Anaesthesia Nurse Certification

Fill in and complete

• Anaesthesia Clinical Criteria Statement
• Anaesthesia Experience Statement
• 3 reflective logs

• Your employer and consultant anaesthetist must sign and date the ACPAN Anaesthesia Clinical Criteria Statement which validates you are competent in certain clinical skills related to airway, care, anaesthesia and safety & practice. This is a standardised statement which you can be downloaded from the ACPAN website. Other statements are not valid.
• Your employer and consultant anaesthetist have to sign the ACPAN Anaesthesia Experience Statement. This is a standardised statement which you can be downloaded from the ACPAN website. Other statements are not valid.
• You have completed a minimum 1900 hours of anaesthesia practice experience within 3 years; and
• You are competent in assisting during CPR, difficult airway, CICO, cardiac defibrillation and cardioversion, massive blood transfusion, anaphylaxis and malignant hyperthermia as per ANZCA PS08. This does not mean that you have real-life experience in assisting the anaesthetist during those situations. Training and workshops at your local hospital can be sufficient. You are required to have a thorough understanding of the local policies and you are deemed competent to act in those situations.
• You must complete 3 reflective logs. The reflective logs must relate to anaesthesia care. The cases should reflect on your professional practice while providing care in anaesthesia and should clearly demonstrate the application of theory to practice, decision-making and problem solving.
  Possible topics may be:
• Provision of anaesthesia care based on sound principles and research evidence.
• Interpretation and utilisation of data obtained from non-invasive monitoring data.
• Recognition and appropriate response to anaesthetic complications (including equipment failure) that occur during the anaesthesia period.
• Utilisation of appropriate verbal, nonverbal, and written communication in the delivery of anaesthesia care. Delivery of culturally competent anaesthesia care.
• Function within appropriate legal requirements, accepting responsibility and accountability for practice.

Complete successfully the online anaesthesia certification exams and download the certificates

To prepare for the certification exam, ACPAN has study resources available on their website (Resources tab in the main menu) and also courses available at the ACPAN Academy may be suitable for your preparation.

The anaesthesia certification exam consists of four sub-exams:

• Perianaesthesia sub-exam 1: perianaesthesia nursing + economics & organisation (30 questions)
• Anaesthesia sub-exam 2: principles of anaesthesia (30 questions)
• Perianaesthesia sub-exam 3: basic science, pharmacology and (patho)physiology (30 questions)
• Anaesthesia sub-exam 4: emergency management (30 questions)

Each sub-exam is available on the ACPAN Academy, will take 15 minutes and costs $20. You will have to obtain an 80% pass for each sub-exam. After successful completion, you can download a certificate. You can take each sub-exam as often as you like, but each attempt will cost $20.

Before starting the sub-exams:

• Have pen, paper and a calculator available for the medication questions
• Use common sense and the knowledge you have gained during your 1900 hours experience in anaesthesia care
• Use the study resources wisely

When passing all four sub-exams the first time, the total costs for anaesthesia certification will be $80.

If you have obtained your PACU certification WITHIN the last year, you do NOT need to do the perianaesthesia sub-exams 1. You do need to upload the certificates of ALL sub-exams, including sub-exam 1, when applying for anaesthesia certification.

Register your anaesthesia certification application:

• Personal details
• AHPRA registration number
• ACPAN registration number (or technician certificate number)

Register your certification application on the ACPAN website (education tab at main menu). You will be asked to complete the following details: name, address, email address, phone number, AHPRA registration number and ACPAN membership number. Anaesthesia technicians can upload their TAFE certificate and register their ACPAN associate membership number.

Once your registration details are completed, upload all required documents to the ACPAN website:

• Completed and signed Anaesthesia Clinical Criteria Statement
• Completed and signed Anaesthesia Experience Statement
• Three completed reflective logs
• All four sub-exam certificates
• CV: clearly state your employment history including the specialty-related positions you have held. Please include the start date, finish date, the employer, position title, brief description of the role, and the total hours you worked in this position.

Associate ACPAN members also have to upload their education certificates, e.g. TAFE Anaesthesia Technician certificate

You will receive confirmation of your certification application:

• Certification certificate
• Registration in the ACPAN certification register

After uploading all documents to the ACPAN website, your application will be reviewed and you will receive a confirmation email of your successful certification application including your anaesthesia certification certificate. Your name will also be added to the ACPAN certification register which is visible for the public.

Download the required documents from the ACPAN website:

• ACPAN Anaesthesia Experience Statement: minimal 270 hours of anaesthesia care within the last three years.

Complete successfully the online anaesthesia certification exams and download the certificates:

• Perianaesthesia sub-exam 1: perianaesthesia nursing + economics & organisation (30 questions)
• Anaesthesia sub-exam 2: principles of anaesthesia (30 questions)
• Perianaesthesia sub-exam 3: basic science, pharmacology and (patho)physiology (30 questions)
• Anaesthesia sub-exam 4: emergency management (30 questions)

Update your details

• Personal details
• AHPRA registration number
• ACPAN registration number (or technician certificate number)

Upload all documents to the ACPAN website:

• ACPAN Employment Statement
• CPD overview (in total 30 points): you are required to provide evidence of completion of a certain number of hours of continuing professional development in the previous three years, which must incorporate: 10 hours per year in anaesthesia care.
• Four sub-exam certificates
• CV as per ACPAN template