A Director of Nursing (DON) is a member of the interdisciplinary team at a skilled nursing facility, long-term acute care hospital, continuing care retirement community, home care and hospice, or any healthcare setting in the post-acute care environment. The director of nursing oversees the nursing staff and overall nursing operations of their healthcare facility. The DON is responsible and accountable for the nursing care provided to residents/patients. The DON usually reports to the Nursing Home Administrator or Executive Director. Titles used for this position include: Director of Nursing or Director of Nursing Services (DNS).

• An active and unencumbered RN license within a state or territory of the United States.
• A nursing degree (ASN/ADN or higher) plus at least one year of experience as a nursing leader, unit manager, nursing supervisor, staff educator/infection preventionist, or MDS coordinator in a post-acute care setting OR
• RN with an associate degree currently working as a director of nursing, assistant director of nursing, unit manager, or nursing supervisor are eligible to take the PAC-DON examination.

The Post-Acute Care Certified Director of Nursing examination is the required examination to become certified as a Post-Acute Care Nurse Director of Nursing (PAC-DON). The examination assesses clinical and technical competency. You will have three hours to complete the proctored examination.

1. The proctored examination is available to be taken any time (24/7) after registration and acceptance of the application for the exam.
2. The examination includes multiple-choice questions randomly selected from a test bank. You are required to achieve a passing grade of 80% or higher to be certified as a Post-Acute Care Director of Nursing (PAC-DON).
3. InsPAC offers preparatory courses for all the PAC certifications for a fee, but the InsPAC courses are not mandatory or a requisite for taking the certification exam. Test takers are free to prepare for the exam with any other educational provider.
4. CEUs are not offered for the examination.
5. Price: $299

If you have a disability requiring additional accommodations, please contact us at [email protected] prior to registering for the examination.