 April 2014
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:
CONGRATULATIONS! 2014 CLINICAL/TECHNICAL CAREER MOBILITY SCHOARSHIPS AWARDED
The NNCC proudly announces the 2014 winners of the two Clinical/Technical Career Mobility Scholarships.
The 2014 NNCC Clinical/Technical Career Mobility Scholarship winners are:
Jeffery L. Wade, Jr., CCHT/EMT-B, UVA Altavista, Altavista, VA
Angela Swaney, CCHT, DCI, Omaha, NE
These scholarships provide funding for continuing education and development or support of a program to improve patient outcomes in the health science field. Each $2000 scholarship enables a CCHT, CCHT-A and/or CD-LPN/LVN to enhance his/her knowledge and better contribute to the nephrology community.
The application form and instructions are available on the Scholarships/Grants page of the NNCC website found at nncc-exam.org. All CCHT, CCHT-A and CD-LPN/LVNs who meet the scholarship award criteria are encouraged to apply; applications for the 2015 awards are being accepted now and will be accepted until November 29, 2014.
Winners will be notified in the spring of 2015.
NOTE: Fax copies of documents are NOT accepted.
FIRST NEPHROLOGY NURSING ADVOCACY AWARD WINNER!!
The NNCC is pleased to announce the 2014 winner of its first annual Nephrology Nursing Advocacy Award:
Vidant Medical Center, Renal Dialysis Unit, Greenville, NC
Congratulations to Vidant Medical Center! This award is provided annually to one organization/facility/department/unit best able to demonstrate that it values certification as a way to promote patient safety and improve the quality of care provided to nephrology patients. The award consists of a wall plaque, a $250 gift card, a press release and recognition on the NNCC website and at the NNCC exhibit at professional nephrology events. Details are now available on the NNCC website at nncc-exam.org.
NOTE: Nominations must be emailed to nncc@nncc-exam.org and are due no later than January 1, 2015 for the 2015 award.
2013 NNCC CERTIFICATION EXAMINATION HIGH SCORERS
The NNCC would like to congratulate the following certificants for achieving the high score on their certification examination in 2013:
Certified Clinical Hemodialysis Technician (CCHT)
- Brian W. Gula, Alsip, IL
- Jennifer Smith, Kouts, IN
- Ashley Jane Turnamian, Charlotte, NC
Certified Clinical Hemodialysis Technician - Advanced (CCHT-A)
- Gracie Hayes, Grand Junction, CO
Certified Dialysis - Licensed Practical Nurse (CD-LPN)
- Lynne Elaine Hill, Madison, VA
Certified Dialysis Nurse (CDN)
- Rita Costello, Westbury, NY
- Thomas Lynn Fortner, Maple Grove, MN
Certified Nephrology Nurse (CNN)
- Daniel Rinkerman, Chapel Hill, NC
Certified Nephrology Nurse-Nurse Practitioner (CNN-NP)
CCHT-A and CD-LPN ONLINE PRACTICE EXAMS ARE NOW AVAILABLE
Great news for all of those planning to take the Certified Clinical Hemodialysis Technician - Advanced (CCHT-A) or the Certified Dialysis - Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurses (CD-LPN/LVN) certification examination!
The CCHT-A and the CD-LPN/LVN practice exams are now available online through the NNCC website, www.nncc-exam.org.
Want to know if you are eligible to take the examination? Place your mouse over the CCHT-A or CD-LPN/LVN credential logo on the NNCC website, www.nncc-exam.org, to find all of the information regarding the examination including eligibility criteria, how to prepare and the application booklet available for download.
Have more questions? Click here to contact NNCC.
 
CD-LPN/LVN WORK EXPERIENCE: CHANGES FOR RECERTIFICATION
NNCC approved changes to the CD-LPN/LVN work experience requirements to make the criteria consistent with those for the CDN and CNN recertification criteria.
The work hours have been decreased from 3000 hours in the previous three (3) years to 1500 hours in the previous three (3) years.
This change will be effective beginning July 1, 2015.
CDN CERTIFICATION: CHANGES IN CONTACT HOUR CRITERIA
NNCC approved an increase in the CDN contact hour requirements to make the criteria consistent with those for the CNN certification criteria.
The CDN requirement of 2000 work hours in the previous two (2) years of applying for the exam is unchanged; however, the number of required continuing education credits will increase from 15 to 20 within the two (2) years prior to applying for the CDN certification examination. This is comparable to the 30 hours of continuing education credits required during 3000 work hours with three (3) years of applying for the CNN examination.
This change will be effective beginning July 1, 2015.
CDN RECERTIFICATION: CHANGES IN CONTACT HOUR CRITERIA
NNCC approved an increase in the number of continuing education credits required for recertification for CDNs, which will make the criteria comparable to those of the CNN.
