What is an Adult Health Clinical Nurse Specialist?

An Adult Health Clinical Nurse Specialist (AHCNS) is a health care professional who is handling advanced care for adult patients who are seriously ill. They are considered as advanced nursing practitioner in the said area of focus. They assess and treat adult patients as well as manages patient’s outcome. They work in an acute, critical and long-term care facilities setting.

Because they are APNs, many of those who have taken the adult health clinical nurse specialist certification gained the chance to become case managers, APNs in health care facilities or in joint practice with physicians in the field. Their wide knowledge and skills in complex physiological patient care has made AHCNS to become more in demand now in the United States.

A credentialing body for this is the American Nurses Credentialing Center. There will be a computer-based test which requires you to pay an examination fee first prior to taking the said exam. However, the fee varies which depends if whether you are an American Nurses Association member or a National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists member. Once you are able to pass the said exam, you will be given a credential as an Adult Health Clinical Nurse Specialist – Board Certified (AHCNS – BC). Being a licensed professional in this field, it is a must to renew your certification every after 5 years by applying for a renewal at the American Nurses Credentialing Center before your certificate expires –for at least 3 months.

What is the required Eligibility?

You are required to have the following eligibility before you can become a certified AHCNS.

•  You must be a registered nurse (RN). License should be legally issued by government agency assigned for it either inside the U.S. or abroad.

• Must have at least a master’s degree in nursing level from an accredited educational institution. It should be accredited by any of the two accrediting agencies: Commission on the Collegiate of Nursing Education (CCNE) and National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC).

•  Must have accomplished a 500 hours or more being a Clinical Nurse Specialist under supervision by a faculty member as part of the degree program.

• Must have the following subjects in the course work:

                     ***Advanced Health Assessment

                     ***Advanced Pathophysiology

                     ***Advanced Pharmacology

Regarding Certification Examination  

The certification examination for the adult health clinical nurse specialist comprises of 175 test items divided into 6 areas such as the Nursing Nurse, Organization/Network/Health System, Research, Education, Basic and Applied Science, Professional Attitudes. Please take note of the following components and its equivalents below: