The National Board for Certification of School Nurses sponsors the exam for school nursing certifications. The exam was developed to foster excellence and quality in the practice of school nursing. The certification exam is a predetermined benchmark by which an individual nurse’s knowledge and professional competency may be measured. This credential is obtained after graduating from nursing school.
Earning a School Nurse Certification
Qualifications to take the certification exam include a BSN and current employment in school nursing. You must also hold a valid and unrestricted license to practice nursing in the United States or a foreign counterpart. You are eligible to take the certification exam after you have been employed in school nursing for at least three years, or you have been teaching a school nurse curriculum and have petitioned and are approved by the board to take the exam.
The test is a 250 item multiple-choice computer-based exam. There is only one correct test response to the questions. The candidate is allowed a total of four hours in which to complete the exam.
The school nurse certification exam covers five areas:
- Health appraisal 25%
- Health problems and nursing management 30%
- Health promotion and disease management 20%
- Special Health Issues 10%
- Professional issues 15%
The school nurse certification exam covers general nursing assessment, interpretation, and intervention of all body systems.Emergency management such as cardio/respiratory arrest, allergic reactions, burns, and trauma management are also covered. Episodic and chronic conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy, and abdominal pain are also included. The nurse would also be well advised to include disaster preparation, health prevention such as immunizations, and infection control in her study.
The certification period runs on a 5-year cycle, at the end of which time the nurse must renew his/her certification.Renewal is completed by retaking the exam or by obtaining seventy-five continuing education units related to school nursing.
The candidate handbook is available for download from the certification website and contains details about the application and testing process as well as giving a test outline, sample questions, and a list of study resources. The candidate should consult the handbook throughout the certification process as well as use the study resources to guide and direct study to have the best possible chance of passing the exam.
School nurse certification can be a requirement in some states, for other nurses it is an outward sign of their achievement and their competence and professional expertise in school nursing.