Certification Q & A.

Q Do I have to participate on committees, be a preceptor or belong to an organization to renew my certification under Renewal by Synergy CERPs?

A No. Topics or activities may help you earn CERPs in any of the categories. You do not need to precept in order to have category B CERPs. You could take courses, self-study or inservices in topics such as patient safety, palliative care, cultural diversity, ethics, legal aspects, preparing for The Joint Commission, the value of certification or how to conduct an educational needs assessment, to name a few. Other related courses may count as well. In the AACN Online CE Center, CE topics may be searched by Renewal Type (CERPs or Synergy CERPs) and Category (A and O; or A, B and C). These online CE courses are free for AACN members, and nonmembers are charged a nominal fee.

Q I am a CCNS and wondered if precepting students counted toward my clinical renewal hours?

A AACN Certification Corporation requires that if you are counting clinical preceptorship with students as part of your clinical hours to renew your CCNS certification, the students must be at the CNS level. AACN Certification Corporation requires that your practice model the APRN role, as this is required by many of the boards of nursing that use our exam as a proxy measure for APRN designation. Practice hours must be in the advanced practice role.