ABPANC HOT BUTTON QUESTIONS WHY DOESN T ABPANC OFFER A FAIL-SAFE PROGRAM LIKE OTHER CERTIFICATION ORGANIZATIONS DO? We are aware of the Fail-Safe type programs offered by a few of our colleague organizations in the nursing certification space but ABPANC is not offering such a program. We are aware of these types of programs offered by a few of our colleague organizations in the nursing certification space but ABPANC is not offering such a program and has no plans to do so. ABPANC is always identifying ways for providing study tools to help prepare perianesthesia nurses to take the CPAN and CAPA examinations. We are pleased to offer (1) a 12 week study guide based on the examination blueprint; (2) Study Tips brochure; (3) Practice Exams which are buy one get one free; (4) two free webinars, one on Test-Taking Strategies and the other on Dealing with Fear of Failure; (5) access to ABPANC Certification Coaches; (6) Listing of Study References on which the examinations are based; and (7) a Scholarship program. In addition, candidates who are not successful are given a $50 discount on a subsequent examination. All of these opportunities are described on the ABPANC website www.cpancapa.org under the Certification tab Exam Preparation link. We continue to address how we can most cost effectively offer the CPAN and CAPA examinations. WHY DON T YOU GIVE A DISCOUNT TO CANDIDATES WHO FAIL AN EXAM? We do!! Unsuccessful candidates are granted a one-time only discount on the examination fee of $50 if they take the examination within the next 12 months (within the next two administration periods). Instructions on how to apply the discount is provide in the score report that is mailed to the candidate. WHY DON T THE PRACTICE EXAMS GIVE THE RATIONALE FOR THE ANSWERS? The ABPANC practice exams have been revised so that the correct answer is provided for each question as well as at least one current reference from Appendix D Study references (found in the Certification Candidate Handbook and on the ABPANC website) for the correct answer. ABPANC believes it is a better study tool if participants refer to the reference(s) themselves to identify the rationale. WHY DON T WE HAVE A RETIRED OR INACTIVE STATUS? ABPANC believes that having a retired status runs contrary to the purpose of certification which is to protect the public. Certification reflects recency and currency of knowledge and experience allowing retired candidates to continue to use a certification credential is not in keeping with ABPANC s philosophy. In addition, it sends a mixed message to the public. Patients and families are lucky to know who the RN is let alone understanding what a certified RN is to introduce the concept of a retired certified RN adds further confusion. Many of our certification organization colleagues do offer a retired status so we often have to defend our
decision. We do recognize that letting go of a credential that one has worked so hard to achieve is difficult. If a CPAN or CAPA is retiring and not able to recertify, they receive notification in their expired notice. If they fill out the Why Not Renew Survey, we will send them a certificate noting the time frame they were certified. At the ASPAN National Conference and local Component conferences, a ribbon is available from ABPANC Retired CPAN; Retired CAPA; Retired CPAN/CAPA. In addition, retired CPANs and CAPAs may purchase tickets and attend the CPAN/CAPA Celebration Luncheon. They will also be asked to stand and be recognized. IS IT SUFFICIENT TO JUST STUDY FROM ONE BOOK, LIKE THE CORE? No! ABPANC provides a list of references found in Appendix D of the Certification Candidate Handbook. These references are the only ones used to validate the questions and answers used on the certification examinations. If ABPANC was to develop their exams based on only one or two references, then the exams become a test about those references and not about the broad base of knowledge identified by the most recent Role Delineation Study. While candidates are not expected to study from all the references listed, choosing references based on one s areas of weaknesses found on the test blueprints, is the best study plan. Individuals should identify what references are available at their workplace, local library; see if a study group has been formed locally and a Coach has helped participants access references; ask Component colleagues if any of them have some of the references; consider renting from Amazon. Choose references that may augment your learning needs. DOES ABPANC REQUIRE THE BSN DEGREE TO SIT FOR THE CPAN AND/OR CAPA CERTIFICATION EXAMINATIONS? No. While over 55 % of CPANs and CAPAs possess a BSN degree, ABPANC does not require the BSN to sit for certification. WHAT DOES THE CLINICAL PRACTICE REQUIREMENT OF DIRECT CARE EXPERIENCE MEAN FOR INITIAL CERTIFICATION? For those individuals seeking initial certification, as published in ABPANC s Certification Candidate Handbook, the clinical eligibility requirement is: Candidates applying for initial CPAN or CAPA certification must have a minimum of 1800 hours of direct perianesthesia clinical experience as a Registered Nurse during the past two years prior to application. In other words, when seeking initial certification, a candidate must have bedside interaction caring for perianesthesia patients. Those in staff nurse roles will obviously have no problem meeting this requirement. However, confusion exists regarding how educators, managers, researchers, and Clinical Nurse Specialists can meet the requirement. One does not need to be technically employed in a direct care position. If one's role (e.g., educator, manager, Clinical Nurse Specialist) involves bedside interaction with the patient and/or family in some capacity, those hours would count toward meeting the experience requirement.
