Recertify

CPAN® and CAPA® Recertification

Recertification for perianesthesia nursing - CPAN and CAPA certificationCPAN and CAPA certification is conferred for a period of three years. Prior to your certification expiration date, you will need to update your Learning Builder profile accordingly to document your learning plan. Please be sure to read the Recertification Handbook for complete information about the recertification process.

Follow these steps for recertification:

Gather information

  • Review online Recertification Handbook
  • Determine eligibility to recertify your current credential
  • Determine which recertification option you will choose (recertify by exam or continuing education)
  • Review recertification windows and fees
  • Use the Learning Builder Tutorials to assist you : How to use Learning Builder

I’m Ready to Certify/Recertify

Rationale for Recertification

Competence:

Competence is the ability to perform a task or function within one’s professional role with confidence, knowledge and critical thinking. Competence is a collaboration between nurses, employers, professional organizations and regulatory bodies (Exstrom, 2001). Use of prior knowledge gained from experience, education and certification are important components to competence.

Recertification:

Recertification, as a validation of lifelong learning, is critical to maintain and validate ongoing competence. A multi-modal approach is used to verify ongoing competence.

900 Contact hours:

900 contact hours of perianesthesia nursing practice within the three-year recertification cycle are required. 900 hours in a three-year cycle allows for continued experience and current specialty expertise to maintain and improve current skills and knowledge, while still allowing for flexibility of job roles and assignments and less than full-time nursing practice.

Continuing Education:

Continuing education encompasses a wide spectrum of activities that ABPANC believes reflect continual learning and directly relate to the knowledge and tasks confirmed in the role delineation study. These activities not only lead to enhanced knowledge for the certified perianesthesia nurse but ultimately, to quality patient care. 90 hours of continuing education activities over a three-year period (averaging 30 hour per year) was determined as an appropriate amount of learning to maintain and increase the level of knowledge, skills, and competence required for a certified perianesthesia nurse while remaining attainable for the certificant.