ANCC Announces New Collaborative Relationship with Alliance of Nursing Informatics (ANI)

Georgia Nursing, May-Jul 2006

On February 11, the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Commission on Certification voted to approve the formal establishment of a collaborative relationship with the Alliance for Nursing Informatics (ANI). The purpose of the partnership between the organizations is to jointly promote the development of informatics nursing through provision of national certification opportunities for nurses in the field of informatics. This new collaboration coincides with the 10th Anniversary of the Informatics Certification; both ANI and ANCC will jointly celebrate this event to honor the contribution of America's informatics nurses to the advancement of the healthcare field.

The Alliance for Nursing Informatics (ANI) is a collaboration of organizations that represent a unified voice for nursing informatics. The Alliance represents more than 3,000 nurses and brings together 18 distinct nursing informatics groups in the United States and provides a single contact point for informatics nurses and the healthcare community. ANI facilitates the involvement of informatics nurses in the development of resources, guidelines, research, public policy, certification, advocacy and career development.

As one point of the agreement, ANI will appoint and sponsor a volunteer for the ANCC Informatics Nursing Content Expert Panel (CEP); the CEP is composed of currently practicing, certified nurses in that specialty. Volunteers sitting on a content expert panel play a key role in the development of the profession by identifying the knowledge, skills and abilities of informatics nurses through a logical job analysis, a process that ultimately affects all nurses that practice in a particular specialty area.

ANI will also play an active role in identifying potential test item writers for the Informatics Exam. ANI will also play a key role in defining market opportunities for the Informatics Nursing Certification, and in nominating participants for various studies and research.

As a collaborating partner with ANCC, all members of ANI will receive a special rate on the certification exam; a discount rate will also apply to certification renewal. Furthermore, through the end of 2006 a Special Discount will apply reducing the fee for ANI members to only $250.00. to celebrate not only the signing of the collaborative agreement between ANI and ANCC, but the 10th Anniversary of the Informatics Nurse Certification, and the fact that this was the first ANCC exam to be offered in a computer-based format (in 1996).