Preparing for certification in nursing education.

CERTIFICATION IN NURSING dates back to 1946 for nurse anesthetists (1). Now there are more than 65 certifying organizations, 95 different credentials, and certification in more than 130 nursing specialties (2). Nursing education joined the list of specialties that provide evidence of expertise through certification in fall 2006 with the administration of the first Certified Nurse Educator exam at the NLN Education Summit. I recently completed the CNE exam and thought it might be helpful to share my experiences. I had been teaching nursing for more than 15 years when I made the decision to pursue certification. I saw certification as potentially helpful with faculty evaluation activities, such as tenure and promotion. Also, since I teach graduate nursing education courses, I hoped to gain some insight into the exam and become a role model for my students. It was particularly important to me to become certified before my students did. Registering for the Exam Having grad- uated before computer-adaptive NCLEX testing, I decided to take the computer- ized version of the certification exam, hoping that this experience would help me help my undergraduate students pre- pare for the NCLEX-RN. While pencil- and-paper testing was available when I registered, it is no longer an option. However, there are a variety of factors to consider when preparing to register for the exam. First, it is essential to read the CNE Candidate Handbook and familiarize yourself with the eligibility requirements, policies and procedures, and fees. (All information and resources pertinent to the NLN Faculty Certification Program are online at www.nln.org/facultycertification/index.htm.) The application takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes to complete. You cannot schedule an examination test date and time until you have completed the registration process and have received a confirmation notice of eligibility. Once your registration has been processed, you will receive directions for scheduling the exam date and time during a three-month testing window. Consider the timing of the exam and select a convenient date. You will also need to select the test site - one of 120 Applied Measurement Professionals testing centers located throughout the county. Preparing for the Exam The CNE exam was developed based on a practice analysis of nurse educators. This study yielded 119 tasks derived from the Core Competencies of Nurse Educators with Task Statements (3). These form the test blueprint, which is available online. It is important to engage in selfreflection to identify areas of knowledge and any deficits you may have. The CNE Candidate Handbook offers sample questions, and a 65-item SelfAssessment Examination that follows the test map and format is available. This exam gives you the correct answers to questions, along with rationales, and provides for simulation of a computerized exam. During my personal review, I identified that I had limited experience with online teaching and learning, diverse learners, and psychometrics for multiple-choice exams. Therefore, I focused on this content while reviewing other general areas. The NLN provides a suggested reference list that may be helpful to review. Many of these classic nursing education sources, used in most graduate nursing education programs, provide the basis for the rationales for the responses. As part of the test preparation, you should also review The Scope of Practice for Academic Nurse Educators (4) and consider taking a formal review course. The NLN's biweekly Faculty Development Bulletin provides information about certification preparation courses offered throughout the country, and this information is available online at www.nln.org/ facultydevelopment/workshopsandconf.htm. Some faculty find it helpful to work with colleagues to prepare for the exam. Study groups or review sessions with other candidates who are preparing for the test may also be beneficial (5). …