Complete Story
02/01/2012
NBCRNA Extends Program Start Date to 2016
The National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA) met at its January meeting to continue work on the updating of our recertification program. Their deliberations were guided in part by their evaluation of the more than 13,000 comments and questions received from interested CRNAs as well as the recommendations of the Delphi panel, which included a wide variety of practicing nurse anesthetists and members of the AANA Board of Directors. They sought to balance concerns expressed about provisions of the originally proposed Continued Professional Certification program with the overarching goal of ensuring the CRNA recertification program meets the demands of certifying agencies, regulators and employers and the needs of the public they serve. They made significant progress. They have not yet determined all details of the final program, but do want to communicate one key decision and speak to some of the concerns they are addressing. They know many people felt that changes were coming too fast for their comfort. They have decided to postpone the start date of the CPC program for one full year. The program now will begin January 1, 2016. They believe that delaying the starting date will provide valuable time that can be used to work out operational details and ensure that the program will meet all requirements.
They are considering the concern about the costs associated with new program requirements, and have identified methods of reducing costs to the CRNA. They are also addressing concerns raised about the practice requirement and the challenges it imposes for military CRNAs or people on maternity or health leave. They are also responding to the concerns that have been expressed about the number of continuing education credits required and the implications of instituting a clinically-focused examination. Throughout their discussion, the NBCRNA board was keenly attentive to the concerns of long-practicing CRNAs and the importance of ensuring the new program respects both their years of practice and career expectations.
They are continuing to refine details of the developing program, and are exploring the ramifications of all changes. The NBCRNA is committed to keeping the CRNA community informed of progress with this endeavor. They will have more detailed information in the coming months, and look forward to sharing that information with you.
