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Funding for National Certifications and Fellowships and Membership Reimbursement for Nursing Faculty and Staff (Policy FSP-05)

Download a Printable Version of Policy FSP-05

Effective Date

Spring 2013

Last Revision Date

4/1/2022

Responsible Party

Administrative Leadership Team, Divisional Dean, Chief Nurse Administrator

Scope and Audience

Full-time School of Nursing faculty and staff.

1. Policy Purpose

The School of Nursing supports national certification(s), fellowship, and professional organization membership(s) by faculty and staff as a validation of clinical, scholarly, and professional excellence. This policy provides a method of documentation and reimbursement for membership dues and compensation for expenses incurred obtaining and maintaining national certification(s) or fellowship(s) for Boise State University School of Nursing faculty and staff members.

2. Policy Statement

  1. Tenured, tenure track, and clinical track nursing faculty, or staff members who comply with the guidelines are eligible for reimbursement, up to $300 total per academic year, of the cost of national certification or annual fellowship or membership dues in professional organizations. Multiple memberships are allowed if within the $300 per AY total.
  2. Temporary faculty (adjunct or lecturers) and temporary staff and student workers, etc. are not eligible for reimbursement.
  3. The certification, fellowship or membership must be related to the role of the faculty or staff member to be eligible for reimbursement and must be pre-approved by their supervisor. The final decision on eligibility for reimbursement rests with the Administrative Team, Divisional Dean, and Chief Nurse Administrator and may be denied based on business/fiscal needs.

3. Additional Requirements

3.1 Supported Certifications or Fellowships

  1. Qualifying national certifications or fellowships must be awarded through a nationally recognized professional organization.
  2. Qualifying national certifications or fellowships will be those that will enhance the faculty/staff member’s field of practice/study and contribute to the overall breadth of nursing clinical and scholarly excellence among School of Nursing faculty and staff.

3.1.1. Adding Certifications or Fellowships

  1. Meet with one’s Program Director to discuss adding the national certification or fellowship to the list of qualifying organizations.
  2. Any national certification or fellowship that is determined to qualify by this process will be added to the list of national qualifying certifications or fellowships.

3.2 Available Funding Support

The University allows for reimbursement up to $300 per certification or fellowship (newly obtained or renewal). General scholarly funds may be used to pay for educational materials or the preparation for national certification examination or to provide additional reimbursement for costs over $300 for certifications of fellowships. Acceptable expenses, for example are:

  • Cost of examination
  • Pre-test or practice exam
  • Study materials, such as books, journals, on-line modules, other publications
  1. Cost of Continuing Education Units, if required, to include related travel costs if CEUs can only be obtained by conference attendance.
  2. Note that Professional Development Funds (as per university policy) cannot be used to pay in advance for any exam cost, and:
  • Funding support must be pre-approved by supervisor
  • Funding support depends on the fiscal state of SON
  1. In addition, as prohibited by university policy, state licensure costs cannot be reimbursed under this policy or by using Professional Development Funds.
  2. No amount of the $300 per year can be carried over from one academic year to another.

3.3 Reimbursement

  1. Under the policy, once the result of “pass” for certifications or proof of joining the fellowship is submitted (see below), the faculty or staff member is eligible for reimbursement of costs of examination and fees for a national certification or dues for a fellowship up to $300.00.
  2. Each faculty or staff member will oversee his/her personal certification and recertification and management of fellowship/membership requirements.
  3. A copy of the up-to-date certification and fellowship obtained will be kept in the faculty or staff member’s personnel file.
  4. Proof of passing the examination or meeting the requirements as outlined by the national certification or fellowship must be presented for reimbursement. In addition, as mandated by university policy, original receipts associated with the expense must be submitted within 90 days of when the expense was incurred.
  5. Travel for the purpose of maintaining the national certification or fellowship must be approved in advance and follow all University policies to include the completion of a Travel Authorization Form.
  6. Understanding that each national certification or fellowship is unique and may vary in the way it is obtained or maintained, the College of Health Sciences’ Senior Business Manager will work with the faculty and staff to ensure proper reimbursement and compliance with policy.
  7. Reimbursement decisions are based upon business/fiscal needs and final decision on eligibility rests with the Administrative Team, Divisional Dean, and Chief Nurse Administrator.

Last Review Date

4/1/2022

Revision History

Spring 2013, 1/25/2022, 4/1/2022