History of MSNCB

The Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board (MSNCB) is a professional organization. The Board is composed of five board members, who are experienced medical-surgical nurses, a public member, and the president of the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN) serves as an ex-officio member. MSNCB promotes the highest standards of medical-surgical nursing practice through the development, implementation, and coordination of all aspects of certification for medical-surgical nurses. A strong collaborative relationship exists between the Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board and the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses and they partner to provide an array of programs and services for professional development.

AMSN is a professional specialty nursing organization that was established in 1991 to promote the highest standards of practice, to develop nursing practice guidelines, and to foster excellence in adult health/medical-surgical nursing practice. It recognized that the work these nurses did was a "specialty" and not just "general nursing." As the AMSN Board and members continued to promote medical-surgical nursing as a specialty, they identified a need for an optional exam that would certify medical-surgical nurses in their specialty.

In early 2002, AMSN formed a task force of medical-surgical nurses to validate the request from AMSN members that another option for certification for medical-surgical nurses was needed and that AMSN could fulfill that need. Based on the data received, AMSN decided to pursue a certification exam. A group of nine experienced nurses representing the diverse roles and settings in which medical-surgical nurses practice, as well as the varied demographic characteristics, came together in Georgia, and worked with the Center for Nursing Education and Testing, Inc. (C-NET) to develop a blueprint for the exam. They became test developers and item writers, and collaborated together to develop the medical-surgical nursing certification exam. It was decided that certification would be awarded to those who successfully completed the written, multiple choice examination, and the designated credential would be CMSRN (Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse). Certification as a CMSRN would be valid for a period of five years, and recertification would be available by examination or by continuing education. CMSRN would be the ONLY credential indicating medical-surgical nursing, and would be the only test endorsed by the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses.

The pilot exam was given in October 2002 at the AMSN National Convention in Washington DC, and 143 examinees tested. There were no passers and no-one failed because the test was simply to collect data. Examinees received a report telling them their percent correct on the test.

The first national test was given in May 2003 and 272 candidates took the test. The pass rate was 82.7% and 225 candidates earned the CMSRN credential. Members of the task force were grandfathered in.

In July 2003, the task force was dissolved and the Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board was formed. The Board then engaged Anthony J. Jannetti, Inc. to provide management services and a National Office in New Jersey. The first MSNCB Board of Directors were:

• Marlene L. Roman, MSN, RN, ARNP, CMSRN - President
• Mary Behr, MSN, RN, CMSRN - Secretary
• Deirdre Bauer, RN, CMSRN - Treasurer
• Cindy Ludwig, MS, RN, CMSRN - Director
• Cecilia Quade, BSN, RN, CMSRN, CHPN - Director
• Cecilia Gatson Grindel, PhD, RN, CMSRN - Ex-Officio Member

By the end of 2006, the total number of medical-surgical nurses who earned the CMSRN credential had grown to 5,366.

On January 19, 2007, MSNCB developed a strategic long-range plan for the next five years (2007-2012). In developing this strategic plan, a comprehensive strategic direction was crafted. An envisioned future, goals and outcomes were articulated. Strategic planning for MSNCB would become the methodology for determining the organization’s future, and there would be ongoing re-evaluation. The long-range plan would represent a compass that the organization would use to guide its work over the next five years, and each year the plan would be updated based on experience or new circumstances, or as new opportunities or challenges emerged.

MSNCB received accreditation by the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC) on January 22, 2009. ABSNC is the only accrediting body specifically for nursing certification programs. MSNCB had successfully demonstrated compliance with the 18 standards established by ABSNC to earn this accreditation. This was a significant milestone in MSNCB's success.

Since its inception, MSNCB had only offered paper and pencil testing. In October 2009, MSNCB offered computer-based testing (CBT) for the first time. Over 1,700 applications were processed. The split between paper and pencil and CBT was almost equal - 50%. A total of 839 candidates took the CBT test.

The Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board is now an independent nonprofit organization that is affiliated with AMSN and certifies thousands of medical-surgical nurses each year.

Major Milestones

Original Publication
Bauer, D. Growing Up Great! The History of MSNCB. (2010). Med-Surg Matters!, 19(5), 14-15.