Nursing School Guide

There is a certification that has presented itself to be very important to the nursing culture. The AIDS Certified Registered Nursing (ACRN) certification has only been established for a decade and is regulated by the HIV/AIDS Nursing Certification Board (HANCB). This is an advance practice nursing certification which is aimed at improving the quality of HIV/AIDS nursing care and prevention.

The first examination was administered in October 1996 at the ANAC conference in Chicago. Candidates who successfully passed the proctored exam were entitled to use the ACRN credential (AIDS Certified Registered Nurse) for four years; in 2000, the initial ACRNs completed the first recertification process. Currently, the ACRN examination is administered twice a year via computer at more than 700 sites in the USA and Canada. This certification provides another opportunity for nurses interested in specialty nursing fields and is comforting to know nurses have the opportunity to receive in-depth education on HIV/AIDS nursing.

AIDS Certified Registered Nurse (ARCN) Homepage