CCI announces DEI award program, application deadline

Editor's Note

The Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Award Program from the Competency and Credentialing Institute (CCI) is designed to facilitate access to resources and increase diversity in the perioperative nursing specialty. Using credentialing assets, the program focuses on providing resources for individuals and facilities which are under-resourced, in-need, and/or under-represented.

The program has two types of awards: Individual and Facility, with a separate application for each.  The CFPN credential, which is designed for early career perioperative nurses, is a center piece of the DEI program. The credential has four parts: a Knowledge-Based Test (KBT), a Self-Assessment of Perioperative Nursing Competency (PPCS-R), the16pf Soft Skills Assessment, and a graded Reflective Learning Exercise. Individual awards nurses must complete all four components, in sequence, to earn the CFPN certification.

Qualifying facilities will receive no-cost access to the Knowledge-Based Test (KBT), which can be used as a final exam after the completion of orientation to perioperative nursing. Upon passing the KBT, the facility will receive a discounted price on the remaining segments of the CFPN credential to facilitate earning the certification. The use of the KBT gives the facility a psychometrically sound objective test that ensures the nurses have the knowledge needed to begin their work in the perioperative nursing specialty.

The application period is now open and will close on July 31, 2022. The application review and award selection period will be during the month of August, and recipient notifications will made be during the first two weeks of September. Both individual and facility awards will be valid for 12 months; no extensions will be granted. 

The CCI Board of Directors will also receive an allocation for the DEI Engagement Fund, which can be used to promote additional access to resources for impacted individuals and facilities.