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HPCC Certification Newsletter * December 2015 * Volume 7, Issue 6
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Greetings!
Thank you for reading the December 2015 issue of the HPCC Certification Newsletter and for your continued support of certification.
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Susan Koff, MSN ARNP GNP-BC ACHPN CRRN
President, HPCC Board of Directors
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As 2015 comes towards an end, there is much I reflect upon and I am in awe of our accomplishments.
There are over 19,550 hospice and palliative care certificants who have successfully proven their knowledge and competence by achieving HPCC certification in one of seven certification programs (administrator, advance practice registered nurse, registered nurse, pediatric registered nurse, licensed practical/vocational nurse, nursing assistant, and perinatal loss care professional). Every day you prove your expertise in advancing expert care in serious illness.
Each program has an Examination Development Committee of subject matter experts as well as a committee for the Situational Judgement Exercise. These members have diligently researched clinical content for the evidence base, written examination questions and assessed scope of practice for relevance to real world of hospice and palliative work.
In collaboration with our testing vendor Applied Measurement Professionals, monitoring of testing sites, statistical analysis of each examination question and exam form is done to provide a psychometrically sound and legally defensible examination and process, ensure examination integrity, and meet all certification best practices and standards.
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In This Issue
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HPCC Resources
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Stay Connected
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HPCC participates with many other national certifying organizations within nursing and beyond to advocate for certification, lifetime learning, and research to demonstrate the value and outcomes resulting from certified individuals.
Under the leadership of our CEO Sally Welsh and certification staff in the national office in Pittsburgh, there have been upgrades to online platform, LearningBuilder to facilitate the recertification process, negotiation of our testing vendor contract and outreach to organizations to promote certification and certified staff.
Collaboration continues with our affiliate organizations the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) and Hospice and Palliative Nursing Foundation (HPNF) to promote leadership, advocacy, education and research as well as to raise funds to support our shared mission to advance expert care in serious illness.
Last year we embarked upon the Advancing Expert Care campaign. While HPNF seeks large dollar donors, HPCC certificants and HPNA members have significantly contributed. Jennifer Gentry 2014 Past HPNA President once proposed a "coffee cup challenge" to me. If every HPCC certificant contributed the cost of a cup of coffee, say $5.00, we would have $97,500 and many additional certification scholarships to award. And imagine if we could get one other person to contribute with us....
There was an increase of funds available for HPCC certification scholarships. Many organizations are no longer financially supporting their staff by paying for or reimbursing certification and recertification costs. The HPNF certification scholarships are available for all certification programs for certification and recertification costs. You can apply for a scholarship by visiting www.goHPCC.org, and clicking Certification, and under the Resources header find HPNF Certification Scholarships. This year some scholarships were not awarded. This is free money available to you!
I am thankful to have the collaboration and support of the HPCC Board. My thanks and appreciation go out to Kathie Kobler, Joyce Palmieri, Julia Aucoin, Cath Glennon, Kathleen Broglio and Stephen McGowan for their work this year.
For 2016, I wish to exceed 20,000 hospice and palliative certificants and award all of our available certification scholarships.
Wishing all a healthy and happy New Year.
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2016 Certification Recognition Luncheon
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The annual HPCC Certification Recognition Luncheon will be held on Thursday, March 10 at noon, during the AAHPN/HPNA Annual Assembly from March 9-12 at the Hilton Chicago in Chicago, Illinois.
This year's speaker is David Marshall, JD DNP RN CENP NEA-BC, Chief Nursing and Patient Care Services Officer at the University of Texas Medical Branch Health System. In addition, both the 2016 HPCC Certificant of the Year and Employee of the Year Awards will also be presented.
Registration is only available online, and seating is limited to the first 160 registrants. The deadline to register is Friday, February 6, 2016, and registrations will NOT be accepted after the deadline date. After registering online, you MUST print the "ticket page" that is displayed and present it at the luncheon for admission.
To register and for more information, including details on lost tickets, click on the link below.
