Certification as a Psychiatric Nurse

The California Chapter has been contacted many times by nurses asking how one goes about becoming certified as a psychiatric nurse -- and we are always glad to help. Now, for our web site visitors, here follows a summary of the information we usually provide on certification.

Types of Credentials (and Degree Requirements)

The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) now offers three basic types of credentials for RN's seeking to become certified as psychiatric nurses:
  1. APRN,BC -- Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Board Certified:  an "Advanced Practice" credential that requires, among other things, a Masters (or higher) degree in Nursing; this is the credential that may be used by Nurse Practitioners (NPs) and Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs) who pass the appropriate ANCC Credentialing Exam; formerly, this was known as the "Clinical Specialist" credential (RN,CS), a designation still used by many Clinical Nurse Specialists.

  2. RN,BC -- Registered Nurse, Board Certified:  a "Specialty Nursing Practice" credential that requires, among other things, a Bachelors degree in Nursing; formerly, this was known as the "Certified Specialist" or "Generalist" credential (RN,C), however the designation "RN,C" has now been allocated to a relatively new category of certified nurses, namely ADN and Diploma prepared nurses.

  3. RN,C -- Registered Nurse, Certified:  a "Specialty Nursing Practice" credential that requires, among other things, ADN or Diploma program preparation in Nursing.

To earn any of these credentials, you must meet all of ANCC's eligibility requirements for the credential and you must pass the appropriate certification exam.

Exams & Eligibility Requirements

ANCC offers two types of certification exams:  paper-and-pencil (P&P) and computer-based testing (CBT). The paper-and-pencil exams are administered twice a year (in May and October) at locations in more than 50 cities across the United States. The computer-based exams are offered at more than 300 authorized testing centers across the country -- they are scheduled at the candidates' convenience and are generally offered five or six days a week.

ANCC offers the following "paper and pencil" (P&P) certification exams for psychiatric nurses:

Eligibility requirements for these exams are posted on the ANCC web site and can also be found in the ANCC Specialty exam Catalog:

http://nursingworld.org/ancc/cert/PDFs/SpecialtyCat.pdf

ANCC offers the following "computer-based testing" (CBT) certification exams for psychiatric nurses:

Eligibility requirements for these exams are posted on the ANCC web site and can also be found in the ANCC Advanced Practice exam Catalog:

http://nursingworld.org/ancc/cert/PDFs/APRNcatalog.pdf

The Certification Exam

The certification exam for psychiatric mental-health nursing is a written exam that takes about 3 to 4 hours.

There is a fee to take the certification exam and you can get a $70 discount by becoming a member of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association.

ANCC offers review seminars, seminars on CD, review manuals, and self-assessment practice tests to assist applicants in preparing for certification exams and obtaining continuing education contact hours. To get information, visit the following web page: http://nursingworld.org/ancc/cert/revseminars.html. Also, to find out about the new online study aids, please visit: http://nursingworld.org/ancc/.

Who to Contact for More Information

To become certified in psychiatric nursing, contact ANCC (a branch of the American Nurses Association):

American Nurses Credentialing Center
600 Maryland Ave., SW, Suite 100 West
Washington, DC 20024-2571

(800) 284-2378

You can write or call ANCC to request an application form for the appropriate Certification Examination -- or you can download the application form and access all catalog information from ANA's web site. To go to the American Nurses Credentialing Center portion of ANA's web site now, just click on the following link:

http://nursingworld.org/ancc/cert