N​onsurgical Pain Management (NSPM) Subspecialty Credential

​The NSPM subspecialty certification examination consists of 150 scored multiple choice questions. The total time allowed for the examination is 180 minutes, or three hours. The NSPM certification examination is not computer adaptive. The passing standard must be met in order to be credentialed in the NSPM subspecialty.

The NSPM subspecialty examination assesses a nurse anesthetist’s knowledge of needle placement in three anatomical approaches (i.e., midline, lateral, peripheral) and four anatomical regions (i.e., cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral), as well as  knowledge related to the NSPM certification examination content outline. The NSPM certification examination content domains are listed below.

Please open the PDF file to view the entire NSPM certification examination content outline.

  • ​​​Anatomy, Physiology and Pathophysiology of Pain (19%)
  • Safety and Equipment (11%)
  • ​​​Assessment, Diagnosis and Plan of Care (24%)
  • ​​​Pharmacology (19%)
  • Interventional Pain Strategies (20%)
  • ​​Professional Aspects (7%)