National Board On Certification & Recertification Of Nurse Anesthetists
Certification
Certification is a process by which a professional agency or association certifies that an individual licensed to practice a profession has met certain standards specified by that profession for specialty practice. The purpose of certification is to assure the public that an individual has mastered a body of knowledge and acquired skills in a particular specialty.
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Certification has been a requirement for nurse anesthesia practice since 1945. The national board examination was chosen to safeguard the surgeon’s interest, the interest of the hospitals and the interest of the public. The Credentials Committee of the AANA was organized in 1941. This committee drafted the qualifying examination and administered it to all eligible nurse anesthesia graduates of approved schools. The qualifying examination was renamed the certification examination in 1982. Licensure refers to a process by which a state government grants permission to individuals to practice their occupation as a way of ensuring that the public health, safety, and welfare will be reasonably protected. Licensure and certification are both mandated mechanisms of regulating nurse anesthesia practice; however, certification goes beyond licensure by recognizing the acquisition of additional specialized knowledge and establishing certain professional standards.
The Council on Certification of Nurse Anesthetists (CCNA) is responsible for the certification of registered nurse anesthetists who meet all the criteria for entry into practice as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). The Council is also responsible for the development and administration of the National Certification Examination (NCE).
The purposes of the CCNA are to
1. Formulate and adopt requirements for eligibility for admission to the National Certification Examination and for certification of registered nurse anesthetists;
2. Formulate, adopt and administer the National Certification Examination to those registered nurse anesthetists who have met all requirements for examination and have been found eligible by the CCNA;
3. Evaluate candidates’ performance on the National Certification Examination; and
4. Grant initial certification to those candidates who pass the Certification Examination and fulfill all other requirements for certification.
