We are delighted you are interested in pursuing CMC or CSC certification. You have already demonstrated your knowledge, abilities and skills by achieving certification in your specialty area. Achieving either of these subspecialty certifications will further exemplify your commitment to your patients and their families.
AACN Certification Corporation offers two subspecialty nursing certifications. The CMC and CSC subspecialty certification programs were launched in January, 2005. CMC and CSC are trademarks and denote subspecialty nursing certification in Cardiac Medicine (CMC) and Cardiac Surgery (CSC) as granted by AACN Certification Corporation. Registered nurses who have not achieved CMC or CSC subspecialty certification status or whose CMC or CSC status has lapsed are not authorized to use the CMC or CSC credential. Read a definition of certification.
The CMC credential is for certified nurses practicing in areas such as CCU; Combined ICU/CCU; Medical ICU; Telemetry; Progressive Care; Heart Failure Clinics, Home Care; Interventional Cardiology; Cardiac Catheterization Labs, or Electrophysiology Units. The CSC credential is for certified nurses working in areas such as Cardiovascular Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery, or Post-Anesthesia Care Units (PACUs), providing care to cardiac surgery patients in the first 48 hours post-operatively.
These 3-letter credentials may only be displayed with a clinical nursing specialty certification, attached by a dash, e.g., CCRN-CMC or CCNS-CSC. If a person were to obtain both subspecialty credentials they could attach credentials to the same clinical nursing specialty certification, such as CCRN-CMC-CSC.
The CMC and CSC exams are 2-hour tests consisting of 90 multiple-choice items. The CMC and CSC credentials have been approved for those nurses who have successfully completed the CMC or CSC certification program.
The exams are given via Computer-Based Testing and are offered year-round six days per week at the more than 170 Applied Measurement Professionals, Inc. (AMP) assessment centers across the U.S. Paper and pencil versions of the exams are offered at the annual National Teaching Institute and Critical Care Exposition(NTI®). The NTI exam is offered at a discounted price for both members and nonmembers, and you do not have to be attending the NTI to sit for the exam. Paper and pencil versions of the exams are also offered twice yearly at the SEPA Chapter Trends conference in Philadelphia, PA; visit the Certification News area of this website for more information.
To access the CMC/CSC Exam Handbook, which contains the 3-page CMC and CSC exam applications, please click here.
The above document may be viewed and printed out using Acrobat Reader, available below. This handbook can also be e-mailed to you as an attachment; click on Contact Us above and specify which handbook you would like. However, all of the information contained in the handbook, as well as the application, may be found on this Web site.
Each CMC and CSC certification exam is based on a job analysis. The most recent study, completed in 2004, defines the dimensions of acute and critical care practice, identifying the knowledge, skills and abilities required of a registered nurse practicing in acute and critical care caring for cardiac patients.
In the study, acute and critical care nurses across the United States were surveyed to ascertain the frequency and significance of the various elements of their practice. Through an extensive review and evaluation process, the knowledge, skills and abilities crucial to cardiac nursing were defined using Synergy Model for Patient Care as an organizing framework, focusing on the clinical judgment component exclusively. CMC and CSC examinations are based on these skills and abilities and the knowledge required to perform them. Click here for the Executive Summary of the 2004 CMC Job Analysis. Click here for the Executive Summary of the 2004 CSC Job Analysis.
The above document may be viewed and printed using Acrobat Reader, available on this page. The document may also be obtained via e-mail; click on Contact Us above and specify the document you would like to receive.
CMC and CSC subspecialty certification is achieved by those acute and critical care nurses who pass a CMC or CSC exam in adult acute and critical care cardiac nursing. CMC and CSC certification denotes to the public those practitioners who possess a distinct and clearly defined body of knowledge in acute and critical care cardiac nursing.
The 90-item CMC and CSC subspecialty exams concentrate solely on the Synergy Model component of Clinical Judgment.
The CMC and CSC Test Plans can be found in CMC/CSC Exam Handbook.
Documents may be viewed and printed using Acrobat Reader, available below. The documents may also be obtained via e-mail as an attachment; click on Contact Us above and specify the document you would like to receive.
Eligible clinical practice hours for AACN Certification Corporation exams 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.
Payable in U.S. Funds. Fees are subject to change without notice.
Candidates for CMC or CSC Renewal must meet the following eligibility requirements:
For more details and an application please refer to the CMC/CSC Renewal Handbook, available only online.
The above document may be viewed and printed using Acrobat Reader, below. This document may also be obtained as an e-mail attachment; click on Contact Us above and specify the document you would like to receive. For questions please e-mail certcorp@aacn.org or call AACN Customer Care at (800) 899-2226.
Online renewal for CMCs and CSCs is available.
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