CNHS Announcements

To AACN Members --

On July 21, 2008, the AACN Board of Directors endorsed the Consensus Model for APRN Regulation: Licensure, Accreditation, Certification and Education which is posted online

AACN and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) facilitated the consensus-building process used to develop this model.

This landmark document defines Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) practice, describes the APRN regulatory model, identifies the titles to be used, defines specialty, describes the emergence of new roles and population foci, and presents strategies for implementation. This content is discussed in the context of the four APRN roles: certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), certified nurse-midwife (CNM), clinical nurse specialist (CNS), and certified nurse practitioner (CNP).

The culmination of a four-year effort, this model for APRN regulation is the product of collaborative work conducted by the Advanced Practice Nursing Consensus Work Group and the NCSBN APRN Committee. While these groups began work independently, they came together through representatives of each group participating on the APRN Joint Dialogue Group. The outcome of this work has been unanimous agreement on most of the recommendations included in the document. In a few instances, when agreement was not unanimous, a 66% majority was used to determine the final recommendation. However, extensive dialogue and transparency in the decision-making process is reflected in each recommendation.

AACN member institutions with APRN programs are encouraged to download this document and share it with faculty and other stakeholders.

Please direct any questions related to this work to Dr. Joan Stanley, AACN's Senior Director of Education Policy, at jstanley@aacn.nche.edu

Robert Rosseter
Associate Executive Director
American Association of Colleges of Nursing
One Dupont Circle, Suite 530
Washington, D.C.  20036
202-463-6930, x231
rrosseter@aacn.nche.edu