Heart Failure Certification
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

CHFN Eligibility for the Clinical Nurse

Certification

To be eligible to take the CHFN exam, the registered nurse must:

Eligibility Requirements/Certification:

  • Hold a current, active RN license within a state or territory of the United States or the professional, legally recognized equivalent in another country and have practiced full time as a registered nurse for at least two (2) years or its equivalent that equates to approximately 4160 hours at time of submitting application.
  • Have a minimum of 1,200 hours of clinical practice working in a field of nursing caring for heart failure patients or work in an area that regularly works with heart failure patients within the last two (2) years. Note: this requirement equates to approximately 29% of time in clinical practice of heart failure in the previous 2 years.
  • Have completed 30 hours of accredited* continuing education within the last two (2) years, of which a minimum of 15 hours must be heart failure specific. Must be completed at the time the exam application is submitted. If “heart failure” is not in the title or education was NOT provided by AAHFN or HFSA, you must submit a syllabus and/or objectives to confirm content is heart failure specific. The 15 hour heart failure specific education cannot be themes related to heart failure (for example, atrial fibrillation, sleep apnea, chronic renal failure, hypertension or coronary artery disease). Pulmonary hypertension requires additional documentation unless it is clearly heart failure specific. Please review the document on the link below for accepted heart failure topics.

 *accredited CEs -  i.e. ANCC, State Nursing Board - not all hospital CEs are accredited - check  with your institution.

Link to Guideline of Acceptable Heart Failure CE topics

International CHFNs  must meet the same requirements as U.S. CHFNs. Certificate for CEs must be available upon request.

Completing the Online Application
  1. Download the Professional Development form found on the CHFN tab dropdown menu
  2. Use this form to enter all CEs - No other forms will be accepted
  3. Upload form within the online application
  4. Do NOT submit certificates in lieu of completing the form. These are not acceptable and will delay the evaluation of your application.
  5. Upon completion of application,  at bottom of page click in the reCaptcha box,  click next.

  6. At the top of this page you must click both square boxes, when those boxes are clicked pricing will appear, you must click both round boxes for the complete total.

  7. Complete with payment information

  8. Your application will be reviewed. If there are questions, you will be contacted.

  9. Upon approval, you will be sent an email with instructions to schedule the exam.

Cost

AAHFN member Non AAHFN member
Computer Based Testing $350.00 $450.00

This includes a non refundable application fee of $75.00.

Group Discount

Ten (10) or more exam candidates from the same institution will receive a 10% discount. Total Submission fees must be paid in full  before promo code issued.

Membership in AAHFN must be current through the examination date to be eligible for the reduced fee.

Online applications are preferred, however if you need to submit a paper application a $30.00 processing fee will be added to the total fee of your exam application.

Paper Application Processing Fee   $30.00

Re-examination Fee
A candidate who does not pass the examination is able to re-take the exam in two months, but must re-take the exam within six (6) months of original test date to receive the examination at a reduced fee. The fee is $125 for AAHFN members (membership in AAHFN must be current through the examination date to be eligible for the reduced fee) and $200 for non members. This includes a non refundable application fee of $75.00. A candidate who does not pass the second examination is considered failed. Any repeat examination will require completion of a new application and payment of the full examination fee.

Contact Hour Certificate Form Copy Fee

A $10 per request fee will be charged for copying CNE forms for recertification.

Paper Application Processing Fee   $30.00

 

$50 to retrieve AAHFN CE certificates from annual meetings, symposia, or online CEs.

 

 

 

 

 

 CHFN Certification Requirements Rationale

Eligibility Requirements  Rationale
 Hold a current, active RN license within a state or territory of the United States or the professional, legally recognized equivalent in another country and have practiced full time as a registered nurse for at least two (2) years or its equivalent that equates to approximately 4160 hours at time of submitting application.    Demonstrates additional expertise/specialty. The certification builds on specialized knowledge that an RN has: foundational nursing skills and practice that is already established at the registered nursing level.)

 Have a minimum of 1,200 hours of clinical practice working in a field of nursing caring for heart failure patients or work in an area that regularly works with heart failure patients within the last two (2) years.

Note: this requirement equates to approximately 29% of time in clinical practice of heart failure in the previous 2 years.  

  The hours show that you are working within the field of nursing. It shows that you are working in the HF specialty. The 1200 hours of clinical practice is necessary to ensure they have gained sufficient hands on experience in a variety of patient situations.

 Have completed 30 hours of accredited* continuing education within the last two (2) years, of which a minimum of 15 hours must be heart failure specific. Must be completed at the time the exam application is submitted. If “heart failure” is not in the title or education was NOT provided by AAHFN or HFSA, you must submit a syllabus and/or objectives to confirm content is heart failure specific.

The 15 hour heart failure specific education cannot be themes related to heart failure (for example, atrial fibrillation, sleep apnea, chronic renal failure, hypertension or coronary artery disease). Pulmonary hypertension requires additional documentation unless it is clearly heart failure specific. Please review the document on the link below for accepted heart failure topics.

  Since heart failure is a complex and specialized condition, a significant portion of continuing education must focus specifically on it. This prevents dilution of relevant knowledge and ensures competency in HF management. This guarantees that candidates maintain ongoing professional development and are exposed to current advancements in cardiovascular care. Accreditation ensures the education meets high-quality standards

 Education Must Be Completed Before Application Submission

This ensures that all applicants meet the educational criteria at the time of applying, preventing delays and ensuring that only adequately prepared individuals proceed.

 

 

 

 

 

CHFN-CB,
1120 Rt 73, Ste 200,
Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054

888.452.2436 / 888-452-2436

856.439.0525

For questions concerning exam educational resources, contact Gail Haas 888-452-2436

For questions concerning the exam for certification questions, contact Cindy Tavormina 888-452-2436 ext. 2 

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