The American Board for Gastroenterology Nurses (which you may have discussed while in)is the nonprofit volunteer organization that oversees accreditation of the CGRN certification in nursing to nurses whose knowledge, expertise, and, skills, in the field of gastroenterology have met a predefined benchmark as noted by passage of the CGRN exam. The American Board for Gastroenterology Nurses developed and administers the exam in order to foster excellence in gastroenterology nursing, and to recognize the individual nurse in his/her very specialized subset of nursing practice, to indicate to the healthcare community the dedication of gastroenterology nurses, their commitment to providing excellence in gastroenterology care, and to foster the personal achievement and lifelong learning of the gastroenterology professional.
Qualifying for CGRN Certification
To be eligible to apply for the gastroenterology exam the nurse should be presently or have recently practiced in the specialty, meeting a required practice time of 2 years full time practice or 4000 hours part time in the last five years. The work experience must have been acquired at the RN level of practice regardless of the number of years of practice in any other area of the gastroenterology specialty. Nurses who work in the industry are eligible if they acquire at least 40% of their time in clinical practice. Sales agents are not eligible. Each applicant must obtain the signatures of two professionals that can verify their work experience.
The CGRN test is a written multiple-choice exam that contains 175 questions. One hundred fifty of those questions are scored and 25 of the questions are test questions being validated for possible use on future versions of the exam. Passage of the exam requires a scaled score of 450. The candidate will receive his/her test results by mail approximately five weeks after the examination. The CGRN certification is valid for a period of five years from the time of examination.
The candidate handbook is available for download free of charge from the American Board of Certification for Gastroenterology Nurses website. The handbook outlines the certification process, eligibility requirements, and the testing process. Also included are applications and a test outline with suggested reading resources. The candidate should consult the handbook frequently during the credentialing process and use the resources to organize and direct study for the exam.
Earning the CGRN certification should give a great sense of pride to the individual nurse as it testifies to his/her accomplishment and commitment to quality care in this highly specialized field of nursing.