General Answers

1. Why should I use LearningBuilder and how do I access my account?
A: Using a LearningBuilder account will allow you to maintain up-to-date records of all your continuing education. When you are due to recertify, your application also can be submitted through LearningBuilder. If your recertification application is audited, you can upload all continuing education certificates or other supporting documents to LearningBuilder rather than copy and mail them to ONCB. ONCB creates a free LearningBuilder account for all certificants. Activate your account and complete your profile by going to the LearningBuilder home page and select “Request a password by clicking here” (under New Users on the left side of the screen). You will be prompted to enter in the email address you used when sitting for the exam. You’ll receive an email outlining your next step and you’ll be on your way to recertification. Top

2. Can I still file a paper application for recertification?
A: Yes. The paper application for recertification is available on the ONCB web site (www.oncb.org - "Forms"). It must be submitted with completed Forms A and B, which list the continuing education credits you wish to apply to recertification. Please note that, beginning in 2014, persons who file a paper application for recertification will be assessed an additional processing fee. Top

3. How do I know if I am eligible for recertification?
A: As a candidate for recertification, you must maintain current, unrestricted licensure as a registered nurse. If you are an ONC®, you must have worked at least 1000 hours in the 5-year term of your certification. The board does define practice broadly; you do not have to be in a patient-care role but instead can work as an educator, manager, case manager, etc. If you hold the OCNS-C® or ONP-C® credential, you must have worked at least 1500 hours in the 5-year term of your certification. Top

4. When would an application for recertification through continuing education be denied?
A: Recertification through continuing education will be denied for any of the following reasons:

• Falsification of application
• Misrepresentation
• Failure to meet criteria for 100 contact hours
• Lack of current RN license
• Failure to apply by deadline
• Failure to provide requested contact hour certificates during audit.
• Recertification will be based solely on the submitted materials. If certification is denied, the applicant may appeal by written request to the Recertification Committee. The applicant denied recertification by continuing education may take the next examination. Top

5. What is the difference between Category A and Category B continuing education?
A: Category A credits are earned from continuing education offerings with clinical orthopaedic content. This includes topic areas in the exam outlines (www.oncb.org - see "Exam Description" under "Certification" and "APN Certification" tabs), such as degenerative disease or orthopaedic trauma. Category B credits are earned from continuing education offerings with general nursing content. Top

6. Can I earn all my continuing education in Category A?
A: Yes, you need to meet the minimum (70 contact hours for ONCs® and 100 contact hours for APN certificants) but can earn all required hours in Category A if you wish. Top

7. I attended NAON Congress this year and earned more than 20 contact hours. I don't need all of them to recertify this June. Can I split those hours between this term and my next recertification?
A: No, contact hours for any one offering may not be split between one certification period and another certification period. Top

8. I have more than the required contact hours for recertification. Can I use the excess hours for my next recertification?
A: If you are an ONC® who has more than the required 100 contact hours for recertification (or 125 hours if you are an OCNS-C® or ONP-C®), the credits obtained earlier in the 5-year period should be used for recertification and hours received after January 1 saved for the next recertification cycle. If you plan to do this, however, you also must provide a copy of Forms A and B submitted for the prior recertification cycle so ONCB can verify that those credits were not used for earlier recertification. If you have been using LearningBuilder for more than one certification term, your records from the previous recertification will be maintained in your account. Top

9. I work on a rehabilitation unit. Can I use rehab CE toward my recertification?
A: Some rehabilitation nursing content is NOT eligible for Category A credit toward orthopaedic recertification. This includes (but is not limited to) the following:

• Diagnoses
• Traumatic Spine Injury/Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) (unless spine surgery)
• Cerebral Vascular Accident (CVA)
• Closed Head Injury
• Bladder Elimination and Continence (including autonomic dysreflexia)
• Bowel Elimination and Regulation
• Rehab Care Concerns/Populations
• Sexuality Education and Counseling (unless for arthritis/after TJA or similar; NOT after CVA, closed head injury)
• Nourishment and Swallowing (unless linked to a specific orthopaedic diagnosis; NOT after CVA, etc.)
• Respiration and Pulmonary Rehabilitation
• Communication
• Cognition and Behavior
• Sleep and Recreation
• Cardiac and Cardiovascular Rehabilitation
• Restoration after Burn Injury
• CE on these topics can be used for Category B credit toward orthopaedic recertification. NOTE: Content on neuromuscular diseases such as Parkinson's, Huntington's, myasthenia gravis, multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) will be accepted for Category A credit. Top

10. My hospital offers a trauma workshop every year. Can I use those CE credits in Category A for orthopaedic recertification?
A: Only the portion of the workshop addressing musculoskeletal trauma can receive Category A credit. Other trauma topics (e.g., airway management, GI/GU trauma, closed head injury) are eligible for Category B (general nursing) credit only. If your recertification application is audited, you will need to provide a copy of the workshop syllabus to show the time spent on musculoskeletal trauma. Top

