It’s hard to believe that this year is almost over. As the year closes out, I am delighted to share a few highlights.
This past year, NBCSN reached an exciting benchmark. There was a 22% increase in exam applicants, which means that now, more than ever, school nurses are pursuing national certification and advancing the profession. Next year’s goal is to reach over 1000 applicants for the exam.
Another exciting milestone this year was the transition to immediate scoring for the exam. This means that after completing the exam, applicants will be able to see an unofficial test score and will receive the official results in a few days or weeks. That’s right, the days of waiting months for your exam results are over.
As you can see, the Nationally Certified School Nurse (NCSN) community is growing. These changes would not be possible without the support from you, the NCSN community! Just as the nursing process is continual, so is the work of the Exam Development Committee and you can be a part of that process because the exam is written, built, reviewed, and edited by school nurses for school nurses. Every year, we recruit a group of NCSN subject matter experts (SMEs) to help with a variety of projects; all of these projects help ensure a healthy certification exam.
So, you see that the development of the exam is a comprehensive process – but also a lot of fun! SMEs get to meet nurses from all over the country and work as a team to create a quality exam. We are ever grateful for our many SMEs who volunteer for this very interesting and important work. If you have not already joined in on the fun – please consider becoming a valued SME and apply by visiting the NBCSN committee website.
It is because of you that we can continually improve the exam. So on behalf of the Exam Development Committee and all future NCSNs, thank you for providing your feedback and please consider becoming a SME. You and future NCSNs will be glad you did!
Take care,
Eden Donahue
NBCSN Exam Development Committee Chair