Obtaining CNA Certification
About the Certification Program
History
The Origins of Nursing Certification in Canada
The CNA Certification Program was initiated by a membership request in June 1980 through a
biennial resolution directing CNA to study the feasibility of developing examinations
for certification in major nursing specialties. An initial investigation confirmed the
growing interest of nurses in the development of certification and revealed that several
nurses were seeking certification in the United States. An ad hoc committee on
credentialing was
established and developed a policy on credentialing in nursing, as well as a recommendation
that CNA promote the development of a certification program in nursing
specialties. That
document was adopted by the board of directors in 1982 (CNA, 1982).
Between 1982 and 1986 a series of three ad hoc committees on certification, in consultation with national nursing groups, studied the policy issues underlying a certification program. As a result of the work of these committees, a certification program was designed and approved in October 1986.
In 1982, occupational health nurses in Canada established the Canadian Council for Occupational Health Nurses Incorporated (CCOHN Inc.) for the purpose of developing and administering a certification program in occupational health nursing. In 1984, certification in occupational health nursing was offered for the first time. Shortly after, CCOHN Inc. and the American Board for Occupational Health Nurses Incorporated (ABOHN Inc.) agreed to provide certification by reciprocity to nurses who wished to be certified in both the United States and Canada. Under this agreement, American and Canadian certified nurses were exempted from writing the other program’s examination in order to achieve certification in the other country.
In 1992, the CCOHN Inc. program was integrated into the CNA Certification Program. CNA continues to offer reciprocity to those nurses certified through the ABOHN Inc. program.
In 1991, CNA certified its first group of nurses in neuroscience nursing. In 2010, certification will be offered in 19 specialties/area of nursing practice including neuroscience, occupational health, nephrology, emergency, critical care, psychiatric/mental health, perioperative, oncology, gerontology, perinatal, cardiovascular, critical care (pediatric), hospice palliative care, gastroenterology, orthopaedics, rehabilitation, community health, enterostomal therapy and medical-surgical nursing.
The Definition and Purposes of the CNA Certification Program
CNA defines certification as a voluntary and periodic process (certification renewal) by which an organized professional body confirms that a registered nurse has demonstrated competence in a nursing specialty/area of nursing practice by having met predetermined standards of that specialty/area of nursing practice.
The purpose of certification is threefold:
- To promote excellence in nursing care for the people of Canada through the establishment of national standards of practice in nursing specialty areas;
- To provide an opportunity for practitioners to confirm their competence in a specialty/area of nursing practice; and
- To identify through a recognized credential, those nurses meeting the national standards of their specialty/area of nursing practice.
