CCRN Certification is conferred for a period of three years. A certification period begins with the first day of the month in which the CCRN examination is passed and ends on the last day of the month three years later. The purpose of recertification is to enhance continued competence.
At renewal time, you may seek certification renewal through one of two options, or you may choose Inactive Status, Alumnus CCRN Status, or CCRN Retired Status. Do NOT apply for more than one option. It is NOT permissible to take the exam early and, if you fail, renew by CERPs.
Top
A BSN is NOT required to sit for the CCRN exam.
Applicants must have current unencumbered registered nurse licensure in the United States. In order to meet the RN licensure requirement for initial CCRN 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 CCRN certified nurse to notify the AACN Certification Corporation when any restriction is placed on his / her RN license.
Renewal candidates must complete 432 hours in direct bedside care of the (adult, neonatal or pediatric) acutely or critically ill patient during the three year certification period, with 144 of those hours accrued in the most recent year preceding application. Nurses serving as manager, educator (inservice or academic), CNS or preceptor may apply their hours spent supervising nursing students or nurses at the bedside. Nurses in these roles must be actively involved in caring for patients at the bedside; for example, demonstrating how to measure pulmonary artery pressures or supervising a new employee or student nurse performing a procedure.
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.
As of January 1, 1999, the technical skills (interventions) checklist was eliminated as a requirement for obtaining or renewing the CCRN credential. While accomplishment of specific technical skills is no longer required to be eligible to sit for the CCRN exam, having knowledge and/or experience with specific critical care technical skills (i.e., hemodynamic monitoring, ventilating patients) may benefit you in understanding the questions presented on the exam. Having knowledge and experience with patient situations involving technology that monitors or maintains life functions will enhance your understanding of the patient care scenarios outlined in the examination. If you are unfamiliar with a specific technology (for example intracranial pressure monitoring), in addition to learning about the technology through studying, you may wish to seek out clinical experiences that enable you to become familiar with normal and abnormal readings, patient assessment, and troubleshooting.
ADULT - click here to see the list of experiences recommended for Adult CCRN candidates. NEONATAL - click here to see the list of experiences recommended for Neonatal CCRN candidates. PEDIATRIC - click here to see the list of experiences recommended for Pediatric CCRN candidates.
Renewal by Synergy CERPs and Renewal by CERPs (to be phased out by January 1, 2010) requires you to obtain 100 CERPs (Continuing Education Recognition Points) within specified CERP categories within the three-year certification renewal period.
For a more complete description of the various categories and how to calculate the number of CERPs awarded for different activities, refer to the CCRN Renewal Handbook, or for more detailed information about Renewal by Synergy CERPs, including a PowerPoint presentation, please refer to What's New on this Web site or click here .
To apply for CCRN Renewal simply complete the application form found in the CCRN Renewal Handbook (requires Adobe Acrobat) or Renew Online, available 120 days prior to your renewal date. Submit copies of your CE certificates/documentation only if you are selected for audit, which can happen any time after your renewal date. You must retain your CERP documentaion for 3 years following successful renewal, to submit in the event that you are audited.
Effective February 1, 2003, a number of changes were made to the CCRN renewal process. Certificants are no longer required to submit a listing of CERP activities, nor will they be notified in advance if selected for audit. The new process requires certificants to complete an application and sign the honor statement indicating that they have completed the appropriate number of CERPs in each category. Certificants may choose to submit a paper application by mail or fax, or they may choose our new Online Renewal option - available from the homepage of this Web site under Online Renewal or by clicking here..
Certificants must continue to keep a log of CERP activities and maintain evidence of achievement of the required CERP hours to satisfy an audit of CE records, if selected. A CERP log form is included in the CCRN Renewal Handbook . CERP materials should be kept by the certificant for a minimum of three years following renewal.
A fixed percentage of certificants will be randomly selected for audit several months after their renewal date. Those selected will be notified by signature confirmation mail and will have 60 days to submit their CERP Log and required verification materials, such as course certificates and letters of confirmation of volunteer activities. If audit materials are not received within 60 days, certification will be revoked and notices will be sent to the candidate, as well as to the candidate's employer and state board of nursing where appropriate.
As always, AACN Certification Corporation reserves the right to conduct additional audits as deemed necessary.
Reference Lists Computer-Based Testing/Testing Sites Detailed Testing Info.: Application Process, Timeline, Applications, etc.
Payable in U.S. Funds. Fees are subject to change without notice.
CCRN Renewal Handbook Certification Exam Handbook - for Renewal by Exam
These documents may be viewed and printed using Acrobat Reader, below. In addition, the documents can be obtained via e-mail as Word 2000 or Rich Text Format (.rtf) attachments; click on Contact Us above and specify the document and format you would like.
