CPNP-PC Exam Eligibility

License & education requirements

As of January 1, 2030, all CPNP-PC and CPNP-AC candidates must have graduated within five years from their PNP program that met the exam eligibility criteria.  Please use the below information as a guide.


CPNP-PC Exam Eligibility

Learn about eligibility requirements and any supporting documents before you apply.

Requirement Details

1. Licensure

Current, active, unencumbered RN license issued by a US state, US territory, or Canada and meet educational requirement below

2. Education

Graduation from an accredited college or university that offers an ACEN, CCNE, or NLN CNEA accredited nursing master's or doctoral degree with a concentration in pediatric primary care as a nurse practitioner or formal dual primary/acute care program 

OR

Graduation from a post master's pediatric primary care nurse practitioner certificate program from an accredited college or university

Education Notes

The didactic and clinical education listed below must be completed within the educational program(s) which provides the final transcript used to meet PNCB’s certification exam eligibility requirements.

  • A minimum of 500 supervised direct care clinical practice hours in primary care pediatrics. For more information on what is considered primary care, please see NONPF's Statement on Acute Care and Primary Care Certified Nurse Practitioner Practice (2012). Direct care clinical hours are hours in which hands on pediatric primary care is provided to individuals and families. These hours do not include skill lab hours, physical assessment practice sessions or a community project if it does not include provision of direct patient care.
     
  • And completion of three separate comprehensive graduate-level courses* in: 
    • Advanced physiology/pathophysiology, including general principles or concepts across the lifespan.
    • Advanced health assessment, which includes assessment of all human systems, advanced assessment techniques, concepts and approaches.
    • Advanced pharmacology, which includes pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics and pharmacotherapeutics for all broad categories of agents.

Faces of Certification

PNCB-certified nursing professionals work in a variety of roles and settings throughout the US and beyond. Share your photo today!

Jill Davis, CPNP-PC, PMHS Harmony Health Clinic Fairfax, VA
Margot Bernardino, CPN Driscoll Children's Hospital Corpus Christi, TX
Tajmara Eaton, CPNP-AC, CPNP-PC Grand Valley Pediatrics Grand Junction, CO
View more Faces of Certification