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National League for Nursing - Certification for Nurse Educators
Can the eligibility requirements be waived?
In order to maintain the integrity of the Certified Nurse EducatorCM (CNE) credential,
eligibility requirements cannot be waived. When
determining the eligibility requirements, a variety of factors were taken into
consideration including the results of the 2005 Academic Nurse Educator Practice
Analysis, State Board of Nursing education requirements for nurse educators,
nursing program accreditation standards and criteria, the NLN's position statement
on The
Preparation of Nurse Educators, and the National League for Nursing's Scope
of Practice of Academic Nurse Educators.
Below are some examples of questions we have received about
eligibility requirements. In each case, the candidate does not meet the eligibility
requirements for the CNE examination:
- Can I register for the examination if I am in the process of completing the eligibility requirements?
- I do not have a master's degree in nursing; however I
have taken nine credits of graduate-level education courses. Am I eligible
to take the CNE examination?
- My State Board of Nursing does not require that I possess a master’s degree in nursing to teach in our nursing program. Since I have more than four years experience as a nurse educator in the academic setting, can the eligibility requirements be waived?
- I have a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing and a Master’s degree in Education. Am I eligible to take the CNE examination?
- I have three years of part-time teaching experience and one year of full-time of teaching experience. Could this combination be considered as two years of full-time experience?
- I have a master’s and doctoral degree in nursing, however I have not worked as a full-time faculty member for two of the past five years. Am I eligible to take the CNE examination?
We have also received questions in which potential candidates do meet the eligibility requirements. Here are some examples:
- I have a master’s degree in nursing education and over thirty years full-time experience as a nurse educator. I retired last June and currently work part-time developing online nursing education courses. Am I still eligible to take the CNE examination?
Note: Candidates with a master’s degree in nursing education must have two years or more of full-time employment in the academic faculty role within the past five years.
- I have twelve years of full-time experience as an academic nurse educator in a practical nursing program and received a master’s degree in nursing education six months ago. Am I eligible to take the CNE examination?
Note: There is no specified or required sequence for degree and practice requirements.
- I recently took an administrative position in our nursing program after working for ten years as a full-time faculty member. I have a master’s degree in nursing. Am I eligible to take the CNE examination?
Note: Candidates do not need to be currently working in the faculty role, as long as they meet the required number of years of full time employment as an academic nurse educator within the past 5 years.
What does “full-time employment in the academic faculty role” mean?
Full-time employment in the faculty role means that you are employed full-time, as defined by the institution, in a nursing program.
Do I need to be a member of the
NLN to sit for the Certified Nurse Educator exam?
NLN membership is not a requirement for taking the CNE examination,
however, there are many benefits associated with NLN membership.
Please be aware that if you are a faculty member employed
in an agency member school you have full NLN membership
benefits. To find out if your school is an agency member,
please contact your dean/director or send an inquiry to
membership@nln.org.
For information about becoming a member, please visit www.nln.org/membership/index.htm.
When and where
is the CNE examination available?
The CNE examination is available year round, via computer-based
testing. Please refer to the Candidate
Handbook for registration and testing dates. Our testing
partner, Applied Measurement Professionals, Inc. (AMP) has
over 120 testing centers available nationwide. To locate
a testing center near you, click
here.
What types of questions are on the examination?
The CNE examination is comprised of 150 multiple-choice items written at the recall, application and analysis level of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Of these items, 130 count toward the final scoring of the exam. The additional twenty unscored items are being pretested for future exams. Candidates will not know which items are scored and which are pretest items.
What format will be used to deliver the CNE examination?
The CNE examination is offered in two formats:
- Computer-based testing (CBT) – Effective January 2006, the CNE examination will be available via computer-based testing, Monday through Friday at AMP Assessment Centers throughout the United States.
- Paper/pencil – May be administered at one annual examination scheduled in conjunction with the NLN Education Summit, based on candidate interest.
How do I prepare for the CNE exam?
To prepare for the CNE exam, review the following documents:
- The
test blueprint to identify the percentage of questions
in each area.
- The
detailed test blueprint to identify the content areas
that will be on the exam.
- The recommended reference
list to identify references specific to each of the
content areas. The recommended reference list is provided
to serve as a guide and is not intended to be all-inclusive.
- The Candidate
Handbook for complete information about the CNE examination.
- The
Scope of Practice for Academic Nurse Educators
describes academic nursing education as a specialty area
and an advanced nursing practice role within professional
nursing. The description includes: definition, historical
perspective, values and beliefs, theoretical framework,
scope of practice, and competencies or standards of practice.
- CNE Certification Prep Workshops –
for complete information please visit the Professional
Development Bulletin located at www.nln.org/facultydevelopment/index.htm.
What is the Self-Assessment Examination (SAE)?
The Self-Assessment Examination (SAE) is an internet-based, 65-item, multiple-choice
practice exam, parallel in form to the actual CNE examination. The CNE SAE meets
the examination specifications including content outline coverage, percentage
of items in each of the content categories and the cognitive complexity item
distribution. Every item is coded to the test blueprint and rationales are provided
for correct and incorrect options. After completing the SAE, candidates will
receive a score report to assess their strengths and areas for additional study.
Note: those who purchase the SAE will be provided online access to this product
for 60 days from the date of purchase. For complete information about the SAE,
click
here.
How do I register for the CNE
examination?
Candidates must apply and register for the CNE examination
online at
www.nln.org/eseries/source/custom/01_certificationexam.cfm.
Applications will not be accepted via mail or fax.
What is the cost of the CNE examination?
Information about fees can be found at www.nln.org/facultycertification/information/fees.htm.
Credit card payment is the only method of payment accepted.
What credential will I receive?
Candidates who meet the eligibility criteria and pass the
CNE examination may use the certification mark “CNE”
after their name upon receiving an official, passing score
report (This includes the score report you receive at the
testing center, immediately following your exam.) Proper
use of the credential is typically conveyed as highest degree
earned, license, certification, and fellowship appointments.
The certification mark may be used only as long as certification
is valid, after which time certification may be renewed.
How long is my CNE credential valid?
CNE certification status is granted for a period of five
years. A certification period begins on the day you received
your official passing score and ends on the last day of
the quarter in which you tested. Your CNE expiration date
is located on your CNE certificate. How long will it take to find out
if I passed?
Those who take the examination at an AMP assessment center
will receive their official score report on site. The score
report will indicate a “pass” or “fail”
with additional detail provided in the form of raw scores
by major content category. A raw score is the number of
questions answered correctly. Pass/fail status is determined
by the raw score. Even though the examination consists of
150 questions, the candidate’s score is based on 130
questions; the remaining 20 questions are being pretested
for use on future examination forms. You will receive an
official certificate in the mail from the NLN’s Academic
Nurse Educator Certification Program approximately 14 –
16 weeks after passing the CNE exam.
What will I need to do to maintain
my Certified Nurse Educator credential?
To maintain certification, certified nurse educators (CNEs)
must renew their certification prior to the certification
expiration date. You can obtain certification renewal by
maintaining the required practice requirements and a.) fulfilling
professional development requirements, or b.) taking the
Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) examination. For complete
information about the certification renewal, please visit
www.nln.org/facultycertification/recertification/index.htm.
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