Eligibility Criteria:
Are you ready to recertify as a CMSRN? First, please read the CMSRN Certification Renewal Guide. Then, check below to be sure you meet the eligibility requirements for the CMSRN certification.
CMSRN
You are eligible if you:
- Hold a CMSRN certification within one year of expiration*,
-AND-
- Hold an unencumbered and current license as a Registered Nurse (RN) in the United States or territories,
-OR-
- Hold a current, full, and unrestricted license as a first-level nurse in the country in which one's nursing education was completed and meet the eligibility for licensure as an RN in the US in accordance with the requirements of the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS),
-AND-
- Have accrued 1,000 practice hours in a medical-surgical setting in the last 5 years; practice may include clinical, management, or education,
-OR-
- Submit documentation signed by a school official verifying full-time status and matriculation as an RN student in a nursing baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral degree program,
-AND-
- Have earned ninety (90) verified contact hours in the last 5 years. Sixty-eight (68) contact hours must be related to medical-surgical nursing.
-OR-
Pass the CMSRN exam again if you don’t have enough contact hours. You must meet the eligibility criteria for initial certification to recertify by exam.
NOTE: Medical-surgical setting is defined as the following by MSNCB and AMSN
Medical-surgical nursing is the single largest nursing specialty in the United States and beyond. Medical-surgical nurses provide care to adults with a variety of medical issues or who are preparing for/recovering from surgery. They have a broad knowledge base and are experts in their practice. Medical-surgical nurses have advanced organizational, prioritization, assessment and communication skills and are leaders in coordinating care among the interprofessional health care team.
Medical-surgical nursing is practiced in several settings across the health care industry, including hospitals, outpatient settings, in homes, via telemedicine and other non-traditional settings. The specialty of medical-surgical nursing happens in almost every care environment because medical-surgical nursing is what you practice, not where.
Once you’ve met all the eligibility requirements, you should review the recertification audit process.
- 10% of all recertification applications are randomly selected for audit.
- If selected for audit, you will be required to submit documentation for all your contact hours, including certificates for all continuing education, within 30 days.
- If you decline, fail, or miss the deadline for the audit, your recertification application fees are forfeit. No refund will be available and your CMSRN credential will be revoked.
- During the audit, your contact hours are double-checked by the Recertification Committee which is comprised of volunteers who are fellow CMSRNs. Contact hours that were previously approved may be recategorized or rejected during the audit and you may be required to earn more contact hours before you can pass the audit.
- See the CMSRN Renewal Guide for information about the denial and revocation of certification and your right to appeal.
Finally, you’re ready to submit your recertification application.
Begin Your Certification Renewal
*You may apply for recertification during your grace period as well, which lasts for one year after your CMSRN expires. If you are in your grace period and want to recertify, your contact hours must have been earned in the 5-year period immediately preceding the date you submit your recertification application..
Use the Contact Hours Tracker to report your continuing education and professional activities to meet recertification eligibility requirements.
Contact Hours Tracker
Please review the Sample CE Activity Entry and Sample non-CE Activity Entry to learn how to enter your continuing education or professional activities in your Tracker.
Continuing education or professional activities may be either medical-surgical (specialty) hours or professional development hours.
Medical-surgical (specialty) contact hours must include content related to direct patient care in a medical-surgical setting. If the content of the activity can be categorized within the CMSRN Exam Blueprint, then the activity can be considered medical-surgical in nature. You must submit a minimum of 68 medical-surgical contact hours for recertification.
Professional development contact hours include content related to the broad area of health care and general nursing. Topics may include leadership, research, informatics, pediatrics, ethics, and more. You may submit a maximum of 22 professional development contact hours for recertification.
Reporting contact hours
- Enter your contact hours and save your certificates as you earn them.
- Allow up to 30 days for contact hours to be verified by staff.
- We recommend you have all your contact hours entered at least 60 days before your expiration date to avoid the recertification application late fee.
- Do not enter your medical-surgical practice hours in your Tracker.
- Activities may be re-categorized as professional development or medical-surgical contact hours upon verification.
- Complete the Learning Outcome field to describe the activity content.
- Contact hours you earn through AMSN automatically populate in your Contact Hours Tracker. Please do not duplicate by manually entering them again.
Precepting/Mentoring: You may earn a maximum of 20 contact hours equivalent to 120 hours worked as a preceptor or mentor. Enter your preceptorship hours in your Tracker and then email the preceptor form to msncb@msncb.org. The preceptor form can be found at the end of the CMSRN Certification Renewal Guide.
Academic Credits: You may earn a maximum of 75 contact hours equivalent to 5 academic credits. One academic credit is equal to 15 contact hours. Enter your courses separately in your Tracker and then submit your unofficial transcript to msncb@msncb.org.
