CNS-CP - Clinical Nurse Specialist Perioperative Certification

The Clinical Nurse Specialist Perioperative Certification (CNS-CP) validates the knowledge and skills of perioperative advanced practice nurses who have completed a Master’s or Doctorate in the clinical nurse specialist (CNS) role. Applicants earn this certification through the completion of a professional portfolio. The Competency and Credentialing Institute (CCI) offers the CNS-CP.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the CNS-CP, applicants must:

• Hold an active RN and/or APRN license in any U.S. state or an active RN license with recognition as a CNS by a state board of nursing

• Have a master’s, post-graduate certificate, or Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from a CNS program accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) or the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) 

  • Education must have included 500 faculty-supervised clinical hours and graduate-level courses in advanced pharmacology, advanced health assessment, and advanced physiology/pathophysiology or documentation of working in an advanced practice role

  • Professional portfolio can be started before graduation and completed after earning the CNS degree

• Complete 2 years and 2,400 hours in a perioperative nursing setting with at least half the hours in an intraoperative setting

• Currently work as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in a perioperative setting

Cost

• Initial Certification: $394

• With current Certified Perioperative Nurse (CNOR): $354

The CNS-CP professional portfolio is composed of task and knowledge statements in 6 subjects:

• Clinical Expert in the Delivery of Advanced Practice Perioperative Care

• Consultant (intradisciplinary and multidisciplinary)

• Organizational and Systems Thinking

• Clinical Inquiry (evidence-based practice projects or research)

• Education (community, family, nurse, and other healthcare providers)

• Professional Accountability

The professional portfolio also requires submission of a current resume and a reflective practice form. For a full list of tasks and statements, refer to the CNS-CP Handbook.

Portfolio Submission Timeline

Applicants must submit their professional portfolio within 2 years of their application date.

To apply for the CNS-CP portfolio, applicants must first print and complete the pre-approval checklist and attach their pre-approval documents:

• Original (official or unofficial) transcripts mailed or sent directly from the university

  • Transcripts must be original and can’t be a photocopy

• Photocopies of RN and/or APRN licenses

  • Photocopy of the online verification from the state board of nursing is acceptable

• Copy of CNS certification, if applicable

Applicants may submit documents by mail to:

• CCI/CNS-CP Certification by Portfolio
  400 Inverness Parkway
  Englewood, CO 80112

Applicants must mail transcripts but can email nursing licenses and proof of CNS certifications to [email protected].

Next, applicants must create an account or login to CCI, with the following information:

• Contact information

• Date of birth

• Highest degree earned 

• Date of CNS program completion

• Perioperative work history

• Supervisor and employer contact information: name, address, e-mail, phone number

• Advanced practice population focus

• RN and APRN license information: state, expiration date

Applicants receive an authorization email after approval of documents with instructions, portfolio documents, and access to an online storage account. Applicants must submit the professional portfolio within 2 years. CCI collects $125 of the payment with portfolio submission, and the remaining $250 upon portfolio approval.

CNS-CP is valid for 5 years. To renew, applicants must either complete a portfolio or complete 300 Professional Activity Points. Candidates must have an active RN or APRN license, and have completed 1,000 hours as a perioperative CNS within the 5-year recertification period. Points accumulate within the accrual period, which begins on January 1st of the year the certification was granted and ends on December 31st of the 5th year. CCI includes a Renewal Timeline Calculator on the CNS-CP Renewal page.

To recertify, certificants must choose between two pathways:

• Professional Activity Points: Accumulate 300 points through continuing education, clinical experience, teaching, research, and other professional activities, plus complete 1,000 hours of perioperative CNS practice within the five-year period.

• Professional Portfolio: Submit a project-based portfolio when clinical hours are insufficient or preferred.

Recertification Fees

• Portfolio Renewal: $394 

  • $354 with a $40 discount if holding another active CCI credential)

• Activity Points Renewal: $350 

  • $310 if submitted by June 30 (early bird discount)

Renewal applicants must complete 300 Professional Activity points in the following categories:

• Contact hours

• Academic Study (graduate or postgraduate level)

• Service on a Board or Committee

• Clinical Inquiry (Research, Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Projects, Quality Assurance or Quality Improvement)

• Academic Teaching

• Precepting

• Presentations

• Publishing

• Volunteer on the CCI Test Development Committee

• CNS Certification Achievement and/or Maintenance

• Earning another Accredited Perioperative Certification

• Professional Perioperative-Related Volunteer Service

Each activity has a maximum number of points allowed. Refer to the CNS-CP Handbook for further information about each point category.

CCI provides several resources to help prepare for the CNS-CP, including a CNS-CP Handbook.

The CCI also offers the following certifications:

• Certified Perioperative Nurse (CNOR)

• Certified Foundational Perioperative Nurse (CFPN)

• Certified Surgical Services Manager (CSSM)

• Certified Ambulatory Surgery Nurse (CNAMB)

• Nursing Professional Development Advanced – Board Certified (NPDA-BC)