CNLCP® Certification by Portfolio Examination
Become a Certified Nurse Life Care Planner (CNLCP®)
Certified Nurse Life Care Planner (CNLCP®) Certification by Portfolio Examination
Please note that as of June 1, 2024, applications for the CNLCP® multiple-choice certification examination will no longer be accepted as we are transitioning to a portfolio examination. Development of the CNLCP® Portfolio Examination is underway, with an anticipated release by mid to late fall 2024.
Recertification applications are not affected.
CNLCP® Certification Eligibility Criteria
Candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria at the time of application as per the CNLCP® Handbook for Candidates: Click on topics below to reveal the answers.
1. What is the required licensure to become a CNLCP®?
Provision of proof of valid Registered Nurse licensure or its equivalent in other countries, for at least the prior three (3) years immediately preceding application. The license must be active, without any restrictions, and a current copy of the license must be submitted with the Candidate’s application
2. How much experience is required to become a CNLCP®?
Verification of a minimum of 2000 hours paid or “billable” professional experience in a role (e.g., life care planning, community based case management, medical cost projections, Medicare set-aside allocations, lifetime nurse care planning, community based rehabilitation nursing, public health nursing, community based legal nurse consulting) that utilizes the nursing process in assessing and determining an individual’s long term/lifetime treatment needs and costs, across the continuum of care.
3. What are the Education/Skills requirements to become a CNLCP®?
Completion of 120 continuing education units* relating to life care planning or in equivalent areas (see the Content Outline) that can be applied to the development of a life care plan, or pertain to the service delivery applicable to life care planning, within the five (5) years immediately preceding application
* There must be a minimum of 10 hours specific to a basic orientation, methodology, and standards of practice relevant to the nurse life care planning process contained within the continuing education curriculum
OR
Verification* of two (2) years life care planning experience, or a variant thereof, that incorporates the nursing process and skill set inherent to the assessment and determination of treatment needs and their respective costs, across the continuum of care, within the past five (5) years immediately preceding the application.
Checklist for CNLCP® Initial Certification Application Submission shall include the following:
A completed Application for the CNLCP® Examination.
A copy of a current, unrestricted RN license or computer generated document from the Candidate’s State Board of Nursing demonstrating active licensure without restrictions.
The Candidate’s resume or curriculum vitae. Proof of completion of 120 continuing education units relating to life care planning or in equivalent areas that can be applied to the development of a life care plan, or pertain to the service delivery applicable to life care planning, within the five (5) years immediately preceding application, OR verification* indicative of two (2) years full time, paid, professional work experience in the field of life care planning or a variant thereof, as described above under Education/Skills.
Full payment of the required fee(s)
Documentation as required.
*Verification of experience must be authenticated by an employer or a minimum of two referral sources.
It should be noted that if ambiguity exists in terms of pathway interpretation/qualification, a final decision will be executed by the Universal Life Care Planner Certification Board Application Committee, consisting of the Certification Board Chairman, Certification Board Co-Chairman, and the Certification Board Secretary.
Note: No practice test is necessary to be eligible to sit for the CNLCP® Certification Examination.
The policies and procedures used by the Universal Life Care Planner Certification Board to construct and review items and examination forms for the CNLCP® examination are consistent with guidelines recommended by the American Educational Research Association, the American Psychological Association, and the National Council on Measurement in Education (AERA, APA, NCME; 2014) as well as other industry standards such as: Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs (National Commission for Certifying Agencies, 2014) and Conformity assessment — General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons (ISO/IEC 17024).