Pass Your Nursing & Healthcare Certifications

What are Nursing & Healthcare Certifications?

Nursing and healthcare certifications validate specialized knowledge, skills, and competencies essential for healthcare professionals across multiple disciplines. With healthcare being one of the fastest-growing sectors (projected 13% growth through 2031), professional certifications provide competitive advantages, higher salaries, and career advancement opportunities. These certifications range from nursing school admission exams to specialized clinical certifications, medical coding credentials, health informatics qualifications, and medical publication standards.

Healthcare certifications are issued by various accrediting bodies including ATI (Assessment Technologies Institute), Elsevier (HESI exams), NHA (National Healthcareer Association), AAPC (American Academy of Professional Coders), AHIMA (American Health Information Management Association), HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society), and ISMPP (International Society for Medical Publication Professionals). Each certification validates specific competencies required for healthcare roles, from patient care and clinical procedures to medical coding, health data analysis, and regulatory compliance.

Healthcare certifications deliver substantial career benefits. Certified healthcare professionals earn 15-30% higher salaries than non-certified peers. For example, certified medical assistants (NHA CCMA) average $38,000-$48,000 versus $32,000 for non-certified MAs. Certified professional coders (AAPC CPC) earn $48,000-$65,000 compared to $35,000-$42,000 for non-certified coders. Healthcare IT professionals with CAHIMS or CPHIMS certifications command $65,000-$95,000. Beyond salary, certifications demonstrate professional commitment, meet employer requirements, ensure regulatory compliance, and provide credential portability across healthcare settings.

Key Healthcare Certification Categories

Nursing Admission Exams (ATI TEAS & HESI A2)

Nursing school admission exams are prerequisite assessments required by most nursing programs nationwide. The ATI TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills) is used by over 1,200 nursing programs, testing reading comprehension, mathematics, science (anatomy, physiology, biology, chemistry), and English language usage. The exam contains 170 questions (150 scored, 20 pretest) completed in 209 minutes. Competitive nursing programs typically require TEAS scores of 65-80% (proficient to advanced levels) for admission consideration.

The HESI A2 (Health Education Systems Inc. Admission Assessment) is used by over 900 nursing programs as an alternative or complementary admission exam. HESI tests similar content areas including vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension, mathematics, biology, chemistry, anatomy and physiology, and physics. Some programs also require personality profile and learning style assessments. HESI scores are reported as percentages, with competitive programs requiring 75-90%+ composite scores. Both exams are challenging, requiring comprehensive preparation across multiple subjects, making professional assistance highly valuable for admission success.

Allied Health Certifications (NHA)

National Healthcareer Association (NHA) offers certifications for allied health professionals including medical assistants, phlebotomy technicians, EKG technicians, pharmacy technicians, patient care technicians, and electronic health records specialists. The CCMA (Certified Clinical Medical Assistant) is the most popular NHA certification, testing patient care, pharmacology, medical law and ethics, administrative duties, and clinical procedures. The exam contains 150 questions completed in 3 hours, requiring 390/500 points (78%) to pass.

NHA certifications are recognized nationwide by healthcare employers and often required for clinical positions. CPT (Certified Phlebotomy Technician) validates venipuncture skills, specimen handling, and patient safety. CET (Certified EKG Technician) demonstrates competency in cardiac monitoring and EKG interpretation. NHA also offers CPCT (Patient Care Technician), CBCS (Billing and Coding Specialist), and CEHRS (Electronic Health Records Specialist) certifications. These allied health credentials provide entry into healthcare careers with salaries ranging from $32,000-$52,000 depending on certification and experience.

Medical Coding Certifications (AAPC)

AAPC medical coding certifications validate expertise in translating medical diagnoses, procedures, and services into universal alphanumeric codes (ICD-10, CPT, HCPCS) for billing and reimbursement. The CPC (Certified Professional Coder) is the gold standard medical coding credential, testing medical terminology, anatomy, CPT coding, ICD-10-CM diagnosis coding, HCPCS Level II codes, and coding guidelines. The exam contains 100 questions completed in 4 hours with open-book format allowing use of code books.

Additional AAPC certifications include COC (Certified Outpatient Coder) for hospital outpatient coding, CIC (Certified Inpatient Coder) for inpatient hospital coding, and specialty certifications for cardiology, orthopedics, emergency medicine, and other specialties. Medical coding is an in-demand career with remote work opportunities. Certified coders earn $45,000-$65,000, with specialized coders and coding managers earning $60,000-$85,000+. AAPC certification is often required by healthcare facilities, physician practices, and healthcare revenue cycle companies.

Health Information Management (AHIMA)

AHIMA (American Health Information Management Association) certifications focus on health information management, medical coding, data analytics, documentation integrity, and healthcare privacy and security. CDIP (Certified Documentation Integrity Practitioner) validates expertise in clinical documentation improvement, ensuring accurate and complete medical records that support appropriate coding and reimbursement. CHDA (Certified Health Data Analyst) demonstrates competency in health data analysis, data governance, and healthcare analytics.

CHPS (Certified in Healthcare Privacy and Security) focuses on HIPAA compliance, privacy regulations, security risk management, and breach response. AHIMA also offers RHIT (Registered Health Information Technician), RHIA (Registered Health Information Administrator), and CCS (Certified Coding Specialist) credentials. These certifications are highly valued in hospitals, healthcare systems, health IT vendors, and consulting firms. AHIMA-certified professionals earn $50,000-$85,000, with senior health information roles commanding $75,000-$110,000+.

Healthcare IT & Informatics

Healthcare IT certifications validate knowledge of health information systems, electronic health records, clinical informatics, and healthcare technology management. CAHIMS (Certified Associate in Healthcare Information and Management Systems) is an entry-level certification covering health information systems, clinical information systems, and healthcare technology. CPHIMS (Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems) represents advanced healthcare IT expertise including systems analysis, design, selection, implementation, support, maintenance, privacy, and security.

AMIA (American Medical Informatics Association) offers health informatics certifications focusing on clinical decision support, workflow optimization, and health data analysis. These certifications are valuable for clinical informaticists, healthcare IT managers, EHR implementation specialists, and health data analysts. Healthcare IT professionals with certifications earn $65,000-$110,000, with senior informatics roles commanding $95,000-$140,000+. Demand is extremely high as healthcare organizations continue massive investments in health IT infrastructure and digital transformation.

Why Choose ExamBlaze for Healthcare Certifications

Healthcare certification exams are challenging, requiring comprehensive knowledge across multiple domains. ATI TEAS and HESI A2 cover four academic subjects each. NHA exams test clinical procedures, medical knowledge, and administrative competencies. AAPC coding exams require mastery of thousands of medical codes and complex coding guidelines. AHIMA exams demand deep understanding of health information management principles and regulations. Pass rates vary from 45-70% depending on certification, with many candidates requiring multiple attempts.

ExamBlaze provides guaranteed passing scores for all nursing and healthcare certifications. Our healthcare experts include registered nurses, certified coders, health information professionals, and healthcare IT specialists holding active certifications and real-world healthcare experience. We provide real-time assistance during your proctored exam using secure, undetectable methods that work with all testing platforms. Our pay-after-pass model eliminates all financial risk - you only pay once you receive your official passing score. With 800+ successful healthcare certification completions, we guarantee your success on the first attempt.