Here are our most common questions related to CPN® Recert.
If you have a question not listed below, please email us at recert@pncb.org.
Recert Basics
Once I am a CPN®, what are the Recertification requirements?
After I pass the exam, aren't I always a Certified Pediatric Nurse?
When will I receive my new wallet card?
Can I recertify if I no longer hold a license?
The Standards Assessment Exam (SAE)
Do I need to take the SAE option this year?
I selected the SAE for my option. When will it be sent?
Why is the SAE completed after I recertify?
What if I select the SAE as a Recert option and fail?
How do I answer my SAE online?
Contact Hours / Continuing Education
What is the difference between continuing education and contact hours?
What is needed to complete a documentation option?
What contact hours did I submit last year?
Do I need to mail you my continuing education certificates?
Clinical Practice Hours
How do you define "clinical practice hour"?
What if I have more than 200?
How to Enroll
How can I get paper Recertification forms?
Miscellaneous
How can I encourage my nurses to recertify?
I've lost my CPN® lapel pin. How do I get another?
I've misplaced my CPN® wall certificate. How can I order another?
I'm retiring. How can I let the PNCB know?
What is your policy on appeals?
Once I am a CPN®, what are the Recertification requirements?
CPNs® maintain certification through annual required participation in the PNCB Recertification Program.
After I pass the exam, aren't I always a Certified Pediatric Nurse?
Passing the exam is just the first step in maintaining your certification. Approximately one year after this achievement, you must choose to participate
in recertification to remain an active CPN®.
Standards Assessment Exams (SAEs), contact hours, academic credit, clinical practice hours and other professional practice learning activities —
all these continuing education activities ensure that nurses certified by the PNCB stay current in peds content.
Nurses who do not actively maintain certification cannot use the "CPN" credential, and may miss out on pay raises or other benefits provided by their employers. You worked hard to put those three little letters by your name.
Maintaining your certification lets you keep them there.
Check the year of expiration on your online wallet card. You will need to enroll in Recert between October 1 and December 31 prior to your card's expiration date.
When will I receive my new wallet card?
Your current wallet card is always available online! Once your Recert enrollment is succesfully processed, you can immediately access your new updated wallet
card by logging in to your "My Documents" section.
Can I recertify if I no longer hold a license?
Licensure is needed to maintain your certification. You'll need to hold a current, valid license to practice as a
registered nurse and remain in good standing with no current disciplinary action pending in any jurisdiction.
Do I need to take the SAE option this year?
The easiest way to keep track of what you've done in the past is to view your Recertification History online.
Simply log-in to see which of the Recert options you've already
completed in your current 7-year cycle. Unless you've waited until the end of your 7-cycle to complete a required SAE,
you have the flexibility to choose when to complete it.
I selected an SAE for my option. When will it be sent?
We begin mailing SAEs in October. Please allow 3-4 weeks for delivery after you purchase this option. You can track your order online after this date by logging in to
your online account. If you don't receive yours within 4 weeks, please contact us.
Why is the SAE completed after I recertify?
When you select an SAE for a Recertification option, you're making a commitment to complete and submit answers online within 120 days after your purchase date.
So, although contact hours and professional practice learning hours need to be earned and documented
at time of Recert enrollment, the SAE option is one a nurse promises to fulfill in the coming months.
You will still be provided an updated online wallet card once your enrollment form is successfully
processed because you're making a commitment to follow through on this activity. Please note: Starting with 2012 Recert, CE from SAEs must earned before you enroll in Recert.
What if I select an SAE as a Recert option and fail?
CPNs® who fail to achieve a passing SAE score (70%) will be given an additional opportunity to
retest at no cost. Detailed information will be provided to those who need to retest.
How do I answer my SAE online?
Beginning with 2012 Recert, all SAE answers must be submitted online. See our Online Answer Method FAQ sheet for more information.
Please note that the printed reference manual will still be mailed. Please allow 3-4 weeks for delivery after purchasing.
What is the difference between continuing education and contact hours?
Continuing education includes lectures, seminars, conferences, online education, grand rounds, etc. that you attend as a learning exercise.
Contact hours can be earned for attending a continuing education course. Typically 1 contact hour is equivalent to a 60 minute educational program.
Organizations that offer continuing education must apply to an accrediting agency to award contact hours.
If I choose a documentation option, what do I need to have ready
in order to complete my enrollment form?
When you select a documentation option for Recert, you will be asked to
provide certain information, such as the name of the class/course/practice site, dates, number of hours and the agency
(if applicable) from which the hours were awarded. Click here for more about Documentation Option Requirements.
What contact hours did I submit last year?
We document these details in your your online Recertification History.
Please log-in to see your past choices.
Do I need to mail you my continuing education certificates?
No. You'll be listing the information we need in your online or paper application. The only reason we would need to see a
electronic copy or faxed photocopy of your CE certificates is if your name is selected for a random audit.
How do you define "clinical practice hour"?
Clinical practice hours are work or volunteer hours that involve the direct "hands-on" assessment or clinical management of pediatric patients.
Practice time does not include the management, supervision or education of other personnel or students to help achieve patient care goals.
What if I have more than 200 clinical practice hours?
Most people do earn more than 200 in a 12-month period. As long as you meet the 200 hour minimum for this PPL documentation option, you fulfill the requirement.
How can I get paper Recertification forms?
We no longer offer paper forms. Our online Recert application for processing credit cards and electronic checks meets the highest industry standards,
but you may also opt to print your online enrollment as an invoice and mail a paper check or money order. When using credit cards and electronic checks,
we protect the security of your information by using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) software, which encrypts information you input.
How can I encourage my nurses to recertify?
One easy way is to send a reminder email to nurses you supervise. Another is to post a simple sign in the nurses' lounge or work area to let them know Recert time is here.
If your hospital provides extra benefits to nurses who maintain certification, mention these in any communication you send.
This lets your nurses know that your hospital recognizes the value of its certified staff.
I've lost my CPN® lapel pin. How do I get another?
Simiply email us at service@pncb.org and we'll be glad to send out a replacement.
I've misplaced my CPN® wall certificate. How can I order another one?
We'll be glad to send you another copy. Duplicate certificates are $15.00 each. Click here to order a duplicate.
I'm retiring. How can I let the PNCB know?
We hope you enjoy your retirement! Visit our Retirement page for information about notifying us.
We want to be sure to keep you from getting Recert reminders, plus we want to send you a letter thanking you for your years of service in the
field of pediatric nursing!
What is your policy on appeals?
Should you need to consider an appeal concerning Recertification, please consult our Appeals Policy and Procedures.
Returning users log in here:
PNCB-certified nursing professionals work in a variety of roles and settings all over the United States and beyond.
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