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PHN Certification

The PHN certification, or the Advanced Public Health Nurse-Board Certified or APHN-BC, is available for registered nurses who have either additional education or knowledge in public health according to the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). As of 2010, the path to attaining this certification is to submit an application with its fee, then take and pass the test. This is of course done after meeting eligibility requirements.

  1. Eligibility

    • There are three different eligibility courses for those interested in pursuing an APHN. For all three options, you must have minimally current RN license in the U.S. The variation in the courses comes from the other eligibility requirements as of April 2010. For option A, you must have a graduate degree in public/community health nursing, according to the ANCC. For option B, you must a bachelor's degree in nursing and a master's in public health. For option C, you must have a graduate degree in nursing as well as 2,000 hours of experience in public/community health nursing.

    Application

    • As of April 2010, the application for the APHN is five pages and covers things from general information about you to eligibility requirements. General information includes things such as your name, home address and phone numbers. You are also to submit information about your education and nursing license. Two of the application's pages are to be given to your nursing program director to fill out. For your application to be considered complete, it must be submitted with your fee payment.

    Fees

    • The fees for the APHN certification vary based on your member status. The initial certification fee for those who are members of the American Public Health Association (Public Health Nursing Section) or the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists is $340. The renewal fee for those individuals is $280. Members of the American Nurses Association pay $270 for initial certification and $200 for renewal. As of April 2010, those who aren't members of any of those organizations pay $390 for initial certification and $350 for its renewal according to the ANCC.

    The Test

    • After meeting eligibility requirements and paying the application fee for the APHN-BC, you must pass a test before receiving the APHN-BC credential. As of April 2010, the test consists of 175 questions (25 of which aren't scored) that cover 10 main domains. About 40 percent of these questions cover two domains: the foundations of advanced public/community health nursing, and strategies to improve public and community health. The test also covers theories and concepts of epidemiology, biostatistics and development as well as leadership.

    Salary Potential

    • The salary potential for PHNs vary partially based on the type of job that they work. Those employed as nurse case managers have some of the highest salaries, with a reported median salary of $68,800. Those working as registered nurses have a reported median salary of $67,500 as of April 2010. PHNs may also take positions as psychiatric nurses. According to PayScale.com, those PHNs have a median salary of $61,000.

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