Here you will find information pertaining
to the process of certification.
The National Board on Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA) is a not-for-profit corporation organized under the laws of the state of Illinois. It consists of two councils — the Council on Certification of Nurse Anesthetists and the Council on Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists — who have autonomous authority to carry out their respective credentialing functions.
Mission. The Council on Certification of Nurse Anesthetists (CCNA) is charged with protecting and serving the public by assuring that individuals who are credentialed have met predetermined qualifications or standards for providing nurse anesthesia services.
Purpose. The purposes of the CCNA are to:
1. Formulate and adopt requirements for eligibility for admission to the Certification Examination and for certification of registered nurse anesthetists;
2. Formulate, adopt and administer the 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 Certification Examination; and
4. Grant initial certification to those candidates who pass the Certification Examination and fulfill all other requirements for certification.
Council on Certification of Nurse Anesthetists (CCNA)
The certification program for nurse anesthetists was introduced by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) in 1945. It was initially administered by the Credentials Committee of the AANA. In 1975, the AANA approved the establishment of Councils for the accreditation and certification processes and the CCNA assumed the responsibility for the Certification Examination. By this action, the profession recognized that credentialing mechanisms, which include examination and certification, function to protect and benefit the public. It is accepted that the profession, with broad input from the community of interest, has the expertise to set standards.
Credentialing provides assurances to the public that certified individuals have met objective, predetermined qualifications for providing nurse anesthesia services. While state licensure provides the legal credential for the practice of professional nursing, private voluntary certification indicates compliance with the professional standards for practice in this clinical nursing specialty. The certification credential for nurse anesthetists has been institutionalized in many position descriptions as a practice requirement or as the standard for demonstrating equivalency. It has been recognized through malpractice litigation, selected State Nurse Practice Acts, and state rules and regulations.
The CCNA is an autonomous, multidisciplinary body existing under the corporate structure of the NBCRNA. The CCNA is responsible for the certification of registered nurse anesthetists who have fulfilled educational and other criteria for the practice of nurse anesthesia.
CCNA membership consists of ten representatives appointed by the CCNA: seven Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (three practitioners and four educators), two anesthesiologists and one public member.
NCCA Accreditation
The certification program of the CCNA is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) a private not-for-profit organization. The NCCA is the accrediting branch of the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA) which is the national standard setting organization for credentialing groups including certification boards, licensing boards and associations. The CCNA has been continuously accredited since 1980.
NCCA accreditation means that the CCNA certification program meets the highest national voluntary standards for private certification. It indicates that the program has been reviewed by an impartial commission and deemed to have met the nationally accepted criteria and guidelines of the NCCA.
ABNS Recognition
The American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS), established in 1991, is a national peer review program for specialty nursing certification bodies. ABNS serves as the national umbrella organization for nursing specialty certification boards authorized and recognized to certify nurse specialists in the United States.It promotes the highest quality of specialty nursing practice through the establishment of standards of professional specialty nursing certification. The CCNA certification program was one of the first national certification bodies to be recognized and approved by the ABNS.
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