Clinical Nurse Specialist in Adult Health (formerly known as Medical-Surgical) Nursing Certification Exam Content Outline

This is a computer-based test (CBT)

There are 175 questions on this examination. Of these, 150 are scored questions and 25 are pretest questions that are not scored. Pretest questions are used to determine how well these questions will perform before they are used on the scored portion of the examination. The pretest questions cannot be distinguished from those that will be scored, so it is important for a candidate to answer all questions. A candidate's score, however, 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 may be included on the examination. The percentage and number of questions in each of the major categories of the scored portion of the examination also are shown.

Category	Domains of Practice	No. of Questions	Percent
I	Nursing Science	62	41.30%
II	Organization/Network/Health System	23	15.30%
III	Basic and Applied Science	16	10.70%
IV	Research	11	7.30%
V	Education	17	11.30%
VI	Professional Attributes	21	14.00%
Total		150	100%

Test Content Outline

1. Nursing Science (41.3%)
1. Theories
1. Nursing Science Theories (e.g., Rogers, Peplau, Orem, Neuman, Nightingale, Orlando, Hoff, Leininger, Watson, Benner)
2. Middle Range Theories (e.g., stress and coping; health belief models)
2. Nursing Process (at all levels of prevention)
1. assessment
2. diagnosis
3. plan
4. implement
5. evaluation
3. Scope and Standards of Practice (e.g., legal ramifications, nurse practice act, American Nurses Association Social Policy Statement, Scope and Standards, Code of Ethics, National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialist Statement on CNS Practice)
4. Principles of Communication (cultural and language specific) (See Note 1 above)
5. Nursing Informatics (information portability, documenting and accessing information, standards, legal issues)
6. Human and Support Resources (e.g., health care and non-health care personnel, organizations, Alcohol Anonymous, hospice)
7. Ethics (e.g., principles of ethics, legal issues—advance directives, HIPAA, advocacy)
2. Organization/ Network/ Health System (15.3%)
1. Regulations and Standards (e.g., local, state, federal, accrediting and professional standards, interdisciplinary/collaborative standards of practice and guidelines for care, pathways, benchmarks, abuse/neglect reporting, national databases, organ donation)
2. Organization, Network, Health System Theories (e.g., organizational behavior)
3. Ethical Decision Making Concepts and Theories (e.g., organizational culture)
4. Organizational Outcomes Management (e.g., patient outcomes, program outcomes, quality indicators, pathways)
5. Health Care Finance (e.g. Medicaid, Medicare, Managed Care, policy)
6. Human and Fiscal Resource Management (e.g., durable medical equipment (DME), nurse-sensitive indicators, budget input)
7. Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI)
8. Risk Management (e.g., peer review, root-cause analysis, legal issues)
9. Case Management
10. Clinical Supervision (e.g., direct clinical supervision, feedback and evaluation)
11. Conflict Resolution
3. Basic and Applied Science (See Note 1 above) (10.7%)
1. Growth and Development Across the Life Span (e.g., age specific, cultural diversity, sexuality, developmental theories/theorists, cognitive/developmental/mental assessment)
2. Anatomy, Pathophysiology, and Pathology
3. Genomics (e.g., inherited and genetic risk factors)
4. Pharmacology
5. Nutritional Assessment
6. Complementary/Alternative Modalities (broad application of…, knowledge of applicable resources for…)
4. Research (7.3%)
1. Research Methodology
2. Human Subject Protection
3. Evidence-Based Nursing Practice (including research priorities in nursing)
5. Education (See Note 1 above) (11.3%)
1. Teaching and Learning Theories (e.g., adult learner)
2. Learning Needs Assessment (e.g., cultural and language specific, disability specific)
3. Program Evaluation
4. Curriculum Development
5. Program Development (face-to-face, online, Web)
6. Professional Information Dissemination (e.g., publication/research findings, promotion of the Clinical Nurse Specialist)
7. Preceptor/Mentor (e.g., education of staff, peers, other health care professionals, students, preparing others to be preceptors/mentors, coaching)
6. Professional Attributes (See Note 2 above) (14.0%)
1. Leadership
2. Spheres of Influence of the Clinical Nurse Specialist (how different spheres of influence effect practice, policy and programs)
3. Ethical Principles (e.g., non-maleficence, beneficence, justice, independent practice, advocacy skills)
4. Consultation Theory/Principles (documentation, expert witness)
5. Collaboration Skills (including inter- and intra- disciplinary)
6. Change Theory/Management
7. Interpersonal Communication Skills
8. Mentor/Preceptor/Peer Support (e.g., serve as role model, knowledge of the process of preceptorship, mentoring, etc.)
9. Counseling Principles

 

Note 1: Each question in areas ID, III, and V is given a second classification from the following list in order to denote Adult Life Span:

1. young (20 – 39 years)
2. middle (40 – 64 years)
3. older (65 and older)
4. all ages (20 and above)

Note2: Each question in area VI is given a second classification from the following list in order to denote Spheres of Influence:

1. patient/family
2. healthcare personnel
3. system/community
4. all sphere

Note: Critical thinking skills are required throughout the whole examination.

This page last revised 1/25/2007.