam application.

Effective for all CNN examinations offered beginning January 1, 2015, if the applicant is working in an outpatient hemodialysis facility, at least 750 hours (25%) of the 3000 hours of experience must also include one of the following:

1. Home hemodialysis
2. Home peritoneal dialysis
3. Inpatient acute kidney injury on renal replacement therapy
4. Inpatient critical care on renal replacement therapy
5. CKD management not on renal replacement therapy
6. Kidney transplant
7. Apheresis

CERTIFICATION EXAMS NOW AVAILABLE FOR CCHT-A AND CD-LPN/CD-LVN

NNCC now has an examination for advanced dialysis technicians, and this certification denotes practice and experience beyond the minimum needed to obtain the CCHT credential. Click here to find criteria for this examination. Please be sure to inform all dialysis technicians of this opportunity.

NNCC also has developed the credential for a certified dialysis LPN/LVN. Please click here to obtain the criteria for this examination. Please pass this information to all LPNs and LVNs who may be interested in this opportunity.

E-MAIL NNCC FOR ASSISTANCE

NNCC staff are available to assist with questions, but the phone can be challenging during times when many people are in the process of recertifying. If you need assistance, it is recommended that you email NNCC and a member of the office staff will contact you promptly. Simply go to the NNCC homepage at www.nncc-exam.org and click on "Contact NNCC" or add NNCC to your email address book: nncc@nncc-exam.org, for easy access.

CONTINUING EDUCATION, CREDENTIAL VERIFICATION REMINDERS

Please review the applicable application form and note the criteria for continuing education submitted for certification and recertification. Continuing education credits must be applicable to the person's credential and scope of practice in nephrology. Continuing education credit for materials that do not apply to the person's nephrology role and scope of practice will not be accepted.

Another important reminder regards the NNCC Certified Directory, available on the NNCC website at www.nncc-exam.org. The NNCC Certified Directory allows for online verification of certification. It is maintained as a searchable database that displays all individuals matching the selection criteria who have not elected to keep their information private. All managers are strongly encouraged to verify credentials by viewing this directory regularly.

NNCC ON FACEBOOK!!

The Nephrology Nursing Certification Commission is on Facebook, and we'd love to connect with you. "Like" us on Facebook to keep up with certification and exam information, NNCC and industry news, and much more. It's also a great place to share your stories, network with fans from across the country, and get in contact with NNCC directly.

"Like" us today on Facebook by visiting www.facebook.com/NNCCExam or by clicking the link below.

CCHT RECERTIFICATION INFORMATION YOU NEED TO KNOW

Think you know all you need to know about the CCHT recertification process? Check out our "Did You Know.." sheet, and make sure you do.

NNCC also has some frequently asked questions regarding CCHT recertification on it's Facebook page. You can view these frequently asked questions by visiting facebook.com/NNCCExam.

ABOUT NNCC

The Nephrology Nursing Certification Commission (NNCC) exists to establish credentialing mechanisms for improving the quality of care provided to nephrology patients.

The Nephrology Nursing Certification Commission supports the philosophy that there should be a diversity of examinations that will effectively provide the opportunity for certification at various levels of education, experience, and area of practice within nephrology nursing.

For more information, visit www.nncc-exam.org.

You are subscribed to NNCC's Email Newsletter - a free services of the Nephrology Nursing Certification Commission. From time-to-time you will received an email such as this one with important news and information relevant to certification.

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