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Clinical Nurse Specialist in Pediatric 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 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 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
 Growth and Development Theories, Concepts, and Findings
35
23.33%
II
 Advanced Practice Nursing
49
32.67%
III
 Advanced Nursing Practice Environments
9
6.00%
IV
 Basic and Applied Science
33
22.00%
V
 Research
8
5.33%
VI
 Education and Health Teaching
16
10.67%
Total
150
100%

Test Content Outline

  1. Growth and Development (e.g., theories, concepts, anticipatory guidance, safety and security, unintentional injuries, comprehensive assessment, counseling) (23.33%)
    1. Physical (e.g., normal/variations for 0-21 years)
    2. Psychosocial (e.g., Erikson, Family Systems theory, coping, stress, and adaptation)
    3. Cognitive/Functional (e.g., Piaget, Kohlberg, developmental assessment/screening tools, developmentally appropriate communication)

  2. Advanced Practice Nursing (32.67%)
    1. Nursing Process (e.g., theories, philosophies, conceptual and practice models, standards of care and professional performance, including critical thinking, personal/professional boundaries, health promotion strategies, culturally competent care)
    2. Leadership (e.g., leadership styles, decision-making, prioritization, knowledge of organizational behaviors and politics, spheres of influence, power and influence, negotiation, consensus-building, team-building, strategic planning/project management)
    3. Consultation (e.g., formal and informal, negotiation of roles and responsibilities, theories and principles, problem identification and resolution, interpersonal skills)
    4. Collaboration (e.g., group processes, team facilitation, group problem-solving, synergism, family-centered care, parent/professional partnerships)
    5. Change Process (e.g., theory, barriers to and opportunities for, innovation, risk-benefit analysis, implementation, and evaluation of change)
    6. Professional Responsibilities (e.g., scope and standards of practice, peer support/review, professional advocacy, networking, political action, coaching/mentoring)
    7. Communication (e.g., principles, interpersonal skills, conflict resolution, barriers to communication, de-escalation, anger management, diffusion of emotionally charged situations)
    8. Ethical and Legal Issues (e.g., ethical principles, child protection, emancipated minors, genomic implications, dilemmas, end-of-life decisions, informed consent, advanced directives, treatment decisions, and resource allocation)

  3. Advanced Nursing Practice Environments (e.g., critical issues, organizations, and systems) (6.00%)
    1. Regulations and Accreditation Standards (e.g., Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA)
    2. Healthcare Delivery Models/Payers (e.g., participating provider option (PPO), third party reimbursement, health maintenance organization (HMO), Medicaid, Medicare, care of underserved populations)
    3. Resource Management (e.g., cost/benefit analysis related to equipment, supplies, diagnostics/treatments, community resources, etc.)
    4. Performance Improvement (CQI/PI) (e.g., outcome measures, benchmarking, sentinel events, root-cause analysis, risk management, policy and practice change, etc.)

  4. Basic and Applied Science (22.00%)
    1. Pathophysiology (e.g., developmental physiology, physiological and age-related implications of disease process, differentiation between normal variations and pathology, symptom recognition and management, multi-system dysfunction, genetic implications)
    2. Pharmacology (e.g., drug-drug interactions, drug-disease considerations, drug-food interactions, drug-herbal/supplement interactions, developmental implications, genetic considerations, equianalgesia, sedation)
    3. Epidemiology (e.g., surveillance, disease transmission)
    4. Social and Behavioral Theories and Concepts (e.g., parenting styles, coping behavior, discipline, quality of life, survivorship, trajectory of care, family system dynamics)
    5. Complementary/Alternative Modalities (e.g., herbs, vitamins, nutritional supplements, treatments such as massage, acupuncture, guided imagery, cultural practices)

  5. Research (including standards of professional performance) (5.33%)
    1. Research Utilization and Knowledge of Research Methodology (e.g., grant application process, evaluation, study design, critique, practice implications, research priorities)
    2. Human Subject Protection (e.g., informed consent/assent in research, confidentiality, vulnerable populations, risks and benefits, patient rights)
    3. Evidence-Based Nursing Practice (e.g., best practices, synthesis of clinical research, integrated literature review, performance improvement data, clinical research, patient satisfaction surveys, nursing standardized language, nursing intervention/outcome classification system, practice guidelines)

  6. Education and Health Teaching (e.g., patient, family, professional, and community) (10.67%)
    1. Learning Needs Assessment
    2. Program and Curriculum Development and Design (e.g., communication technology, low literacy resource development, skill and knowledge acquisition, objectives and outcomes, teaching/learning activities)
    3. Program Evaluation (e.g., formative, summative, outcome evaluation, goal achievement)
    4. Professional Information Dissemination (e.g., formal and informal presentations, publications, application of information technology, community and civic involvement)

This page last revised 1/25/2007.