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About The clinical competency assessment process

Registered Nurse CCA

The CCA is an opportunity for you to demonstrate how your knowledge and practice matches what is expected of registered nurses to deliver safe and competent care. All registered nurses must demonstrate that they can meet the entry-level competencies.

  • CCA components

    The assessment is currently made up these components:

    • Written diagnostic exams
    • Clinical Judgment Scenarios (CJS)
    • Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)

    Please note that a Remote Delivery option for all components of the CCA is under development. 

  • Preparing for the assessment

    The CCA looks at entry-level competencies; it does not look at expert levels of nursing practice.

    Even if you have practiced in a highly specialized area, your knowledge and practice is being compared to entry-level competencies. You will likely need to refresh your entry-level knowledge before you take the CCA.

  • Assessment areas

    You may be asked to complete assessments in any or all of the following areas:

    • Ambulatory care
    • Community health
    • Emergency care
    • Geriatrics
    • Medical
    • Mental health
    • Obstetrics
    • Palliative care
    • Pediatric and adolescent health
    • Surgical

How to apply

Authorized Prescriber CCA

The Authorized Prescriber (AP) Clinical Competence Assessment (CCA) provides nurses the opportunity to demonstrate their prescribing knowledge, skills and judgement in practice. It is an examination used to assess an individual’s practice for gaps in their ability to meet the Competencies for Nursing Authorized Prescribers in Manitoba.

CCA components

The assessment is made up these components:

  • A written diagnostic exam 
  • Objective-Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE)

Additional information is available on this site and on the College of Registered Nurses and College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses websites:

Assessment

  • Authorized prescriber reproductive health, sexually transmitted infections and blood-borne pathogens clinical competence assessment 

    You will be assessed for competencies grouped under the following headings:

    • Assessment and Diagnosis of Client Health/Illness Status
    • Pharmacotherapeutics and Other Therapeutic Interventions in Client Care
    • Professional Responsibilities and Accountabilities

    Candidate Guide: Authorized Prescriber STBBI

  • Authorized prescriber diabetes health clinical competence assessment

    You will be assessed for competencies grouped under the following headings:

    • Assessment and Diagnosis of Client Health/Illness Status
    • Pharmacotherapeutics and Other Therapeutic Interventions in Client Care
    • Professional Responsibilities and Accountabilities

    Candidate Guide: Authorized Prescriber Diabetes Health 

For more information, view the sample OSCE video.

View video

Written exam details

Overview

The RN Clinical Competency Assessment Exams and the AP Clinical Competency Assessment Exam are computer-based written examinations.

You will find them online within the University of Manitoba Learning Management System which is called UM Learn (also called Brightspace or D2L).

Exams are written at home, in a quiet private space. If you do not have a quiet private space in your home, you may choose a different location. However, you must be alone at all times while writing your exam(s).

Exams are monitored and recorded using a webcam and a program called Respondus Monitor, which will note any abnormal movements or talking. Also remember the contents of all exams are confidential and therefore nobody else can see your computer screen while you are writing.

In your exam room you may have:

  • Calculator
  • Clear bottle of water
  • Pencils
  • Scrap paper (one sheet)

To pass the written exam you must achieve a minimum score of 65%.

Technical requirements

You will require:

  • Laptop or desktop computer
  • Web camera (internal or external)
  • Reliable broadband internet connection
  • Windows 10, 8, 7 or Mac os x 10.12 or higher

If you do not have a computer with these specifications, you may borrow a laptop from the College of Nursing with Respondus Monitor already loaded. You may pick up the laptop the day prior to your exam(s) and return it the day following completion. A $100 refundable deposit is required.

Confidentiality and conduct

Upon booking an AP CCA, candidates will be asked to read and sign a confidentiality agreement stating that they will not disseminate or reveal any content of the CCA. Breaches include, but are not limited to:

  • Comparing client and candidate responses with colleagues
  • Sharing exam content
  • Posting case information or exam questions online
  • Cheating or dishonest behaviors during the exams

NOTE: Any breach in confidentiality of AP CCA material may lead to disciplinary and legal measures, including invalidating your results. CRNM or CRPNM will be notified of any breaches.

Resources

Additional resources for Authorized Prescribers

Contact us

For more information about the Clinical Competence Assessment, please contact:

Kimberly Workum
kimberly.workum@umanitoba.ca

nurscomp@umanitoba.ca OR apnurscomp@umanitoba.ca

College of Nursing
Helen Glass Centre for Nursing
89 Curry Place
University of Manitoba (Fort Garry Campus) 
Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 Canada

204-474-7452
204-474-7682