HPCC Certification Newsletter * October 2015 * Volume 7, Issue 5

Greetings!

Thank you for reading the October 2015 issue of the HPCC Certification Newsletter and for your continued support of certification.
NewMembers
Welcome to our New HPCC Board Members! 
We would like to welcome three new members to the HPCC Board of Directors, who will be joining in 2016.  
 
Amy Beasley, DNP RN CHPN, is currently a Hospice Compliance Nurse for the Hospice of Western Alabama, where she is responsible for evaluating quality and performance improvement goals and activities, and is actively involved in staff education and implementation of evidence-based practice. She also serves as Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Alabama Capstone College of Nursing.
 
Kimberly Kidd, RN CHPN CHPCA, is the Chief Operating Officer/Executive Director of Image Healthcare/Cura-HPC, where she is responsible for the administrative oversight of her organization's home health and hospice services throughout the state of Oklahoma. She brings a strong background in developing innovative clinical programs to improve patient outcomes, as well as a keen understanding of organizational compliance, regulatory standards, and fiscal management.
 
Stacy Smith, MLS BSN RN CHPPN, is currently the Pediatric Palliative Care Coordinator at Children's Medical Center of Dallas, Texas, responsible for palliative program development, staff education, and ethics consultations. She brings a depth of understanding of children's needs in both inpatient and outpatient settings, having previously served as Pediatric Palliative Care Coordinator for The Hospice of East Texas.
 
We congratulate all three new members, and welcome them to our board.  
Learn More About HPAR

 In This Issue
Certification
"Showing The Way" With Certification
   Julie Wickline RN BSN CHPN
   Director of Education and Staff Development, Hospice of Dayton
John C. Maxwell is quoted as saying, "A leader  is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way." Patients and families facing serious illness desire, and often demand, evidence based expertise from their nursing professionals.  They seek confirmation that their care provider is a health care leader who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way through the course of their serious illness. Certified hospice and palliative care nursing professionals are recognized as being willing and able to meet these requirements by demonstrating expertise, professionalism, and passion for our specialty.

As the Director of Education and Staff Development at a hospice and palliative care organization which recognizes nursing certification as a required standard, I am honored and blessed to have the opportunity to observe the amazing empowerment that a successful certification process produces.  There is a true transformation that occurs through this experience that elevates the nurse/nursing assistant into a stronger, more confident, expert hospice and palliative care provider. In the evidence-based environment in which we now live, hospice and palliative care certification is the evidence-based validation of a clinician's expertise in our practice specialty. Through their credentials, certified hospice and palliative care professionals demonstrate their knowledge: their "knowing the way" through the twists and turns of serious illness.


 

Certified hospice and palliative nurses also exhibit their leadership abilities through their professionalism. Obtaining certification in our nursing specialty demonstrates a level of commitment to the quality care and improved outcomes of the seriously ill. Through certification, a nursing professional is demonstrating that he or she is not only able, but also willing to "go the way" with a patient and family.

 
Certified hospice and palliative nursing professionals must recognize their increased accountability and opportunity to promote care of patients with serious illness through improved clinical care, amplified palliative education, increased research, and enhanced promotion of access through legislative processes.  Why? Because certification entitles them to have an opinion valued by others. At the bedside, in the classroom, in the boardroom, and on the legislative floor, others are looking at the certified leaders of our profession to improve the outcomes for our very special patients. They are looked upon to demonstrate nursing leadership through their passion for expert care of serious illness by "showing the way" for better outcomes.
 
Are you a nursing care provider who wants to demonstrate that you "know the way, go the way, and show the way" with patients and families facing serious illness?  Are you a clinical expert who is passionately committed to the care and comfort of your patients and families? If you answered "yes" to these questions, then please consider certification as a tool to demonstrate your commitment to being an expert, passionate, and professional hospice and palliative care nurse leader. 
IWW
Item Writer Workshop
We would like to thank everyone who attended the last Item Writer Workshop live webinar for 2015, on Thursday, October 15.  Those attending are well on their way to becoming ready to contribute to our certification examinations.

Are you interested in helping contribute?  Then look into the Item Writer Workshop.  HPCC, with expert assistance from Applied Measurement Professionals of Olathe, Kansas, offers this unique opportunity. Individuals who have a strong knowledge base in hospice and palliative care are welcome, and expertise in item writing or test development is not required.
 
The workshop is "Secrets of Competency Testing: Writing Items for Hospice and Palliative Certification Exams," offered as a three part course. The first two parts must be done online, and the third and last part is a live webinar offered three times throughout the year.  Upon completion of all three courses, as well as the post-test and evaluation, you will receive 3.5 contact hours.  Nursing assistants will receive a certificate of participation. 

Learn more details about the Item Writer Workshop online.  Dates for the 2016 live webinars are as follows:
 
Wednesday, February 24, 2016:  3:00 - 4:30pm ET
Tuesday, June 28, 2016:  10:30am - 12:00pm ET
Monday, October 24, 2016:  11:00am - 12:30pm ET 
Testing2015
Remaining Testing For 2015
December is the last opportunity to test in 2015!
The online application deadline for the December 2015 testing window is November 15.  The candidate handbooks are available online at www.goHPCC.org, and they contain information about each exam, such as how to apply, fees, detailed content outline of the information covered by the exam, suggested references for study, and more!
All applicants including APRNs may now apply online.  
Be sure to view the 2015 certification deadline and fee schedule. HPNA members continue to receive substantial exam discounts as a membership benefit, with most savings greater than the cost to join.  Keep your HPNA membership current or consider joining to receive this as well as many other benefits.
 
