To All MSCNs Who Became Certified in 2003:
Certified Multiple Sclerosis Nurses who took their examinations in 2003 are required to recertify every five years. Having achieved certification as an MS nurse, you know the value in maintaining your knowledge and skills in your specialty. To continue certification status, you have the option of recertifying by submitting accumulated Learning Activities (LA) during the five-year certification term or by retaking the Multiple Sclerosis Nursing International Certification Examination.
Enclosed are the Guidelines for Recertification and the Application for Recertification of Multiple Sclerosis Certified Nurses through Learning Activities. This information may also be found online at WWW.PTCNY.COM/CLIENTS/MSNICB/.
Questions concerning the acceptability of learning activities or the recertification process and the status of an application should be directed to the Professional Testing Corporation. If you would like to take the Multiple Sclerosis Nursing International Certification Examination, please contact Professional Testing Corporation at 212-356-0660, e-mail PTCNY@PTCNY.COM.
You should be proud in your achievement as a certified MS nurse. In recertifying, you are acknowledging your commitment to excellence in MS care of patients and their families, nursing professionalism, and personal accomplishment.
Applications for recertification must be submitted at least 3 months prior to expiration date.
Application Deadlines:
March 28th for May/June certification expiration
August 29th for November 30th certification expiration
Guidelines for Recertification of Multiple Sclerosis Certified Nurses
DURATION OF CERTIFICATION
The Multiple Sclerosis Certified Nurse (MSCN) certification is recognized for five years. The expiration date of the MSCN certificate is the fifth year after certification. For those who certified in May/June, the expiration date will be June 30th and those who certified in November, the expiration date will be November 30th.
Application for recertification must be submitted at least 3 months prior to expiration date.
Application Deadlines:
March 28th for May/June certification expiration
August 29th for November 30th certification expiration
To renew certification, the applicant must meet the eligibility requirements listed below. Eligible learning activities and practice hours must be obtained during the five-year certification period. Prior to certificate expiration you will need to obtain an MSCN Recertification Application Form. If you do not receive this form, it will be available through the Professional Testing Corporation (PTC) by written request or from their web site. It is the responsibility of the MSCN to initiate the recertification process and to notify PTC* or the Multiple Sclerosis Nurses International Certification Board (MSNICB)** of any name or address changes. The deadline for recertification submissions for each certified group will be identified in the application package and web site. Applications received after the application deadline are subject to a $75.00 late administration fee. Applications received after certification expiration will be denied. At this point, candidates will need to rewrite and pass the certification examination to maintain their MSCN.
Lapsed Certification
If you do not recertify when the five-year term has ended, your MSCN certification is considered lapsed. To regain certification you must meet the eligibility criteria (registered nurse with at least two years experience in MS nursing), submit application for initial certification, and write and pass the certification examination.
ELIGIBILITY FOR RECERTIFICATION
• Current licensure as a registered nurse or the equivalent country regulatory requirement
• Completion and filing of the MSCN Recertification Application form with required payment
• One of the following 3 options must be fulfilled:
Option 1: Write and pass the Multiple Sclerosis Nursing International Certification Examination.
OR
Option 2: Submit a record of 75 MS learning activity hours over the five-year certification term.
OR
Option 3: Submit 50 MS learning activity hours and 1000 MS practice hours over the five-year certification term.
What are MS Learning Activities?
Examples of MS nursing learning activities are MS-related courses, presentations, conferences, publications, independent study, professional development, and mentoring activities (see Guidelines for Learning Activities starting on page 2).
Definition of MS Practice Hours
Multiple sclerosis nursing practice hours include clinical practice, consultation, research, administration, or education related to the field of multiple sclerosis.
*Candidates for recertification who choose to write the examination and fail will not be eligible to recertify with options 2 or 3 (learning activities or practice hours and learning activities).
GUIDELINES FOR LEARNING ACTIVITIES (LA)
Each LA must be relevant to MS. Not all LA hours must be nursing activities, but all LA hours should promote improved knowledge and/or skills in MS nursing. If you repeat an identical LA during the five-year certification term, it can only be counted once. Subtract the time taken for breaks, lunch, etc. from your LA. ALL LA hours must be earned during the
five-year certification term. Pre-authorization from IOMSN is not required for your LA to count.
Academic Courses
• The course must be applicable to MS.
• Courses taken toward degree completion can be counted if they apply to MS nursing. For example, a MSCN taking a family studies course towards a nursing degree has focused one's assignment on family issues in MS nursing.
• Allow one LA hour for every hour you spend attending the course (e.g., 2 hours/week x 10 weeks = 20 LA hours).
• Academic courses shall not exceed 20 LA hours over the five-year certification period.
• Ph.D. degree/dissertation equals 40 LA hours. Must be completed within the five-year certification period.
• Master's degree/thesis equals 20 LA hours. Must be completed within the five-year certification period.
Conferences, Teleconferences, Videoconferences, Seminars, Workshops, and Internet Offerings
• Must beMS-related. Medical and allied health educational activities can be used if they enhance MS nursing practice.
• One LA hour for 1 hour in attendance.
• Maximum 50 LA hours.
In-Service for Staff
• Attendance at a staff MS-related education session (i.e., nursing grand rounds or physiotherapy in-service on the benefits of stretching exercises for spasticity). One LA hour for 1 hour in attendance.
• Maximum 10 LA hours.
Participation in Certification Examination Development
• Examples include translating examination, participating in item review, and item writing for theMSNICB examination.
• Examination content must be MS-related.
• Five examination items are worth 3 LA hours.
• Item writing and item review are worth 10 LA hours.
• Maximum 10 LA hours.