Renewing your CMSRN certification by taking the CMSRN exam is an option!
- You may test up to one (1) year in advance of and no later than 30 days prior to your current CMSRN certification’s expiration date.
- Exam must be taken before your certification expiration date. You may not recertify by exam during your grace period.
- You must meet the CMSRN initial certification eligibility criteria.
- You’ll pay the exam application fee, and if you pass, you’ll be recertified. Check your tracker to claim your badge and print a certificate.
Begin Your Certification Renewal
Why You Should Attain the CMSRN Credential
If you are currently certified as a medical-surgical nurse through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), you may be eligible to earn the CMSRN credential without having to take another exam!
This is the only medical-surgical certification endorsed by the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN), the only professional association solely representing medical-surgical nurses.
How Will CMSRN Certification Affect My MEDSURG-BC Certification?
CMSRN certification will not affect your MEDSURG-BC certification, and you can keep both credentials if you wish. MSNCB is a separate organization from ANCC and we do not notify ANCC of your CMSRN certification.
Exam Exemption Application Process
At the time of application, you must be in the last year of your current medical-surgical certification and meet the renewal eligibility criteria.
- Hold a MEDSURG-BC certification that expires within one year,
-AND-
- Hold an unencumbered and current license as a Registered Nurse (RN) in the United States or territories,
-OR-
Hold a current, full, and unrestricted license as a first-level nurse in the country in which one's nursing education was completed and meet the eligibility for licensure as an RN in the US in accordance with the requirements of the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS)
-AND-
- Have accrued 1,000 practice hours in a medical-surgical setting in the last 5 years; practice may include clinical, management, or education,
-OR-
Submit documentation signed by a school official verifying full-time status and matriculation as an RN student in a nursing baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral degree program,
-AND-
- Have earned ninety (90) verified contact hours in the last 5 years. Sixty-eight (68) contact hours must be related to medical-surgical nursing.
An exam-exemption application must be submitted thirty (30) days prior to the expiration of your MEDSURG-BC, or up to one (1) year after the expiration date with a late fee.
If you meet the eligibility requirements, you may apply to become a CMSRN!
If you still have questions after reviewing these sections, feel free to use our Contact Us form.
We understand that life happens, and you may not able to meet the certification renewal requirements right away. Others are starting a new chapter in their lives and want to hold on to their certification status.
Inactive Status
Have you had a "life happens" situation that prevented you from earning the necessary contact hours?
CMSRNs unable to meet the requirements for certification renewal may apply for Inactive Status. Inactive status is for one 3-year period only and is a one-time option. There are no exceptions or extensions to this time frame.
Inactive Status lasts for three years, during which the certificante may not use the CMSRN credential. Nurses on Inactive Status will be notified in the last year of Inactive Status and must meet then current certification renewal requirements to maintain their credential.
During or at the end of the three-year Inactive Status, the nurse may reinstate the certification by applying for certification renewal by continuing education or by exam. The practice hours and contact hours must be within the immediately preceding years. If approved, the new certification period will be effective for five years from time of reactivation.
Review the Policy and Procedure for Inactive Status
Retired Status
CMSRNs who have retired within the current certification period but wish to stay connected with other CMSRNs may apply for Retired Status.
CMSRN Retired designation is renewable every five years. The retired nurse may use CMSRN Retired on a resume or below their name and credential on a business card but may NOT use CMSRN after your signature (e.g. patient chart, name badge).
If a CMSRN Retired nurse re-enters the nursing workforce within three years from the date of retirement status, the nurse may regain the CMSRN credential via continuing education. If the CMSRN-Retired nurse reenters the nursing workforce after three years from the date of retirement status, the nurse must regain CMSRN by examination.
Review the Policy and Procedure for Retired Status
Applying for Inactive or Retired Status
(Not applicable for exam exempt applicants)
To apply for Inactive or Retired Status, login to your account and select “Certification Applications” on the right side under “My Account” link. If you meet the eligibility requirements and it is 90 days prior to certification expiration, you will find the application available to you. If you do not see an application button, you are ineligible.
Fees
Renewal by Continuing Education
$193
$303
Renewal by Exam
$267
$394
Inactive Status
$105
$165
NOTE:
- All application fees include a non-refundable processing fee of $79.00
- Prices are subject to change without notice.
Grants
The Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN) provides CMSRN Certification Grants to AMSN members through the Grants & Scholarship program. Grant applications are open all year or until 12 grants are awarded for the fiscal year.
We encourage you to apply for the AMSN grants or any other grants for which you might be eligible to help you obtain or maintain CMSRN certification.