Another way to clarify You participate actively in the individual patient experience. Why this requirement? The ABPANC Board of Directors believes that nursing is both an art and a science, and in order to translate nursing knowledge and judgment into practice, one needs to have practiced direct, hands-on care prior to being CPAN and/or CAPA certified. The purpose of specialty nursing certification is to protect the public. When the Board examines eligibility requirements they ask themselves the most important question What s best for patients? The CPAN and CAPA certification programs are intended to assure the public that the certified nurse has both the knowledge and experience to meet their needs. The board believes that patients should logically be able to assume that the certified perianesthesia nurse has actually provided direct, hands-on care to perianesthesia patients. Putting ourselves in the position of being a patient or family member, would we feel comfortable having a board- certified cardiovascular surgeon perform open heart surgery on us or a loved one if the surgeon has never actually done so before or performed such surgery recently? The importance of nursing practice stems from its connection to patient care. Our patients have the right to expect that a certification credential reflects not only current knowledge of the specialty, It is ABPANC s experience that perianesthesia nurses sitting for initial CPAN and CAPA certification are practicing in roles that maintain a direct connection to the bedside. For those who do not have this direct connection, we encourage them to seek certification in an area more relevant to their role, such as ANCC s NE-BC or NEA-BC certification for nurse executives, or their staff development certification program. In addition, NLN offers certification for academic educators. In summary, the CPAN and CAPA credentials are an affirmation of ABPANC s commitment to quality nursing care and patient safety. ABPANC is committed to ensuring that our patients receive care from CPAN - and CAPA -certified nurses such certification reflecting current and the most up to date knowledge and experience. For those seeking certification for the first time, requiring that they have direct care experience is not unreasonable. In fact, such a requirement adds credibility to our certification process. If you are unsure whether your role would meet the new clinical practice experience requirement, do not hesitate to contact ABPANC for clarification at abpanc@proexam.org. DOES WORKING IN THE PREADMISSION DOING PRESCREENING BY PHONE QUALIFY FOR CERTIFICATION? Yes. Perianesthesia nurses in this role have direct interactions with this population of patients screening and providing guidance for them as they prepare for surgery, including but not limited to taking a pre-anesthesia history, determining need for preoperative labs and testing, teaching patients about medical and pharmacological management in preparation for surgery. The CAPA examination is the examination most relevant to the needs of their patients. Carefully review the examination blueprint because there will be patient needs you may not have encountered in this role but you will still need to know about these needs and the knowledge required to meet them. I PURCHASED THE BOOK, CERTIFICATION REVIEW FOR PERIANESTHESIA NURSING, AN ASPAN PUBLICATION, AND FOUND MANY ERRORS. WHAT SHOULD I DO? Please contact ASPAN directly with your complaints. Please note that this is not an ABPANC publication nor is it on the ABPANC Reference List found in Appendix D. NO COMPUTER TO REGISTER FOR AN EXAMINATION OR APPLY FOR RECERTIFICATION ONLINE?
Don t have your own computer? No problem! Consider going to a public library. Don t hesitate to ask if you can use a computer at a relative s, friend s house or your work place. If you belong to an ASPAN component, ask your colleagues if anyone has a computer you might be able to use. To apply online to take an examination or to recertify, you must have an email address where important information can be sent. If you do not have an email account, free email accounts can be found through internet sources such as gmail.com, yahoo.com, hotmail.com, etc. If you are concerned about the security of entering personal data and credit card information into a public computer, with a little precaution your data can be safe. All of the examination application pages default to a secure setting, which you can tell by looking at the URL (it starts https:), and in most cases by a lock at the top of the bottom of the page. By doing this, the data that is transmitted between the candidate and PES/ABPANC is encrypted and almost impossible to decode. None of the PES/ABPANC examination application pages use cookies to store personal information. (Cookies are small pieces of data that are left on a computer that a browser can use later on, and can be seen easily). If you are using a public computer to access the application system, always make sure to log out and close the browser before walking away from the computer. This should wipe out any personal data. WHY SHOULDN T I JUST TAKE THE CCRN EXAM? The focus of the CPAN and CAPA examinations, unlike the CCRN examination, is on meeting the specific needs of perianesthesia patients. If you compare the test blueprints for each examination you will see some overlapping content, however, content related to the knowledge required to care for patients receiving anesthesia, analgesia, and sedation is specific to the CPAN and CAPA examinations. WHY AREN T THE CPAN AND CAPA EXAMINATIONS GIVEN YEAR ROUND LIKE THE CCRN EXAM? The number of times the CPAN and CAPA examinations are given each year is largely driven by the number of test-takers. At this point in time, our volume is not nearly that of the CCRN program. In addition, giving examinations more frequently requires a robust bank of questions that have been pre- tested. Our ability to pre-test items is also driven by the number of test-takers. Pretested items are needed to develop examinations. When the number of test-takers increases, the ABPANC Board of Directors will carefully review the efficacy of adding a 3 rd examination registration and administration window. WHY AREN T CPAN /CAPA EXAMS GIVEN INTERNATIONALLY? It has taken nearly 30 years to get certification in perianesthesia nursing where it is today. There are numerous legislative and regulatory requirements that must be addressed with expansion of any program, especially ones dealing with our certification process, something that we all have been entrusted to protect. At its July 2011 Board meeting, the ABPANC Board considered a document that identified many issues pros and cons - related to giving the CPAN and CAPA examinations to international perianesthesia nurses (nurses working in countries other than the US who do not hold US licenses). It s not something that you enter into lightly and an infrastructure needs to be in place to support it. In addition, this is not a priority for ABPANC since we re in the midst of launching a marketing plan in order to attract the more than 46,000 perianesthesia nurses working in a PACU as well as the thousands of ambulatory surgery perianesthesia nurses we know are practicing in the US.
