ABPANC Volunteer Opportunities
ABPANC relies on the knowledge and expertise of CPAN® and CAPA® certified nurses to guide our organization’s future efforts.
As an ABPANC volunteer, you have the unique opportunity to contribute to the development of the CPAN® and CAPA® certification programs and to give back to the profession you’ve built a career on. You’ll also receive continuing education credits while expanding your professional network and meeting other perianesthesia nurses from across the country.
Click on the video below to view a “Volunteer Town Hall” with the ABPANC Board of Directors. This video helps to answer questions you have about volunteering with ABPANC.
ABPANC’s volunteer opportunities are listed below. Please click on each description to read more and to apply and submit an application for the selected volunteer committee/event. ABPANC will notify you when there are volunteer openings that match your application.
Questions about this process? Contact ABPANC@cpancapa.org.
Governance Division
The purpose of the Governance Division is to provide oversight in the governance functions of ABPANC. Governance Division volunteer groups are composed of members who are: representative of a broad demographic and geographic distribution in a similar proportion as the CPAN and CAPA certificant population.
Limitations: The Governance Division, governance division staff, committee volunteers, and subject matter experts may also be involved in either Education Division committees or Certification Division committees, but not both.
No volunteer opportunities available at this time.
Certification Division
The Certification Division oversees the development and maintenance of ABPANC’s certification exams and its recertification program; and the selection, training, and development of exam content volunteers.
Certification Division volunteer groups are composed of members who are: (1) representative of a broad demographic and geographic distribution in a similar proportion as the CPAN and CAPA certificant population; and (2) content experts in all areas contained in the exam blueprints.
The Certification Division, Certification Division staff, committee volunteers, and subject matter experts cannot be involved in the creation, approval, writing, endorsement, or delivery of ABPANC’s education materials for three years before, during and three years after their service in the Certification Division. Additional limitations may apply and are outlined in each job description.
Certification Council
Purpose: The Certification Council oversees the creation and execution of ABPANC’s certification examinations, exam development groups, and the recertification program.
Qualifications: Council members should be currently certified CPAN and/or CAPA, currently employed in a qualifying job role, and have expertise in the areas covered in the exam blueprint.
Selection: Council members are selected by the ABPANC Board of Directors, with input from the incoming Council Chair, based on submitted applications. Nominees must fully comply with Council member requirements as established by ABPANC. The ABPANC Board of Directors confirms the final selections.
Term: Members of the Certification Council serve for two-year terms, renewable twice for a total not to exceed six years.
Meetings: The Certification Council meets at least three times each year. Meetings will be conducted virtually with the possibility of 1 in person meeting annually. Travel expenses are covered by ABPANC.
The Certification Council responsibilities include:
- Ensure that item writing and review activities and the review and approval of all exams are completed by identified deadlines.
- Coordinate the recruitment and selection of certification division committee and task force chairs. Assist committee chairs with volunteer recruitment.
- Volunteers may be recruited from appropriate sources, including but not limited to:
- high scoring CPAN®/CAPA® exam candidates
- participants in Item Writing/Review meetings and workshops
- CPAN®/CAPA® certified nurses that submit items through the remote item writing system to earn recertification credit
- former ABPANC board members
- Review letters of intent and resumes or CVs of all interested individuals, and conduct interview with qualified individuals, as required. The Council will also verify that there is no conflict of interest, such as an individual holding an ASPAN office or serving on an ASPAN committee, teaching an exam review course, etc.
- Volunteers may be recruited from appropriate sources, including but not limited to:
- Discuss recommended volunteer appointments with the ABPANC Director of Certification Services.
- Recommend to the PSI Program Director revisions and updates to written material disseminated to certification volunteers.
- Identify needed resources for the reference library and notify the ABPANC Director of Certification Services with complete name, author, publisher, and date. Ensure the Study References List in the Certification Candidate Handbook is updated in accordance with Policy 3-2.
- Assign qualified SMEs to serve as reviewers for the remote item writing system.
- Participate in the Item Writing Workshop (IWW) held annually at the ASPAN National Conference, in collaboration with the PSI Program Director and ERC and IRC chairs.
- Monitor the policies and procedures related to the ABPANC certification exams and make recommendations for revisions, as needed, to the ABPANC Board of Directors.
- Initiate periodic job analysis studies and utilize the results to keep the ABPANC examination specifications current.
- Monitor and make recommendations to the ABPANC Board of Directors regarding both initial and recertification applications, eligibility criteria, and forms.
- Recommend the passing score for each exam to the ABPANC Board of Directors for approval.
- Monitor the examination development and administration policies within accepted psychometric practices and make recommendations for revisions, as needed, to the ABPANC Board of Directors.
- Ensure certification program staff adequately monitor ABPANC exam administrations for the purpose of policy compliance and quality improvement.
- Respond to concerns and recommendations by ABPANC candidates and certificants about the ABPANC certification exams.
- Attend Certification Council meetings and serve on task forces or in other official functions as requested by the Certification Council Chair or the ABPANC President.
- Actively support and promote the ABPANC certification exams.
