We have survived 2020 and what a year it was! I truly hope each of you have been able to stay healthy and are beginning to return to some form of normalcy. But I do wonder what postpandemic normal will look like for health care providers. This is a question that has been posed by many.
According to The New York Times (Scheiber, 2021), on June 10, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration published a new COVID-19 safety rule.
The rule will require health care employers to provide protective equipment like masks, to screen and triage patients for the risk of [COVID-19] and to ensure adequate ventilation and distancing, among other measures. It will also require those employers to provide adequate paid time off for workers to receive vaccinations and manage their side effects. (para 3)
It will be interesting to see how things change regarding keeping ourselves and our patients healthy as we enter 2022.
ISPAN 2021 MEETING
As your Plastic Surgical Nursing Certification Board (PSNCB) President, I am filled with excitement and anticipation about the upcoming ISPAN Meeting in Atlanta, GA. How wonderful it will be to be able to meet in person and enjoy the high-quality education that is always a part of our annual event. Besides learning, there will be multiple opportunities to network with nurses who share the same passion for the specialty of plastic and aesthetic nursing!
Relative to certification, there will be several events at this meeting that will be of interest to certified nurses as well as nurses considering certification. The Certified Aesthetic Nurse Specialist (CANS) and Certified Plastic Surgical Nurse (CPSN) review courses will be held on Wednesday, October 27 from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. There will also be a Certification Breakfast on Sunday, October 31 from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. All meeting attendees who are currently certified or interested in becoming certified are encouraged to attend. For those of you who are currently certified, attending the ISPAN Meeting is a wonderful opportunity to obtain the continuing education credits specific to your specialty. Please take a moment to go to the ISPAN website and review the meeting agenda and the exceptional educational topics being offered this year. The meeting abstracts are also included in this issue of the PSN journal.
CERTIFICATION EXAMINATIONS
The Center for Nursing Education and Testing (C-NET) is the administrator of our certification examinations. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, standard procedures for examination dates and deadlines had to be amended. Beginning in February 2021, C-NET began accepting applications for computer-based testing for the CANS and CPSN certification examinations. There are no deadlines or late fees for computer-based testing and it is available year-round. C-NET issued permits for the first CANS and CPSN examinations on May 14, 2021.
APPLICATION PROCESS FOR THE EXAMINATIONS
Applications for both the CANS and CPSN certification examinations can be found on http://www.cnetnurse.com under the Plastic-Surgical tab. Please allow an average of 6 weeks from the time C-NET receives your application for processing and review. C-NET must review all applications before the applicant can be approved to sit for the examination. Depending on the work history of the applicant, a CANS application may take longer than 6 weeks to review. If C-NET requires further information to complete its review of your application, they will contact you using the email address provided on your application.
After your application has been approved, PSI (the C-NET testing partner) will send a link to your email address that allows you to schedule an examination date. You will be given a 90-day testing window. You must both schedule and sit for your examination within the 90-day window.
EXTENSION REQUESTS
If after scheduling your examination test date with PSI, you need to extend your testing window; you may do so by emailing C-NET customer service at mailto:[email protected]. When requesting an extension, you will need to provide your name, the last four digits of your social security number, and the type of certification test you are scheduling.
PSNCB PHILOSOPHY
PSNCB is committed to the advancement of professional nursing through recognition of nurses displaying knowledge and competence in the specialty practice of plastic and aesthetic nursing. If you are certified, we applaud your hard work and commitment to the specialty. Remember to wear your certification badge with honor! If you are considering certification, please reach out to PSNCB so that we can help you reach the goal of becoming a certified nurse. If you will be in Atlanta, GA, for the ISPAN 2021 Meeting on October 27 through October 31, please make a point to attend the Certification Breakfast where you will be able to meet members of the PSNCB and gather valuable information.
Please join me in congratulating the following ISPAN members who successfully achieved CANS and CPSN certification this quarter:
Deana Benefield, CANS
Amanda Dunn, CANS
Ashley Harper, CANS
Jennifer Lieb, CANS
Donna Paver, CANS
Karen Reay, CANS
Kelly Smith, CANS
Jade Hewlett, CPSN
Respectfully submitted,
Renee J. Hinojosa MSN, APRN,
ACNS-BC, CPSN, CANS
President PSNCB
REFERENCE