Andrea Cardwell, BSN, RN-BC, Alumnus CCRN,
Clinical Analyst, Main Line Health Clinical Informatics
Jody Harclerode, MS, RN-BC, CPHQ
Clinical Informaticist, Holy Spirit Hospital
Over 2500 nurses, of which,
56% are BSN’s and 44.5% are
certified as of 2013.
Over 700 nurses
of which, 43% are
BSN’s and 39% are
certified.
Holy Spirit Hospital
•Employees……...……..…………………2,709
•Licensed beds ..….…………………………311
•ER Visits ……………………………….…46,892
•Total Discharges ………………….……3,834
•Births …………………………………………1,252
•Outpatient Visits…………………….287,543
•Inpatient Surgeries ……………………3,286
•Outpatient Surgeries ….……………6,266
•Home Health Visits ……….…………24,390
•Medical staff…………………………………595
•Volunteers…………………………….………401
 Describe
eligibility criteria for the Nursing
Informatics Certification Exam
 List
key content included in certification exam
 Identify
strategies for effective test
preparation and test taking
 Certification
is the process where an outside
agency bestows recognition to an individual who
has met predetermined qualifications
 Can be entry into practice, validation of
competence
 Mandatory or voluntary
 Certification validates an individual’s cognitive
knowledge and skills based on predetermined
standards
 Personal
satisfaction, growth and
development
 Career progression and marketability
 Professional opportunities, networking, and
recognition among peers and employers
 Increases salary
 Increases patient confidence and satisfaction
 Enhances professional autonomy and shows
evidence of accountability
Haskins, M., Hnatiuk, C., & Yoder, L. H. (2011). Medical-Surgical Nurses' Perceived Value of Certification Study. MEDSURG
Nursing, 20(2), 71-93.
 …have
increased perception in empowerment
 …have more nurse/physician collaboration
 …have more peer recognition
 …have enhanced “nursing-sensitive outcomes
for patients”
 …have “increased job satisfaction”
 …have “decreased turnover”
Berube, A., Mitchell, H., & DiLorenzo, J. (2014). EB113 Stepping Forward to Empower Nurses to Obtain Certification. Critical Care
Nurse, 34(2), e34-5.
Boltz, M., Capezuti, E., Wagner, L., Rosenberg, M., & Secic, M. (2013). Patient Safety in Medical-Surgical Units: Can Nurse
Certification Make a Difference?. MEDSURG Nursing, 22(1), 26-37.
ANCC is the world's largest and most
prestigious nurse credentialing
organization, a subsidiary of the
American Nurses Association (ANA)
For more information on ANCC's certification, accreditation, or magnet,
recognition programs, for nursing services, please write to the American
Nurses Credentialing Center, 600 Maryland SW, Suite 1000 West,
Washington, DC 20024-2571, call 800-284-CERT, or go to
www.nursingworld.org.
Eligibility criteria





Active RN license
Bachelor's or higher degree in nursing or a relevant field
Practiced the equivalent of 2 years full-time as a RN
Have completed 30 hours of continuing education in
informatics nursing (last 3 years)
Working in informatics:
 2,000 hours in informatics nursing (last 3 years)
 1,000 hours in informatics nursing (last 3 years) and
completed 12 semester hours of academic credit in
informatics courses (graduate-level)
or
 Completed a graduate program in informatics nursing
containing a minimum of 200 hours of faculty-supervised
practicum in informatics nursing
•Computer based at various centers across the US
•175 questions 150 are scored (25 are pretest questions that are not
scored. You must answer all questions on exam)
Prior to October 25, 2014
After October 25, 2014
Category
Domains of
Practice
# of
Questions
Percent
Category
Domains of
Practice
# of Questions
Percent
I
Information
Management &
Knowledge Generation
56
37.33%
I
Foundations of
Practice
71
47.33%
II
Professional
Practice
40
26.67%
II
System Design
Life Cycle
39
26.00%
III
System Life Cycle
33
22.00%
III
40
26.67%
IV
Information
Technology
21
14.00%
Data
Management
and Health
Care
Technology
Totals
150
100%
Total
150
100%
New exam-- field test experience
 Laws
related to Informatics i.e. how many
people need to have their data breeched in
order to notify media
 Group dynamics
 Performance improvement strategies
 Types of data i.e. DICOM (Digital Imaging and
Communications in Medicine)
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/administrative/breachnotificationrule
 Over-prepare
 Write
your own study plan
 What behaviors that have worked for you in
the past:

Group study? Individual study? Online course?
 Review
Course
 Practice Exams
 Study groups
 Review
notes regularly—several times a
week
 Review new information within 24 hours
of learning it
 Take notes or flashcards (writing helps
with memory)
 Relax
 Deep
breaths
 Keep it in perspective
 Read the entire question –do not read into it
 Watch for All; Never; Only
 Answer
easiest questions first
 Go back to those you skipped
 When unsure..eliminate the obvious wrong
 Eliminate those that grammatically don’t fit
 Good
nights sleep
 Scheduled the exam for your best time of day
(i.e. morning person or not a morning person)
 Valid ID
 Arrive early
 Allow up to 4 hours for exam
 Will know results before you leave (pass or fail)
 150
contact hours earned through 6
Categories in 5 years
 ½ or ALL of the 150 hours can be earned via
CEU hours (Category 1)
 51% of the CEU hours must be directly
related to Informatics and formally approved
Contact: www.nursecredentialing.org or Customer Care Center at
1.800.284.2378
 Conference
CEUs
 Networking
 Relevant
information
 Professional development
 What
are your roadblocks?
 How can we over come them?
 Time to quiz yourself!
 How
can we help you succeed?
American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) (2014). Informatics
nursing Certification. Retrieved from:
http://www.nursecredentialing.org/InformaticsNursing
Berube, A., Mitchell, H., & DiLorenzo, J. (2014). EB113 Stepping
Forward to Empower Nurses to Obtain Certification. Critical Care
Nurse, 34(2), e34-5.
Boltz, M., Capezuti, E., Wagner, L., Rosenberg, M., & Secic, M. (2013).
Patient Safety in Medical-Surgical Units: Can Nurse Certification
Make a Difference?. MEDSURG Nursing, 22(1), 26-37.
Haskins, M., Hnatiuk, C., & Yoder, L. H. (2011). Medical-Surgical Nurses'
Perceived Value of Certification Study. MEDSURG Nursing, 20(2), 7193.




American Nurses Association. Nursing Informatics:
Scope and Standards of Practice. Silver Spring, MD:
Nursesbooks.org. 2008.
Englebardt, S.P., Nelson, R. Health Care Informatics:
An Interdisciplinary Approach. St. Louis, MI: Mosby,
2002.
Informatics Exam Secrets Test Prep Team. Informatics
Nurse Exam Flashcard Study System: Informatics Test
Practice Questions & Review for the Informatics
Nurse Certification Exam (Cards). Mometrix Media
LLC, 2013.
Saba, V.K., McCormick, K.A. Essentials of Nursing
Informatics. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies,
Inc., 2006.