Certified in Public Health Nursing (CPHN)

Credentialing Nurses in Public Health

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 developed the Certified in Public Health Nursing (CPHN) certification for public health nurses. The purpose of the CPHN is to recognize foundational knowledge and practical application of public health and nursing sciences based on public health nursing competencies. 

The CPHN certification exam will launch in late 2026!

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

CPHN Exam Content

The Certified in Public Health Nursing (CPHN) exam covers the areas of knowledge relevant to contemporary public health and general public health nursing principles. The examination is developed to assess a person’s knowledge of these competencies, regardless of their area of expertise.

The National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE) received funding through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation President’s Grant Fund of the Princeton Area Community Foundation to conduct a Job Task Analysis (JTA) for the public health nursing workforce.  

The CPHN JTA Committee held its first meeting December 5-6, 2024 in Arlington, VA. With staff members from NBPHE and Meazure Learning, the committee identified day-to-day tasks performed by nurses working in public health as well as finalize the survey instrument which included demographic questions.  

NBPHE administered the survey between April 1, 2025 and May 31, 2025. It identified the most frequent and important day-to-day tasks that public health nurses perform in their positions. 

Members of the CPHN JTA Committee reconvened virtually on August 5, 2025 along with NBPHE and Meazure Learning staff. The committee analyzed the survey results of the JTA survey and developed the CPHN Exam Content Outline.

NBPHE will conduct a JTA every five to seven years to update the CPHN examination. As public health nurses’ work changes over time, this process ensures CPHN candidates are being tested on tasks performed in the field.

The Certified in Public Health Nursing (CPHN) credential was developed with financial support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation President’s Grant Fund of the Princeton Area Community Foundation.