The AIDS Certified Registered Nurse certification indicates specialization and a higher level of training in providing nursing care to those patients with AIDS. This includes addressing the whole patient in respect to not just the physical symptoms of the disease, but also the psychosocial issues that may accompany this. AIDS Certified Registered Nurses are employed in hospitals, specialty clinics, and within infectious disease groups.
In order to take the AIDS Certified Registered Nurse certification exam, the applicant must be a licensed Registered Nurse.
The RN must also have worked in the field if HIV/AIDS for at least 2 years prior to applying to take the ACRN test. The ACRN test is offered twice a year during a two-week window and is administered at various testing centers across the United States. The fee to take the AIDS Certified Registered Nurse exam is $360 for members of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC) and $500 for non-members. This fee includes a $100 fee paid to the testing center.
The ACRN exam consists of 250 multiple-choice questions and the RN is allotted 4 hours in which to complete the exam. The AIDS Certified Registered Nurse certification exam tests the RN’s knowledge in the overall management of HIV and AIDS, including questions pertaining to common treatments and nursing interventions for these patients. There are also questions related to patient education subjects.
The AIDS Certified Registered Nurse certification is valid for 4 years. At the end of that time period, the licensed RN should have completed at least 70 continuing education hours with at least 35 of those hours in the field of HIV/AIDS nursing. If the continuing education hours are not completed, the RN can retake the ACRN exam to complete recertification. The fee to recertify is $235 for ANAC members and $350 for non-members.
For more information regarding the AIDS Certified Registered Nurse certification for licensed RNs, go to www.anacnet.org/certification/hancb/certification.htm.