The CAVRN credential is valid for five (5) years. MSNCB promotes continuing competence among all CAVRN certificants, regardless of the recertification pathway selected. As defined by the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC), continuing competence is “the ongoing commitment of a registered nurse to integrate and apply the knowledge, skills, and judgment with the attitudes, values, and beliefs required to practice safely, effectively, and ethically in a designated role, patient population and/or setting.”
How to Recertify
To maintain certification, CAVRN-certified nurses must demonstrate their continuing competence through either successful completion of the certification exam or participation in continuing professional development activities. You may submit your recertification application starting in the fourth year of your certification period.
Eligibility Requirements
- You must hold a CAVRN certification that expires within one year.
- You must hold an active and unencumbered license as an RN in the United States.
- You must have worked 960 practice hours in a virtual-acute setting in the last 5 years. Practice may be as a clinical nurse, as a manager, or as an educator.
- Recertify by Exam:
- You must successfully complete the CAVRN certification exam
- Recertify by Contact Hours:
- You must submit ninety (90) qualifying contact hours earned during your 5-year certification period
- 50 acute-care hours
- 20 virtual nursing hours
- Up to 20 professional development hours
Fees
| Recertify by Contact Hours |
Recertify by Exam |
| AMSN Member: $195 |
AMSN Member: $267 |
|
Standard Fee: $303
|
Standard Fee: $394 |
Note: All applications include a $90 non-refundable processing fee. Fees are subject to change at anytime without notice.
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Recertify After Expiration
If your CAVRN credential expires, you have a thirty (30) day grace period to submit your recertification application. Applications submitted during the grace period will be assessed a $90 late fee.
All required contact hours must have been earned before the certification expiration date. If you do not meet the requirements and your credential lapses, you will need to successfully pass the certification examination to reinstate your credential.
Recertify by Contact Hours
Earn contact hours by completing continuing education and professional activities. To recertify, simply document these activities in the Certification Portal.
Contact Hours at a Glance
- Total required: Ninety (90) verified contact hours per certification period
- At least fifty (50) hours must be designated as Acute-Care
- At least twenty (20) hours must be designated to a CAVRN blueprint domain
- Up to twenty (20) hours may be designated as Professional Development
- Submission and documentation:
Contact hours are entered directly into your recertification application. Supporting documentation must be retained and submitted with your application.
- Accrual period:
Contact hours must be earned during your 5-year certification period.
Acute Care Contact Hours must be directly related to the specialty of acute care nursing and the care of acutely or critically ill patients. Eligible content should focus on assessment, treatment, monitoring, and management of patients experiencing complex or unstable health conditions. Examples of acceptable topics include sepsis, acute cardiovascular conditions, inpatient diabetes management, acute pain management, wound care in hospitalized patients, respiratory failure, stroke care, trauma, critical care interventions, and evidence-based management of acute or critically ill patients.
Virtual Nursing Contact Hours must relate to one of the CAVRN domains: Quality & Safety, Patient & Caregiver Education, Communication, Teamwork & Inter-Professional Collaboration, Coaching & Mentoring, Leadership Skills, Informatics & Technology.
Professional Development Contact Hours should relate to the broader healthcare environment and the professional practice of nursing. Content may enhance leadership, communication, education, quality improvement, professional accountability, or healthcare systems knowledge, rather than a specific clinical specialty. Examples include ethics, leadership and management, professional communication, healthcare policy, quality and safety, evidence-based practice, cultural competence, preceptorship, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Accepted Contact Hour Activities
| Activity |
Required Information to Use in Recertification Application |
Conversion and Max Contact Hours (CH) Accepted |
| Continuing education from an accredited provider or approver of NCPDs. |
Certificates must include your name, date and name of program, number of NCPDs awarded, and accreditation statement. |
1 NCPD = 1 CH
90 CH
|
|
Preceptor/Mentor
|
Must provide acute-care clinical supervision as a virtual nurse to baccalaureate, master's, or doctoral degree students or newly hired nurses.
Download the preceptor/mentor form.
|
6 hours = 1 CH
20 CH
|
| Academic Courses |
Academic courses related to nursing successfully completed while enrolled in an accredited baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral degree program. Include in your recertification application with an unofficial transcript. |
1 credit = 10 CH
70 CH
|
| Presentations |
Preparation and presentation of content for academic courses or NCPD programs.
Must award to participants either academic credit or contact hours by an accredited provider or approver of NCPDs
|
Presentation prep and delivery = 10 CH
Poster presentation = 5 CH
20 CH
|
| Publications |
Author, co-author, or editor of a book, book chapter, or published article. Article must be a manuscript or research paper, and any publication must be published by a recognized publisher or professional journal. |
Book = 30 CH
Chapter = 10 CH
Article = 5 CH
30 CH
|
| Research |
Research projects: Must include the research proposal submitted to the IRB facility in the recertification application.
Evidence-based practice projects implemented in your healthcare facility: You must have been involved in the development, implementation, and evaluation of the project. Include the project proposal in your recertification application.
|
Research = 30 CH
EBP = 15 CH
30 CH
|
| Professional/Volunteer Service |
Participation on a board, committee, or task force for a healthcare-related organization. Membership in a national nursing organization is not accepted for contact hours. Requires proof of position. |
2 or more consecutive years of volunteer service = 10 CH
20 CH
|
For full details on eligible activities, category-specific limits, documentation requirements, designation guidance, and accrual period rules, refer to the CAVRN Recertification Handbook.
How to Upload Contact Hours
Watch this step-by-step video explaining how to upload contact hours to recertify.
Recertify by Exam
If you have not earned enough contact hours during your accrual period, you may recertify by passing the certification exam.
View the Test Taker FAQs and CAVRN Certification pages for more information.
Recertification Application Audits and Appeals
MSNCB performs a random audit of 10% of all recertification applications. The fees for recertification are non-refundable, even if you decline or fail the recertification audit.
If you are selected for audit, you will be notified via email. There are three outcomes of an audit:
- Immediate denial for falsification of information or supporting documentation
- Approval with the satisfaction of recertification requirements
- Approval or denial following the submission of inquiries from the CAVRN Recertification Committee
If you are denied certification or your credential is revoked or suspended, you may appeal the decision in certain circumstances. All eligible appeals must be filed within thirty (30) days of notification of denial, revocation, or suspension or the right to appeal is forfeit.
For more information on audits and appeals, please review the MSNCB Certification Policies and the CAVRN Recertification Handbook.