Nursing is among the most demanding and critical jobs in the healthcare industry. To provide the best care to patients, nurses must continuously enhance their skills and expand their knowledge.
While CPR is a vital credential for all healthcare professionals, there are other certifications you can obtain as a nurse to further your expertise. Today, we will look at ten certifications that can help your career.
The Importance of Obtaining Additional Certifications
ACLS is a certification for those who want to treat adult patients with cardiovascular emergencies.
The training for ACLS includes advanced algorithms and covers topics such as cardiac rhythm interpretation, drug therapies, and advanced airway management.
By learning more about an ACLS flowchart and obtaining this certification, you can intervene in emergencies like cardiac arrests and strokes.
PALS courses cover various topics such as advanced pediatric assessments, medication administration for pediatric emergencies, life support for children, and post-resuscitation care.
Holding this certification allows you to work effectively in pediatric intensive care units.
3. Basic Life Support (BLS)
BLS is one of the fundamental nursing certifications that all healthcare professionals must have.
This certification equips you with basic first aid knowledge, such as conducting effective CPR, using an AED, and relieving choking in adults and children.
This certification and its expertise can benefit all nurses and healthcare professionals working in clinics or hospital settings.
The CEN certification is helpful for nurses working in emergency departments and urgent care settings.
Training for this certification includes a deep look at trauma management, critical thinking, patient assessment and prioritization, and crisis intervention.
A CEN certification will prepare you to handle various emergencies and deliver quality care in unpredictable and fast-paced environments.
A CRNA certification allows nurses to administer anesthesia to patients during operations and oversee their care.
CRNA training covers preoperative assessment, anesthesia principles and administration techniques, post-anesthesia care, and possible complications management.
CRNAs are crucial members of surgical teams and are highly sought after for their expertise in safe anesthesia delivery.
The CNM certification is for registered nurses who want to care for women during pregnancy, labor, and postpartum.
The CNM education program includes advanced training in nutrition, management of common complications, pharmacology for midwifery, women’s gynecology, and newborn care.
By obtaining a CNM certification, you can work in various healthcare settings, providing comprehensive care to pregnant women.
The CNE certification is for those in academia or staff development roles who want to educate the next generation of nurses.
CNE training covers advanced nursing principles, leadership and management, ethical decision-making, and interprofessional collaboration.
Nursing is one of the largest healthcare professions in the US. There are over 5 million registered nurses. With this number rising annually, holding a CNE certification as an educator is a valuable credential.
CGN is a helpful certification for nurses who want to work specifically with elderly patients. This certification equips you with the necessary information to care for older patients’ mental, physical, and psychosocial health.
CGN coursework explores care planning for the elderly, geriatric nursing principles, medication management, and end-of-life care.
With the growing population of elderly patients and the increasing demand for skilled nurses in this field, pursuing a CGN can be a worthwhile consideration.
9. Certified Diabetes Nurse (CDN)
Nurses who want to provide care specifically for patients with diabetes can get a CDN certification.
This certification covers topics such as diabetes management, nutritional assessment, glycemic control, and providing support for diabetic patients and their families.
By holding a CDN certification, you can care for diabetic patients in outpatient clinics while partaking in diabetes education programs.
Nurses deal with all kinds of patients, and some interactions are more challenging than others. Some patients get labeled as “difficult”. How we think about patients is important and can significantly impact the nurse-patient relationship and quality of care. Changing our habitual thinking can be good for the nurse, the patient, and the care that’s ultimately provided.
She continues, “What characteristics are we looking for? We define ‘good’ as mature, rational thinkers who want to partner with the healthcare team to address their problems. We think good patients treat us respectfully, cooperate, and comply with our present plan. We want questions or disagreements to be presented courteously. We enjoy interacting with good patients and can experience great satisfaction.”
Where Does Our Negative Thinking About Patients Come From?
How do we form negative habits in our thinking about patients? Naidorf has an answer.
“Nurses, like all humans, have a strong negativity bias. In medical care, we don’t jump to the conclusion that that leg cramp is something minor — we’re concerned about a life-threatening deep vein thrombosis.
“Secondly,” Naidorf continues, “nurses pick up this negative talk during their training. In the classroom, high ideals and ethics are discussed: successful nurses are organized in their thinking and documentation; they’re determined to be empathetic and efficient.”
According to Naidorf, something happens to challenge those ideals. “In the real world, student nurses hear their mentors and colleagues speak in derogatory and mean-spirited terms. A sense of distrust and resentment can permeate the workplace as more cynical nurses harshly judge how patients dress, speak, or behave. It’s easy for inexperienced, impressionable people to think: ‘Well, this is just how it is — these must be the facts.’ But these aren’t facts — this is just a story everyone in the workplace believes.”
