Hospice and Palliative-Care certification is offered by the National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses. Currently, certification is available for advanced nurse practitioners, registered and licensed practical nurses, nursing aids and hospice administrators. It is a mark of their expertise in this area of nursing practice; certification also sets a standard for all hospice and palliative-care staff to strive for. The certification for the hospice specialty began in 1994, and currently more than 16,000 nurses and health professionals are certified in hospice and palliative care.
Application
You can apply for the exam either by mail or online. Fill out the application and turn it in along with the fee by the deadline indicated. Study materials are available for a charge.
Basic Testing Information
Testing for hospice and palliative-care certification is done in a computer-based testing office. There are 170 testing sites around the United States. Scheduling a testing time may be done by mail or online. Tests are timed, and you may go back and change an answer if there is still time to do so.
Cost and Time Allowance
Cost is determined by discipline. The exam for nurse practitioners and care administrators costs $445. Registered nurses pay $395. Licensed practical nurses pay $280 and nursing aids pay $180. The time allowed for the test is three hours, except for nurse practitioners, who have three and a half hours. The number of questions on the test ranges from 110 to 175, depending on the discipline.
Scoring
Scores are basic pass or fail. The test is scored from 0 to 99. To pass, a 75 or above is required. Test questions vary in difficulty. Questions also change periodically to reflect new information.
Certification and Recertification
Once you pass the exam, the certification is mailed. Certification is good for four years only. There are no continuing-education credits required for recertification; rather, you must take the exam again when your existing certification expires.
Tags: nurse practitioners, hospice palliative-care, mail online, nurses nursing, nurses nursing aids, nursing aids
