| ACRN
Certification
The AIDS Certified Registered Nurse (ACRN)
certification program is sponsored by the HIV/AIDS
Nursing Certification Board.
The next certification exam for registered nurses
involved in HIV/AIDS care will be administered
October 25, 2003 through November 15, 2003,
in a city near you.
Deadline to register is October 1, 2003.
Click here to see Testing
Centers
Interested in taking the
exam? Get your Exam Handbook and Application
Package NOW by clicking here.
Please direct questions about the exam and registration
to Michele Pantea at (800) 260-6780.
As
this is an American exam, we regret that it is
not yet offered in French.
What
is an ACRN?
ACRN
stands for "AIDS Certified Registered
Nurse", and is a credential you may obtain
by taking a test and passing it within the criteria
specified.
The Association
of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC), the Canadian
Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (CANAC)
and the HIV/AIDS
Nursing Certification Board (HANCB) endorse
the concept of voluntary, periodic certification
by examination for all nurses in HIV/AIDS nursing.
Certification is one part of a process called credentialing.
It focuses specifically on the individual and is an
indication of current competence in a specialized area
of practice. Board certification in HIV/AIDS nursing
is highly valued and provides formal recognition of
HIV/AIDS nursing knowledge in the US and many institutions
in Canada and internationally.
Why
Certify?
To
promote comprehensive HIV/AIDS nursing care through
the certification of qualified nurses by:
- Encouraging
continued personal and professional growth in the
practice of HIV/AIDS nursing.
- Establishing
and measuring the level of knowledge required for
certification in HIV/AIDS nursing.
-
Providing a national standard of requisite knowledge
for certification; thereby assisting the employer,
public, and members of the health professions in the
assessment of the HIV/AIDS nursing practice.
- Recognizing
formally through certification those individuals
who meet the eligibility requirements and standards
set by HANCB.
Eligibility
Requirements (Click
here for more info)
The
following requirements must be met by the application
deadline:
-
Currently licensed as a registered nurse in the United
States, Canada, or the international equivalent. At
the time of application, the RN license must be in
good standing and not suspended, revoked or under
review by any state, provincial or district nursing
regulatory body.
-
At least two years of experience in clinical practice,
education, management, or research related to HIV/AIDS
nursing is recommended.
-
Completion and filing of an application for the certification
examination in HIV/AIDS nursing.
-
Payment of required fee.
Administration
The
certification program is sponsored by HANCB
and the exam is administered by the Professional
Testing Corporation (PTC), 1350 Broadway-17th
Floor, New York, New York 10018, (212) 356-0660,
www.ptcny.com.
Questions concerning the examination should be
referred to PTC.
Attainment of Certification
and Recertification
Eligible candidates who pass the certification
examination in HIV/AIDS nursing are eligible to
use the registered designation "ACRN"
after their names and will a receive certificate
from HANCB. A registry of nurses certified
in HIV/AIDS nursing will be maintained by HANCB
and may be reported in its or ANAC's publications.
Certification
in HIV/AIDS nursing is recognized for a period of
four years at which time the candidate must retake
and pass the current certification examination in
HIV/AIDS nursing,
OR,
For previous ACRN nurses attending continuing education
(CE) accredited educational activities in the US
or Canada (CANADIAN CANDIDATES should check with
ANAC regarding each educational activity in Canada to
verify if it is CE accredited), recertify by completion
of 70 CE credits. The process for recertification by
CEs is:
-
A total of 70 continuing education (CE) credits is
required for recertification every four years.
-
At least 50% of the CEs must be in HIV/AIDS nursing
care. The remaining 50% can be earned in allied health
(medicine, pharmacy, social work) continuing education
directly related to HIV/AIDS, academic coursework
related to HIV/AIDS nursing, completion of practicums
at an AIDS Education and Training center, other nursing
continuing education programs, and/or professional
activities. ACRNs have the option of recertifying
with one hundred percent (100%) HIV/AIDS nursing CEs.
-
The CE may include up to 35 continuing medical/allied
health continuing education credits that are directly
related to the practice of HIV/AIDS nursing.
-
The CNEs MUST BE APPROVED by one of the following
nursing organizations:
a)
Any state Board of Nursing,
b) American Nurses Credentialing Center,
c) Association of Nurses in AIDS Care,
d) American Academy of Nurse Practitioners
e) or the international equivalent of the above organizations.
For
further information, contact HANCB (hancb@anacnet.org),
80 South Summit Street, 500 Courtyard Square,
Akron, Ohio 44308-1736, or call at 800-260-6780.
Revocation
of Certification
Certification
will be revoked for any of the following reasons:
-
Falsification of an application for certification
or recertification.
-
Misrepresentation of certification status.
-
Suspension or revocation of nursing license by a State
or Provincial professional nursing regulatory body.
HANCB
provides an appeal mechanism for challenging revocation
of board certification. It is the responsibility
of the individual to initiate this process in
writing.
Application
Procedure
Obtain an application for admission to the certification
examination in HIV/AIDS nursing from the Professional
Testing Corporation, 1350 Broadway-17th Floor,
New York, New York 10018, (212) 356-0660. Click
here
for Handbook and Application. (Copies of the handbook
and additional copies of the application may also
be obtained at this address.)
|
Application
Deadline
|
Examination
Date
|
|
October
1, 2003
|
October
25, 2003 through November 15, 2003
|
Fees
(IN US Dollars):
Application fee for the certification examination in
HIV/AIDS nursing:
|
ANAC/CANAC
members
|
$260.00
USD |
| Non-members |
$400.00 USD |
| Special
Testing Center Fee |
$100.00
USD |
Note: Pay the special testing center fee only if a special
testing center is being requested. See above for special
testing center instructions.
