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Common Mistakes Made When Recertifying Through the PGP

If you will be recertifying through the PGP, there are a few things that you should know. First, in February 2008 the WOCNCB® approved a new updated handbook. Candidates should read the instructions in the handbook thoroughly before submitting their portfolio. The handbook provides you with updated forms and more explanations and examples of activities that can be submitted. As the PGP Committee reviews packets that have been submitted for recertification, we have seen some common mistakes. Below is a list of these mistakes. As always, if you have any questions, please contact the Board through our website www.wocncb.org or call 1-888-496-2622. We're here to assist you and make this a positive experience.

1. Mistake: Point Logs and Verification Forms are not filled out correctly or not at all.
   Correct Way: A Point Log needs to be filled out for each specialty. The Point Log is a summary of the activities for each specialty along with the points awarded for the activity. The verification form explains the details of the activity. The verification form must be filled out for each activity submitted. Forms can be found with each specific category in the Handbook.
2. Mistake: When submitting your packet you decide to add more than the required 80 points per specialty.
   Correct Way: Please submit only the 80 required points for each specialty. We understand that there are times when your point total may go over 80, but anything over 100 points will be sent back to you to decide which points will be included in your packet for review.
3. Mistake: Using wound or ostomy CEUs under the continence specialty.
   Correct Way: After meeting the requirement of 10 CEUs under a specific specialty (i.e. continence) you can use WOC Professional Practice programs such as, "Cultural Diversity is Actually The Norm", "Marketing Your Practice" or "Preceptor Workshop", to provide you with a maximum 30 points for this category. Topics such as domestic violence, tuberculosis or CPR are not specific to WOC and are not acceptable for credit under CEUs. The CEUs particular to a certain specialty cannot be transferred to another specialty, e.g., wound CEUs cannot be used for continence CEUs.
4. Mistake: If you are not sure what category an activity would fall under and you submit it to the board for prior approval as a Category I and expect a reply in a week.
   Correct Way: If you are submitting an activity under Category I to have the board determine the point value, please allow at least 4 weeks in advance of your submission date. This will allow the committee time to review the activity and determine the point value and provide sufficient time to resubmit other activities if needed.
5. Mistake: You are submitting the Prevalence and Incidence Report as a Category C: Research Activities.
   Correct Way: Prevalence and Incidence activities should be placed as a B12 activity. Research activities that require IRB approval are placed under Category C.
6. Mistake: You have precepted students in wound, ostomy and continence care. When you tally up the number of hours that you have spent with them, you place all your points under the Continence Category.
   Correct Way: When you total up your points for precepting, please separate out the points that you spent doing wound, ostomy and continence care and place them in the appropriate category.
7. Mistake: You give a lecture and repeat it several times during your certification period. When filling out your verification form, you take points for each time that you gave the lecture.
   Correct Way: Points can only be earned for the first time you present the information, not for repeat presentations of the same lecture.
8. Mistake: Your last certification period was from November of 2003 to November of 2008. Prior to attending WOC School in September 2003 you established a wound care committee. You are planning to use this activity toward points for recertification.
   Correct Way: Points for activities submitted toward points for recertification must be performed during the recent five years of certification.
9. Mistake: Placed CEU entitled "Skin/Wound Care for the Incontinent Patient" under both the wound specialty and the continence specialty, using points twice.
   Correct Way: The same activity cannot be repeated in more than one specialty. Place the CEU under one specialty.