Certified Post Anesthesia Nurse (CAPA) Exam

The Post Anesthesia Nurse has received extra training and completed the exam to be certified in the care of patient’s following the administration of anesthesia. This includes all aspects of care for the patient, including physical and psychological needs.

To become eligible to sit for this exam, the applicant must be a licensed Registered Nurse. The education degree of the nurse can vary, meaning the RN does not need to hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing but can be an Associate Degree RN. The applicant must also have completed at least 1,800 hours of direct care involving patients who have or will be undergoing the administration of anesthesia.

The Certified Post Anesthesia Nurse exam is offered only twice a year. The American Society of Perianesthesia Nurses (ASPAN) has an annual conference and the exam is offered on the Sunday before the conference begins. It is also offered on the first Saturday in November at multiple testing sites throughout the country. The exam fee is $260 for ASPAN members and $360 for non-members. To avoid a late registration penalty fee of $50, the application form must be postmarked within 7 days of the application postmark deadline.

The CAPA exam contains 165 questions, 15 of which are used as control questions to test for future exam questions. The Registered Nurse is allowed up to 3 hours to complete the exam.

The exam contains questions that focus on four major areas of care of the perianesthesia patient. These include the basic physiological needs and physical changes the patient may experience due to anesthesia, the behavioral changes that the patient may experience, issues of patient safety that may arise during administration of anesthesia, and the role of the Certified Post Anesthesia Nurse as an advocate for the anesthesia patient.

CAPA certification is valid for 3 years, at which time the RN must renew their certification. The first time the certification is renewed, the RN must have completed at least 60 contact hours in direct patient care and at least 30 contact hours in indirect patient care. The second renewal requires at least 45 hours in each direct and indirect patient care. The third renewal and all subsequent renewals require at least 90 contact hours in either direct patient care or indirect patient care or a combination thereof.

Nursing Certification Central