Refunds
There
will be no refund of fees. Fees will not be transferred
from one testing period to another.
Schedule
for Examination
With
the implementation of computerized testing, approved
candidates will indicate with their application the
site(s) of preference for taking the exam. Candidates
are encouraged to arrive at the testing center of his/her
choice at least 30 minutes prior to the scheduled time
of the examination. Late-comers may be admitted to the
examination at the discretion of the examiner but will
not be permitted to write beyond the time scheduled
for completion of the examination.
Admission
to Testing
The
Professional Testing Corporation will notify candidates
approximately three weeks before the testing date of
final assignments for testing centers by means of an
admission notice showing exact location/address to which
candidates should report.
This
admission notice plus some other form of positive personal
identification (preferably photo I.D.) must be presented
in order to gain admission to the testing site. A candidate
not receiving an admission notice at least one week
before the test date should contact the Professional
Testing Corporation by telephone at (212) 356-0660.
Changes in assignments to testing centers cannot be
made later than four weeks before the examination date.
Rules
for the Examination
-
Candidates must bring several sharpened number 2 pencils
with erasers with them to the testing center.
-
No signaling devices, including cellular phones, pagers,
and alarms, may be operative during the examination.
-
No books or other reference materials may be taken
into the examination room.
-
No test materials, documents, or memoranda of any
sort are to be taken from the examination room.
-
No questions concerning content of the examination
may be asked during the testing period. The candidate
should listen carefully to the instructions given
by the examiner and should read carefully directions
in the test booklet.
Report
of Results
Candidates
will be notified within six weeks whether they
have passed or failed the examination. Scores
on the major areas of the examination and on the
total examination will be reported. Successful
candidates will also receive certificates from
HANCB. Upon written request of a candidate,
scores will be manually verified. Failure of the
examination is not a circumstance for appeal.
Re-examination
The
certification examination in HIV/AIDS nursing may be
taken as often as desired upon filing of a new application
and fee. There is no limit to the number of times the
examination may be repeated.
Confidentiality
-
Test scores will be released in writing only to the
individual candidate.
-
Any questions concerning test results should be referred
to the Professional Testing Corporation.
Content
of Examination
-
The certification examination in HIV/AIDS nursing
is a written examination composed of a maximum of
250 multiple choice, objective questions with a total
testing time of four (4) hours.
-
The content for the examination is described in the
content outline below.
-
The questions for the examination are obtained
from individuals with expertise in HIV/AIDS
nursing and are reviewed for construction, accuracy,
and appropriateness by HANCB.
-
HANCB, with the advice and assistance
of the Professional Testing Corporation, prepares
the examination.
-
The certification examination in HIV/AIDS nursing
will be weighted in approximately the following manner:
|
Epidemiology and Prevention |
10% |
| Pathophysiology |
15% |
| Clinical
Manifestations and Management |
35% |
|
Psychosocial Issues |
10% |
|
Specific Populations |
20% |
| Ethical
and Legal Issues |
5% |
| Professional
and Institutional Issues |
5% |
For
more detailed descriptions of content areas and
sample questions, click here.
Study
Resources
Although
HANCB or CANAC do NOT endorse any
study guide or reference materials for individuals
interested in taking the ACRN certification exam,
the following are suggested resources for preparing
for the ACRN certification examination:
- 2003
Medical Management of HIV Infection by John
Bartlett and Joel Gallant. Available through
the Johns Hopkins AIDS Service. (http://www.hopkins-aids.edu/publications/publications.html)
- A
Guide to the Clinical Care of Women with HIV - 2001
edited by Jean Anderson. Available through the HIV/AIDS
Bureau, HRSA (Order your free copy from the HRSA information
center by calling 1-888-ASK-HRSA (1-888-275-4772).
- ANAC's
Core Curriculum for HIV/AIDS Nursing. (2003)
edited by Carl Kirton. Thousand Oaks, California:
http://www.sagepub.com
- Current
Treatment Guidelines published by the US Department
of Health and Human Services are available at
http://www.aidsinfo.nih.gov/guidelines/
- Handbook
of HIV/AIDS Nursing (2000) by Carl Kirton, Dorothy
Talotta & Kenneth Zwolski. St. Louis: Mosby. ISBN
0323-00336-2.
- HIV
Nursing and Symptom Management (1998) edited by
Mary Ropka & Ann Williams. Sudbury, MA: Jones
and Bartlett.
- HIV/AIDS
: A Guide to Primary Care Management (1999) edited
by Peter J. Ungvarski & Jacquelyn Haak Flaskerud
(4th ed). Philadelphia : W.B. Saunders. ISBN: 0721673228
- The
Persons with HIV/AIDS: Nursing Perspectives (2000)
by JD Durham and FR Lashley (3rd ed). New York: Springer.
The
following professional journals are also valuable resources
providing current, state-of-the science information
relevant to HIV/AIDS nursing:
-
AIDS Patient Care
-
American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
-
American Journal of Public Health
-
Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes
and Retrovirology
-
Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care
(JANAC)
-
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
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