Public Health Nursing Certification

Building a Public Health Nursing Certification

The National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE) has been certifying public health professionals since 2008. Our vision has always been to strengthen the public health profession through certification, which highlights the set of skills and knowledge unique to public health and to ensure the public health workforce is ready.  

In 2015, the NBPHE expanded its original eligibility to include members of the public health workforce without formal academic training in public health. Since then, in addition to certifying public health professionals from many backgrounds and specialty areas, more than 100 public health nurses have become Certified in Public Health. However, there has also been widespread interest in a specialty certification that includes public health nursing science as compared to the more general CPH.   

In response to this interest, NBPHE has begun to explore and take steps towards a certification for public health nurses. The expected purpose of the certification will be to recognize foundational knowledge and practical application of public health and nursing sciences based on public health nursing competencies. 

A public health nursing certification advisory committee has been formed to begin the process. Our initial first steps include:  

• Identification of key organizations which should be involved in the development process 

• Establishing preliminary eligibility 

• Determination of certification process  

The advisory committee is currently planning the crucial next step – conducting a job task analysis in late 2024 which will define the scope and standards of the certification.  

For more information, contact us at [email protected].