What are Common Thought Distortions About Patients?
Naidorf relates, “There are many unhelpful thought patterns. One common one is all-or-nothing thinking. We often think there’s only one way to get something done or think about a problem. This is a thought distortion because there aren’t just two solutions to a problem — there are dozens. Patients who challenge us can have a very different way of thinking and want to do things their way. A small shift from all-or-nothing thinking can help us find common ground with patients.”
“A second is the tendency to place ourselves in the victim role,” Naidorf states. “People with a victim mentality tend to complain a lot. They also tend to blame the doctors, the supervisor, the pharmacy, or the patient. ‘Why does this always happen to me? Why did they put him in my zone? Why do I have to do another septic workup?’ Assigning blame to others and playing the victim places you in a disempowered role. A victim has no power to act or find solutions. We aren’t victims, and we have the power to solve problems and find solutions.”
Thought distortions are important to recognize, and there’s one more Naidorf highlights.
“A third distortion is resisting reality, which comes up in many ways. We think to ourselves, ‘This person should’ve been wearing a helmet; that mom should’ve given the child something for fever; that guy should stop getting drunk.’ We can’t change the past, and wishing that things should be different only makes us suffer in the present.”
How Do We Change How We Think About Challenging Patients?
“Nurses can do much to change how they think about ‘difficult’ patients,” says Naidorf. “They can remember that many of their thoughts are just thoughts, sentences in the mind that can be changed. Becoming aware of thoughts is the first step to changing them. We can ask ourselves better questions.”
Naidorf has more advice. “When falling into all-or-nothing thoughts, ask: ‘Could I be wrong? Are there other approaches that could work equally well?’
“You can also ask, ‘What else is true here? Is that drunk man someone’s father? Does that mother love her child? Is coming to the ED the only way this family can access care?’ Small shifts in thinking can lead to more feelings of curiosity and empathy.”
Lastly, Naidorf wants nurses to truly focus on their thinking, which can lead to actual changes in behavior and practice.
“One thing you can do is define what the event or circumstance is in as factual a way as possible. No adverbs or adjectives should creep into those definitions. A person with some illness or injury comes to the medical office or urgent care center, and the nurse has a thought about that person. We can choose thoughts with more intention that serve us and them better.”
And when negative thoughts arise, Naidorf has a plan.
“Some negative thought will invariably pop up, but we can force ourselves to question if anything else is true. If we think the person should not have come in, we can counter that with, ‘We have all the right people, equipment, and medicines to help this person.’ With positive thoughts, nurses will take actions that further the mission of helping the patient and will get more satisfying results.”
But can we always be positive? Naidorf doesn’t expect perfection.
“Sometimes we want to be disappointed or sad about what happens at work, and it’s appropriate and helps us empathize with patients. We work in places where people experience tragedy, so it would be weird to pretend to be always happy,” she reassures us. “It’s ok to feel sadness, disappointment, and frustration — temporary emotions that pass through our bodies. Feeling all the emotions is one amazing part of being a human nurse.”
Own Your Humanity — and Patients’ Humanity, Too
As Dr. Naiforf points out, nurses are human beings, and humans have feelings and flaws. We’re also capable of great empathy and kindness. Our patients are also humans; their lives can be complicated and painful, and we often encounter them at their very worst on some of the most challenging days of their lives.
No matter how stressful our work may be, when we summon our humanity, we can be more curious, thoughtful, and capable of being present without projecting negativity where it doesn’t belong. And sometimes, we’ll fail and fail again. But every day gives us a chance to start anew.
If you can change your thoughts, you can also change your experience and your patients’ experience. And that is a worthy endeavor indeed.
Kate Veenstra, DNP, MSN, RN, CNL, CMSRN, ACM, NEA-BC, was recently appointed as the new chief nursing officer at the University of Michigan Health-West. Her more than 18 years of experience also tells quite a story.
Veenstra started as a bedside nurse at the hospital in 2006 and has held many roles, from associate chief nursing officer to the most recent interim chief nursing officer. Throughout her career, Veenstra has been a champion for her team and patients, leading initiatives that have significantly improved care and productivity.
One of her most notable accomplishments is co-leading a clinical nurse program, which helped to reduce cardiac readmissions and hospital stays. She also participated in a clinical care team during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Daily Nurse named Kate Veenstra the Nurse of the Week for her outstanding contributions. According to Dr. Ronald Grifka, president of UM Health-West, “Kate’s caring nature, innovative mindset, clinical expertise, and commitment to nursing excellence make her the ideal leader for this role.”
