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Informatics Nursing Certification Eligibility Criteria

• Hold a current, active RN license within a state or territory of the United States or the professional, legally recognized equivalent in another country.
• Hold a bachelor's or higher degree in nursing or a bachelor's degree in a relevant field.
• Have practiced the equivalent of 2 years full-time as a registered nurse.
• Have completed 30 hours of continuing education in informatics nursing within the last 3 years.
• Meet one of the following practice hour requirements:
• Have practiced a minimum of 2,000 hours in informatics nursing within the last 3 years.
• Have practiced a minimum of 1,000 hours in informatics nursing in the last 3 years and completed a minimum of 12 semester hours of academic credit in informatics courses that are part of a graduate-level informatics nursing program.
• Have completed a graduate program in informatics nursing containing a minimum of 200 hours of faculty-supervised practicum in informatics nursing.

2013 Pricing & Discounts	INITIAL CERTIFICATION
Non-member	$395
American Nurses Association member	$270

In case you want to withdraw your application, prices above include $140 non-refundable administrative fee. Additional fees for special services may apply.Certifications are renewed every 5 years. You must submit a renewal application at least 8 weeks before the expiration.

Extending the 90-day Testing window
In the event that you are unable to test during the 90-day testing window, you may, one time only, request a new 90-day testing window. This new testing window must begin less than 6 months from the last day of the initial testing window; requests should be received after the end of the initial 90-day testing period. If you do not test during your new testing period, you will need to reapply as a new applicant. 

Retesting:  2012 pass rate was 63%
If you do not pass the examination you may retest after 60 days from the date you last tested. You may not test more than three times in any 12-month period. All candidates who retest must submit a retest application and meet eligibility requirements in effect when the retest application is submitted. ANCC can require additional supporting documentation to determine eligibility.
You can obtain a copy of the Retest Application at: www.nursecredentialing.org/Certification/CertificationPolicies/RetestApplication.aspx 

Initial Certification Application & Test Sites

Choose to apply online or by mail; not both. You may apply for this computer-based test year round and test during a 90-day window at a time and location convenient to you:

* Online: http://www.nursecredentialing.org/InformaticsNursing 
*Mail:http://www.nursecredentialing.org/Documents/Certification/Application/NursingSpecialty/InformaticsNurse.aspx
After you receive an Authorization to Test Notice, you will have 90 days to make an appointment with Prometric to take the test. You cannot schedule an appointment prior to receiving your Authorization to Test Notice or after the expiration date on your Authorization to Test Notice. Schedule as soon as possible for your preferred date and time. If you wait until near the end of the eligibility period, you may have to accept any appointment available.You can locate exam test sites, addresses, and phone numbers at: www.prometric.com/ANCC
There is a processing fee, payable to Prometric, to reschedule or cancel an appointment if the change is made less than 30 days and up to noon eastern time the fifth business day before your appointment. 

Test Content Outline - effective date: May 7, 2012

There are 175 questions over 3 hrs on this examination. Of these, 150 are scored questions and 25 are pretest questions that are not scored. Pretest questions are used to determine how well these questions will perform before they are used on the scored portion of the examination. Scores on ANCC examinations are reported on a scale with a maximum possible score of 500. To pass the ANCC examination, an examinee must achieve a scale score of 350 or higher. Prior to conversion of an examinee’s score to this scale, the examinee’s raw score on the examination is determined, which is simply the number of test items that the examinee answered correctly (e.g., 105 out of 150). The raw score is then converted to a scale score, using a conversion formula.

http://www.nursecredentialing.org/Documents/Certification/TestContentOutlines/Informatics-TCO2012.aspx

Study Plan

Approximately 6 months before you plan to take your exam, develop a study plan. This could include:

• Self-study: 90 days computer based test questions:

http://blue.isoph.com/ancc/catalog_IN_questions.aspx 

•  Finding a study buddy or group i.e. WINI: http://icce.us or Host review seminar http://ancc.nursecredentialing.org/PromotionalMaterials/products/HOSTHOSP10.pdf

• Taking a review course or taking an online narrated review course:

http://www.cvent.com/events/informatics-nursing-webinar/event-summary-0d690798bdf147e2949616f49b21ab5e.aspx

• Reviewing current textbooks and articles:
• Nursing Informatics: Scope & Standard of practice by ANCC
• McGonigle, D  and Mastrian, K.  Nursing Informatics and the Foundation of Knowledge, 2^nd edition, Jones and Bartlett Learning
• Saba, V and McCormick, K.  Essentials of Nursing Informatics, 4^th edition, McGraw-Hill Hebda, TL and Czar, P. Handbook of Informatics for Nurses and Health Care Professionals, 4^th edition, Pearson Learning. The key is to have a study plan and follow through with it. 

Certification Renewal Eligibility

All renewal applicants will be required to fulfill Category 1 (75 contact hours) as half of their professional development requirement. The other half may be fulfilled with any professional development category (1–6).
Category 1: Continuing Education Hours (75)
Category 2: Academic Credits
Category 3: Presentations
Category 4: Publication or Research
Category 5: Preceptor Hours
Category 6: Professional Service
http://www.nursecredentialing.org/RenewalRequirements.aspx