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.
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.
The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN) launched the world’s first Certified Burn Registered Nurse (CBRN) burn nursing specialty certification. To earn the CBRN credential, eligible RNs and APRNs must pass a rigorous national exam spanning the burn nursing continuum, including prehospital care and initial management, acute and critical care, post-acute rehabilitation, outpatient and community care, and aftercare and reintegration, as well as injury prevention, education, and psychosocial patient and family support.
“At last, tremendously skilled and compassionate burn nurses worldwide have the opportunity to have their advanced clinical and professional knowledge and expertise validated through board certification,” says CEO Janie Schumaker, MBA, BSN, RN, CEN, CENP, CPHQ, FABC. “The best possible thing a burn patient could have is a CBRN-certified nurse taking care of them.”
Nurses play critical roles in every aspect of burn care and recovery, and research links burn care specialty expertise to improved outcomes in patients with burn injuries.
In a new burn nursing video, burn nurse experts and American Burn Association (ABA) leadership comment on the development and future impact of BCEN’s CBRN certification program.
Burn injuries significantly cause disability and death, affecting all ages.
In the U.S., over 400,000 seek medical treatment for burn injuries annually, with 40,000 hospitalizations, including 30,000 at hospital burn centers, and over 3,800 deaths.
Worldwide, there are approximately 11 million burn cases and 180,000 deaths annually.
Eligible nurses with a U.S. RN or APRN, or equivalent, may apply to sit for the CBRN exam here. Nurses educated or licensed outside the U.S., Canada, or Australia must first go through BCEN’s international credential evaluation process. BCEN offers exam discounts to ABA members, U.S. military active-duty service members, reservists, and veterans. Volume discounts are available through the BCEN Voucher Program. A CBRN practice exam and interactive burn nursing CE courses are available on the award-winning BCEN Learn professional development platform.
Achieving specialty nursing certification is a mark of distinction. It demonstrates to you, your patients and families, your colleagues, and your organization that you have the additional knowledge, skills, and abilities to provide high-quality, safe care. Certification goes beyond the basic level of nursing knowledge that is required for licensure. Certified nurses go the extra mile to ensure they have the advanced expertise to provide specialized nursing care for their patients. The personal journey to certification is just that, a journey with a lifelong commitment to improving patient outcomes through evidence-based care and dedication to patient safety.
Importance of Certification
The National Academy of Medicine’s consensus study: “The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity,” states that creating an expectation and culture of lifelong learning is essential for improving care and population health. Certification validates nurses’ mastery of skills, knowledge, and abilities and promotes ongoing learning and practice requirements through certification renewal. According to data collected by the American Board of Nursing Specialties, in 2020, there were over 1 million specialty-certified nurses in the U.S. and Canada. These certifications were granted by 44 certifying organizations, including AACN Certification Corporation. Approximately 134,000 nurses hold AACN Certification Corporation credentials for acute and critical care specialtynursing and APRN care in neonatal, pediatric, and adult populations.
Value to the Individual Nurse
By becoming a certified nurse, you join a group of deeply committed nurses who demonstrate their dedication to lifelong learning and professional development. You may position yourself for additional recognition and advancement with employers when you achieve certification. The validation of your knowledge and a sense of personal achievement is a bonus. Certification helps deepen your expertise in your area of specialty nursing practice not only at the time of the initial exam and throughout your career via continuing education, the increased availability of clinical resources, and networking with other certified nurses. Nurses who are certified are more confident in the care they provide.
Value to Patients and Families
Patients and families recognize the value of being cared for by a nurse with specialty certification. According to the Gallup poll, nurses have been the most trusted profession for 21 consecutive years. Earning certification demonstrates increased knowledge and competence that amplifies patient trust in nursing care. Further, certification improves patient outcomes by decreasing complications and improving the patient’s experience (2021).
Certification goes beyond the basic level of nursing knowledge that is required for licensure. Certified nurses go the extra mile to ensure they have the advanced expertise to provide specialized nursing care for their patients.