Exam Review Committee
The Examination Review Committee (ERC) is responsible for reviewing and approving CPAN and CAPA examination items and reviewing and approving the final selection of items that comprise each test form. The ERC will review and approve CPAN® and CAPA® draft exams ensuring that they reflect current and relevant perianesthesia nursing practice as defined by the most recent Role Delineation Study, the most current test blueprints, and current rubrics and to ensure that there is an even distribution of item topics.
The Exam Review Committee meets in person once a year in November/December for 2 ½ days.
Committee Composition: Exam Review Committee members must be CPAN and/or CAPA certified in good standing and actively working in perianesthesia nursing. ERC members must have prior experience writing ABPANC exam items.
The Examination Review Committee is led by two co-chairs (1 CPAN, 1 CAPA) that serve a one-year term. The co-chairs review the final draft of their respective exam.
Each committee member is appointed for a one-year term and may be re-appointed for three consecutive terms in a non-officer position. The Examination Review Committee shall be composed of 6 to 10 CPAN and 6 to 10 CAPA currently certified subject matter experts.
Limitations and Restrictions: Please note that Exam Review Committee members cannot:
- be a current ABPANC Certification Coach
- be involved in teaching examination review courses
- take the CPAN or CAPA exams nor be involved in any kind of candidate preparation for a period of 3 years after item writing
Contact Hours: This committee offers 20 credit hours for full participation in the exam review meeting.
Timeline:
- January: Call for volunteers
- February/March: Committee slate for next committee year is selected
- November/December 2023 – Exam Review Committee meeting location TBD
To apply: Follow the link below. Once you have created a sign-up, you will be emailed a link to the volunteer interest form. Prospective volunteers will be asked to submit their name, contact information, demographics, professional information and a current resume or curriculum vitae.
Item Writers
Item Writers are responsible for drafting proposed items and coding each item to an appropriate reference. Item Writers will write items based on item writing principles used by PSI, the ABPANC style guide, and ABSNC Accreditation standards. Item Writers will write CPAN® and CAPA® items that reflect current and relevant perianesthesia nursing practice as defined by the most recent Role Delineation Study.
CPAN certificants can write items for the CPAN exam, and CAPA writers can write items for the CAPA exam. CPAN-CAPA dual certified nurses can write for either exam.
Item writers will receive training at an Item Writing Workshop and/or through a virtual training from PSI prior to writing items. Item writers will be given assignments based on needed areas in the item bank.
An item writing drive will occur once a year over a 1-to-2-month period.
Committee Composition: Item writers must be CPAN and/or CAPA certified in good standing and actively working in perianesthesia nursing. ABPANC seeks ten to twenty-five volunteers for each certification.
Limitations and Restrictions: Please note that item writers cannot:
- be a current ABPANC Certification Coach
- be involved in teaching examination review courses
- take the CPAN or CAPA exams nor be involved in any kind of candidate preparation for a period of 3 years after item writing
Contact Hours: Item writers will be awarded 2 contact hours per complete item submitted.
Timeline
- January: Call for volunteers
- April 27, 2023 – Item Writing Workshop at ASPAN conference
- July 2023– Item Writing Training (virtual)
- July -September 2023 – virtual item writing drive
To apply: Follow the link below. Once you have created a sign-up, you will be emailed a link to the volunteer interest form. Prospective volunteers will be asked to submit their name, contact information, demographics, professional information and a current resume or curriculum vitae.
Item Review Committee
The Item Review Committee (IRC) is responsible for reviewing and approving new and revised items for inclusion in the CPAN and CAPA item banks. The Item Review Committee is also responsible for item bank maintenance in conjunction with PSI: monitoring the items in the CPAN and CAPA item banks and for retiring existing items or recoding them to appropriate references.
The Item Review Committee will review items based on item writing principles used by PSI, the ABPANC style guide, and ABSNC Accreditation standards. The IRC will review and approve CPAN® and CAPA® items that they reflect current and relevant perianesthesia nursing practice as defined by the most recent Role Delineation Study.
The Item Review Committee meets in person once a year in August/September for 2 ½ days.
Committee Composition: Item Review Committee members must be CPAN and/or CAPA certified in good standing and actively working in perianesthesia nursing. IRC members must have prior experience writing ABPANC exam items.
Item Review Committee is led by two co-chairs (1 CPAN, 1 CAPA) that serve a one-year term. The co-chairs review the final draft of their respective exam.
Each committee member is appointed for a one-year term and may be re-appointed for three consecutive terms in a non-officer position.
Limitations and restrictions: Please note that Item Review Committee members cannot:
- be a current ABPANC Certification Coach
- be involved in teaching examination review courses
- take the CPAN or CAPA exams nor be involved in any kind of candidate preparation for a period of 3 years after item writing
Contact Hours: This committee offers 20 credit hours for full participation in the item review meeting.
Timeline
- January 2023: Call for volunteers
- February/March 2023: Committee slate for next committee year is selected
- September 2023 – Item Review Committee meeting
To apply: Follow the link below. Once you have created a sign-up, you will be emailed a link to the volunteer interest form. Prospective volunteers will be asked to submit their name, contact information, demographics, professional information and a current resume or curriculum vitae.
