ABPANC Corner by Lori Crosby, BSN, RN CAPA – ABPANC Director

Hope this finds everyone prepared for the fast approaching winter months. What a great time to begin thinking about becoming CPAN or CAPA certified. The next certification exams will be offered April 30, 2006 in several cities throughout the US. If one of these sites is not near you, a special test site can be requested with either 10 candidates or for a fee of $500. The application deadline for a special test site is 2/13/06. The deadline for initial application to sit for the exam at any test site must be postmarked 2/27/06. Late applications must be postmarked 3/6/06 with a $50.00 late fee. Test site transfer requests must be postmarked 3/27/06.

Already certified, ABPANC has opportunities for you. Currently we are accepting nominations for our Board of Directors. We have openings for the following positions, RN Director, President-elect, and Secretary/Treasurer. Deadline for nominations is Nov. 30, 2005.

Would you like to make a difference for other Perianesthesia nurses? Consider becoming a Certification Champion or Coach and earn contact hours toward your certification renewal.

Are you interested in contributing directly to the development of a certification exam? Ever wonder where those questions on the certification exam came from. They came from other CPAN/CAPA certified nurses. We are always looking for item writers. As an item writer, you will receive contact hours for items submitted towards your next recertification.

Do you know or work with a certified nurse who exemplifies leadership as a patient advocate? Consider submitting a nomination form for our Advocacy Award. Not only does the nurse receive a reward, you as the individual who nominates a colleague, will receive a $100 cash award. In addition, the unit in which the award recipient works will receive a $350 award in ABPANC dollars to be used toward CPAN/CAPA certification or related products. The deadline for receipt of nominations is Feb. 1, 2006. This award will be presented at the 2006 ASPAN conference in Orlando, FL during the CPAN/CAPA Breakfast on May 1.

Are 100% of the eligible nurses in your unit certified? If so, please fill out an application for ABPANC’s Leadership Circle and be recognized for this great accomplishment. The application deadline is Feb. 1, 2006. Once eligibility is verified, the unit will be presented with a beautiful perpetual plaque that can be updated yearly.

Are you interested in earning free contact hours? It is once again time for us to conduct a Role Delineation Study or Job Analysis of Perianesthesia practice. This type of study is conducted every five years and is key to establishing the validity and reliability of our certification program. In Jan. – Feb. 2006 ABPANC will be conducting an online survey. We will be randomly selecting over 2,000 CPAN/CAPA certified nurses for this survey. Those selected will receive a postcard in the mail with directions on how to complete the survey. Upon the completion of the survey, you will receive 1.2 contact hours for indirect care towards you next recertification. If you receive a postcard, please complete the survey, we value your input.

As you can see, ABPANC has a busy winter season. For more information about ABPANC programs, activities or to read, our newsletter “Certification News” log onto www.cpancapa.org or call 1-800-6ABPANC (622-7262).