CCNS - Acute Care Clinical Nurse Specialist

The Acute Care Nurse Clinical Nurse Specialist (CCNS) certification is offered for renewal-only by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). This certification demonstrates the knowledge and competence of a nurse specialist who cares for critically ill patients. CCNS certification helps to demonstrate excellence as an advanced practice nurse and promotes continuing education and ongoing learning as a nurse. 

The CCNS certification is a renewal-only certification available to nurses who work in a critical care setting with adult, pediatric, or neonatal patients. This certification is no longer available for initial certification but can be renewed for nurses who have already obtained it. The renewal period for this certification is five years.

There are three routes that can be taken to renew the CCNS certification:

1. Practice hours and CE points

2. Practice hours, exam, and pharma CE

3. CE points and renewal exam

Cost

The cost of this certification varies depending on the route that you take for renewal. 

• If you choose to use practice hours and CE Points, the certification will cost $250 for AACN members and $340 for non-members.

• If you choose the route of Practice Hours, Exam, and Pharma CE, then the cost is $205 for AACN members and $310 for non-members.

• If you choose the CE points and renewal exam route, it will cost $205 for AACN members and $310 for non-members. 

Continuing Education Eligibility

Any continuing education credits must be acquired through formally approved programs. CE points can be acquired through educational activities and professional development. Continuing education programs must focus on meeting the needs of adult, pediatric, and neonatal patients and address clinical knowledge and skills. For more information on CE requirements, check the CCNS renewal handbook.

Test Format

The renewal exam for the Acute Care Clinical Nurse Specialist Certification is a 2-hour test that consists of 100 multiple-choice questions. The exam is broken down into three main categories: Patient Care Problems, Skills and Procedures, and Validating Competencies. These categories are further broken down into the adult, pediatric, and neonatal subcategories. For a more detailed outline of the renewal exam, reference the CCNS renewal handbook.

To be considered eligible for this certification, nurses must hold a current and active RN or APRN license. Since the CCNS certification is no longer available for initial certification, it can only be renewed by nurses who already hold this certification. There are three main renewal options that each require unique eligibility standards. 

All nurses who hope to renew their CCNS certification must have an active nursing license free from restrictions. 

Option 1: Practice Hours and CE Points

Nurses who choose this route will need to complete a minimum of 1,000 working hours within the 5 year certification period and complete 150 eligible CE points. Eligible work hours must include care of critically ill patients as a clinical nurse specialist with provided contact information of a supervisor or professional associate. 75 of the CE points must involve acute/critical care, and 25 of them must focus on pharmacology.

Option 2: Practice Hours, Pharmacology CE, and Exam

This route requires nurses to work a minimum of 1,000 eligible working hours (as defined above), complete 25 pharmacology CEs, and take the renewal exam. For more information on the renewal exam, check the Exam Policy Handbook.

Option 3: CE Points and Exam

Nurses can also renew their CCNS certification by completing the 150 required CE points and taking the renewal exam.

For more information on renewing and maintaining a CCNS certification, visit the AACN website. If you don’t currently have a CCNS certification, then you’ll need to refer to the AACN certification information page to find a different certification to apply for, given that the CCNS certification is no longer available for new applications. 

There are a variety of comparable certifications that are offered for advanced practice nurses such as the ACCNS certification. This certification can be applied to adult/geriatric, pediatric, or neonatal patient populations. 

Clinical nurse specialists may find work in a hospital, outpatient clinic, or nursing home setting. As a clinical nurse specialist, you can choose to work with any age range of patients, from neonatal to geriatric. It is also possible to work in administration as a CNS and help hospitals develop policies and procedures. Some clinical nurse specialists choose to work in research, helping to oversee evidence-based studies.  

The AACN also offers the following:

• CNS Wellness through Acute Care Adult-Gero (ACCNS-AG)

• CNS Wellness through Acute Care Pediatric (ACCNS-P)

• CNS Wellness through Acute Care Neonatal (ACCNS-N)

• Acute Care NP Adult Gero (ACNPC-AG)

The Acute/Critical Care CNS-Pediatric (CCNS-Pediatric) and the Acute/Critical Care CNS-Neonatal (CCNS-Neonatal) are available only for renewal.