Online Exam Registration is now available for the CCRN and PCCN specialty certification exams as well as the Cardiac Medicine (CMC) and Cardiac Surgery (CSC) subspecialty certification examinations. This paperless registration option streamlines the exam application process by up to 6 weeks. Once you register online your 90-day window for testing will begin within one to two weeks. Candidates should be prepared to sit for the exam before registering online. Information about how to schedule your exam will arrive by e-mail and mail within 2-3 weeks of registering online.
The CCRN, PCCN and CCNS specialty exams (as of May 1, 2006) and the CMC and CSC subspecialty (as of February 1, 2007) have received VA approval through the Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education. Veterans and other eligible persons* who pass the CCRN, PCCN, CCNS, CMC or CSC exam are now eligible to be reimbursed the total cost of their exam fee by submitting an Application for Licensing and Certification Testing Fee Reimbursement, along with a copy of their test results and a receipt of exam fee payment, to the Department of Veterans Affairs, P.O. Box 8888, Muskogee, OK 74402-8888.
*Eligible persons are those who qualify for the following: Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB), Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR), Reserve Education Assistance Program (REAP), Veterans Educational Assistance Program (VEAP) or Dependents Educational Assistance (DEA).
In January 2007, some minor changes were made to the current Renewal by CERPs program. These changes are included in the CCRN Renewal Handbook available online. Click here for a table outlining the changes.
The CERP awards in the new Renewal by Synergy CERP program, also launched in January 2007, will be consistent with these changes.
The above document may be viewed and printed using Acrobat Reader, available below.
The National Commission on Certifying Agencies (NCCA) has granted accreditation to AACN Certification Corporation's PCCN Certification Examination program through August 31, 2009. The PCCN exam was launched via paper and pencil exam at NTI in May, 2004, and via computer-based testing in August, 2004. The PCCN program joins the CCRN and CCNS programs amongst the NCCA accredited certification examination programs offered by AACN Certification Corporation. Accreditation applications for the new cardiac subspecialty exams CMC and CSC will be submitted when volume or time offered requirements have been met. A new certification program (one that has not previously received NCCA accreditation) may apply for accreditation either after one year of administration of the assessment instrument or when at least 500 candidates have been assessed with that instrument, whichever comes first.
The National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) accredits certification organizations complying with its Standards. The mission of NCCA is to help ensure the health, welfare, and safety of the public through the accreditation of certification programs/organizations that assess professional competence. The NCCA uses a peer review process to establish accreditation standards, to evaluate compliance with these standards, to recognize organizations/programs which demonstrate compliance and to serve as a resource on quality certification. The purpose of NCCA accreditation is to provide the public and other stakeholders the means by which to identify certification programs that serve their competency assurance needs. NCCA's Standards exceed the requirements set forth by the American Psychological Association and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Effective March 1, 2006, CCNS certificants have the opportunity to renew the CCNS credential by CE or exam. The renewal by vignette option is no longer available. Renewal requirements for the CCNS credential include:
For more detailed information about the requirements for CCNS renewal please refer to the CCNS Renewal Handbook . This document may be viewed and printed using Acrobat Reader, available below.
Return to top of page
