We are delighted you are interested in pursuing CCNS certification. You have already demonstrated your commitment to advancing your knowledge by completing graduate level education. Achieving CCNS certification will further demonstrate the knowledge, abilities and skills you employ in caring for acutely or critically ill patients and their families. It also gives you the credential you need to qualify for advanced practice licensure in some states.
The AACN Certification Corporation is pleased to offer an advanced practice certification program for Clinical Nurse Specialists in acute and critical care.
AACN Certification Corporation, in conjunction with Professional Examination Service, our former testing partner, used the AACN Synergy Model for Patient Care, a framework that matches patient needs with nurse competencies, to develop this program. The credential CCNS has been approved for those nurses who have successfully completed the certification program.
The CCNS examinations are three-and-a-half (3 ½) hour tests consisting of 175 multiple-choice items. On each exam, 78% of the items address content where the age of the patient spans the developmental spectrum. The remaining 22% of each exam addresses adult, neonatal, or pediatric patients. Unscored pretest items are included on each CCNS exam. The exams are given at over 100 Applied Measurement Professionals, Inc. (AMP) testing sites across the United States via Computer-Based Testing, five days a week year-round.
* Current unencumbered licensure as a registered nurse in the United States required. An unencumbered license has no provisions or conditions that limit the nurse's practice in any way. Candidates must submit a photocopy of their current, valid RN or APRN license. It is the responsibility of candidates and CCNS-certified nurses to notify the AACN Certification Corporation when any restriction is placed on their RN license.
* Completion of a graduate advanced practice education program meeting the following requirements:
* 500 hours in direct clinical practice within the master's program
* Evidence of expertise in clinical knowledge, skills and judgment, as demonstrated by one of the following:
* Applicants determined to be ineligible for the exam will have their applications fee refunded. Eligibility for the examination is not appealable.
* AACN Certification Corporation may adopt additional eligibility requirements at its sole discretion from time to time. Any such requirements will be designed to establish, for the purposes of CCNS certification, the adequacy of a candidate's knowledge and experience in caring for the acutely and critically ill.
AACN Certification Corporation has contacted the State Boards of Nursing in all 50 states to request recognition of the CCNS certification exam for clinical nurse specialists in acute and critical care. Depending on the wording of its specific statute or rule, each state that recognizes the clinical nurse specialist role for advanced practice status may have the option to provide some type of approval of the CCNS exam process. This recognition can be either by:
We are delighted to provide an update to the number of State Boards of Nursing which have approved the CCNS Certification as meeting their criteria for qualifying nurses for Advanced Practice RN designation and/or licensure. As of April 25, 2007, the following Boards of Nursing have either approved the CCNS exam, or have listed AACN Certification Corporation as an approved certification body: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Some State Boards of Nursing accept the CCNS examination but do not use a formal approval process. These states include Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Virginia.
All nurses intending to use the CCNS to obtain AP licensure in their state should check with their State Board of Nursing for specific licensing requirements BEFORE sitting for the exam, including those practicing in the states listed above.
Although not every Board of Nursing has the statutory authority to establish or approve an advanced practice category, we are continuing to monitor legislation in those states. Pressure from managed care groups, reimbursement issues, and the desire to conform to the same practices as neighboring states all seem to have had some degree of effect on the move toward the regulation of advanced practice. Look for future updates, and please feel free to let us know of any new advanced practice activities in your home states.
Payable in U.S. Funds. Fees are subject to change without notice. A $15 fee will be charged for returned checks.
If joining at the time of application, you may pay the $78 annual AACN membership fee and member exam fee of $325. Refer to the CCNS Exam application found in the CCNS Exam Handbook for multi-year membership discount rates.
All of the information included in the Certification Exam Handbook may be found on this Web site. However, if you would rather see the handbook in print, it can be viewed and printed using Acrobat Reader, below, and is also available by e-mail. Click on Contact Us above and request a copy via e-mail. Please indicate the document you are requesting. If you do not yet have Acrobat Reader, you may install it by clicking on the icon below.
