Jeff Justice
Nurse Certification

Nurses validate their mastery of skills, knowledge and abilities through certification and meet ongoing learning and practice requirements through recertification. Patients and families, employers and nurses all benefit from certification. As a dialysis nurse for 25 years, I have two certifications that I can choose for certification in the field of nephrology.
The Nephrology Nursing Certification Commission offers the certified nephrology nurse (CNN) certification to registered nurses who meet specific eligibility criteria and pass an examination. Applicants must have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in nursing; a minimum of 3,000 hours of nephrology nursing experience; and at least 30 contact hours of approved continuing education in nephrology nursing. A nurse must complete the experience and continuing education requirements within the three years prior to submitting an application. Eligible applicants take a computer based examination to demonstrate their knowledge about topics such as renal failure, kidney transplantation and hemodialysis. Candidates are given three hours to complete the computer-based exam, which consists of 175 questions. There is a four-hour time limit on the 200-question written exam.
The certified dialysis nurse certification, or CDN, offered by the Nephrology Nursing Certification Commission, is for registered nurses who have experience working with dialysis patients or educating staff members who care for dialysis patients. Nurses who apply for this certification are not required to have a bachelor’s or master’s degree. Applicants must have a minimum of 2,000 hours of experience in nephrology nursing, whether they have provided direct patient care or supervised other nurses providing dialysis care. They must also have a minimum of 15 contact hours of approved continuing education in nephrology nursing. These requirements must have been met within the two years prior to applying for CDN certification. The examination contains questions about peritoneal dialysis, hemodialysis, kidney transplantation and renal failure. Candidates are given a maximum of four hours to complete the 200-question written examination and three hours to complete the 150-question computer-based examination.
I’m going to prepare for the CNN after completion of my BSN. This has always been a goal of mine. Certification, in my opinion, further enhances the nurse mastering their specialty. It definitely creates a standard of excellence.

http://work.chron.com/nephrology-nursing-certification-10428.html