Education Division
The Education Division provides oversight in the development of programs and resources to assist CPAN or CAPA exam candidates in their journey to certification. Education Division volunteer groups are composed of members who are: (1) representative of a broad demographic and geographic distribution in a similar proportion as the CPAN and CAPA certificant population; and (2) content experts in all areas contained in the exam blueprints.
Limitations: The Education Division, education division staff, committee volunteers, and subject matter experts cannot be involved in the creation, approval, writing, endorsement, or delivery of ABPANC’s certification examinations for three years before, during and three years after their service in the Education Division. Additional limitations may apply and are outlined in each job description.
Practice Exam Task Force
Purpose: Write CPAN and CAPA practice exam items; review and approve the CPAN and CAPA practice items and exam forms.
Composition: One chair oversees both a CPAN practice exam sub-task force and a CAPA practice exam sub-task force. Each sub-task force shall be comprised of four to 10 nurses holding the corresponding designation.
Recruitment, Selection, and Terms: Task Force members are selected through the submission of an online agreement to serve following an open call for volunteers. Potential conflicts of interest are reviewed by the Education Division Liaison and final committee composition is based on needed skills, expertise, and demographics from the nominees brought forth.
Meeting: As needed, virtual.
Annual Contact Hours Awarded: For the Fall 2023 session, 8 CE will be awarded.
Prerequisites: Must be CPAN and/or CAPA certified in good standing and actively working in perianesthesia nursing. Must not sit for an ABPANC-sponsored examination during or within three years following service.
Responsibilities: The task force will be divided into one work group focusing on CPAN practice exam items/exams and one work group focusing on CAPA practice exam items/exams.
- Update ABPANC’s Practice Exams to reflect updates to exam content outlines resulting from ABPANC’s Role Delineation Study, conducted every 5 years.
- In conjunction with PSI, Review practice exam item banks.
- Write practice exam items that align with the new exam blueprints, as assigned by PSI.
- In conjunction with PSI, complete practice exam online review process to approve final forms.
Certification Coach
The ABPANC CPAN®/CAPA® Certification Coach is a facilitator of the study process for individuals/candidates who are seeking certification. A Certification Coach will: help organize study sessions; identify content experts to assist with content identified in the 12-Week Study Plan; ensure awareness of registration deadlines and recommend study resources and references.
Contact hours: As a Coach, you receive credit hours for any coach training you attend (hour for hour) and five (5) contact hours for each individual you coach and can earn up to 60 contact hours in a 3-year recertification period to apply toward recertification.
Prerequisites: Must be CPAN and/or CAPA certified in good standing, or a nursing educator or RN Clinical Leader in instances where currently certified nurses are not available.
Limitations and Restrictions: ABPANC coaches may not teach or participate in a formally sponsored CPAN/CAPA Exam Review Course to avoid a perception of conflict of interest.
Timeline:
- Applications are accepted year-round.
- Certification Coaches sign up for a one-year commitment. Coaching may be done virtually or in-person.
- Though not required, coaches are encouraged to attend ABPANC’s Spring Coaches Forum (in-person, held in conjunction with the ASPAN National Conference) and a fall Virtual Coaches Forum.
To apply: Follow the link below. Once you have created a sign-up, you will be emailed a link to the volunteer interest form. Prospective volunteers will be asked to submit their name, contact information, demographics, professional information and a current resume or curriculum vitae.
Exam Preparedness Committee
Purpose: The Exam Preparedness Committee provides innovation and oversight to ABPANC’s existing study tools and resources.
Composition: The Exam Preparedness Committee shall be composed of 6 to 8 CPAN and/or CAPA certified nurses who reasonably represent the diversity of the certificant population.
Recruitment, Selection, and Terms: The Exam Preparedness Committee is led by a chair that serves a one-year term. The Chair is appointed by the ABPANC President. Each committee member is appointed for a one-year term and may be re-appointed for three consecutive terms in a non-officer position.
Exam Preparedness committee members may not sit for an ABPANC-sponsored examination during or for 3 years following their service.
Meetings: Four 1-hour virtual meetings annually, with committee members conducting up to five hours of work between calls.
Prerequisites: Must be CPAN and/or CAPA certified in good standing and actively working in perianesthesia nursing. No participation in ABPANC exam item writing over the three years prior.
Professional Development Committee
Purpose: The Professional Development Committee provides perianesthesia-specific continuing education opportunities to CPAN/CAPA certified nurses and applicants. Committee members serve as the key contributors to capturing relevant speakers and content and overall professional development planning assistance for the organization throughout the year. The committee supports the speaker selection and programming efforts as directed by ABPANC’s Education Division Liaison.
Composition: The Professional Development Committee shall be composed of 6 to 8 CPAN and/or CAPA certified nurses who reasonably represent the diversity of the certificant population.
Recruitment, Selection, and Terms: The Professional Development Committee is led by a chair that serves a one-year term. The Chair is appointed by the ABPANC President. Each committee member is appointed for a one-year term and may be re-appointed for three consecutive terms in a non-officer position.
Meetings: Four 1-hour virtual meetings annually, with committee members conducting up to five hours of work between calls.