Value to the Organization
Many organizations, especially those pursuing or maintaining their recognition for nursing excellence (e.g., Beacon, Magnet, Pathways to Excellence), build an environment of professionalism and a culture of nurse retention by recognizing the value of certification. These organizations try to hire nurses with specialty certifications or expect them to achieve specific certifications to validate their competency to help ensure high-quality, safe patient care. These organizations also develop multilevel structures to establish resources and support for nurses seeking and maintaining specialty certification. Certified nurses are role models for non-certified nurses and other healthcare professionals, inspiring continual improvement in care delivery for the entire interdisciplinary team.
Resources for the Certification Journey
While certification is a personal journey, many resources are available to achieve certification success. After deciding to pursue certification, your next decision is selecting the appropriate certification to recognize your specialty area of practice. When exploring the many options, you should review the descriptions, eligibility, and test plans for each exam and the certifying organization’s resources for continued learning and practice. An organization’s mission, vision, and values should align with your specialty nursing practice. Some certifying bodies offer additional resources, such as ambassadors and organization discounts, that can provide personal networking and financial benefits on your certification journey.
Preparation for Certification
Once you’ve selected the certification you want, the next step is preparing for the certification exam. Many certifying bodies or other exam preparation vendors offer resources for exam preparation. Check on the exam preparation resources when choosing the right certification for you. The test plan is probably one of the most important resources to prepare for an exam. Test plans provide a detailed content outline of the type of questions on the exam and a bibliography of the references used to develop the exam. Another recommended resource as you prepare for an exam is practice questions, practice questions, and more practice questions! Look for practice exam offers from your certification organization or other vendors.
Pursuing Certification
If you are a certified nurse or a nurse on your certification journey, thank you for your deep commitment to your professional growth and for all you do to keep patients and families safe. If you have never thought about certification, please consider this a personal invitation to explore what specialty nursing certification can do for you, your patients, and your organization. If you have your certification, please pay it forward and mentor someone else to become certified. And please let us know about your journey at [email protected]
AACN joins hospitals and healthcare organizations in recognizing certified nurses for their professionalism, leadership, and commitment to excellence in the care of patients and families as part of Certified Nurses Day, Sunday, March 19.
As healthcare becomes increasingly complex and challenging, nursing certification has become an essential mark of excellence. Specialty certification reaffirms nurses’ commitment to using the best evidence to provide care for patients and families. Achieving certification demonstrates to patients, employers, and the healthcare team that a nurse’s knowledge reflects national standards and a strong personal commitment to patient safety.
In honor of the national celebration of certified nurses, we chatted with Elizabeth Scruth, PhD, MPH, RN, CCRN-K, CCNS, FCCM, FCNS, CPHQ, 2022-2024 chair of the board of directors of AACN Certification Corporation, the credentialing arm of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) and the executive director for clinical quality programs, data analytics and tele-critical care at Kaiser Permanente NCL about her career in critical care nursing and why she chose to get certified.
Tell us about your journey to becoming a nurse.
I started as an RN in the outback of Australia in a town called Kalgoorlie where mentorship and resources in the hospital were limited. I graduated from a hospital diploma program in Western Australia and spent many years as an RN before I went back for my undergraduate and graduate degrees.
Why did you decide to become certified?
The experience of working in critical care for many years with a diverse group of patients gave me the confidence to explore certification. From that humble start, I started exploring certification to further advance my knowledge and practice. Upon certification, I felt like I had given myself a gift. I value that gift and wear the credentials with pride. Certification demonstrates to everyone that I have that specialized body of knowledge and practice in critical care and that at the center is patient safety.
Nurses are held in high regard by the public, and it is important for all nurses to be able to speak to Certification and what it means to the RN and the patient and family in their care. Certification elevates the nursing profession and demonstrates to all that nurses are committed to their area of practice and patient safety.
How are you making a difference in the community where you work?
My current role within Kaiser Permanente also involves serving the communities in which we live. I am part of the local AACN Chapter and regularly engage with critical care nurses in Tele-Critical Care (remote ICU monitoring), where all RNs are certified with CCRN. I am actively involved in community work as part of my commitment to the mission and vision of Kaiser Permanente, including members and the public asking about what certification is all about.