The number of continuing education credits required for recertification will increase from 30 hours to 45 hours in the previous three (3) years of certification, which is consistent with what is required for the CNN recertification.
This change will be effective beginning July 1, 2017.
CCHT-A RECERTIFICATION: CHANGES TO CONTACT HOUR CRITERIA
NNCC has approved a recommendation made by the Clinical/Technical Exam Board to require that 10 of the required 40 hours of continuing education credits be accredited by an approved provider. It is felt that experienced technicians working at an advanced level should seek some continuing education credits from professional meetings and educational offerings.
This change will go into effect beginning April 1, 2015.
CHANGES TO TEST BLUEPRINTS FOR NURSING EXAMINATIONS
It is critical that a certification examination accurately reflects the practice of the professional being credentialed. To achieve this outcome, role delineation/practice surveys are distributed nationally to nephrology nurses and technicians, both certified and non-certified, approximately every five (5) years. The data analysis of the most recent nurse surveys conducted in 2012 suggests changes in practice areas for all nurses working in nephrology. To address these changes, the test blueprints for the CDN, CNN and CNN-NP exams have been revised (see the table below). The test blueprints are used to determine the percentage of questions that must be included for specific practice areas in each certification exam.
The revised blueprints will be used for nursing examinations administered beginning in July, 2014.
View full blueprints by clicking the credential below:
CNN-NP
CDN
CNN
| CDN Examination |
| Content Areas |
% of Test Previously |
% of Test Beginning July, 2014 |
| Concepts of Kidney Disease |
30% |
28% |
| Peritoneal Dialysis |
12% |
14% |
| Comments: Another change will be an increase in the percentage of questions related to interdisciplinary approaches to care from 2% to 6% of the questions on the examination. |
| CNN Examination |
| Peritoneal Dialysis |
18% |
20% |
| Transplant |
12% |
10% |
| CNN-NP Examination |
| Acute Kidney Injury |
6 - 8% |
4 - 6% |
| CKD Stages 1 & 2 |
2 - 4% |
4 - 6% |
| CKD Stage 3 |
18 - 22% |
11 - 13% |
| CKD Stages 4 & 5 |
8 - 11% |
19 - 21% |
| Renal Replacement Therapies |
56 - 64% |
57 - 59% |
REVISED CNN EXAMINATION ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
The August 13, 2013 issue of this NNCC Electronic News Bulletin discussed the confusion about the CNN and CDN examinations, and clarifies which examination is most appropriate for a nurse to take. As a reminder, both examinations are equally valid and demonstrate knowledge beyond basic entry level nephrology nursing practice. Both examinations are also recognized by the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC), so any nurse holding the CDN or CNN credential can state that he or she is board certified in nephrology nursing. To review that discussion in full, please click this link to go to the August 13, 2013 Electronic News Bulletin.
The CNN examination was developed to be a proficiency-level examination that tests a broad scope of nephrology nursing practice, which includes clinical practice in a variety of different nephrology settings. In reality, data demonstrates that registered nurses who have only outpatient dialysis experience often take the CNN exam, and many are unsuccessful. In an effort to further clarify the work experience required to take the CNN examination, the NNCC approved the following changes to the CNN eligibility criteria that will go into effect as of January 1, 2015. The change in the eligibility criteria is included in the following information:
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:
- Home hemodialysis
- Home peritoneal dialysis
- Inpatient acute kidney injury on renal replacement therapy
- Inpatient critical care on renal replacement therapy
- CKD management not on renal replacement therapy
- Kidney transplant
- Apheresis
NNCC's goal is to provide certification examinations that are consistent with current clinical practice and that support safe, quality patient care. NNCC believes that this change to the CNN examination will support this goal.
If you have questions regarding this change, please contact NNCC through email at nncc@nncc-exam.org.
THE ORIENTATION TO CERTIFICATION: A SLIDESHOW
Want to know more about certification and its value to your career and professional advancement? Well, we've created an easy-to-use presentation full of helpful information for your next ANNA chapter meeting. Visit the NNCC homepage at nncc-exam.org to download the presentation.
Complete the post-test and receive 0.5 contact hours that will be accepted by NNCC toward meeting the contact hour requirement for certification or recertification.
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.
REMINDER - INCOMPLETE APPLICATION FEES
Please be aware that NNCC and its testing partner, the Center for Nursing Education and Testing (C-NET) continue to receive many applications that are incomplete, primarily for CCHT certification and recertification. Due to the amount of work required to process and follow-up on incomplete applications, an incomplete application fee of $25 is charged for each incomplete application. Incomplete applications also delay processing of the application, so it is critical that all applications be reviewed carefully to ensure that all required steps are completed properly.
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.
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.
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