Has anyone ever let their CCRN expire?

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I got mine after my first year of nursing and was quite proud, but now, after 8 years of nursing it just feels like an unnecessary bill. It has never helped me get a job, never gotten a raise at work. I don't even know why it costs so much to renew or why it needs to expire. All it does is make me freak out about finding 100 CEUs every 3 years and annoyed that I have to shell out cash that could be better spent elsewhere. It expires next month and with the current covid-19 problem, I just don't see myself being able to find the CEUs or interested in forking over cash when the economy is so uncertain.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Mine expired during the initial renewal period, even though I had the CEUs. I chose not to pay the renewal fee because it no longer served me a purpose. The first four years it got me a raise, got me into grad school, and fulfilled a personal goal.

It holds little merit once you obtain an advanced degree. In my opinion.

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The AACN has a review course for the CSC that gives 14 CEUs when you have done the course even without taking the test. The CMC review gives 20 credits after the course without taking the test. However each of the online review courses cost money as well so not really sure if that is helpful. I personally find value in needing the CEU's b/c with all the continuing credits it keeps me up to date and able to make decisions clinically. Some of our practices become outdated and we don't even know it until the education comes up and then we can make changes based on best practices. Just a thought.

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Specializes in anesthesiology.

I let mine expire in CRNA school, doesn't really hold any merit anymore, but if I hadn't gone that route I don't know if I would have kept it. You can easily buy a book on EKGs or CXR or something and learn new skills. Doesn't sound like you need it anymore.

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Specializes in CVICU, CCRN.

Unfortunately I have to keep my mines. In crna school and they require us to keep it. Some coworkers of mine’s, same boat as you. They let it expire. I totally understand your issues with it.

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Specializes in anesthesiology.
2 hours ago, chris21sn said:

Unfortunately I have to keep my mines. In crna school and they require us to keep it. Some coworkers of mine’s, same boat as you. They let it expire. I totally understand your issues with it.

LOL, really? What's the point in that? I had CCRN and the subspecialty CMC and there was NOTHING covered in those tests that went anywhere near as deep as what we're taught in school.

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Specializes in CVICU, CCRN.
12 hours ago, murseman24 said:

LOL, really? What's the point in that? I had CCRN and the subspecialty CMC and there was NOTHING covered in those tests that went anywhere near as deep as what we're taught in school.

I totally agree with you, and to answer your question: I have no idea. That's what our crna program head wants. Whatever they want, I'll give haha

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My CCRN is in the neonatal specialty. I keep renewing it every three years because I figure it will be easier to renew it than to have to recertify if I want it again in the future (if I apply to grad school, for instance).

Not sure if this helps, but it's actually a couple of dollars cheaper to join the AACN for a year and renew as a member ($78 membership + $120 renewal) than it is to simply renew ($200). Also, as a member, you have access to hundreds of free, critical-care-specific CEUs that are pre-sorted into the A/B/C CERP categories.

I'm not usually a member of the AACN (unless my employer offers to pay for it), but I always join a few months before my re-cert is due in December. I'll join in October to knock out any last-minute CERPs that I still need to complete. After I recertify, I use the AACN's CEU database to earn nearly all 100 of my credits required for the next renewal cycle before my membership expires in October. That way, if I'm ever audited, all of my 100 mandatory CEUs are neatly wrapped up in an AACN-generated, pre-sorted transcript.

I wish all certifications worked that way. My other NICU certification costs the same amount to renew, but you have to pay for their pre-categorized CEUs on top of the renewal fee (~$5/CEU). With the AACN, you can become a member and get all the CEUs you need for the exact same price as if you renewed as a non-member.

Edit to add: sometimes when you type CEU into an AN post, AN auto-links it to some random CEU site to generate ad revenue. The link in the middle of my post is not to the AACN CEU database that I referred to. It is here:

https://www.aacn.org/education/ce-activities

ALSO, it appears that for a limited time, all of the CEUs on the AACN site are free!

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