FAQs - Educators
Why This Certification and Why Now?
Nursing, unlike other professions, has existed for more than 60 years with only one licensing examination regardless of the type of program from which the student graduated.
Nursing is one of a few professions that does not also offer a professionalism-specific and focused complementary certification at the time of graduation or during early career.
The Professional Nursing Validation Company (PNVC) has developed a complementary certification available to nursing students, new graduates and early career BSN-prepared nurses to differentiate professional competencies learned in school and practice.
The NCLEX is a valuable licensing examination that ensures that individuals possess the minimum competency to provide safe, effective patient care.
It protects the public by ensuring entry-level nurses are safe and competent to practice.
Will this take place of the NCLEX?
The PNVC examination is not a licensing examination for safety to practice.
It is a certification examination to provide evidence of competency beyond the elements tested in NCLEX but included in the AACN Essentials.
The areas tested on the PNVC examination are not tested on NCLEX.
Will this differentiate levels of educational preparation?
The PNVC examination will demonstrate competency in areas beyond those tested on NCLEX.
Who should take the certification exam and when?
Students who have graduated from BSN, Master’s, or Doctoral entry to practice programs and have successfully passed the NCLEX examination are eligible to take the examination.
Nurses with their BSN and who are either enrolled in their respective nurse residency program (NRP) or within their first three years of professional practice are also highly recommended to sit for this certification.
What will be on the examination and how will students prepare?
A study guide will be provided to all applicants registering for the examination.
It will provide the weighing of the different elements on the examination, example questions under each domain, and references used to develop the examination items.
What is the certification exam framework?
PNVC has been working with and consulting with a number of professional nursing organizations, educational leaders, and practice-focused subject matter experts (SMEs) in the development of the test.
The impetus for the test was the development of the AACN Essentials for entry-level collegiate nursing education.
PNVC has obtained a licensing agreement to publish the use the essentials as the framework for the test.
The test is also expected to align with the curriculum components of the CCNE accreditation for residency programs for entry to practice nurses.
Who benefits from this certification?
Schools of nursing will benefit by having an outcome measure, that in addition to NCLEX, measures competency in the domains that are essential for professional nursing.
Why are we substituting a certification exam for not establishing the BSN as entry level as a RN?
Healthcare is evolving rapidly, and the professional status of nursing is being questioned.
This test is a step in the right direction to address the public's perception about the different levels of nursing preparation.
The PNVC examination available only to graduates of collegiate schools of nursing could be a strong indicator of the BSN being the entry level as a Professional RN.
What is the process of exam development?
The certification examination is being developed under a contract with Meazure Learning, Surpass, and ROC-P, three business entities with a strong history of developing certification examinations for multiple health professions.