If interested in HPNA membership, visit www.goHPNA.org.  
SeptExam
Results of September 2015 Testing

Successful testers from the September 2015 testing window include 1,001 additional certificants:

ACHPNs - 64

CHPNs -   599

CHPPNs - 14

CHPLNs - 51

CHPNAs - 246

CHPCAs - 11

CPLCs -    16

 

As of October 1, 2015, the Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center certifies over 19,500 individuals.  Congratulations to all who passed their exam in September!  

HPAR
Learn More about HPAR
We have created a brief slideshow that we hope will help clarify the HPAR process in recertification.  It is available through the link below, and also on our website at www.goHPCC.org, under your specific credential and under the "recertification" tab at the bottom of the page.
 
NHPCMonth 
National Hospice & Palliative Care Month
November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, and the theme this year is "Hospice Helps Everyone." This month is set aside as a time to raise awareness about the high-quality care that helps patients and family caregivers live as fully as possible.
 


 

HPCC professionals can wear their credentials with pride! Certification pins are available for purchase for each credential: ACHPN, CHPN, CHPPN, CHPLN, CHPNA, CHPCA, and CPLC.

 
Pin Description:
Size:  1.5 inch 
Base: 1.2mm thick solid metal
Type: die struck gold plating with 8mm post with butterfly clutch and acrylic case
 
Be recognized by your colleagues and patients as being certified in your specialty. These pins showcase your credential and dedication to your profession.  Order a pin today and display your credential with pride!  
CertLunch
Save the Date! 
The annual Certification Recognition Event will be held this year on Thursday, March 10, during the AAHPN/HPNA Annual Assembly being held March 9-12 in Chicago, Illinois.  The program will include a special speaker and the presentation of certification awards. 

Look for further details and registration on our website, www.goHPCC.org, this December.      
 
     
facebook 
Keep Up With Us On Facebook! 

Be sure to check out the Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center Facebook page, and join our growing group at www.facebook.com

  

facebook   

hpna
News from
Hospice & Palliative Nurses Association


Ninth Annual Clinical Practice Forum

There were well over 200 attendees last weekend at the Sheraton Station Square Hotel in Pittsburgh, PA, for HPNA's Ninth Annual Clinical Practice Forum.  The event, which was held October 23-24, was sponsored in part by the Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center, who also exhibited at the event.

Our keynote speaker, Diana J. Mason, PhD RN FAAN, spoke on the topic Nurses Improving the Health of a Nation: On the Sidelines or Leading?  This session focused on opportunities for hospice and palliative nurses to influence the direction of health care reform, and Dr. Mason discussed strategies for hospice and palliative nurses to use as leaders in reforming health care and promoting the health of the nation.  Constance Dahlin, ANP-BC ACHPN FPCN FAAN, also spoke on Palliative Nursing Leadership - Shaping the Future of Healthcare.

One of the highlights involved a group art project, created by Joseph Ebberwein, a member of the HPNA Board of Directors.  Those attending the forum were asked to bring something such as a photo or a quote to be included into the artwork, and the painting was created from those suggestions.  You can see the picture of the finished artwork below.

 
A special thanks goes out to HPCC, for helping to sponsor the Clinical Practice Forum, and to make this year's event a success. 
 
 
 
Annual Assembly Registration Is Now Open

Registration is now open for the 2016 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM)/Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) Annual Assembly, taking place March 9-12, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois.  

Registration information is available at AnnualAssembly.org, or you can look under "education" on our website at www.goHPNA.org for information on the AAHPM/HPNA Annual Assembly.
    
 
hpnf
News from
Hospice & Palliative Nurses Foundation

Time is running out on the increased number of HPNF Scholarships, Grants, and Awards available for 2015, due to the Advancing Expert Care campaign. Take advantage of these opportunities while they are still available. 

 

Certification Scholarships - These scholarships reimburse your certification or recertification costs, and are available for all seven certifications (ACHPN, CHPN, CHPPN, CHPLN, CHPNA, CHPCA, and CPLC). The deadline to apply is the first of each month, either November 1 or December 1.

 

Conference Scholarships - Annual Assembly, Chicago, IL - These will help reimburse some of the costs of attending the AAHPM/HPNA Annual Assembly, which this year is March 9-12, 2016, in Chicago, Illinois.  Follow the link above for application information.  The deadline to apply is December 1.

 

Judy Lentz Scholarship - The purpose is to enhance nursing excellence in palliative care by providing educational opportunities for registered nurses whose specialty is oncology. To attend the 2016 AAHPM/HPNA Annual Assembly through this scholarship, follow the link above for more information.  The deadline to apply is December 1. 

 

Learn more about each opportunity through the links above, or contact us at [email protected] or at 412-787-9301 with any questions.

 

HPNF depends on your generous spirit to fund its program of scholarships, grants, and awards.  We hope that we can count on your support!  Make your donation today at www.gohpnf.org or click on Give Today!