What about the new generalist CNS exam? Anyone else gotten this email from ANCC?

emmycRN · Aug 1, 2009

Trauma,

I first heard of the generalist exam at the NACNS conference. They were looking for CNS's to take the exam for CE credit. I'm not clear on what the advantages are with this. I'm definately going to look into it though becuase I'm considering doing a post-grad FNP. Sounds like this could be an alternative. Thanks for posting this!

Trauma Columnist · Aug 2, 2009

You are very welcome Emmy. This is the reason I'm looking at it too: it says in the email that if you are an already-certified (by ANCC) CNS "regardless of specialty" you can take this exam.....the professors at the college where I'm registered are looking into this and I called the IL BON also.

Trauma Columnist · Aug 4, 2009

Well, while I haven't heard back from the ANCC, the IL BON called me back today and basically, if there is a CNS exam that you can take; ie adult health that is what you take. It is true that you can take the exam but (at least in IL) you won't be seeing kids. So....that's the answer.

Trauma Columnist · Aug 5, 2009

I also got word back from the college of nursing from ANCC: ANCC will allow folks to take the generalist CNS exam if you are already a CNS but the test will not expand your scope of practice; ie, if you are an adult CNS and you take the test, you still cannot see kids and vice versa.

So....I start school in two weeks - lol.

elkpark · Aug 5, 2009

A "generalist" exam for "specialists"??? Sounds like more of the ongoing general watering-down of nursing education and credentials to me.

Trauma Columnist · Aug 6, 2009

Agree. Am unsure what the generalist exam will encompass as the ANCC email continuously discusses the "span of life" so that peds/adults would both be covered on this exam. However, there is no CNS program that covers both adults and peds that I'm aware of - anyone else?

CrisRNMSNCEN · Sep 6, 2009

The new generalist exam I believe is a way to recognize those who have been CNS for awhile, graduated from a CNS program and would be an excellant avenue rather than just "grandfathering" those of us who have been doing this for 20 plus years in .. like other disciplines.. however it looks like PA may choose not to accept this which I believe it a shame and may just turn many qualified CNS away from these role and maybe find other states with more reasonable plans. So in short the "jury" is still out and it may come down to a $$$ issue ..

Trauma Columnist · Sep 8, 2009

Wow - that's too bad.

I'm an adult health CNS and I'm currently in a peds CNS program. In the peds program there are some students that plan to take the generalist exam because their interest lies with maternal/child.

SharonH, RN · Sep 11, 2009

They offered me CEUs to take it but I'm not really seeing the value either. I'm already certified CNS-adult health (a lot of good it does me in a state in which I don't have title protection!). It's my understanding that it is for those CNSs who are in a specialty that does not already offer an exam and in the future, all other exams may be phased out in favor of one CNS core exam. I could be wrong.

Trauma Columnist · Sep 12, 2009

That's my understanding also.

BTW I am also an adult health CNS but am in school for peds CNS. Fortunately, I live in a state (IL) where the CNS is protected and has full prescriptive authority.

Shibboleth · Sep 24, 2009

ANCC's Core CNS Competency Exam, which has also been referred to as a generalist exam, is not doing very well. Word is that almost no one is taking it, probably less than 50 people so far. After years of effort (and thousands of $) in developing it, ANCC is beginning to panic. In the old days of nursing, the American Nurses Association was a monopoly and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) was also a monopoly more or less (they still have monopolies in some areas).

Last year ANCC forced out director of certification, Mary Smolenski, FNP. This year they replaced her with a gentleman named Ron Hanchar. Although not a nurse, he does have experience in the certification and accreditation fields; he worked for the Project Management Institute in the past. However apparently not enough to save this troubled exam, thus far.

One possibility regarding the problem ANCC is having is that they are at that state of organizational development when they are more concerned with internal political matters than external issues like customer service.

Imagine this: within the space of not much more than a year they lost nearly all their top program directors, includinng:

business directors

assistant business director

Director of Magnet

Director of Certification

Director of Pathways to Excellence

Director of the Institute for Credentialing Innovation

(Hint: there aren't too many other director slots other than those). The question I have for executive director Jeanne Floyd is "Did you listen to the counsel of someone who maybe you shouldn't have?" "If not, how do you account for such dramatic turnover?"

Some of these were pushed out. Others may have had trouble handling the ANA/ANCC culture. Some had been at ANCC for years, and others lasted only for months.

Over at parent organization ANA President Linda Steirle announced her own resignation, but gave herself a nice going away party. The question that some people wondered was whether her resignation was due to the growing numbers of state nursing associations that have been disafilliating from the ANA, among other problems.