ABPANC has adopted the following definition of certification as defined by the American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS): “Certification is the formal recognition of the specialized knowledge, skills, and experience demonstrated by the achievement of standards identified by a nursing specialty to promote optimal health outcomes.”² State licensure, on the other hand, provides the legal authority for an individual to practice professional nursing. ³ Private, voluntary certification, as sponsored by ABPANC, reflects achievement of a standard beyond licensure for specialty nursing practice.

The CPAN and CAPA credentials, granted to qualified registered nurses by ABPANC, are federally registered service marks and are protected by law. Registered nurses who have not achieved CPAN and/or CAPA certification status or whose certification status has lapsed are not authorized to use these credentials.

For further information about ABNS and the accreditation process and standards, visit their website at www.nursingcertification.org.

The CPAN and CAPA examinations are each based on the results of a Role Delineation Study (RDS), also called a Study of Practice. This type of study is conducted every 5 years to ensure that examination content remains relevant and current to the practice specialty. A variety of methods may be employed to gather data, the findings of which are reflected in the newly designed or revised examination blueprints.

Based on the findings of the 1999-2000 RDS, the CPAN and CAPA examination blueprints were reconceptualized to focus on four domains of perianesthesia patient needs: physiologic, behavioral and cognitive, safety, and advocacy needs. ⁴ These needs, as well as the knowledge base required of perianesthesia nurses to meet these needs, were defined. ³

An RDS was repeated in 2005-2006 and resulted in minor updates to the listing of patient needs and nursing knowledge, as well as a revision to the percentage of examination questions asked in each of the four domains of patient needs.

The CPAN and CAPA examination blueprints are based on data from the RDS. Although it was determined that patient needs and the knowledge base of the nurse to meet those needs are the same, the percentage of questions asked in each domain or category of patient need varies, depending on whether the candidate is taking the CPAN or CAPA examination. A complete listing of the most current patient needs and related nursing knowledge that make up the examination blueprints can be found on the ABPANC website (www.cpancapa.org).

Examination questions are written by practicing CPAN and CAPA certified nurses. Item Writer/Reviewer Committees (IWRC) and Examination Review Committees (ERC) for both the CPAN and CAPA programs are made up of individuals who currently practice in a variety of settings in various roles throughout the country. This ensures that the examination reflects the diversity of practice around the country. Each question is reviewed a minimum of three times before use on an examination. Each question is judged against the criteria of relevance, currency, and criticality to the care of perianesthesia patients. Each question must also have a current, related reference no older than 5 years. In addition, editors at ABPANC’s testing company review each question for proper format as a multiple-choice question and ensure that item bias is not present. This very complex process ensures that the CPAN and CAPA examinations are current and relevant to perianesthesia nursing and are reflective of the content identified in the most recent RDS. Questions in this text are comparable to questions on the examinations.