| Form 990, Part VI, Section A, Line 7a |
The AACN Certification Corporation Board of Directors is comprised of nine voting directors and the CEO who serves as an ex-officio member with no power to vote. For seven of the director positions, candidates are vetted by a governance committee and then forwarded to both the AACN Certification Board as well as the AACN Board of Directors for appointment to a 3-year term in office. The two additional directors share joint appointments on the AACN and AACN Certification boards and are designated by the President of AACN and the Chairperson of AACN Certification Corporation to serve a one-year term on the Certification Board while fulfilling their three-year AACN board term. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section A, Line 7b |
The bylaws of AACN Certification Corporation state that the following actions need to be approved by the written assent of its sole shareholder, AACN: (a) the borrowing of money for long-term capital needs of Certification; (b) the purchase, sale, lease, disposition or hypothecation of real property by Certification; (c) the merger, dissolution, or sale of all assets of Certification; and (d) the amendment of the Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws of AACN Certification Corporation. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 11b |
The completed form 990 and related schedules are disseminated to the Audit Committee for review in advance of a conference call for the purpose to review and approve the return. All Audit Committee members, along with the Chief Financial Officer and Controller, participate in a conference call where all questions or concerns raised by the committee members are resolved to ensure unanimous approval of the return. The Audit Committee then reports any findings to the full Board of Directors and the completed return is disseminated to all members of the Board. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 12c |
The Conflict of Interest Policy is reviewed annually at the Fall Board meeting as this is the orientation meeting for newly elected Directors. Each Director is required annually to complete a Conflicts of Interest Statement that lists any potential conflicts. The procedure flowed includes the following steps: 1. The first step in understanding and managing potential conflicts is for the Board to annually review the Conflict of Interest Policy and for each board member to complete a conflict of interest statement declaring any real or potential conflicts. It is recommended that any declared conflicts be shared with the full board so there is transparency and shared understanding. The board can then discuss any issues or concerns. 2. Secondly, each board member has an ongoing accountability to declare potential conflicts that may emerge during the course of the year for the board's review. Board members are also responsible for inquiring with one another if they think another board member may have a conflict that has yet to be recognized. Board members are requested to contact the board leadership to begin these conversations. 3. During board discussions (face-to-face, conference call and e-mail) an opportunity is provided for potential conflicts to be surfaced and discussed. To facilitate this work, a standard question is included at the time the meeting agenda is approved to ask if any board members have identified a potential conflict related to anything on the agenda that should be discussed. A similar question can be included for any business being managed via email. 4. If a conflict is surfaced, the board has several options as to how to manage the conflict including but not limited to the following: (1) Restrict the board member's access to information such as board meeting materials on the relevant topic (e.g. PE candidates do not receive the documents used by the board for the PE evaluation and selection) (2) Exclude the board member from a committee or work group dealing with a specific topic (3) Withdraw from discussing or voting on a particular item of business at the board meeting; (4) Have certain tasks or duties reassigned to another person (e.g. PE candidates who serve as Board Learning Partners are excused from those duties as it relates to the PE selection process and meeting; instead another board member is assigned as a resource to the new board member); (5) Relinquish the interest that creates the conflict (e.g. resign a position on a committee for another nursing organization if the work competes with the work of AACN or the AACN Certification Corporation). In addition, all employees agree to Conflict of Interest and Work Ethics statements contained in the Employee Handbook. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section C, Line 19 |
AACN Certification Corporation does not make governing documents or conflict of interest policies available to the public. The financial statements of the organization are part of the consolidated audited financial statements that are published to the AACN membership within 120 days of the end of the fiscal year. The audited financial statements are posted on the AACN website and are available to the public upon request. |
| Form 990, Part IX, Line 11g |
The bulk of these costs are due to obligations due our testing service provider who is paid for each candidate who sits for an exam. In addition, fees are paid to the testing service provider for professional services related to test construction, item writing, and studies of practice to ensure our exams are based on up to date best practices. |
Attach to Form 990 or 990-EZ.