Nonsurgical Pain Management Examination
In response to challenges continually faced by many nurse anesthetists who practice nonsurgical pain management (NSPM), the NBCRNA developed a voluntary subspecialty certification for nurse anesthetists in Nonsurgical Pain Management (NSPM-C) in 2014. The NSPM credential program measures the knowledge, skills, and abilities of NBCRNA-certified registered nurse anesthetists for practice in the NSPM field. It requires advanced, subspecialty knowledge beyond that required for initial certification of nurse anesthetists.
Nurse anesthetists who are currently certified by the NBCRNA and meet other specified criteria are eligible to apply for NSPM certification. The NSPM exam is a computer-based assessment, featuring 150 multiple-choice questions. The total time allowed for the examination will be 180 minutes, or three hours. It is typically offered twice per year at test centers in the U.S. This certification is time-limited and must be renewed.
Those who meet the criteria for the NSPM subspecialty certification and wish to pursue the certification can apply to take the exam during the window dates below.
View the NSPM Bibliography.
Total Number of NSPM Certificants
Congratulations to the 21 new NSPM-C credential holders who were recently certified! Since the inception of the NSPM program in 2015, 208 CRNAs have earned the NSPM-C credential. See the below table for upcoming application and testing dates in 2024.
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Application Windows for NSPM Exam- 2024
If you are planning to take the NSPM Examination, contact NBCRNA at support@nbcrna.com or (855) 285-4658 to have an application activated.
Upcoming 2024 NSPM Examination dates:
| Applications for Exam Accepted | Test Dates |
| 1/08/2024 - 6/17/2024 | 6/19/2024 - 7/22/2024 |
| 8/12/2024 - 11/06/2024 | 11/08/2024 - 12/16/2024 |
The NBCRNA’s Nonsurgical Pain Management (NSPM-C) credential program is accredited by both the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) and the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC).