Issues on the National Certification Exam (NCE) for Nurse Anesthetists

Nurse Anesthetist Practice Nationwide

The National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA) reports that the nation's healthcare system employs 56,000 certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) who work in every healthcare setting using anesthesia services, from hospitals to clinics, office practices, medical schools, and veterans facilities. Physician anesthesiologists provide anesthesia services at many metropolitan hospitals. But CRNAs provide most of the anesthesia services at rural and military facilities without anesthesiologist involvement and other anesthesia services at many metropolitan facilities. CRNAs also assist anesthesiologists, surgeons, other physicians, and dentists in administering anesthesia, monitoring patient vitals, and guiding anesthesia recovery. The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that most CRNAs work in physicians' offices but that nearly a quarter maintain hospital-based practices. Nurse anesthetist practice is a critical component of the nation's healthcare system. You should be proud to be pursuing education and certification as a nurse anesthetist.

Nurse Anesthetist Practice Rewards

The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that certified registered nurse anesthetists earn a nearly $200,000 median annual wage. Hourly wages can exceed $100 depending on the practice setting and geographic location. Outpatient care centers tend to pay the highest compensation, followed by hospitals, medical schools, physicians' offices, and dental or other practitioner offices. Metropolitan locations generally pay higher wages. Employment prospects for CRNAs are very strong. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an extraordinary forty-percent job growth for CRNAs over the next decade, with an extraordinary 30,200 openings each year, due in part to growth and also to retirements and transfers. You made a wise choice when pursuing education and certification as a nurse anesthetist.

What Is NBCRNA Certification?

You will very likely need NBCRNA certification, though, if you intend to practice as a nurse anesthetist anywhere in the U.S. NBCRNA certification is the national credential that enables the nation's 56,000 certified registered nurse anesthetists to provide anesthesia services in healthcare settings nationwide. NBCRNA certification assures healthcare employers, patients, and the public that nurse anesthetists are qualified to provide competent and reliable nurse anesthesia services. Employers of nurse anesthetists routinely require candidates to obtain NBCRNA certification, both because state practice regulations may require it and because it helps those employers prove their ability to meet medical and nursing practice standards. The job and career you want as a nurse anesthetist very likely require your NBCRNA certification.

NBCRNA Certification Educational Requirements

According to the Nursing License Map, candidates who wish to qualify to practice as a nurse anesthetist must first complete the educational and licensure requirements to become a registered nurse. Candidates must then enroll in an accredited CRNA program, usually after doing well on the Graduate Record Exam, and complete that graduate degree program. The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs accredits nurse anesthesia educational programs nationwide. Those educational programs must meet the Council's accreditation standards. U.S. Newsranks top CRNA programs to include Virginia Commonwealth University, Baylor College of Medicine, Duke University, California State University Fullerton, and Rush University. Candidates may then qualify to take and pass the National Certification Exam (NCE) for certification. Retain national education attorney advisor Joseph D. Lento if you face issues completing your CRNA degree or proving its satisfactory completion to NBCRNA exam officials.

NBCRNA Certification and State Licensure

State licensure as a certified registered nurse anesthetist meets the legal requirement for nurse anesthetist practice within the state. But the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs reports that those state licensing laws, plus Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement requirements and hospital accreditation and privileges, all require nurse anesthetists to obtain NBCRNA certification. State licensure and nurse anesthesia employment go hand in hand with NBCRNA certification. You very likely need both state licensure and NBCRNA certification to pursue your nurse anesthetist career. Let attorney advisor Lento and the Lento Law Firm Team assist you with your state licensure or NBCRNA certification challenges.

Who Governs NBCRNA Certification?

The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists created certification councils that were later incorporated as the nonprofit National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA). Working closely with the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, the NCBRNA provides the nation's initial CRNA certification, CRNA certification renewals, and subspecialty certifications. The NBCRNA designs the National Certification Exam (NCE) and adopts the rules and procedures for exam qualification and NBCRNA certification. The Pearson VUE testing centers administer the NCE exam as a vendor for the NBCRNA organization. While you doubtless expect to take and pass the NCE exam without issues, standardized test issues can easily arise under the NBCRNA's complex application, scheduling, and proctoring procedures.

