Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Certification is a voluntary process by which a nongovernmental agency formally recognizes specialized knowledge, skills and experience in a designated area.

Certification establishes minimum competency standards in the specialty and offers recognition for those who have met the standards. A primary purpose of certification is the protection of the public through a means of measurement of current skills and knowledge through a standardized comprehensive examination.

Professionals working in the field of vascular access can demonstrate mastery of specialized knowledge by meeting criteria and passing the Vascular Access-Board Certified™ (VA-BC™) examination offered by the Vascular Access Certification Corporation (VACC).

Please see our eligibility requirements and contact our staff with any questions you may have about your eligibility.

Note: This certification is NOT an educational course/certificate for clinicians. Clinicians must have vascular access experience to be eligible for the examination. It is NOT intended for sales, marketing, or other non-clinical industry professionals, and all candidates must attest that they meet education and practice requirements, which is subject to verification by the Vascular Access Certification Corporation. For industry professionals interested in furthering their knowledge of Vascular Access, please review the Vascular Access Industry Partner™ Program .

Candidates that sit for and pass the vascular access certification exam are granted Vascular Access-Board Certified (VA-BC^™) credential.

The test is administered every June and December:

• Applications for the June seating begin March 1st through April 15th
• Applications for the December seating begin September 1st through October 15th

View our dates and fees for the VA-BC™ exam.

No prior computer experience is necessary. At the beginning of an examination, each candidate will receive a brief tutorial on how to use the computer to answer questions and review responses. Test center staff members are also always available to answer questions. The complete tutorial lasts 15 minutes and does not count against your overall testing time.

For those taking the remotely-proctored exam, additional technology supports and system checks are required. Find a user guide and system check to confirm your device is compatible with the remote exam.

You can find a test center near you by visiting prometric.com/vacc and selecting “Locate” under the header “Test Center Exam.”

The exam is currently offered in the U.S. (including the U.S. Territories) and Canada, as well as some international locations. Candidates may take the examination at many of the hundreds of test sites that our testing partner, Prometric, operates. For those who live outside of those two major geographic areas, or who do not wish to visit a testing center, a remotely-proctored exam is available. A secure internet connection, private room, and camera and microphone on your computer will be needed.

When you apply to take the exam, you will be able to access a full list of test sites so that you may choose the location and testing environment most convenient for you.

We offer study materials, most of which are free to use. First, review the content outline to familiarize yourself with the subject areas that will be on the test. Focus your studies by identifying your strengths and weaknesses. Then, review the list of references used to write the exam questions and you may choose to use these references to study for the exam. VACC does not endorse any method of study or external education.

NO, participation in the certification program is voluntary and open to anyone meeting the eligibility requirements. Membership in the Association for Vascular Access is not required.

You will receive immediate notice that your application has been submitted and you will be emailed a receipt of payment. If you do not receive a notice check your spam folder. All communication will be handled by email only. To ensure that you receive all notices we recommend you add info@vacert.org to your email safe senders list.

Upon confirmation of eligibility to take the certification exam, the candidate will receive an Authorization to Test (ATT) letter, via email only. This may take 2-5 business days. The ATT letter authorizes the candidate to take the VA-BC™ exam, and will include the following information:

• How to schedule your exam
• The contact information for Prometric™, so the candidate can schedule an examination based on the identified testing window
• Information on how to reschedule or cancel an examination, should that become necessary

Valid photo identification (with signature) and the Authorization to Test Letter (ATT) are required for admission to the examination test site. Examples of acceptable forms of photo identification include: driver’s license, passport, or bank card with a photo ID. NOTE: your first and last name on your photo identification must exactly match the first and last name on your ATT letter and online application. If your name changes for any reason prior to the exam date you must contact VACC before going to the test site. Individuals who arrive at the testing site without first notifying VACC will be considered “no show” and will forfeit all fees.

If you have scheduled your exam with Prometric, you must first cancel with them at least five (5) calendar days BEFORE your scheduled appointment date prior to canceling with VACC (fees may apply). Fill out the online “Request a Refund” form before the last day of the test administration window (either June 30 or December 31) and VACC will refund all but the administrative fee of $50. If you do not cancel with Prometric within the 5-calendar day time frame you will forfeit ALL fees.

If you have scheduled your exam with Prometric, you must first cancel with them at least five (5) calendar days BEFORE your scheduled appointment date prior to transferring with VACC (fees may apply). Fill out the online “Request a Transfer” form and pay the $25 transfer fee on or before the last day of the examination administration window. If you fail to cancel with Prometric within the 5-calendar day time frame you will forfeit all fees. You may only transfer twice. If you do not take the exam after transferring you will forfeit all fees.

Candidates who do not sit for the examination at the next testing window forfeit all fees

You will receive an official result report via email within one (1) hour of completing your exam to the email address that Prometric has on file. Please note that this process can take up to 24 hours, and contact our staff if you do not see it within 24 hours. The result report provides information on whether you passed or failed the examination. You will NOT receive a result report by mail.

If you pass the exam your score report will simply indicate PASS.
For individuals who fail the exam, the scaled score will be provided along with diagnosis information will help identify strengths and weaknesses in each of the content areas covered by the VACC examination. Candidates should use the information to identify areas where additional study may be needed before retesting. The diagnostic level definitions are:

• Proficient – The score obtained is at or above the acceptable level, demonstrating an acceptable understanding of the content. A review of this area may be helpful prior to re-taking the exam.
• Marginal – The score obtained is marginally unacceptable, indicating that understanding of this content does not appear to be strong. Additional study is suggested.
• Deficient – The score obtained is below an acceptable level. Substantial study of this content area is recommended prior to re-taking the exam.

