ANCC AGCNS-BC Certification Exam Syllabus

A. Knowledge of:

1. Normal age-related changes
2. Pathophysiology across the lifespan (e.g., etiology, presentation, risk factors)
3. Individual determinants of health (e.g., aging, genetics, developmental, stress)
4. Environmental determinants of health (e.g., socioeconomic, cultural, geographic)
5. Abuse and neglect
6. Nursing theories
7. Diagnostic testing (e.g., laboratory, radiographic, physical, psychological)

B. Skill in:

1. Comprehensive assessment
2. Problem-focused assessment
3. Differential diagnoses
4. Ethical healthcare practice (e.g., confidentiality, capacity, futility, consent, assent)

A. Knowledge of:

1. Pharmacotherapeutics
2. Polypharmacy
3. Substance use disorders
4. Family and caregiver roles
5. Palliative and end-of-life care
6. Care transition and coordination
7. Adult learning theories
8. Information technology (e.g., informatics, telehealth, patient portals)
9. Change management (e.g., communication planning, stakeholder buy-in, resource access)
10. Educational initiatives (e.g., design, development, delivery, evaluation)

B. Skill in:

1. Pharmacologic interventions
2. Non-pharmacologic interventions
3. Complementary and alternative therapies
4. Patient, family, and caregiver education, coaching, and advocacy
5. Coordination of nursing and healthcare resources (e.g., staffing, surge planning, disaster management)
6. Health promotion (e.g., community-based education, disease screening, wellness programs)
7. Evidence-based practice process
8. Nursing and healthcare advocacy

A. Knowledge of:

1. Scope and standards of healthcare practice (e.g., prescriptive authority, licensure, certification, credentialing, liability)
2. Patient outcomes (e.g., nursing-sensitive indicators, publicly reported measures)
3. System outcomes (e.g., length of stay, readmission rate, patient satisfaction)
4. Research methodology and statistical analysis
5. Quality and process improvement (e.g., root cause analysis, gap analysis, just culture, structure-process-outcome evaluation)
6. Regulatory compliance (e.g., policies and procedures, clinical practice guidelines, accreditation and regulatory standards)
7. Healthcare business and finance

B. Skill in:

1. Patient response to interventions
2. Family and caregiver response to interventions
3. Care plan modification
4. Organization and systems leadership (e.g., project management, risk management)
5. Developing and collaborating with interdisciplinary team members (e.g., continuing education, role-modeling, mentorship, coaching, preceptorship, conflict resolution)