Recertify by Continuing Education
SCRNs who wish to recertify by continuing education (CE) must earn all CE contact hours prior to their certification's expiration date. All CE contact hours must be stroke related. Applications to recertify by CE received by October 1st of the year that the certification expires will receive an early-bird discounted rate. Applications are accepted through January 31st of the following year; however, all CE must be earned by December 31. Please note: All CE must be earned at the time of submitting your recertification application.
No applications are accepted after January 31. SCRNs who submit applications by the October deadline can expect to receive notification of acceptance in early December. Those who submit an application in January can expect notification in early February.
Applications for recertifying by CE will be available June 1, 2024.
Review the SCRN Recertification Handbook for more information about recertifying. If you do not wish to recertify by CE, you can recertify by exam.
Timeline for 2024
If you initially earned certification in 2019 or recertified effective January 1, 2020, please use the following dates as a guideline for your recertification process.
The early-bird deadline for recertifying by CE is October 1, 2024. Those paid by check must be received (not postmarked) at the ABNN by this date. Applications received after this date will charged the standard recertification rate.
| June 1, 2024 | The 2024 application to recertify by CE becomes available. SCRNs due to renew in 2024 may submit payment online during application or by check via mail to ABNN. |
|---|---|
| October 1, 2024 | The 2024 applications for recertifying by CE at the early-bird rate are due. |
| December 31, 2024 | Certification expires for those due to renew in 2024. While online applications to recertify by CE may still be submitted, no CE earned after this date will be accepted. |
| January 31, 2025 | All 2024 applications to recertify by CE must be submitted with payment and those paid by check must be received (not postmarked) at the ABNN office. No applications received after this date will be accepted. |
| June 1, 2025 | The 2025 application to recertify by CE is now available online |
Fees
The following are the early-bird, discounted recertification fees. Applications must be received on or before October 1, 2024 to receive this rate:
| AANN Member | Nonmember | |
|---|---|---|
| Credit card | $275 | $385 |
| Check (payable to ABNN) | $300 | $410 |
Applications received between October 2, 2024, and January 31, 2025, will pay the standard recertification fees below:
| AANN Member | Nonmember | |
|---|---|---|
| Credit card | $360 | $470 |
| Check (payable to ABNN) | $385 | $495 |
If you are paying by check or money order (U.S. dollars only), please enter your information online. Then save, print, and mail your completed application with a check for the appropriate amount. Checks and money orders should be made payable to the American Board of Neuroscience Nursing (ABNN) and sent to PO Box 88019, Chicago, IL 60680-8019. Candidates with insufficient CE contact hours to recertify will not receive a refund.
Options
Those who wish to recertify by CE have two options.
Option A
4,160 practice hours that include the direct (bedside/clinical practice) or indirect (consultation, research, administration, or education) care of stroke patients in the past 5 years (equivalent to 2 years' full-time work) and 50 continuing education contact hours
Option B
2,500 practice hours that include the direct (bedside/clinical practice) or indirect (consultation, research, administration, or education) care of stroke patients in the past 5 years (equivalent to 2 years' part-time work) and 75 continuing education contact hours
Acceptable CE activities pertain to the application or dissemination of knowledge that the SCRN is required to know to stay current in practice. All items submitted for CE contact hours, regardless of category, must be stroke related. Any item that is not stroke related will not be accepted.
Free CE Opportunities
American Association of Neuroscience Nurses (AANN)
- Journal of Neuroscience Nursing (JNN)- AANN member can get free CE contact hours from reading select articles and completing a brief exam.
- Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs)- AANN members can get free CE from the CPGs. Watch a short webinar and then complete an exam to earn 1-2 CE credits per CPG. The cost of the CE exam for non-members is $40.
- Webinars- AANN offers a variety of webinars with free CE throughout the year.
American Nurses Association (ANA)
- COVID-19 webinar series- ANA offers a variety of long-form video education (60-minute webinars) and short-form video education (5-15 minute videos). All ANA COVID-19 Videos are FREE for both ANA members and non-members. Most webinars offer 1.0 contact hour each.
- Compassion & Growth Workshops- A free three-part workshop series that explores opportunities to support post-traumatic growth. Registration is free and is open to all nurses at all levels.
- Mental Health of Nurses- Supporting You and Your Nursing Colleagues When They Need it Most. Free for ANA members. 1.0 contact hour
CE Categories Eligible for Recertification Credit
There are six categories of CE eligible for recertification credit. A summary of acceptable CE activities for that category is listed in each. Of the required CE contact hours, a minimum of 20 under Option A or 30 under Option B must be in Category 1. All CE hours may be obtained in Category 1, or, once the required CE for Category 1 is obtained, the remaining CE can be earned in any of the other five categories.
All CE activities must be stroke related. CE activities that are not stroke related will not be accepted.
Category 1: Stroke Nursing Education
+ Read MoreCategory 2: Program or Project Activities
+ Read MoreCategory 3: Research
+ Read MoreCategory 4: Teaching
+ Read MoreCategory 5: Publication
+ Read MoreCategory 6: Involvement in Professional Organizations
+ Read MoreAudit
Each year ABNN randomly selects 10% of its recertification applications to be audited. If your SCRN application to recertify by CE is selected for audit, you must submit documentation for all listed CE activities. Candidates will be notified by email within 30 days of submission if their application has been selected for audit. If your application is selected for audit, you will be required to submit/upload the documentation for all CE activities within 21 days of notice of your audit into your online audit form within your Certification Center. Be prepared to upload a photocopy of your RN licensure, have your supervisor attest to your work experience, and enter each of your CE/upload certificate and written documentation of other activities (e.g., table of contents of journal showing you as author of an article, school transcript, etc.) If a CE program you attended does not meet the definition of an approved program, submit a copy of the objectives and an outline of the content (e.g., program brochure) in addition to a copy of the CE certificate. If you do not complete the audit, you will forfeit all fees and will no longer be considered certified.