Veenstra is passionate about the success of nurses in West Michigan and has been involved in developing the Amy Van Andel Nursing Scholars program, which aims to remove cost barriers for those looking to start their careers in nursing. She has also played a significant role in creating a talent partnership with talent partnership with Grand Rapids Community College and the UM Health-West Foundation.
Nominate a Nurse of the Week! Every Wednesday, DailyNurse.com features a nurse making a difference in the lives of their patients, students, and colleagues. We encourage you to nominate a nurse who has impacted your life as the next Nurse of the Week, and we’ll feature them online and in our weekly newsletter.
Today is Certified Nurses Day, and the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN) is celebrating its over 50,000 “RN-credible” specialty-certified emergency, trauma, transport, and burn nurses and nationally certified nurses in every specialty.
In their 2023 Annual Report, BCEN revealed that over 60,000 BCEN credentials are held by nurses in 28 countries, with over 40,000 RNs possessing the Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) credential.
Specialty-certified RNs are truly incredible, according to BCEN’s CEO and American Board of Nursing Specialties Past President Janie Schumaker. When you receive care from a nationally certified emergency, trauma, transport, burn, or other specialty nurse, you know you’re being treated by the best of the best.
Board-certified nurses go above and beyond their nursing license requirements to master advanced knowledge across their specialty, take a rigorous exam to prove it, and commit to staying on top of the latest advances and best practices. This is the kind of nursing care we all want and deserve, and that is worth celebrating!
To recognize and celebrate specialty-certified RNs on BCEN’s Certified Nurses Day page, they offer these free resources and assets:
-Free-to-download “You RN-credible” note card
-Free Nurse Recognition Toolkit for recognizing certified RNs on Certified Nurses Day or any day
-“Nurses RN-credible” t-shirt and stickers.
BCEN is dedicated to supporting nurses throughout their certification and recertification journeys and responding to the needs of their high-achieving community of nurses,” says Schumaker.
In the world of nursing, certifications and their corresponding designations carry with them the concepts of excellence, professionalism, and focused dedication to career growth. Not all nurses pursue certification during their years of service in healthcare, but many hear the call and take inspired action to achieve such a goal.
Making an effort to become certified in your nursing specialty is like doubling down on your skills and knowledge. Doing this takes discipline and forward-thinking, demonstrating that you care enough to show the world that nursing excellence and professional mastery matter.
Every year on March 19th, we celebrate National Certified Nurses Day to honor the nurses who take their careers to the next level by becoming certified. This celebration encourages us to take a moment to acknowledge the role that certification plays in strengthening the nursing profession while improving care and patient outcomes. Being certified is meaningful, and we make meaning by pausing for the cause of reflection and recognition of the nurses who choose this path.
Nursing Certification 101
According to the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN), the first nursing certification was issued in 1945 to recognize nurse anesthetists. Certification boards began to be created in the 1960s, and the number of available nursing certifications continues to grow to this day.
Many nurses choose to pursue certification of their own volition, while some employers may encourage or even require nurses in specific specialty areas to become certified. Having your employer pay for and support your certification goals can be a desirable benefit, especially if your certification process has a financial cost you’d rather not bear yourself.
A 2021 Journal of Nursing Administration study states, “Nurse specialty certification is ’a mechanism for validation or formal recognition by documenting individual nurses’ knowledge, skills, and abilities specific to their specialty’. It is a form of individual credentialing above and beyond entry-level education and licensing. By pursuing specialty certification, nurses exhibit a commitment to professional growth and lifelong learning while establishing competency in a specialized area of care such as oncology or medical-surgical nursing. The intended outcome of certification in nursing is to improve safety, quality of care, and health outcomes for those using healthcare services.”
No matter what certification you choose to pursue, rest assured that being certified is something to be proud of and to clearly and proudly document on your resume as a mark of nursing distinction and professional mastery.
Why Should You Consider Becoming a Certified Nurse
As mentioned above, certification is a demonstration of dedication to your area of specialty nursing practice. Being certified can serve many purposes and brings with it a variety of benefits, including:
Marketability: Being certified can make you a stronger candidate in the job market, especially if it sets you apart from non-certified applicants for the same positions.
Career mobility: Some employers may value nursing certifications very highly, with certified nurses more likely to advance on the organization’s clinical ladder or into positions of greater responsibility, including nursing leadership.
Respect and recognition: Certification can elicit in others a sense of respect for and recognition of your professionalism, expert knowledge, and skill.
Personal/professional pride: Certification may elicit pride in your expertise, mastery, and accomplishments as a dedicated nurse.
