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Return to table of contentsIn 2006, of the 1,115 nurses who took ANCC’s ANPexam, 889 (79.7 percent) received passing scores.Pediatric Nursing Certification BoardCertifications:ANCC’s family nurse practitioner (FNP) examinationcontent:• Health promotion and disease prevention (21 percent)• Assessment of acute and chronic illness (26 percent)• Clinical management (34 percent)• Nurse practitioner and patient relationship (11 percent)• Professional role and policy (6 percent)• Research utilization, process and outcomes (2 percent)In 2006, of the 2,423 nurses who took ANCC’s FNPexam, 2,209 (91.1 percent) passed.ANCC’s gerontological nurse practitioner (GNP)examination content:• Health promotion and disease prevention (19 percent)• Assessment of acute and chronic illness (22 percent)• Clinical management (28 percent)• Nurse practitioner and patient relationship (9 percent)• Professional role and policy (16 percent)• Research utilization, process and outcomes (6 percent)In 2006 the ANCC tested 238 NPs and 193 (81 percent)passed the GNP examination. 193ANCC’s pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP) examcontent 194 :• Health promotion and disease prevention (19 percent)• Assessment of acute and chronic illness (23 percent)• Clinical management (27.5 percent)• Nurse practitioner–patient relationship (21 percent)• Professional role and policy (8 percent)• Research utilization, process and outcomes (1.5 percent)In 2006 the ANCC tested 164 applicants and 126(75.6 percent) passed, receiving PNP certification. 195• Certified pediatric nurse practitioner in primary care(CPNP-PC)• Certified pediatric nurse practitioner in acute care(CPNP-AC)The Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB) wasfounded in 1975 specifically to certify pediatric nursesand pediatric NPs. 196 The PNCB is an independentorganization that created its “certified pediatric nursepractitioner” (CPNP) title in 1977 and registered itwith the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2000.In 2005, shortly after the National Association ofPediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) developed ascope-of-practice document for acute care PNPs, andNONPF developed competencies for NPs in acute care,PNCB launched its pediatrics acute care NP certificationexam. 197 It now offers two certification exams forpediatric NPs—one in primary care and one in acutecare—and it has tacked on “PC” and “AC” to its trademarkedCPNP titles for those examinees who passtheir exams. 198 In 2005 the NCSBN approved PNCB’sexam, 199 and the NCCA accredited PNCB in 2006. 200Applicants who sit for PNCB’s exams must have completedtheir NP education at a PNCB-recognized nursingschool. To earn PNCB certification, those PNPs whoalready have obtained an ANCC certification andearned their NP master’s degree between 1977 and 1996may be eligible to take PNCB’s “exam by endorsement”(self-assessment exercise exam). PNCB requirements forrecertification vary from the other certifying organizations.First, the PNCB adheres to a seven-year, insteadof a five-year, certification cycle. Each PNCB-certifiedNP must recertify every seven years. Once during theseven-year cycle, the NP must complete a self-assessmentexercise to test her knowledge of advanced pediatricnursing care. For each of the remaining six years inthe cycle, the NP must either (1) complete 10 hours193. Web. ANCC. 2006 Certification results. www.nursecredentialing.org/faculty/PDFs/2006CertificationStatistics.pdf. Retrieved April 1, 2008.194. Web. American Nurses Credentialing Center. Examination content outline. www.nursecredentialing.org/cert/TCOs/PNP06TCO.html. Retrieved April 1, 2008.195. Web. ANCC. 2006 Certification results. www.nursecredentialing.org/faculty/PDFs/2006CertificationStatistics.pdf. Retrieved April 1, 2008.196. Web. Pediatric Nursing Certification Board. About us. www.pncb.org. Retrieved March 17, 2008.197. Percy M, Sperhac A. State Regulations for the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. Acute Care Journal of Pediatric Health Care. 2007;21(1):29–43. RetrievedFebruary 21, 2008.198. The U.S. Trademark and Patent Office Web site, as of March 18, 2008, shows CPNP as the only registered NP title from PCBN.199. Web. Letter dated May 16, 2005, from NCSBN to PNCB. www.pncb.org/ptistore/resource/content/forms/AC_NCSBN.pdf. Retrieved March 17, 2008.200. Web. NCCA. Accredited certification organizations list, November 2007. www.noca.org/NCCAAccreditation. Retrieved March 17, 2008.Scope of Practice Data Series: Nurse practitioners • VI. NP specialty certification40