To be eligible for the CNML exam, a candidate must meet the target practitioner definition:
The nurse manager and leader is a nurse leader who has the skills to facilitate the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based collaborative care to a wide range of patients. Nurse Managers/Leaders possess clinical expertise. Typically, Nurse Managers/Leaders have clinical and administrative accountability for their unit(s) during all hours of operation. The Nurse Manager/Leader’s administrative responsibility includes managing finances, human resources, staffing, performance improvement, technology, and strategy. The Nurse Manager/Leader possesses broad-based clinical and leadership skills through communication, mentoring, advocacy, systems thinking, critical thinking, and establishment of a healthy work environment.
All candidates must hold a valid and unrestricted license as a Registered Nurse,
- The AONL-CC maintains an exclusive partner for evaluating international credentials and licenses of nurses educated and licensed outside the US. To validate international credentials (license and education), applicants must present verification from CGFNS International, Inc. Verification documents from any other organization will not be accepted.
and fulfill one of the following requirements for education/work experience.
- A baccalaureate degree or higher, one degree of which is in nursing; at least 2,080 hours of experience in a nurse manager/primary unit leader role
OR
- A baccalaureate degree or higher, one degree of which is in nursing, at least 4,160 hours of experience in a comprehensive nursing leadership support role
There is no defined time limit on the experiential requirement as to when the experience occurred. Still, the practice should be recent enough that the AONL Nurse Executive Competencies guided the applicant’s executive nursing practice.
Your job title might not match the title of the exam application, but you may be practicing in the role and specialty that the exam tests. Please refer to the Test Content Outline and target audience in the Candidate Handbook for details and compare it to your job function.
You are not required to submit any supporting documentation as proof of eligibility. However, you are strongly encouraged to thoroughly review the related examination content outline (content domains and tasks) in the CNML Candidate Handbook. The content outline represents the essential job tasks performed by a CNML. These job tasks are the basis for the questions on the examination.
The content outline also allows candidates to determine whether they meet the eligibility requirements for the exam by comparing their experience with exam content domains and tasks. If you find gaps in your knowledge and skill, additional experience and/or study may be necessary. The eligibility requirements are in place to ensure candidates are positioned to succeed on the examination.