The Nonsurgical Pain
Management (NSPM)
Credentialing Process
Nurse anesthetists increasingly
are being asked to provide care to
patients experiencing chronic pain. The
NBCRNA developed the nonsurgical
pain management (NSPM) subspecialty
credential for nurse anesthetists to
respond to patients’ needs for qualified
and competent pain practitioners. Each
nurse anesthetist who passes the NSPM
examination and fulfills the requirements
for subspecialty NSPM certification by
the NBCRNA may use “NSPM-C” after
his or her name. NSPM-C stands for
nonsurgical pain management-certified.
NSPM-C is not punctuated with periods.
For more information, click on
the “NSPM” tab on the NBCRNA
homepage at www.NBCRNA.com
Nonsurgical Pain Management
(NSPM) Credentialing Process
What Is NSPM?
NBCRNA has adopted the following
definition of NSPM… “The administration
of neural or neuraxial blockade,
physiological, pharmacological, and
psychological techniques and modalities
for the management of acute and
chronic pain outside the obstetrical
and operating room areas. (This may
include the assessment, planning,
implementation, and evaluation of
multimodal approaches in providing
patient care.)”
www.NBCRNA.com
Copyright © 2014 by the National Board
of Certification and Recertification
for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA). All
Rights Reserved.
www.NBCRNA.com
How can I obtain the NSPM
credential?
How is the NSPM exam
structured?
A nurse anesthetist seeking to obtain
the NSPM subspecialty credential must
meet rigorous initial eligibility criteria to
qualify to sit for the NSPM subspecialty
certification examination.
The initial eligibility criteria include*:
• Current nurse anesthesia clinical
practice
• Completion of educational activity
that demonstrates knowledge in the
following areas within the immediate
prior 4 years from the date of
application:
The NSPM subspecialty certification
examination will consist of 150 scored
multiple choice questions and 2-3
clinical scenario items, assessing the
nurse anesthetist’s knowledge of
needle placement in three anatomical
approaches (i.e., midline, lateral,
peripheral), four anatomical regions
(i.e., cervical, thoracic, lumbar,
and sacral), as well as the NSPM
subspecialty certification examination
content outline. The total time allowed
for the examination will be four hours.
- Physiology and
pathophysiology of pain
- Imaging safety
- Assessment/diagnosis/
integration/referral
- Pharmacological treatment
- Interventional pain strategies
- Professional aspects
• Submission of a practice portfolio
• Successful completion of an assessed
NSPM cadaver course or an assessed
simulation course
Individuals who meet the above
eligibility criteria may sit for the NSPM
certification examination. Successful
completion of the NSPM subspecialty
certification examination is required
to obtain the NSPM credential.
*The NBCRNA Board of Directors reserves
the right to modify the NSPM subspecialty
criteria, with due notice.
A clinical scenario item (CSI) is a series
of questions where the examinee is
presented with a base clinical patient
scenario and multiple possible actions
to manage the patient. Through the
course of the examinee’s selections,
additional information regarding the
patient is provided. These CSIs add
value to the examination experience
by replicating a patient and nurse
anesthetist’s interactions.