The Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing Board (WOCN) offers a specialty nursing certification exam in Continence Nursing (CCCN). The CCCN stand for certified continence care nurse. The exam was developed to recognize and validate the dedication and knowledge of continence nurses, foster continual personal and professional development, and to provide testimony to the public and other professionals of the nurse’s commitment to this specialized area of nursing. It’s not something that is awarded during study for your nursing degree.
Qualifying for CCCN Certification
To qualify to take the CCCN exam, the nurse must have a bachelor’s degree and hold a registered nursing license, he/she must have completed a WOCN-approved educational program with emphasis in continence care, or completed a graduate-level program with the equivalent of two semester hours in continence nursing. Alternatively, you can have 50 continuing education units in continence nursing and 1,500 clinical hours. The requirements must have been met in the five years immediately prior to application. Three hundred seventy-five of those hours must have been attained in the year before application.
The CCCN is offered four times per year, by computer, at testing sites across the country. The exam contains eighty test questions, 10 of which are non-scored questions which are being validated for use on future versions of the CCCN exam. There is a total of ninety minutes allowed for completion of the CCCN exam. Scores are available at the testing center immediately after the candidate finishes the exam. The CCCN credentials are good for a period of five years.
Recertification for the CCCN exam is either by reexamination or by completion of a portfolio for the professional growth program. To be eligible for the professional growth program, your certification must not have lapsed and you must not have taken and failed the CCCN exam. Through the professional growth program, you earn points for completing education and enrichment activities such as presentations and attending conferences. You must accumulate a total of 80 points to recertify by this option. Ten of the required continuing education units must come directly from continence nursing. In addition, 40 of the total 80 points accumulated must be relative to continence nursing. The other half of the points must influence WOCN practice, but do not have to be directly related to continence care.
The CCCN certification inspires public confidence in the professional nurse’s practice and gains respect among professional colleagues. The credentials testify to the extreme dedication and highly specialized knowledge that continence care requires. Certification is a voluntary process that the professional enters into to validate the knowledge and skills that they have achieved through their professional experience. CCCN certification is an honor that can instill pride in these very special nurses.