States Accepting the CCNS

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:

• Approval of AACN Certification Corporation as an authorized certification body acceptable to the board, or
• Approval of the exam itself as a certifying exam acceptable to the board.

We are delighted to provide an update to the number of State Boards of Nursing which have approved CCNS certification as meeting their criteria for qualifying nurses for Advanced Practice RN designation and/or licensure.

The following Boards of Nursing have either approved the CCNS exam or listed AACN Certification Corporation as an approved certification body:

Some State Boards of Nursing accept the CCNS exam but do not use a formal approval process. Nevada is one such state.

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 have had some degree of effect on the move toward the regulation of advanced practice. Look for future updates, and please let us know of any new advanced practice activities in your home states.