New Certification Exam for Care Coordination and Transition Management



To ensure patient care is safely and efficiently coordinated among qualified providers, the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing (AAACN) and the Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board  (CCTM) certification exam. The exam will be developed and administered by MSNCB based on AAACN’s Care Coordination and Transition Management Core Curriculum. Exam development will begin immediately and is expected to be ready in early fall 2015.

To better prepare RNs for a CCTM role in which they must manage patients with complex health care needs from an access, quality, and cost perspective, AAACN conducted a two-year expert panel translational research process spearheaded by longtime AAACN leaders Sheila A. Haas, PhD, RN, FAAN, Beth Ann Swan, PhD, CRNP, FAAN, and Traci S. Haynes, MSN, RN, BA, CEN. The result was the creation of evidence-based CCTM core competencies, a core curriculum text, and 13-module online course, which is scheduled for release this August. The CCTM exam is the next step in this process. “This is a perfect marriage between acute and ambulatory care,” concluded MSNCB President Mimi Haskins, MS, RN, CMSRN.

AAACN President Marianne Sherman, MS, RN-BC, agrees that nurses who achieve this certification will be in great demand. “Care coordinators are key to ensuring that top quality services are provided,” she said. “They help patients navigate the health care system, which improves outcomes and helps to lower costs.”