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Specialty codes

Starting in 2009, a new maintenance rule will go into effect requiring that all 45 contact hours used to maintain your core certification (RNC) must relate to a certification specialty area. In 2008, the maintenance catalog will initiate a coding system to identify your specialty continuing education as well as to assist you in identifying what content is considered certification specialty content.

There will be a column on the maintenance application for you to record the pertinent code. There will be an "other" category to record other or secondary hours. Up to 15 of the required 45 hours can still be assigned to the other/secondary category which will still be in effect in 2008.

The sample specialty area categories are listed below (and are subject to change). These are general, broad categories. Don't over think the process.  If taking a course on contraception, it would fall under gynecology, hypertension, would fall under primary care, etc. For specific topics, see the list below. If you cannot determine where the CE activity should be coded, you should record it as other.

Pharmacology, nursing ethics and legal aspects of nursing, resuscitation and stabilization and HIV would count for primary hours for core certification specialty areas.

Specialty Category Codes

  1. Obstetrics - Antepartum*
  2. Obstetrics - Intrapartum*
  3. Obstetrics - High Risk*
  4. Gynecology
  5. Infertility and Reproductive Endocrinology
  6. Menopause
  7. Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing
  8. Low Risk Neonatal Nursing
  9. Postpartum Assessment, Care or Complications
  10. Newborn Assessment, Care or Management of Complications
  11. EFM
  12. Breastfeeding
  13. Home Care/Followup Care
  14. Telephone Nursing
  15. Primary Care
  16. Maternal Factors Affecting the Newborn
  17. Pharmacology
  18. Physical Assessment, Physiology and Diagnostic and Laboratory Evaluation
  19. Universal Hours (includes Legal and Ethical Issues, Research. Resuscitation and Stabilization & HIV
  20. Other hours
  21. NCC Pretest Participant
  22. NCC Item Writer
  23. NCC Self Assessment Reviewer or Author
  24. Presenter of Ce course or Preceptor
  25. Author of book or article
  26. NCC Self Assessment Module User

* Includes fetal assessment

Examples

If you are WHNP and took a course on contraception, Management of Complications you would code it as 4.

If you are an inpatient obstetric nurse and took a course on shoulder dystocia, your code would be 2.

If the CE activity deals with multiple content, such as an annual convention, select the code that best represents the majority of the content so for an AWHONN convention, if you primarily attended sessions on women's health content regarding pregnancy you would select code 1. Or an NANN Convention, you could code the activity as 7 or 10 based on the nature of the content.

Certification and Specialty Codes -                                                     

Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner     

1, 4 5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19

Inpatient Obstetric Nursing                     

1, 2, 3, 8 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19

Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing                    

1, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19

Neonatal Nurse Practitioner                            

1, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19

Low Risk Neonatal Nursing                                

1, 7, 8, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19

Maternal Newborn Nursing                              

1, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19

Telephone Nursing                                              

1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19

Reproductive Endocrinology/Infertility     

1,4, 5, 6, 16, 18, 19

Ambulatory Women’s Health Care                 

1, 4 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19

High Risk Obstetric Nursing                             

1, 2, 3, 11, 16, 17, 18, 19

ANA-MCH/NCC Joint Certification                  

1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19

 

Certification maintenance