Due to the need to maintain test security, examination questions and answers will not be released to candidates. Under no circumstances will scores or pass/fail information be released over the phone or by fax.

Your certificate and wallet card are embedded into your digital badge to download to your device as a PDF. This allows you to immediately print them off for use or send to your employer. You may still order a hard copy certificate from our online store.

Your digital badge is emailed to you between January 4-10 or July 4-10, depending on when you take your exam. This is because we receive all finalized results once the exam window closes.

You may retake the exam during the next regularly scheduled exam cycle by submitting a new application (not in the same testing window). There is no limit on the number of times a candidate may take the VACC examination, however, if you do not pass the examination after three attempts in a row you must wait a minimum of one year before retaking the examination.

VACC tests are scored using a scaled score. A scaled score of 90 is the passing score for the exam. The 90 equates to different raw scores on various forms on the test depending on the difficulty of the form.

A scale score is transformed from raw test score (the number of test questions answered correctly). This is something like transforming inches into centimeters – the distance measured does not change, only the units used to express that distance. A scale score of at least 90 is required to pass the VA-BC™ examination. To interpret any test score, a uniform frame of reference is required. Scale scores provide that frame of reference based on the standard adopted by the VACC of the amount of knowledge necessary to pass without regard to the specific test form or version taken. Scale scores range from a low score of 30 to a high score of 140. Please note that a scale score is neither the number of questions answered correctly, nor the percentage of questions answered correctly.

The reason for calculating scaled scores is that different forms or versions of the exam may vary in difficulty. As new versions of the exams are introduced to ensure test security, a certain number of questions in each content area are replaced by new questions. These changes may cause one version of the exam to be slightly easier or harder than another version, which is why scaled scoring is needed. For more information about scoring, see page 26 of the Candidate Handbook.

Yes, the VA-BC™ is accredited through the NCCA (National Commission for Certifying Agencies).

The credential is also recognized by other entities:

1. The VA-BC^™ certification is recognized by the America Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) for the Magnet Recognition Program as an NCCA accredited board certification.
2. The VA-BC™ is on the Veterans Administration approved listing for nursing certifications.
3. The VA-BC™ is approved for veterans and other eligible persons utilizing the GI Bill for Reimbursement
4. VACC offers a discount to members of “Nurses Organization of Veterans Affairs.” Contact the NOVA organization for more information on obtaining the discount.

You may recertify by obtaining 30 Continuing Education Credits all related to vascular access or by retaking the exam. Find instructions and guidelines for recertification here.

You will need the following information to log your Continuing Education Hours:

• Activity date
• Brief description/name of activity
• Number of credits earned
• Electronic copy to upload (word, PDF, JPEG) – proof of CEs are necessary to renew your VA-BC™

1. Sign into the Candidate Portal
2. Go to “My CEU”
3. Click “Add CEU” in the bottom left.
4. Enter in the required information for your activity, attach your proof of completion, and hit SUBMIT.
5. Repeat with all additional CE credits until at least 30 are in the portal.
6. Once at least 30 CEs are in the portal, the Recertification Application will open.

Watch this video tutorial on how to upload CEs as needed.

The Continuing Education (CE) Credits encompass a wide spectrum of activities that, according to VACC standards, reflects continual learning opportunities. Find CE Resources here. If you take a course not on this list, that is acceptable as well.

An activity is considered by our team to be “vascular access related” if the topic can be found on our content outline.

You may obtain all of your CEs from online sources. You are NOT required to attend live meetings.

When we say “source,” we mean “activity.” It is prohibited to obtain all CEs from one activity, such as one meeting, one online course that offers 30 CEs for attending, if all CEs are gained from academic courses, etc. However, having all 30 CEs from the same provider is acceptable.

Find the full list of acceptable activities on pages 30-31 of the Candidate Handbook.

NO, you do not need to have earned a CE in each year of your certification. We only require that not all CEs come from the same year to demonstrate continual learning.

For example, let’s say you are certified from January 1, 2026 – December 31, 2028. You may have all 25 credits gained in 2026 and 5 credits gained in 2028. Or, you may have 2 credits from 2027 and 28 in 2028. Both of these examples will fulfill the requirement that CEs are earned outside of one year.

However, if the same certification dates above apply,  and you gained all 30 CEs in 2027, this would not pass the requirement.

As soon as you submit the online application you will receive a notification simply stating that the application has been successfully submitted and copy of receipt via email.

A notice of successful recertification or selection for the audit will arrive between June 2-14 if your certification expires June 30, or December 2-14 if your certification expires December 31. Your digital badge and certificate with new certification dates will arrive via email shortly after.

Your certificate and wallet card are included in your digital badge, which is emailed to you in mid-June if your certification expires June 30, or mid-December if your certification expires December 31. They cannot be found in the Certificant Portal.

Yes, VACC audits a portion of all candidates to monitor our recertification process and to meet accreditation standards. All names are chosen randomly.

You can apply online after the deadline, if you have completed and uploaded all your CEs. Additional fees will apply.