What the Course Entails and Exam Details

While there is no mandatory course you must take to sit for the exam, effective preparation involves studying the Core Curriculum for the Hospice and Palliative Registered Nurse and utilizing official study guides. The CHPN exam evaluates your competency across five essential domains of practice.

The detailed content outline includes the following core areas:

• Patient Care: Assessment and Planning (25 scored questions): Focuses on physical, psychosocial, spiritual, and cultural assessment; developing an interdisciplinary plan of care; and managing disease progression.

• Patient Care: Pain Management (26 scored questions): Covers types of pain, comprehensive pain assessment, and the use of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions to achieve comfort.

• Patient Care: Symptom Management (28 scored questions): Tests your knowledge of managing common end-of-life symptoms beyond pain, such as dyspnea, nausea, anxiety, and terminal congestion.

• Support, Education, and Advocacy (28 scored questions): Evaluates your ability to communicate effectively with patients and families, provide education, support decision-making, and advocate for their goals of care.

• Practice Issues (28 scored questions): Addresses ethical dilemmas, legal considerations, collaborative practice, self-care for the nurse, and quality improvement processes within a hospice or palliative care setting.

What to Expect in the Final Exam

The CHPN final exam is a computer-based, multiple-choice assessment that must be completed in a set timeframe. It consists of 150 total questions.

Out of these 150 questions, 135 are scored, and 15 are unscored "pretest" questions. These pretest questions are distributed throughout the exam, are not identified, and do not affect your final score. You are given 3 hours to complete the entire test. To pass the exam, you must achieve a scaled score of 75 or higher. This scaling process accounts for variations in difficulty between different forms of the exam, ensuring a fair standard for all candidates.

How to Study and Exam Centers

Effective preparation for the CHPN exam requires a structured study plan and dedicated practice.

Start by obtaining the CHPN Candidate Handbook from the HPCC website. This document provides the most current content outline and detailed bibliography. Your primary resource should be the official textbook, Core Curriculum for the Hospice and Palliative Registered Nurse. Supplement your reading with a comprehensive CHPN Practice Exam Kit and official Question Banks. Taking multiple timed practice exams is crucial to simulate the actual test-taking environment, identify areas of weakness, and practice pacing yourself within the three-hour time limit.

When you are ready to take the test, you must apply to the HPCC during one of the established testing windows. The exam is administered by PSI, a professional testing company. You can choose to take the exam in person at a designated PSI Test Center. Alternatively, the HPCC offers Live Remote Proctoring (LRP), allowing you to take the exam online from the comfort of your home, provided you meet the required technology and security standards.

Job Opportunities from the Course

Earning the CHPN credential distinguishes you as an expert in your field and opens doors to numerous career advancement opportunities. Certified nurses often experience increased job satisfaction, greater professional respect, and are more competitive for leadership roles.

Below is a clear list of specific job titles and career paths this certification unlocks:

• Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse (CHPN)

• Palliative Care Nurse Navigator

• Hospice Case Manager / Care Coordinator

• Hospice and Palliative Care Educator

• Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) Lead Nurse

• Palliative Care Consultant

• Nurse Manager or Administrator in Hospice and Palliative Care Services

• Quality Improvement Coordinator for End-of-Life Care