11. I attend Physician Grand Rounds and other medical education offerings at my hospital. Can these credits be used for recertification?
A: Yes, ONCB does accept continuing medical education (CME) (approved by American Academy of Continuing Medical Education [AACME]) credits toward recertification. If you are an ONC®, you can use no more than 35 CME credits toward your 70 contact hours required in Category A; and no more than 15 CME credits can be applied to Category B. Top

12. I am going back to school for a higher degree. Can my academic credits be used toward recertification?
A: Yes, ONCB provides credit for academic courses as follows:

• 1 academic semester hour = 15 contact hours
• 1 academic quarter hour = 12.5 contact hours
• 1 academic hour (5 ½ week term) = 6.25 contact hours
• An academic course in orthopaedics will be accepted in Category A with the contact hour credit described above. If you complete a large course of study (e.g., RNFA course; medical-surgical assessment course), Category A credit will be given only for the orthopaedic content within the didactic portion of the course; credit is not given for clinical hours associated with such a course. If the applicant is audited, proof of orthopaedic content must be provided. Most academic credits qualify for Category B credit only. If you have questions about an individual course, please contact the ONCB staff (888-561-6622). Top

13. I will be speaking at my NAON chapter workshop this year. Can I get credit toward recertification for this presentation?
A: Yes, ONCB provides credit for professional presentations as follows:

• 30 minutes of presentation/lecture = 2 contact hours
• A professional presentation in orthopaedics will be accepted in Category A; presentations on other nursing content will be accepted in Category B. If the lecture or seminar is offered more than once during the 5-year certification term, credit will only be allowed for one presentation. Top

14. I teach in the nursing program at a local university. Can I receive presentation credit for the classes I teach there?
A: No, academic teaching cannot be used for presentation credit; you would be able to use your teaching only to meet the requirement for experience. Top

15. I present a monthly class for preoperative total joint patients. Can this be used for recertification?
A: No, ONCB only accepts presentations offered for continuing education credit at a professional meeting. Presentations with CE credit have gone through a prescribed approval process, with learner objectives, teaching strategies, and evaluation methods formally identified. This approval process is not always used for patient education offerings. Top

16. I recently wrote a chapter for a nursing textbook. Can I receive recertification credit for this?
A: Yes, ONCB provides credit for authorship as follows:

• Authorship of entire book, CD, audiotape = 15 contact hours
• Authorship of chapter in a published book, single topic on CD or audiotape = 10 contact hours
• Authorship of an article published in a refereed journal = 5 contact hours
• Authorship on an orthopaedic topic will be accepted in Category A; authorship on other nursing content will be accepted in Category B. Top

17. I wrote a booklet used for patient education at my hospital. Can I receive recertification credit for this?
A: No, ONCB only provides credit for professional publications as described in the answer to the previous question. Professional publications undergo strict editorial review; this process is not always used for patient education materials. Top

18. My poster was accepted for presentation at the NAON Congress. Can I receive recertification credit for this?
A: Yes, ONCB provides credit for poster development and presentation as follows:

• Poster development = 1 contact hour
• Poster development and presentation = 3 contact hours
• Posters on an orthopaedic topic will be accepted in Category A; posters on other nursing content will be accepted in Category B. Posters must be presented at a professional meeting in order to receive credit. Top

19. I developed a poster on DVT prevention to put in the hospital lobby during Nurses Week. Can I receive recertification credit for this?
A: No, ONCB only provides credit for poster development presentation at a professional meeting as described in the answer to the previous question. Professional organizations put out a call for posters, and proposals submit to a defined approval process. This is not always the case in other settings. Top

20. Can I use my mandatory annual skills and fire safety review for recertification credit?
A: ONCB only recognizes activities with accompanying continuing education credit from an approved provider. Most often, annual skills review activities do not carry CE credit. Top

21. How do I know if a continuing education activity is offered by "an approved provider?"
A: You should see a statement on the continuing education certificate similar to this: "Hospital XYZ is approved as a provider of continuing nursing education by. . ." Frequently the approver is the state nurses' association or the American Nurses Credentialing Center. ONCB only accepts continuing education from approved providers. Top

22. I serve as a preceptor for new nurses on my unit at the hospital. Can I receive recertification credit for this?
A: Yes, ONCB gives 5 contact hours in Category A or B for 80 hours of service as a preceptor depending on the setting. You can claim two 5-hour awards during your 5-year certification term. A verification form is available on the ONCB web site (www.oncb.org - "Forms") and must be submitted with your recertification application.
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23. Can I use CE from the allied health professions toward my recertification?
A: Yes, ONCB accepts CE from the following allied health professions and their respective, approved providers:

• Pharmacology Education (approved by Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education [ACPE])
• Physical Therapy Education (approved by Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education [CAPTE])
• Occupation Therapy Education (approved by American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. [AOTA])
• Social Work Education (approved by Association of Social Work Boards [ASWB]) Top