In the absence of a transparent and standardised system to certify the competencies of nurses already in service, the credibility of their quality remains uncertain. This lack of clarity creates significant costs:

● For employers: The absence of reliable signals makes it difficult to assess nurse quality, often leading to lower compensation.

● For nurses in service: The lack of recognition for skills restricts career growth, reduces bargaining power, and leaves competence undervalued.

The National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Act 2023 allows the State Commissions to issue certifications of specialization or other forms of certification for those practicing nursing and midwifery. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 calls for outcome-based, 69 competency-driven assessments that go beyond rote learning to measure practical skills. It underscores the importance of formal certifications to validate specialized skills. An independent competency certification centre creates a transparent signal of individual nurse quality, much like ratings do for institutes. Through uniform testing, trained evaluators, and ratings based on certified skill levels, the system allows hospitals and healthcare providers to make informed hiring and pay decisions. This ensures that every nurse has a fair shot at employment while letting the market determine the value of different competency levels.

To establish a reliable, independent quality marker for nurse’s competence in the job market.

NNMC Act, 2023 underscores the need for an independent, certification system for nursing competence. To uphold these mandates, competency certification is guided by the following principles:

● Credible: Assessments must be conducted by trained evaluators and supported by transparent scoring systems trusted by employers and regulators alike.

● Standardised and fair: Uniform testing methods, proctored assessments, and objective evaluation criteria must be applied across all institutes.

● Comprehensive: Both knowledge, skills and behaviour must be assessed to provide a holistic picture.

● Authorised: Assessment centres should be authorised by a competent state authority.

  • Draft a state policy to establish the need for CCN Centres that will issue competency certificates to nursing graduates. The policy should outline the competencies to be tested, an initial proposal for centre design, infrastructure, and operational processes.

    Qualified assessors to be selected and provided structured training on assessment tools, scoring methods, and evaluation protocols to ensure fairness, consistency, and reliability in the certification process

    -Candidate registration portal from Bihar: https://forms.demorgia.com/user-form/682c673cde27f41e0a246069

    -Admin login portal from Bihar: https://admin.assessir.com/login

    -Candidate login portal from Bihar: https://candidate.assessir.com/login

  • The SNRC should constitute a committee of experts to approve the competencies, assessments,
    and assessor selection criteria of the CCN centres being established.

    • Sample membership of Technical Committee: ● State Health department: Director/equivalent officer
      ● State nursing council: Registrar & Consultant
      ● Employers: 1 superintendent & 1 member per employer (minimum 2 and maximum 5)
      ● State medical college: 4 members (nurses/nursing superintendents)

  • Develop and release affiliation guidelines for the CCN centre. Invite entities to establish a CCN
    centre and only the entities that align with the guidelines can set up a CCN centre. Assessment
    centres may be set up in multiple ways: (a) Within a government college or hospital, (b) within a
    private college or hospital or (c) as an independent centre, formally authorised by the council.
    Once aligned, an MoU may be signed between the state nursing council and the CCN centre.

    • Suggested Samples and Templates: Design the overall assessment blueprint, including case scenarios and competency list. Establish
      a scoring criteria of grading the nurses based on their score in knowledge as well as skill based
      assessment which can also test the behavior of the nurses. The CCN grades should be
      mentioned on the certificate released.

    • Sample proposal document for the certification centre: [Download here] 

    • Sample MoU between state nursing council and state college: [Download here] 

  • Design the overall assessment blueprint, including case scenarios and competency list. Establish
    a scoring criterion of grading the nurses based on their score in knowledge as well as skill based
    assessment which can also test the behavior of the nurses. The CCN grades should be
    mentioned on the certificate released.

  • Onboard a tech team to develop the digital systems for the certification process.

  • Engage hospitals and other healthcare employers to build awareness about the certification,
    showcase its value in improving workforce quality, and encourage adoption. A partnership may
    also be formed with potential employers for hiring certified nurses based on their CCN grades.

  • Plan, set up, and operationalize centres with the required infrastructure, digital systems, assessors, and SOPs to ensure standardized, secure, and reliable certification of nurses.

  • Make candidate registration portal live. Design and implement a multiple channel outreach strategy to inform and engage candidates.
    Share all relevant information with registered candidates to ensure they are well-prepared for the certification process. This includes sending the candidate handbook, guidelines, and instructions via email.

  • Implement centre operations with clear SOPs, handbooks, and sample materials for candidates. Establish evaluation rosters, grievance redressal mechanisms, and quality assurance processes. Define staff roles, ensure candidate support, and manage workflows for smooth functioning.

  • Registered candidates receive their CCN grades after completing the assessment. The State Nursing Council should categorise the CCN grades into three bands (A–C), with ‘A’ denoting the highest performing nurses and ‘C’ the lowest. Additionally, an ‘F’ rating may be given to anyone who fails the test. This may be updated on the competency passbook of the certified nurses.

  • A consolidated list of certified candidates, along with their CCN grades, may be shared with partner employers at regular intervals. This ensures hospitals and healthcare providers have direct access to the certificates issued and reach out to candidates to hire them. The employers should also be able to access detailed scores and videos of the skill assessment when a candidate applied to them with the certification.

  • Once the mentee institute achieves a minimum 85% of the standards, they may reach out to the regulator for a re-rating by paying a specific amount.

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