CRNFA is a less common designation; it’s one that a person may not encounter during nursing school. The initials CRNFA stand for Certified Registered Nurse First Assistant. This certification in nursing is sponsored by the Competency and Credentialing Institute and recognizes excellence in the practice of first assistant in surgery.
Qualifying for CRNFA Certification
To be qualified to sit for the exam, the nurse must have a current and unrestricted license to practice nursing in the current country of practice. The candidate must also be a nurse practitioner or be a CNOR at the time of application to take the exam. Applicants must hold a BSN or a Master’s Degree. Additionally, the applicant must have 2,000 clinical practice hours as a surgical first assistant with 500 of those hours being accrued in the two years just prior application.
Additional requirements are that of the required 2,000 clinical practice hours, six hundred hours must be from pre- and postoperative care and the remaining 1,400 hours from intraoperative practice. The nurse must also have completed a formalized Registered Nurse First Assistant curriculum.
The CRNFA exam is a computer-based exam given at testing centers across the country. The candidate is allowed a maximum of three hours in which to take the exam. The exam contains one hundred fifty test questions.
Recertification for the CRNFA occurs in five-year cycles and the nurse may recertify by one of four options. First, the candidate may recertify by retaking the certification exam. He/she may also recertify by the accumulation of academic credits. Thirdly, he/she may recertify by the point system, which offers the nurse a variety of professional growth, and enrichment activities to choose from – such as contact hours, academic study, presentations or other activities. If the candidate chooses the point system, he/she must also have 500 practice hours. The fourth option is to re-certify by practice hours – he/she must have accumulated 1,000 hours.
The candidate handbook (which is available for download free from the certification board website) details the qualification and application process, the testing process, and recertification. There is also a study outline included with suggested ready resources for the CRNFA. Utilizing these tools will ensure that the candidate has the best chance of passing the exam.
The process of voluntarily obtaining certification is an excellent way to demonstrate commitment to excellence in practice and dedication to the nursing profession.