American Association of Heart Failure Nurses Announce First Heart Failure Nursing Certification Exam

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J., Dec. 6, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Association of Heart Failure Nurses (AAHFN) has launched the first-ever Heart Failure Nursing Certification program.  Registration is open for the Heart Failure Nursing Certification exam at www.heartfailurecertification.com.  Initially, the exam will be offered on June 23, 2011 at the AAHFN annual meeting (June 23-25) at the Westin Seattle Hotel in Seattle, WA. AAHFN will offer a webinar prep series beginning in the Spring 2011 and an onsite mini-review course in Seattle on June 22, 2011.

The purpose of this certification is to promote the highest standards of practice within the specialty, to validate attainment of a common knowledge base required for practice, and to encourage and promote continued educational growth. The Heart Failure Nursing Certification provides an added credential (Certified Heart Failure Nurse: CHFN) beyond licensure and demonstrates, by examination, that the registered nurse has acquired a core body of specialized knowledge and adheres to specialized nursing standards.  

"Heart failure is appropriately on everybody's radar screen; at the nexus of care for the patient with heart failure is the heart failure nurse - a talented caring professional with unique expertise.  Certification makes it clear; heart failure nurses are essential health care providers and their work makes a difference," says Clyde W. Yancy, M.D., Medical Director, Baylor Heart and Vascular Institute and immediate Past President of The American Heart Association.

AAHFN is a specialty organization dedicated to advancing nursing education, clinical practice and research to improve heart failure patient outcomes. AAHFN's focus is on patients across all environments of care from hospital, to home care, to clinic. "Our members asked for this exam. They acknowledge the remaining gaps in knowledge and practice with regards to optimal evidence-based therapies for heart failure patients. Such disparity in treatment contributes to the burden of recurrent hospitalizations. A heart failure certified nurse is vital to improving patient outcomes, and to promoting sustainability within hospital and outpatient care settings. We encourage nurses to join us at AAHFN and get certified," according to AAHFN President, Vera Barton-Caro.

Eligibility criteria for the exam, AAHFN membership benefits, re-certification requirements, fees, future exam availability, course materials, study guides and more can be found at www.aahfn.org or by calling 888-45-AAHFN. For additional information on the 2011 annual meeting, visit the AAHFN Conference website at www.aahfn2011conference.com.

SOURCE American Association of Heart Failure Nurses (AAHFN)