NCE Exam Content and Format

The NBCRNA's National Certification Exam (NCE) measures the knowledge and skills nurse anesthesia practitioners must have to enter the field. The NBCRNA board appoints a committee of CRNAs to write, review, and revise NCE exam questions. The NCE content outline reflects that the examiners devote twenty-five percent of the exam to basic sciences, fifteen percent to equipment and technology, thirty percent to general anesthesia principles, and thirty percent to anesthesia for surgeries and other special procedures. The exam format varies, but the NCE handbook indicates that every examinee takes at least one hundred questions, of which the examiners score at least seventy questions, the rest being randomized test questions for future exams. The question formats include multiple choice, calculation, drag and drop, hotspot, and graphics or videos. Exams are computerized and adaptive, meaning that their length and content depend on each individual examinee's answers.

NCE Exam Qualification Issues

The NCE handbook indicates that to qualify to take the exam, and a candidate must show that the candidate is a registered nurse and has completed an accredited nurse anesthetist's educational program. The candidate must also accurately complete the NCE application form with the required transcript, license, and other information and eligibility certification. NCE administrators will not authorize the candidate to take the exam until the candidate meets all eligibility criteria. Retain attorney advisor Lento if you face application issues when trying to show exam officials you are eligible for the NCE exam. The NCE handbook expressly prohibits exam authorization or certification of an exam score on any of the following grounds:

• the candidate's academic and clinical experience does not meet the eligibility minimums;
• the candidate has not shown completion of an accredited program;
• the candidate did not submit the record of academic and clinical experience in the manner the NBCRNA prescribes;
• the candidate did not submit an accurate and complete record;
• the NBCRNA determines the candidate cheated on the NCE;
• the candidate did not certify eligibility;
• the candidate did not provide the required documentation to resolve eligibility issues;
• the candidate did not sign the waiver of liability and agreement of authorization, confidentiality, and nondisclosure; or
• the candidate failed to pass the NCE within two years after completing the accredited nurse anesthesia educational program.

Conditional NCE Eligibility

All is not lost if you initially fail to prove your NCE eligibility because of your past or pending nursing practice or personal fitness issues. The NCE handbook expressly authorizes exam officials to grant conditional exam eligibility to candidates whose application and documentation reflect various personal or professional issues. Those issues may include a restricted nursing license or your participation in a substance-abuse recovery program, among other issues. Retain attorney advisor Lento to help you advocate for conditional NCE eligibility if you must disclose past personal or professional issues on your NCE application or if NCE officials resist granting you exam authorization. How you present your issues may go a long way toward determining whether you qualify for conditional NCE eligibility. Get the help you need to make your best case for qualification.

Automatic Denial or Revocation of NCE Eligibility

Some NCE candidates can expect automatic denial of their application or if they have already obtained exam authorization, its suspension or revocation. The NCE handbook lists the following grounds for automatic denial, suspension, or revocation of exam authorization. If your planned application presents one or more of these automatic grounds for denial, don't wait to get help. Retain attorney advisor Lento to help you address any of these issues before applying for NCE exam authorization for your best possible outcome:

• revocation, suspension, or other restriction of your registered professional nursing license;
• lost authority to practice nurse anesthesia in any state for any reason relating to the anesthetist's safe or ethical practice;
• school official's withdrawal of the affirmation of your official academic or clinical experience record;
• your failure to complete the accredited nurse anesthesia educational program;
• a court or regulatory authority's adjudication that you are mentally or physically incompetent;
• your suspension or termination from participating in a federal health care program relating to unsafe, unlawful, or unethical nurse anesthesia practice;
• your conviction of or no-contest plea to a crime relating to nurse anesthesia practice; or
• your failure to successfully pass the NCE within two years after completing the educational program.

