Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse 

The Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse (ACHPN®) examination is designed for experienced hospice and palliative advanced practice registered nurses. To be eligible, the applicant must fulfill the following requirements by the application deadline.

  
  • Hold a current, unrestricted active APRN license or APRN certification in the United States, its territories, or the equivalent in Canada.
  • Completion of an accredited graduate, postgraduate, or doctoral Nurse Practitioner (NP) or Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) educational program from a U.S. school or Canadian province NP or CNS educational programs approved by the Canadian Council of Registered Nurse Regulators (CCRNR).
  • An official academic record/transcript showing graduate degree and date conferred is required as part of the application process. The transcript must demonstrate the key elements of APRN preparation which includes completion of three separate comprehensive graduate-level courses in advanced pathophysiology, advanced health assessment, and advanced pharmacology as well as a clinical practicum of at least 500 hours.
  • Is functioning as an NP or CNS with hospice and palliative advanced nursing practice of 500 hours in the most recent 12 months or 1000 hours in the most recent 24 months prior to applying for the exam.

Transcripts, copy of APRN license or APRN certification, and Practice Hours Verification Form for APRN applications must be mailed to be received with the paper application by the deadline. Any application without all required documents will be considered incomplete, and you will not be able to schedule your exam. 

If you are preparing for the December 2021 ACHPN examination, use this detailed content outline  , also found in the handbook.
If you are preparing to take the March 2022 ACHPN examination, use this detailed content outline . *This DCO is not part of the Candidate Handbook. 
 
Specifics related to the eligibility criteria for each exam are provided in the candidate handbook. These MUST be reviewed prior to completing an application. 

Fees

ACHPN® Initial Certification:  $465  ($320 for HPNA members)
ACHPN® Certification Renewal:   $430  ($285 for HPNA members)

If you have experienced a furlough, significant decrease in work hours, significant pay reduction, or loss of employment or similar circumstances, you may request a modification of fees by submitting a financial hardship application along with all required, supporting documents to [email protected] for consideration. All requests will be reviewed within three weeks of submission.

Financial Hardship Application 

Online Exam Application

The Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center has partnered with the testing service provider PSI, Inc. to offer this online exam application process listed below.  Paper applications are also available and are located in each candidate handbook.  Applicants MUST submit a paper application if requesting special testing accommodations (ADA related).
    
Applicant must be prepared to provide:
  • HPNA membership number to determine eligibility for membership discount (if applicable)
  • Choice of test assessment center if scheduling an appointment online. Test locations are the same for all exams.
  • Credit card information (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express)
The applicant provides personal data and choice of specialty exam on application form housed on a secure PSI website (Please provide your HOME address on your online application as ADDRESS 1) by the online application deadline date.  
 
Applicant receives notice of fee validation for the selected exam which is based upon current membership status in HPNA. Applicants must have their HPNA membership number in order to receive a member discount. If an application for a new HPNA membership has been made the same day as an application for a certification exam, the non-member exam fee will display, and the applicant must agree to pay the non-member fee to complete the exam application process.
   

Applicant reviews information and agrees. Applicant completes the process of applying for the next scheduled certification exam which includes the provision of credit card information for billing at time of application.  The applicant will receive online verification of application receipt from the testing company, PSI.    

The current online application is for the upcoming certification exam window only, and the application must be received by the testing company on or before 11:59 pm Central Time on the exam deadline date.  For clarification of any specific concerns or questions, contact the HPCC national office via email at [email protected] or by phone at 412-787-1057.  

For technical assistance with online applications, please contact PSI at 833-256-1422. 

Begin Online Exam Application

Testing Centers

Test site locations for computer-based certification testing are determined and available through the testing vendor, PSI, Inc. These locations are subject to change. Locations are the same for all HPCC certification exams.

For a direct link to the PSI testing locations page, click PSI Testing Locations

Sandra Lee Schafer Certification Scholarships

These scholarships cover the cost of certification fees for eligible individuals and are valid for those earning a new Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center certification or those who are renewing their current HPCC certification. Individuals can apply for the scholarships before or after taking the exam. The scholarships are competitive and individuals are selected from the applicant pool by the HPNF Awards Committee and approved by The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation board members. 

Learn More   

Recertification

Recertification for the ACHPN® certificant is through Hospice and Palliative Accrual for Recertification (HPAR), which requires fulfilling practice hour requirements, accumulating required points through various professional development activities, and completing the Situational Judgment Exercise (SJE). Each category varies as to how the points are calculated and how many of the total points can be obtained. For more information on recertification, visit the ACHPN® Recertification page

Certification Verification Tool

This is a free resource created to assist those looking to verify a professional's HPCC certification status. Names of individuals currently certified by HPCC are available through the link below.


Certification Verification

Certificate Printing & Purchasing

Printing your HPCC Certificate has never been easier! Instead of waiting for your certificate to arrive in the mail, all you have to do is log in to LearningBuilder, download your official certificate, and print! In addition to your certificate, you can download verification letters as well as important certification documents. If you'd still like a professionally printed certificate mailed to you, you can pay a $25 fee and have your certificate in your mailbox in about 60 days. For more information about how to print or purchase your certificate, follow the PDF or video guides below.

Certificate Printing Guide (PDF)    
Certificate Printing Guide (Video)
Certificate Purchasing Guide (PDF) 
Certificate Purchasing Guide (Video)