Certification and certificate maintenance
When am I due?
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You can check the maintenance due date of your certification or certificate of added qualification by logging into the NCC website. Simply go to "Your Account", click "Your Certifications" and a listing of your current certifications or certificates of added qualifications will appear. This listing will show your original credential date and your maintenance due date for each credential. You can also download and print a certificate showing your credential from this screen.
What are the maintenance fees?
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Core (RNC and NP) certification maintenance costs $100*. If you have used the NCC self assessment program to earn continuing education then the following discounts to your maintenance fee apply:
- Earn 15 contact hours, maintenance fee = $70
- Earn 30 contact hours, maintenance fee = $60
- Earn 45 contact hours, maintenance fee = $50
Certificate of added qualification maintenance costs $40*. There are no available discounts for Certificate of added qualification maintenance.
NCC only accept maintenance via online submission at the NCC website under Maintain Your Certification section.
How does core certification maintenance work?
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All core certifications must be maintained every three years, through continuing education or reexamination.
Continuing education
For those due in 2012 and 2013
- Earn 45 hours of continuing education in your certification specialty area (any competency area)
- Take the Stage 1 continuing competency assessment before you maintain
- Document and code your CE specialty hours
- Complete and submit your maintenance application online at the NCC website before midnight CST on your due date
- Pay the appropriate fee
For those due in 2014 and beyond
- Take the Stage 2 continuing competency assessment as soon as possible in your maintenance cycle
- Earn CE based on the your education plan generated from the Stage 2 continuing competency asessment. The education plan will tell you how much CE you need and in what competency areas
- No CE earned prior to taking the Stage 2 assessment can be used for maintenance
- Document and code your CE specialty hours
- Complete and submit your maintenance appication online at the NCC website before midnight CST on your due date
- Pay the appropriate fee
ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED ONLINE AT THE NCC WEBSITE - click here to go to the application
Re-examination (only open to those exam currently being offered by NCC)
NCC must offer a current exam in your specialty area to maintain by reexamination.
- Confirm that you meet current examination eligibility criteria
- Contact NCC at info@nccnet.org and request re-examination maintenance application
- Submit completed application with documentation and fee
- Pass the examination before your certification lapses
Complete details can be found on the core maintenance booklet
What are the new requirements for core maintenance?
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Effective since 2009
All CE must be in the certification specialty in order to be used for maintenance. See Is my CE Acceptable you can check your CE by keyword search.
ID cards are no longer issued. Your official documentation of certification or certificate of added qualification is available in your account free of charge.
Effective since 2010
The New Certification Maintenance Professional Development Program has been implemented for RNCs and NP-BCs. The new program will individualize the maintenance process and give you the opportunity to identify your strengths and address your knowledge gaps.
Completion of Continuing Competency Stage 1 Assessment is not binding in terms of CE that you need for your maintenance and there is no pass/fail. However it gives you the opportunity to become familiar with the process and you will earn 5 CE hours for taking the assessment and there is no cost. In stage 1, 45 hours of CE in your certification specialty are required.
Completion of the Continuing Competency Stage 2 Assessment will generate your Personalized Education Plan. All certified nurses and nurse practitioners will need to earn CE based on the results of their Stage 2 Assessment. This start for individuals maintaining in 2014 and beyond. You will also receive 5 CE hours for taking the Stage 2 assessment and there is no pass/fail or cost. In Stage 2, the results of the assessment in your Education will determine the number of CE hours required and the nature of the CE needed for maintenance.
Individuals who hold and RNC credential that is no longer offered by NCC or hold a subspecialty certificate are not required to participate in the continuing competency initiative. Maintenance requirements remains at 45 hours for core (RNC) certifications and 15 hours for subspecialty certificate. All hours must relate to your certification specialty area.
Visit the Continuing Competency section for full details of this process.
How does certificate of added qualification maintenance work?
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All certificates of added qualifications must be maintained every three years, through continuing education or reexamination.
Continuing education
- Earn 15 hours of continuing education in your credentialed specialty area
- Document and code your CE specialty hours
- Complete and submit your maintenance application at the NCC website before midnight CST on your due date
- Pay the appropriate fee
ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED ONLINE AT THE NCC WEBSITE - click here to go to the application
Re-examination (only available for NPT and EFM)
NCC must offer a current exam in your specialty area to maintain by reexamination.
- Confirm that you meet current examination eligibility criteria
- Email NCC at info@nccnet.org for reexamination maintenance application
- Submit completed application with documentation and fee
- Pass the examination before your credential lapses
Complete details can be found in one of the subspecialty maintenance booklets below.
Multiple certifications
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If you are maintaining more than one NCC certification and/or a subspecialty certificate, you must submit a separate application and fee for each certification/ certificate. There is a separate application for maintaining subspecialty certificates. If applicable, you may use the same continuing education credit for multiple certifications. If you plan to maintain via re-examination, you need to take and pass all examinations prior to your maintenance due date
Am I eligible for RNC-E emeritus status?
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The RNC-E credential provides special recognition for the accomplishments of PERMANENTLY RETIRED RNCs and NP-BCs made during the active part of their nursing careers.
Who's eligible?
- Any NCC-certified nurse who is permanently retired from active employment in nursing.
- Those who have retired but continue to volunteer their nursing skills are eligible to apply.
- If a nurse who applied for RNC-E status returns to active nursing, they can only regain RNC status through successful re-examination. Current eligibility criteria must be met.
- This category is designed for those who have retired from nursing and never intend to use their certification professionally again.
- Please note there is no inactive status available. You must be maintain an active license to maintain certification or you can reinstate up to one year after your certification expires. After that time, you must retest meeting all current exam eligibility criteria which may be different than when you were first certified.
What are the benefits of RNC-E status?
- Use of the RNC-E credential
- Continue to receive NCC comunications
- Eligible for RNC discounts on NCC products and services
- RNC-E certificate suitable for framing
How much does it cost?
A nonrefundable $30.00 fee for a three-year cycle.
How do I apply?
You can apply for your RNC-E status by completing the online application and paying the $30 fee.
Click Here to access the online RNC-E Application!
Continue to be recognized…apply for your RNC-E status today!
What if I want to put my certification on inactive status?
NCC has no inactive status. You must have an active license to maintain. If you fail to maintain, you will have one year to reinstate without retesting. After that time, you will have to retest to regain your NCC credentialing and meet all current exam eligibility criteria which may be different than when you were first certified.