
The #ANCCSuccessPays program includes certification by exam, certification renewal, and the retired certified nurse recognition program. Reduce nurses’ test-taking anxiety and eliminate financial barriers with the ANCC Success Pays ® program. Help the nurses in your organization achieve nursing certification. PERHAPS YOU'RE considering becoming certified in the specialty of medical/surgical nursing so you'll have better job prospects, advancement possibilities, or salary.Get and keep more nurses certified with no financial risk! If so, you may be wondering which credentials you should try to earn. The Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board (MSNCB), a partner organization with the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN), is the credentialing board for Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurses (CMSRN) certification.Three certification exams in medical/surgical nursing are offered by two different organizations: In this article, you'll learn about the options available and requirements for each, so you can make a wise choice.


Any RN who passes the exam becomes a CMSRN. The CMSRN credential identifies a nurse as one who specializes in medical/surgical nursing. The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) is a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association (ANA) and is the credentialing board for the ANA.It's available to anyone who has a BSN, an associate degree (AD), or a nursing diploma. The ANCC currently offers exams for medical/surgical nurses. You can be board certified (BC) if you're an RN with a bachelor's degree. You can be certified (C) if you're an RN with an AD or diploma in nursing. The credentials BC and C are also used for other specialty designations through the ANCC, such as geriatrics and vascular nursing. These organizations-the MSNCB and the ANCC-are just 2 of about 40 boards or centers that offer certification exams in various nursing specialties. All of these boards offer nationally standardized exams that are prepared using accepted testing standards published jointly by the American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, and National Council on Measurement in Education. Many nurses earn certification from boards other than the ANCC. Examples of these credentials include CCRN for critical care nursing, BCEN for emergency nursing, and OCN for oncology nursing. The AACN offers five exams that cover critical care. Many of the certification boards are members of the American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS), the “board of boards” (similar to the National Board of Medical Examiners). The ABNS also accredits nursing certification boards. The MSNCB and the ANCC each produce exams that are psychometrically and legally sound. Although the ANCC has completed the process to have its medical/surgical nursing certification exams accredited through the ABNS, the MSNCB has only recently initiated the process. To apply to be accredited, an organization needs to have awarded at least 500 certificates or given three exams. The MSNCB gave its first exam in May 2003 and has awarded the credential CMSRN to over 1,500 nurses, thereby meeting the criteria to apply for ABNS accreditation.Įarning certification in your specialty validates your knowledge in the specialty, regardless of the exam's accreditation status. Seeking accreditation is a voluntary process that endorses the exam and the certification board.

The CMSRN exam came about because of requests from the membership of the AMSN. A diverse task force of AMSN members from across the country developed this exam with the leadership and guidance of the Center for Nursing Education and Testing (C-NET). This task force of professionals practicing in the specialty of medical/surgical nursing developed a comprehensive tool to measure expertise in medical/surgical nursing practice. The MSNCB contracts with the C-NET to administer its test. The C-NET, which coordinates the development, maintenance, and administration of the CMSRN exam, has a long history as a qualified testing agency.