Applicants must hold current, unencumbered RN or APRN licensure in the United States. In order to meet the RN licensure requirement for initial CCNS certification and recertification, an individual nurse's RN license must be unencumbered. This means than an RN license, issued by a state board of nursing, must not have provisions or conditions that would limit the nurse's practice in any way. It is the responsibility of the exam applicant or CCNS certified nurse to notify the AACN Certification Corporation when any restriction is placed on his / her RN license. AACN Certification Corporation requires candidates to submit a photocopy of their current, valid RN or APRN license with all applications for initial examination and renewal of the CCNS credential. If the photocopy is not included, AACN Certification Corporation will need to send a letter to you requesting the copy, which will delay the processing of your application.
Active involvement in the care of acutely-ill or critically-ill patients, as a CNS, for a minimum of 2,000 hours over the last four years, with a minimum of 400 hours in the 12 months preceding renewal, in the United States.
Eligible clinical practice hours for AACN Certification Corporation examinations or certification renewal are those completed in U.S.-based or Canada-based facilities or in facilities determined to be comparable to the U.S. standard of acute/critical care nursing practice, as evidenced by ANCC Magnet Status or Joint Commission International accreditation.
Complete the Recertification by CE program requirements of 60 Category A CEs, with at least 15 CEs within the Acute and Critical Care Educational Program area. OR Retake and pass the CCNS certification examination.
Verification of eligibility is not required; however the name and address of a director or coworker who can verify the requirements must be given. If you are randomly selected for audit, this associate will be contacted to verify that you have met the eligibility requirements. The director or colleague need not be CCNS-certified.
AACN Certification Corporation may adopt additional eligibility requirements at its sole discretion from time to time. Any such requirements will be designed to establish, for the purposes of CCNS certification, the adequacy of a candidate's knowledge and experience in caring for the acutely and critically ill.
During the four-year certification period, CCNS renewal candidates wishing to renew by CE must complete sixty (60) CCNS Category A CEs, fifteen (15) of which must be within the Acute and Critical Care Educational Program area.
At least 15 of the 60 required CEs must be in this category.
This category encompasses acute and critical care programs granting contact hours or CE. These programs must address subjects that have direct application to the needs of the acute and critically ill patient or family.
Acceptable programs must possess one of the following characteristics:
These programs need NOT be approved by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses and may be offered by hospitals, professional associations, or independent educational groups. Home study or self-study programs from professional journals and other sources that grant contact hours apply to Category A. If a course is taken for academic credit, but is specific to patient care, CE can be awarded in Category A. Examples include:
Encompasses professional nursing publication. The CCNS's responsibility in the publication may be authorship, co-authorship, or editorial related to acute and/or critical care content. The item to be published may be a book, chapter in a book, paper, article, abstract, book review, etc. The item may be published in a book, journal, professional organization's national or local newsletter, etc.
Professionally authored multimedia aids are acceptable.
CEs for joint authorships are determined by dividing the number of CEs to be awarded by the number of authors.
CCNSs wishing to renew by exam must apply for, take and pass the CCNS exam before the expiration date of their credential. Candidates must complete the CCNS Exam Application and submit it along with a photocopy of their current, valid RN or APRN license. To request a Certification Exam Handbook and Application, call 800-899-2226, e-mail certcorp@aacn.org, or visit our Web site at www.certcorp.org. The handbook contains information regarding registration, scheduling and rescheduling, overseas testing, computer-based testing, suggested study references and other information necessary in order to renew by exam.
AACN Certification Corporation will notify our testing service Applied Measurement Professionals, Inc. (AMP), of eligible candidates; AMP will send an e-mail and a confirmation postcard containing a toll-free number and Web address, for those who prefer to register on line, to each eligible candidate to schedule the examination. Candidates should call to schedule an examination directly after receiving their confirmation postcard from AMP to obtain an appointment and testing location of their choice. Candidates may sit for the examination at their chosen location within the 90-day eligibility period printed on the confirmation postcard.
If joining at the time of application, you may pay the $78 annual AACN membership fee and member renewal fee of $180 or $200. Refer to the CCNS Renewal application found in the CCNS Renewal Handbook for multi-year membership discount rates.
A copy of the complete CCNS Renewal Handbook is mailed to each renewing CCNS approximately 120 days prior to their renewal date. This handbook can be viewed and printed using Acrobat Reader, below. This handbook can also be sent to you via e-mail; click on the Contact Us button at the top of this page and request a copy to be sent as a Word (.doc) attachment or as a Rich Text Format (.rtf) file. Please indicate the document you need and the format in which you would like it sent. If you do not yet have Acrobat Reader, you may install it by clicking on the icon below.
