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The CMSRN is for experienced medical-surgical nurses. Eligibility comes down to your license
and recent practice hours, per MSNCB.
License requirement
You must hold a current RN license in the United States, its territories, or Canada.
Practice-hours requirement
You must have worked 2,000 practice hours in a medical-surgical setting within the
past three years. There’s no separate years-of-experience hurdle beyond meeting the hours.
Is there a degree requirement?
No specific degree beyond RN licensure is required — eligibility is based on your license
and documented med-surg practice hours.
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Sources & references
The exam facts on this page are drawn from official certifying-body materials, reviewed 2026-06-18 by the DrCertifications exam-prep team (10+ years in exam preparation and publishing).