Certification is a feather in your nurse’s cap. It marks you as a nurse focused on career growth and expert skill and knowledge. By being certified, you benefit not only your career but also inspire others to follow in your footsteps and contribute to the improved quality of patient care, not to mention strengthen your employer’s organizational profile.
Certification Speaks Volumes
Having one or more nursing certifications speaks volumes about your professionalism and desire to develop yourself as a nurse of integrity and mastery. Being certified says a great deal about you, and your certifications can enhance your ability to advance your career in any direction you’d like to go.
Some nurses may sit on their laurels and do the bare minimum, while others may seize the day and take every opportunity to develop themselves professionally. Only you can decide if the path to certification is right for you based on your perception of the benefits of certification and the value of that process to your career.
In recognition of Certified Nurses Day, let’s acknowledge those nurses who’ve stepped up to the plate and taken on certification as a prospect worthy of their attention and hard work. And if you’re already certified, give yourself a pat on the back for going the extra mile and showing the world that you’re a nurse who wants to be the best you can be.
While rewarding, nursing is also incredibly demanding, and each shift requires hours of walking, standing, and moving from place to place. In short, the job requires that you have stamina and endurance. If you can’t keep up, then there are strategies you can try to regain your tenacity during those long shifts.
In addition to sleep and a proper work-life balance, another solution is to try out some high-adventure activities like surfing, skiing, and other exciting endeavors. These fun activities can help you relax during your off-time, and many can help during your shift. Here are some facts and tips to consider if you need a little pick-me-up at work.
Nursing Requires Stamina And Endurance
Nursing requires various physical demands, including mastering gross motor skills to move within confined spaces, maintain balance in awkward positions, and reach all directions. Physical strength is also required for lifting children, ambulating patients and supplies, and carrying or moving them around the hospital. All of that effort might be easy during a regular eight-hour shift. However, nurses often work double and even triple shifts.
Studies have shown that many nurses, especially those in emergency rooms and intensive care settings, take thousands of steps throughout the day. The studies also found that nurses who work during the day often take even more steps than nurses working at night. That’s impactful information, especially for nurses working day and night shifts without time off in between. Keeping that endurance for countless hours requires self-care; adventures during off-hours can help.
How High Adventure Hobbies Can Help
Long shifts are often required in nursing, and it’s not always easy to avoid them altogether. Still, during your off time, you should do things you enjoy. Luckily, many of the most fun activities can also help to build your endurance and stamina.
Surfing
Take surfing, which requires strength and patience to stay on the board as you cruise upon the waves. If you enjoy surfing, many exercises can help build your endurance in the ocean and during your nursing shift. One of them is running exercises, which help to improve your lung capacity and strengthen your legs. Push-ups are some of the best exercises nurses can get because they’ll help with your core strength on the surfboard and improve your upper body strength so you can lift that heavy equipment at the hospital for longer.
Skiing
Many nurses may want to hit the slopes and go skiing when winter comes. This activity requires training, and the exercises you use to prepare can also help in nursing. You’ll want a workout regime with a lot of cardio via running, the stair climber, and the elliptical trainer to succeed. All of that helps to condition your lungs and legs for a long day of skiing and being on your feet during a nursing shift. Some studies show that downhill skiing can be particularly helpful for your balance and posture, which can help when reaching and multitasking on the job.
ATV Riding
For a real rush, look around your town for a track where you can ride ATVs up ramps and through valleys. This is yet another activity that can help with endurance on the job. Riding an ATV requires a lot of lifting as you hold on and control the vehicle over rugged roads, and it builds stamina in your legs and arms. When you ride, you’ll feel it in your muscles, and the activity will strengthen them so you can go for longer while on the job. Studies have shown that riding ATVs and off-road motorcycles can improve isometric leg endurance and overall health.
Making Time For Hobbies
This information may seem all well and good, but taking the time to ride an ATV or surfboard with your busy nursing schedule may seem next to impossible. However, that’s only true if you let it be.
There are many ways to improve your work-life balance and make time to include hobbies in your busy lifestyle. A great way to help you say no and ensure you fit in your hobbies is to plan them. Pick a time you’ll go out with your friends and stick to it. Also, set realistic goals. So, if you want to ski for an hour to work on your legs for those longer shifts, plan accordingly.
You may want to work on your exercises but feel like you don’t have time to go to the gym. In that case, consider dedicating a space in your house to fit equipment and make room to stretch. If all else fails, your hospital or office may have a gym you can use.
Remember, your physical hobbies are not only for fun but also for your success on the job, so make them one of your priorities.
Conclusion
If you want to boost your stamina on the job, consider a high-adventure hobby that will help you let loose and improve your physical health. If you haven’t done anything exciting on your off-time, consider a change because the benefits can be great for your well-being.