MS Patient Care
• Involved in the development, implementation, or publication of MS-related practice guidelines, pathways, or protocols.
• One LA hour for 1 hour of participation.
• Maximum 15 LA hours.
Independent Study
• Completing the requirements for continuing education credits related to MS articles in professional journals, online journals, online MS education monographs. Follow the continuing education credit submission guidelines as outlined by the journal.
• Learning activities will equal credits allotted by the journal.
• Maximum 50 LA hours.
Preceptorship
• Preceptorship is a formal one-on-one relationship of predetermined length, between an experienced nurse (preceptor) and novice nurse (preceptee). The preceptor facilitates learning activities with the preceptee to develop MS nursing knowledge and practice experience.
• Maximum number of LA hours claimed by either the preceptor or preceptee is 15.
Research
• Research activities must be MS-related.
• Research activities are defined as conducting a study, participating in collaborative study, or utilizing research in practice (critique of research article; implement evidence-based care).
• Participation in clinical drug trials does not fulfill the LA criteria (See MS practice hours).
• Each hour of research activity counts as one LA for maximum of 15 hours.
Publication
• Publication of material relevant to MS.
• LA hours allotted:
o Authorship or co-authorship of a book, 20 LA hours.
o Contribution to a book chapter, journal article, monograph, or patient education pamphlet, 10 LA hours.
o Manuscript review for publication or MS-related journal article or book chapter, 2 LA hours.
• Maximum 40 LA hours.
Poster Presentation
• One poster equals 3 LA hours.
• Maximum 15 LA hours.
Presenter/Lecturer
• Presentation or lectures to other health professionals or community groups on topics related to MS.
• A presentation of 30 minutes is worth 2 LA hours and a presentation of 60 minutes is 3 LA hours.
• Duplication of presentation cannot be counted toward LA unless the presentation was revised.
• Maximum 15 LA hours.
Professional Committee Membership/Participation
• The committee must beMS-related.
• Activities could be MS conference planning committee, community volunteer, board member or executive (e.g., IOMSN, CMSC, MS Society or national equivalent, MSNICB).
• Participation in committee activities per year is worth 5 LA hours.
• Maximum 15 LA hours.
Keeping Track of Learning Activities
Professionally and ethically you are the best judge of which learning activities apply toward recertification. Keep a list of all your learning activities. Identify activity/title, sponsor or provider, date of activity, and hours of activity. For example: Conference CMSC 2003, sponsored by the Biosymposia, Inc. May 28-June 1, 23.5 LA hours. Submit your list at the time of application for recertification. Maintain a file of all LA documentation (e.g., educational certificates, course outlines, etc.). It is important to refer to the learning activity guidelines to ensure you are providing allowable activities. You may want to list more than the required LA hours to ensure you meet your recertification requirements.
Quality Assurance Audits
MSNICB will randomly audit 10% of the candidates applying for recertification by learning activities. If you are audited, you will be required to provide documented proof of learning activities so keep your file up to date.
Contact Sources
* Professional Testing Corporation, 1350 Broadway, 17th Floor, New York, New York, 10018 USA (www.ptcny.com)
**MSNICB c/o IOMSN, 359 Main Street, Suite A, Hackensack, New Jersey 07601 USA (www.msnicb.org)
COMPLETION OF APPLICATION
PAGES 1 and 2
Use only a NUMBER 2 pencil to complete pages 1 and 2 of the Application. Please follow marking instructions to avoid delay in processing your Application. This Application will be scanned by computer, so please make your marks heavy and dark. Please print uppercase letters only, and avoid contact with the edge of the box. See the example provided on Application.
CANDIDATE INFORMATION (Page 1): Starting at the top of page 1 of the Application, print the following information in boxes as directed in the Application.
• Enter your name in the appropriate boxes.
• Enter your mailing address and phone numbers in the rows of boxes provided.
• Enter your current email address.
• Current RN license number, license state, and expiration date.
• Dates for initial MSCN certification and the most recent certification in the specified format.
ELIGIBILITY AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION (Page 1 and Page 2):
In this section of the Application, a series of questions are asked to collect your background information. Fill in the circle next to the response you select to each question. NOTE: All questions must be answered.
OPTIONAL INFORMATION (Page 2): The information requested relating to race, gender, and age is optional. It is requested to assist in complying with equal opportunity guidelines. It will be used only in statistical summaries and will
in no way affect your recertification.
CANDIDATE SIGNATURE (Page 2):
Your signature consenting to the statement in the box. (Do not sign and date the Application until you have completed all information requested on Pages 1, 2, 3, and 4.) Applications without signature will not be accepted.
PAGES 3 and 4
Following the directions on Pages 3 and 4, complete the documentation of Learning Activities (LA) hours in full. After you have completed all requested information, sign and date the authorizing statement on Page 4, then turn back to Page 2 and sign and date the Application in the space provided.
NOTE: Unsigned Applications will not be accepted. Mail the completed Application together with required documentation and the appropriate fee to:
MSNICB RECERTIFICATION
1350 Broadway, Suite 1705
NEW YORK, NY 10018
FEES
Application fee for Recertification of Multiple Sclerosis Nurses through Learning Activities:..................... $250.00
Late administration fee for applications submitted after application deadline .........................................$75.00
Make check or money order payable to: MSNICB Recertification. Credit cards are also accepted. Complete Credit Card Payment section on Page 2 of Application.
*PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR COMPLETED APPLICATION AND FEE BY THE FOLLOWING DATES:
March 28 (May/June Expiration)
August 29 (November Expiration)
**Recertification application sent after application deadlines must include late administration fee in addition to the application fee.
***Recertification applications received after expiration dates will be denied.