Given the breadth and depth of the issues, ABPANC will continue to dialogue about its feasibility but we are not able to move ahead with it at this time. ARE THE CPAN AND CAPA EXAMINATION PROGRAMS ACCREDITED? Yes! The CPAN and CAPA certification programs are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC). MY STATE REQUIRES PROOF OF CONTACT HOURS TO RENEW MY RN LICENSE. THE RECERTIFICATION LOG IS A PERFECT SUMMARY OF WHAT I HAVE EARNED BUT ONCE I COMPLETED THE APPLICATION AND HIT SUBMIT, MY SUMMARY WENT AWAY. WHAT DO I NEED TO DO SO THAT THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN AND HOW CAN I RETRIEVE THE INFORMATION IF I CANNOT HAVE ACCESS TO IT ANYMORE? You will need to print out the summary page of the recertification document before you click submit. Some of our certified nurses use that summary page to renew their state RN license. Some states are moving to the certified nurse submitting their certification card for proof dependent on the state requirement for contact hours earned within a year. Once you click the submit button the Log is wiped clean for the next recertification cycle. You would need to contact the ABPANC National Office to ask for help in retrieving the previous Log contact abpanc@proexam.org. I AM DUAL CERTIFIED SO CAN I USE THE CONTACT HOURS EARNED FOR BOTH THE CPAN AND CAPA OR DO I HAVE TO OBTAIN 90 FOR EACH? WHAT IF MY RECERTIFICATION FOR THE CPAN AND CAPA ARE NOT IN THE SAME RECERTIFICATION CYCLE? You may use the same contact hours earned to recertify both CPAN and CAPA credentials. However, contact hours accrued in the Spring and Fall Cycles are date- specific, and those dates are defined in both the Recertification Handbook and are re-iterated to you in the First Renewal Notice. The Spring Cycle is April 1 st thru April 30 th three years later; the Fall Cycle is October 1 st thru October 31 st three years later. Dual Certified CPANs and CAPAs in different cycles must be careful to claim their contact hours in the appropriate (date-specific) cycle. WHY CAN T WE EARN APPROVED CONTACT HOURS FOR TAKING A PRACTICE EXAMINATION? Beginning in the near future, you will be able to the Ohio Nurses Association has granted approved contact hours (3.67) for taking one practice examination. IF I PASSED THE EXAMINATION WHY CAN T I KNOW MY SPECIFIC SCORES? We ve heard this request from passers a few times. ABPANC only provides You Passed information to Passers, primarily because scores are often misused by Passers and Employers. The score is not intended to be used as a criterion for hiring or making a hiring decision between two employees. For credentialing exams, the purpose of the examination is to distinguish between candidates who have mastered the knowledge for entry level. The exams are not designed to rank order employees which is the danger of providing total scores. WHY ISN T THERE A PEDIATRIC SPECIFIC PERIANESTHESIA EXAMINATION? We do receive this request for a separate pediatric examination on occasion. As part of the past three Role Delineation Studies, the survey includes information that would give us data to determine if, indeed, a stand-alone pediatric examination is warranted. To date, the data has not supported this. It has been the consensus that there are adequate questions on the exams that address needs of pediatric patients specifically, and that other questions still apply to pediatric nurses and their
patients. The RDS Advisory Team always includes a participant who is a CPAN or CAPA pediatric perianesthesia nurse. (Updated 4-2015)