Overview
The BONENT certification process ensures that members have met certain core competencies that measure a standard of knowledge considered desirable for nephrology practitioners. Certification also encourages professional growth and promotes individual study.

BONENT offers separate, in-depth, comprehensive and focused certification exams in individual specialties, which include:

• Certified Hemodialysis Technologist/Technician
  
• Certified Hemodialysis Nurse
  
• Certified Peritoneal Dialysis Nurse

Nephrology nurses may receive certification in either or both hemo and peritoneal dialysis.

The Many Benefits of BONENT Certification:

• Increases your ability to provide the highest quality care to patients in the unit;
• Carries the distinction of the title CHT, CHN, or CPDN;
• Provides personal satisfaction from performance;
• Enhances your resumé, which may result in preferential consideration for promotion or salary increases;
• Presents opportunities for continued professional growth through recertification programs;
• Presents opportunities to participate in the creation and development of new BONENT programs;
• Includes complimentary subscription to the BONENT newsletter, which contains practical program information for nurses and technicians; and,
• Includes complimentary copies of various nephrology publications

Exam Development
Examination committees conduct analyses of tasks, role delineation, skills and knowledge in conjunction with a professional testing agency. Examination validity is maintained through expert statistical and scientific analysis.

Questions are then solicited from qualified nephrology nurses and technologists/technicians in different areas of the country. The submitted questions are categorized, edited grammatically and psychometrically, reviewed by experts and placed in an item pool. Questions are drawn from an item pool for placement in an examination.

All BONENT examinations are designed, constructed and analyzed for reliability and validity by AMP. Each examination is regularly updated.

The examinations are comprised of multiple-choice questions. The examination should be completed and all questions answered, as grades are based on the number of questions answered correctly.

Exam Methods
Candidates can chose between two exam methods by which to become BONENT certified:

Paper & Pencil Exam (PPE) and Computer Based Testing (CBT)

The following points are the same for both exam methods:

• Use the same application (candidates must indicate PPE or CBT)
• Require the same amount of time
• Have the same questions
• Have a proctor on site
• You choose your own exam site

The differences between the two exam methods are:

• Each exam method has its own separate list of locations
• Candidates receive an unofficial printout of their scores as soon as the CBT exam is completed
• There is no application deadline for the CBT

Confirmation letters will be sent after your application has been processed and approved. The approximate timeframe of when you receive your confirmation letter depends on the exam method you choose:

• PPE – 2 weeks before the exam
• CBT – 4 weeks after BONENT receives your application

An Examination Process of Integrity & Security
The integrity of BONENT’s credentialing program rests in large part on the fair and impartial assessment of candidates. Maintaining security of the assessment instrument, as well as the assessment process, is necessary to uphold BONENT’s and your professional integrity.

Within the context of the administration of the examinations, the standardization of both timing and conditions must be in place and linked internally. Candidates cannot come to an examination setting with different levels of specific information about the content of the examination they are about to take. The standardization of the examination information and the background of each candidate are critical to a successful testing environment. This is why BONENT places so much emphasis on complete and accurate examination registrations. No individual wants to expend the time and energy to be successful on a credentialing examination, knowing that information about the test or even a test question has been shared with some candidates. The improper obtaining of questions or information about questions on an examination is termed a “Breach” of the examination.

There are lots of ways a breach can occur, and that is why BONENT stresses the continuous custody of its examinations in a security minded environment. Continuous custody is basically; who has access to the exams, who handles the exams before it is placed in front of a candidate, the candidate themselves, and who handles the exams after a candidate has completed the examination. Every step in the handling process is tracked and documented and this is generally referred to as, the “chain of custody.”

Everyone in BONENT has a part in providing complete and accurate data about the chain of custody of each and every exam booklet. Examination booklets and answer sheets are individually coded. Each and every person who handles that examination booklet documents their handling from the time it is printed, to the time that examination booklet has been used and is destroyed. BONENT never issues the same examination booklet more than once.
When you sit down to participate in the BONENT credentialing examination, you are assured of a fair and equal opportunity to verify your level of knowledge and competency against an acceptable body of knowledge, reflecting identified professional standards and common bodies of knowledge.