Earning certifications of any kind can definitely help your nursing career. If you work with adults in gerontology, you have a couple of choices. So, how do you choose the one that would work best for your particular situation?
Robin Dennison, DNP, APRN, CCNS, NEA-BC, Director of Nursing Programs at the University of Saint Augustine for Health Sciences, answered some basic questions about the differences between the two for Nurse Practitioners (NP).
Regarding gerontology certifications—specifically the ACNPC-AG and the AGPCNP-BC—what are the similarities between the two certifications? What are the major differences?
The ACNPC-AG (Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certified in Adult-Gerontology) is offered by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) via the AACN Certification Corporation. The AGPCNP-BC (Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner certification) is offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
Both certifications require a passing score on an examination after verification of eligibility. Eligibility for both certifications require a current, active RN license in a state or territory of the United States or the equivalent in another country. Eligibility for both certifications require the applicant to be a graduate of an adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner program accredited by either CCNE or ACEN. The program must have three separate graduate-level courses in advanced physiology/pathophysiology, advanced health assessment, and advanced pharmacology. They both require a minimum of 500 faculty-supervised practicum hours in the program. Eligibility for both requires submission of an official transcript.
While the fees are comparable, current memberships result in significant discounts. Membership in AACN or ANA results in a discount on the respective certification.
The test blueprints are similar, but the AACN certification has a greater percentage of the exam questions focused on clinical practice. The ANCC certification test blueprint has the majority of questions focused on clinical practice, but it has a greater percentage of questions focused on role-professional responsibilities and health care systems than the AACN examination.
How can nurses determine which one would be the better for them to pursue?
AACN, with its focus on critical care, would likely be the preference for a nurse who was previously a critical care nurse and held the CCRN credential. If the nurse did not have that previous affiliation with AACN, then they may select ANCC. It may even come down to the nurse’s memberships: AACN or ANA and the discounts that are given for the membership.
How could these certifications help them in their careers? Could having one of these help them get better paying jobs? Move up? Be experts in their field?
National certification in one of the advanced practice roles (i.e., nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, nurse anesthetist, nurse midwife) is required for an eligibility for licensure as an advanced practice registered nurse in most states. The board of nursing in the state of residence will specify requirements for APRN licensure as well as standards of practice for the advanced practice role. Advanced practice licensure allows greater autonomy, authority, and generally higher salaries.
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