General Requirements for Initial Certification

Requirements

You must meet all of the eligibility requirements for the certification exam you are seeking to take. If you do not meet the eligibility requirements when you apply, you will be considered not eligible to take a certification examination.
Academic degrees for advanced practice nursing exams must be awarded from an institution of higher learning accredited by either Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) or National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC). Graduate transcript(s), in a sealed envelope, can be included with your application or mailed or emailed separately and must show the date and degree conferred. If your master’s or graduate program was not USbased, please contact ANCC for additional information before you submit your application.
The baccalaureate or higher degree in nursing is required for these certification exams: Nurse Executive; Nurse Executive, Advanced; and Nursing Professional Development. For the Informatics Nursing certification examination, your baccalaureate can be in nursing or in a field related to informatics. Transcripts, in a sealed envelope from your school, must be either included with your application or mailed separately by the school. Transcripts must show the date of graduation and degree conferred. If the bachelor’s degree was awarded from a college or university outside of the United States, a course-by-course evaluation must be completed by a foreign credential evaluation service showing equivalence to a U.S. bachelor’s degree for nursing. The report must be included with the application.
All practice requirements must have been met while holding an active registered nurse license in a US state or territory, or the professional, legally recognized equivalent in another country. Any hours of practice as a licensed practical nurse OR a licensed vocational nurse OR working outside of the nursing field do not qualify as part of the practice hour requirement. Practice hours may be either part of your employment or voluntary.

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General Requirements for Initial Certification