April 2013 Electronic Bulletin

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NNCC is pleased to announce that they are now offering two CCHT Career Mobility Scholarships each year.  The CCHT Career Mobility Scholarship provides funding for continuing education and development or support of a program to improve patient outcomes in the health science field.  Each $2000 scholarship will enable a CCHT - certified dialysis technician to enhance his/her knowledge and better contribute to the nephrology community. 

NNCC is very pleased to announce the 2013 winner of the CCHT Career Mobility Scholarship is Ormet Lynn Campbell of LaPlace, Louisianna. 

The application form and instructions are available on the Scholarships/Grants page of the NNCC website found at www.nncc-exam.org.  All CCHT - certified dialysis technicians who meet the scholarship award criteria are encouraged to apply; applications for the 2014 awards are being accepted now.  Applications will be accepted until November 29, 2013, and winners will be notified in the spring of 2014.  Please note that fax copies of documents are NOT accepted.

 

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NOW AVAILABLE - ADVANCED CCHT, LPN/LVN CERTIFICATION EXAMS

NNCC is pleased to announce the availability of two new certification exams.  The Commission carefully reviewed recent Practice Analysis and Role Delineation Surveys for technicians and LPN/LVNs and it was determined that there are significant differences in practice between entry level technicians and those who have been working for five or more years.  It was also noted that there are definite differences in practice between all technicians and LPN/LVN’s working in dialysis facilities.  The fees for the exams are as follows:

Advanced CCHT Certification Exam

The credential for the advanced dialysis technician is CCHT-A, and denotes practice and experience beyond the minimum needed to obtain the CCHT.  Criteria for this certification exam include the following:

·        5 years of continuous employment and a minimum of 5000 hours as a clinical hemodialysis technician,

·        30 contact hours of continuing education relevant to the practice of a hemodialysis technician, within the previous three years,

·        Current national certification as a CCHT, CHT or CCNT.

NOTE:  It is recommended but not required that contact hours be obtained from an approved provider.

Certification Exam for the Dialysis LVN/LPN

The credential for the certified dialysis LPN/LVN is CD-LPN and CD-LVN.  The eligibility criteria for this exam include:

·        2 years and 2000 hours as an LPN/LVN working with patients who require or may require dialysis within the previous 2 years,

·        15 contact hours of continuing education relevant to the care of patients who require or may require dialysis, within the previous two years.

NOTE:  It is recommended but not required that contact hours be obtained from an approved provider.

The certification examination application fee for CCHT-A and CD-LPN/CD-LVN is $250.

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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.

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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.

 

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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.  

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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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