Change ahead : Revised CMC test plan from AACN’s 2025 study of practice · AACN
CMC eligibility, a specialty first, then cardiac hours
Eligibility · AACN handbook and FAQ read Nov 11, 2026
Three things are checked before the application is approved: a US RN or APRN license with no restrictions or conditions, a current accredited specialty certification, and practice hours with acutely or critically ill adults, a set share of them with cardiac patients.
The cardiac medicine requirements as printed
From the August 2026 exam handbook, the July 2026 renewal handbook and the board's FAQ, read November 11, 2026.
- 01
Before you apply
An unencumbered, current RN or APRN license in the US; a current ABSNC- or NCCA-accredited clinical specialty certification in direct adult care; and 1,750 hours with acutely or critically ill adults in 2 years (875 in the last year and 875 with cardiac patients) or 2,000 hours in 5 years (144 in the last year, 1,000 with cardiac patients)AACN’s examples of accepted specialty certifications include CCRN, PCCN, CEN, CMSRN, CNOR, CPAN and ACNPC-AG. - 02
Credential
CMC (Cardiac Medicine Certification), an adult subspecialty credentialCMC is written only after a current specialty credential, joined by a dash, as in PCCN-CMC. - 03
Valid for
3 yearsIf the linked specialty certification lapses, the CMC becomes inactive automatically. - 04
How to renew
432 hours with acutely or critically ill adult cardiac patients in 3 years (144 in the last year) plus 25 Category A CERPs on CMC topics, or the exam; the specialty certification must stay current
Which specialty certification can sit underneath
The base credential has to be current, nationally accredited (ABSNC or NCCA), about direct care of adults, and tested beyond clinical judgment: it must also cover professional caring and ethical practice as the Synergy Model defines them (handbook, PDF p. 7). The handbook's examples are CCRN through the Direct Care or Tele-critical Care pathway, PCCN through Direct Care, ACNPC, ACNPC-AG, CCNS, ACCNS-AG, CMSRN and CEN; the FAQ adds CNOR and CPAN. A credential from another board is documented with the application, and you name the one your subspecialty will be tied to.
CCRN-K and CCRN-E are no longer separate credentials; the pathways that replaced them are described with the board's catalog.
Two ways to count cardiac hours
- Recent route: 1,750 hours in 2 years, 875 of them with cardiac patients, with half of the total in the latest year.
- Longer route: 2,000 hours in 5 years, 1,000 of them with cardiac patients, with a smaller minimum in the latest year (see the table).
Hours count as an RN or APRN in direct care of acutely or critically ill adults, in the US or Canada. Orientation spent shadowing the nurse who holds the assignment does not count; orientation in which you are the assigned nurse does (handbook, PDF p. 7). The handbook writes the exam for nurses in coronary care, medical ICUs, telemetry, progressive care, heart failure clinics, interventional cardiology, cath labs and electrophysiology units (PDF p. 6).
“You need a CCRN first” often repeated
Accredited specialty credentials in direct adult care that also test professional caring and ethics qualify, so an emergency nurse with a CEN or a step-down nurse with a PCCN can apply once the cardiac hours are there. A nurse who does not qualify for CCRN can still reach the subspecialty through another specialty.
Keeping the two credentials in step
The subspecialty lives only while the specialty does. If the linked specialty lapses, the cardiac credential becomes inactive (FAQ), and each renewal checks the link again (renewal handbook, p. ii). Put both renewal dates in one calendar. The way the pair is written, PCCN-CMC or CCRN-CMC, has its own rule.
While the application is reviewed
Practice on your phone
Cardiac subspecialty: exam, cost, review
- CMCAACN cardiac medicine subspecialty: format, revised plan, fees, who qualifies
- CMC practice testPractice questions on the revised plan, each option explained
- CMC exam factsOld and new test plans, booking, scoring, pass rates, retakes, renewal
- CMC costMember and non-member fees, retest, renewal, whether dues pay back
- CMC study guideDevices and drugs first, the lines the revised plan added, AACN's reading list
Eligibility questions from cardiac nurses
Can I apply with a CEN instead of a CCRN or PCCN?
Yes. CEN is among the examples of a qualifying specialty, as long as it is current and you have the adult cardiac hours.
Can a nurse practitioner sit the cardiac medicine exam?
Yes. An APRN license counts, and ACNPC-AG is one of the example specialty credentials.
Do cath lab and EP lab hours count?
They can. What counts is direct care of acutely or critically ill adults, with the cardiac share of the hours spent with adult cardiac patients; the handbook names both settings among those the exam is written for.
Sources
all read Nov 11, 2026