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The certification testing windows for 2016 are during the months of March, June, September, and December. Applications for each testing month will start three months before the testing window begins, and end on the 15th of the month before. For example, March's application window opened on December 1, 2015, but will close on February 15, 2016. Full details about application deadlines and online applications are available through our 2016 Candidate Handbooks, located on our web site at www.goHPCC.org.
New For 2016:
For recertification, both APRNs and RNs will not be able to test to renew their ACHPN and CHPN credentials, and will need to use the Hospice and Palliative Accrual for Recertification (HPAR) process. More on the HPAR process and the changes for 2016 are listed below in a separate article.
Certification Exam Fees:
Exam fees are posted at www.goHPCC.org under Certification and Resources. Members of the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association continue to receive substantial exam discounts as a membership benefit. Keep your HPNA membership current to receive this as well as many other benefits. If you are interested in HPNA membership, please visit www.goHPCC.org and look under Leadership.
Testing Sites:
Applied Measurement Professionals (AMP), our testing service, strives to provide the best possible service to candidates. An important part of this is the maintenance and growth of their network of over 200 test sites.
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New 2016 Candidate Handbooks Posted
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The updated 2016 Candidate Handbooks are now available online for all seven of our certifications. You can find the handbooks through our web site at www.goHPCC.org under Certification and Candidate Handbooks/Applications. Each of our exams (ACHPN, CHPN, CHPPN, CHPLN, CHPNA, CHPPA, and CPLC) have a separate handbook. The Candidate Handbooks contain information about fees, eligibility, and schedules, as well as a detailed test content outline and suggested resources for study.
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Beginning in 2016, recertification through testing will not be available for ACHPN, CHPN, and CHPPN certificants. The only option for recertification will be through the Hospice and Palliative Accrual for Recertification (HPAR) process. There are many benefits to this change, but we realize that there also may be some uncertainty or questions about the HPAR process.
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. In addition, each credential has a web page that provides detailed information on the recertification process.
You can always contact us directly if you have questions about your specific situation, by email at hpcc@gohpcc.org or by phone at 412-787-1057.
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Item Writer Workshop Dates
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If you interested in helping contribute to our certification examinations, then you should 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 "Secrets of Competency Testing: Writing Items for Hospice and Palliative Certification Exams," is 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 below:
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
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Thinking about a unique gift? Certification pins are available for purchase for all of our credentials: ACHPN, CHPN, CHPPN, CHPLN, CHPNA, CHPCA, and CPLC. Order one for yourself or for a colleague as a gift.
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!
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Best Wishes for You for 2016
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The Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center wishes you and your family a wonderful holiday season, and we look forward to hearing from you next year.
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Keep Up With Us On Facebook!
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Be sure to check out the Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center Facebook page, and join our growing group at www.facebook.com
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News from
Hospice & Palliative Nurses Association
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Annual Assembly Registration is 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.
In addition, we will be offering both an ACHPN and a CHPN certification review course on Wednesday, March 9, from 8am - 5:30pm, as preconferences to the Annual Assembly. If you are considering taking either the ACHPN or the CHPN exam in the near future, these courses will help you prepare.
Registration information for both the event and the preconferences are available through the event website at AnnualAssembly.org, or you can look under "education" on our website at www.goHPNA.org for more information on the AAHPM/HPNA Annual Assembly.
ELNEC Dates for 2016 Have Been Finalized
The End of Life Nursing Education Consortium has once again partnered with HPNA in 2016, for a series of ELNEC core courses and one pediatric course. These courses will run on the dates below, with the separate pediatric course running at the same time as the core course this July in Charleston, SC. The dates are as follows:
- May 24 - 25, 2016 - Scottdale, AZ
- July 26 - 27, 2016 - Charleston, SC
- October 18 - 19, 2016 - Orlando, FL
Further information on these specific courses, and how to register, is available on our website at the link below.
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News from
Hospice & Palliative Nurses Foundation
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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 for applications is the first of the month, on January 1, 2016.
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 January 1, 2016.
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 has been extended to January 1, 2016.
Learn more about each opportunity through the links above, or contact us at hpnf@gohpnf.org 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!
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Copyright © 2015 Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center. All Rights Reserved.
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