Nurse Executive Certification Examination Content Outline
(formerly Nursing Administration)

This is a paper-and-pencil exam

There are 175 questions on this examination. Of these, 150 are scored questions and 25 are nonscored pretest questions. Questions are pretested to determine how well they perform before they are used in the scored portion of the examination. The pretest questions cannot be distinguished from those that will be scored, so it is important that a candidate answer all questions. However, a candidate's score is based solely on the 150 scored questions. Performance on pretest questions does not affect a candidate's score.

This Test Content Outline identifies the areas that are included on the examination. The percentage and number of questions in each of the major categories of the scored portion of the examination are also shown.

1. Assessment/evaluation
2. Planning
3. Implementation
4. Other

Test Content Outline

1. Organization and Structure
   1. Theories
      1. Organizational
      2. Management
      3. Nursing
      4. Change
      5. Role
      6. Leadership
      7. Decision-making
      8. Systems
   2. Mission and philosophy
      1. Purpose
      2. Organizational concepts and models
      3. Framework
      4. Format
      5. Review mechanisms
   3. The planning continuum
      1. Strategic planning
         1. Goal setting
         2. Prioritizing
      2. Contingency planning
      3. Crisis management
   4. Standards
      1. Policies and guidelines
      2. Procedures
      3. Protocols
      4. Practice (e.g., standards of nursing departments)
      5. Professional criteria
         1. Scope and Standards for Nurse Administrators
         2. Other
   5. Practice environment
      1. Nursing care delivery systems/professional practice models
      2. Governance models
      3. Differentiated practice
      4. Case management
      5. Critical and clinical pathways
      6. Alternative care settings
      7. Corporate culture and climate
         1. Autocratic
         2. Bureaucratic
         3. Participative
      8. Collaborative practice
      9. Career ladder
      10. Collaboration and consultation
      11. Integrated health care systems (e.g., networks, consortia)
   6. Institutional environment
      1. Organizational structures
         1. Centralized vs decentralized
         2. Product line
         3. Matrix
      2. Committee structure
      3. Governing boards
      4. Systems integration
         1. Management information systems
         2. Support systems
         3. Continuity of care
   7. External environment
      1. Community organizations
      2. Access to care
      3. Community assessment, demographic assessment, and feasibility studies
      4. Community diagnosis and epidemiology
      5. Interagency relationships
      6. Occupational health
      7. National and global factors
   8. Physical environment
      1. Structural design and renovation
         1. Participant roles
         2. Occupancy approval
         3. Architectural review
      2. Safety and code requirements
      3. Efficiency
      4. Effects on patients/clients and staff
      5. Interior design and aesthetics
   9. Program evaluation
      1. Quality assessment and improvement
      2. Outcome based quality improvement (OBQI)
      3. Outcomes measurement
         1. Quality indicators
         2. Financial indicators
         3. Patient/client and family satisfaction
         4. Functional status
      4. Staff satisfaction
   10. Research
       1. Conducting research
       2. Utilizing findings
       3. Facilitating research
       4. Writing grants
       5. Human subjects review and related ethical issues
2. Economics
   1. Budget
      1. Types
         1. Revenue
         2. Expense
         3. Capital
         4. Operating
      2. Uses
         1. Development
         2. Monitoring
         3. Justifying
         4. Variance analysis
         5. Report interpretation
      3. Reports
      4. Decision support systems
   2. Reimbursement
      1. Prospective payment systems (PPSs)
         1. Coding (ex. CPT, ICD)
      2. Capitation
         1. Health maintenance organizations (HMOs)
         2. State health maintenance organizations (SHMOs)
         3. Negotiating capitated/discount rates
      3. Preferred provider organizations (PPOs)
      4. Third-party payers
         1. Medicare
         2. Medicaid
         3. Insurance
         4. Other
   3. Cost containment
      1. Managed care
      2. Cost-benefit analysis
      3. Productivity
      4. Patient/client classification
      5. Staff mix
      6. Reduction in staff and services
      7. Materials management
   4. Marketing
      1. Purpose/market share/penetration/mix
      2. Advertising and the media
      3. Surveys
      4. Image building
      5. Public relations
3. Human Resources
   1. Staffing
      1. Recruitment
      2. Retention and turnover
      3. Use of agency and contract personnel
      4. Scheduling
      5. Job analysis
         1. Job descriptions
         2. Role clarification
      6. Patient/client classification analysis
      7. Interviewing
      8. Redesign and restructuring
      9. Staff mix
   2. Staff development
      1. Needs assessment
      2. Teaching/learning principles
      3. Orientation
      4. In-service training
      5. Continuing education and professional development
      6. Mentoring, precepting, and coaching
      7. Transcultural considerations
      8. Competency assessment
   3. Management issues
      1. Motivation
      2. Communication
      3. Delegation
      4. Relationships
         1. Interpersonal
         2. Professional
         3. Team building
         4. Cultural considerations
      5. Conflict and conflict resolution
      6. Decision making
      7. Recognition
      8. Job satisfaction
      9. Group dynamics
      10. Negotiation
      11. Discipline
      12. Employee assistance programs
      13. Stress management
      14. Personnel policies and procedures
      15. Performance appraisal
          1. Peer review
          2. Criteria-based objectives
          3. Other
      16. Absenteeism
      17. Job enrichment
      18. Management style
      19. Supervision
4. Ethics
   1. Professional ethics
      1. Values clarification
      2. Professional integrity
      3. Code for Nurses with Interpretive Statements
      4. Confidentiality
      5. Refusal of assignment
      6. Ethics committees
   2. Bioethical issues
      1. Patient/client rights
      2. Advocacy
      3. Advance directives
5. Legal and Regulatory Issues
   1. Federal and state
      1. Federal regulation
         1. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
         2. Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Acts
         3. Patient Self-Determination Act
         4. Americans With Disabilities Act
         5. Fair Labor Standards Act
         6. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
         7. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
         8. Other
      2. Medicare
      3. Medicaid
      4. Nurse practice acts
      5. Institutional licensure
   2. Labor-management relations
      1. Negotiations
      2. Collective bargaining
      3. Grievance and arbitration
      4. National Labor Relations Act
   3. Accreditation and credentialing
      1. Accrediting agencies (e.g., Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations [JCAHO])
      2. Specialty (e.g., home health, long-term care)
      3. Credentialing
         1. Registration
         2. Licensure
         3. Certification
         4. Other
   4. Professional and institutional liability
      1. Insurance
      2. Documentation
      3. Malpractice and negligence
      4. Risk management
   5. Politics
      1. Political process
      2. Power
      3. Lobbying
      4. Networking
   6. Contracts and agreements
      1. Types
         1. Service
         2. Educational
         3. Labor
         4. Other
      2. Administration of contracts and agreements

This page last revised 1/24/2007.