Discretionary Denial or Revocation of NCE Eligibility

Other reasons beyond the above grounds for automatic denial may cause NCE exam officials to question your exam eligibility. The NCE handbook grants exam officials discretion to deny, suspend, or revoke a candidate's exam authorization for a broad list of other reasons. Again, get attorney advisor Lento's assistance before applying to help you address and resolve these issues or put these issues in their best light before NCE exam officials deny your exam authorization:

• circumstances make invalid one of your eligibility certifications, or you provide incomplete application information;
• your application is false, including intentional misstatements of material fact, or you deliberately omit or otherwise fail to provide relevant information;
• you fail to maintain current and unrestricted registered professional nurse licensure, or you lose or surrender a nurse anesthesia licensure other than for retirement or cessation of practice unrelated to discipline;
• you cheat or assist another person in cheating on the exam or otherwise engage in any dishonest, deceptive, unethical, or other improper behavior relating to the exam;
• you make inappropriate use of exam questions or assist another in any such conduct, including retaining, possessing, copying, distributing, disclosing, or discussing exam questions, or otherwise violate exam intellectual property rights;
• you make unauthorized use of an NBCRNA credential or other health professional designation or falsely claim certification or other professional designation;
• you violate any other NBCRNA policy or fail to cooperate with an NBCRNA investigation or audit;
• you suffer conviction of or plead no contest to a crime; or
• you engage in any other conduct that calls into question your ability to serve patients in an honest, competent, and professional manner.

Other NCE Exam Issues

You may face a range of other NCE exam issues preventing you from sitting for the exam or obtaining your exam score and NBCRNA certification. For your best possible outcome, retain attorney advisor Lento and the Lento Law Firm Team if you face any of these issues.

Issues Scheduling the NCE Exam

Pearson VUE testing centers may fail or refuse to schedule your exam, alleging a lack of authorization or documentation. Pearson Vue officials should respond promptly to NBCRNA's authorization for you to schedule and take the exam. Don't wait for your eligibility period to expire if you are unable to schedule the exam or must reschedule for any reason. Be sure to appear as scheduled or to notify exam officials promptly if you are unable to do so for emergency reasons.

Issues Taking the NCE Exam

The NCE handbook lists suspicious, dishonest, or disruptive exam behaviors that may disqualify you from completing the exam or may hold up and revoke your exam score. Follow all exam procedures and proctor instructions to reduce your risk of NCE exam issues, but retain attorney advisor representation for your best outcome to those issues.

Issues Obtaining NCE Exam Results

The NCE handbook also lists post-exam misconduct, such as sharing exam questions or refusing to cooperate in an exam investigation, that may cause exam officials to delay or revoke your exam score. Don't delay in getting help. Retain attorney advisor Lento at the first sign that exam officials may be withholding your exam score for investigation.

NCE Retesting Issues

The NCE handbook also lists the conditions under which you may qualify for an NCE retest when you do not pass the exam on your first try. You must complete a retake application, providing the required documentation. As in your initial application, retain attorney advisor representation if exam officials or the testing center refuse to requalify and reschedule you for an exam retake.

Invoking NCE Exam Protective Procedures

The NBCRNA maintains detailed Policies and Procedures for Discipline that it assures candidates that it will follow in the case of NCE exam irregularities. Your retained attorney advisor can help you invoke those protective procedures to address any of the above NCE exam issues delaying or preventing your NBCRNA certification. You have procedural rights under those policies that guarantee you the ability to present exonerating and mitigating evidence. National education attorney advisor Lento also has the national reputation, experience, and relationships to advocate effectively with disciplinary officials for alternative remedial relief in many cases.

Premier Education Attorney Services Available

As a nurse anesthetist, you have a tremendous amount riding on your ability to pass the National Certification Exam. You have at stake everything you've invested in your nurse anesthetist education and all the rewards you expect in your nurse anesthetist career. Your best move is to retain national education attorney advisor Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm Team to help you protect that investment and preserve that career. Attorney advisor Lento has helped hundreds of students and professionals nationwide overcome licensing and certification issues. Call 888.535.3686 or go online now for national education attorney advisor representation.