What do you like best about your nursing career?
From my early beginning as a graduate nurse in Kalgoorlie – Western Australia, I have been fortunate to have been offered many opportunities to grow professionally. My career has been over two continents, and I have learned so much. The people I have met and the nurses I have worked alongside have encouraged me to seek further education and certifications. The best part of nursing is mentoring others and building capacity for the future. We highly need educated and certified RNs now and in the future. Anything less is unacceptable.
Please talk about your commitment to patient safety.
Patient safety is woven into every aspect of nursing and is part of standard care. As both a critical care certified RN and a quality professional, I am excited to see that patient safety is at the forefront of all quality and safety initiatives, and both patients and families are involved in the design of new paradigms of care. RNs are the gatekeepers for patient safety and spend the most time with the patient providing a 360-degree view of the care plan needed to ensure safety is at the center of care.
Do you have any wisdom to share with other nurses considering getting certified?
To nurses considering certification, my advice is simple: GO FOR IT! You can do it. You have the knowledge – and then wear the credentials with pride! Speak up about your certification and be proud of your accomplishments. Encourage those around you to become certified too.
In celebration of Certified Nurses Day on March 19, the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN) launched a Certified Nurses Day web page with nurse recognition resources plus basic information about specialty certification for patients, families, and healthcare consumers.
The page also features a new YouTube video with interviews with three of the more than 40,000 RNs worldwide who hold the Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) credential—one of the oldest and most widely held nursing specialty credentials. The RN share why national specialty certification matters to them and their patients
“As BCEN celebrates the leadership, dedication to excellence, professionalism, and service of board-certified nurses delivering truly exceptional care in every specialty,” says BCEN CEO Janie Schumaker, MBA, BSN, RN, CEN, CENP, CPHQ, FABC, “we wanted to share why nurses working across the emergency spectrum choose to get board certified.”
Here is what several board-certified emergency, transport, and trauma nurses said about the importance of nursing specialty certification:
“Any specialty certification, by definition, improves patient care. It means you’re an expert who has demonstrated competency and knowledge in your field,” says Jessica Evins, BSN, RN, CPEN, a Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse (CPEN) with New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric Emergency Department in New York City. “While pediatric patients make up a small percentage of the overall Emergency Department population, people underestimate the unique challenges of taking care of kids. Having pediatric emergency specialty knowledge is critical, and being a CPEN is the best way to show families that you are as equipped as possible to care for their kids.”
Education Coordinator and Flight Nurse Caroline Levin, BSN, RN, CEN, CCRN, CFRN, PHRN, a Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN) with STAT MedEvac in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, says: “In the dynamic outside-the-hospital environment, being certified in transport nursing means we bring an expertise to patient care that offers an advanced knowledge-informed perspective on diagnosis and treatment to support our patients’ best possible outcomes.”
Lindsay Schoem, BSN, RN, TCRN, a Trauma Certified Registered Nurse (TCRN) with Inova Loudoun Hospital in Leesburg, Virginia, describes a thank you letter she received from a trauma patient who had learned what the letters T-C-R-N on her name badge meant: “The patient wrote: ‘I just felt so much more comfortable knowing your expertise was in trauma. I just knew I was going to receive the best care.’”
Nick Jazdzewski BSN, RN, CEN, with Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, says: “Quite simply, being a Certified Emergency Nurse makes me a better nurse, and it raises the performance of the team around me. The heightened knowledge I’ve obtained through specialty certification allows me to quickly anticipate changes in patients’ conditions, which means I can intervene sooner, and that gives patients the best chance for positive outcomes.”
Over 50,000 RNs practicing in 26 countries around the world hold one or more of BCEN’s five specialty credentials which independently validate an RN’s mastery of the emergency, pediatric emergency, flight, critical care ground transport, or trauma nursing specialties. There are over 40,000 Certified Emergency Nurses (CENs), 5,400 Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurses (CPENs), 5,600 Certified Flight Registered Nurses (CFRNs), 450 Certified Transport Registered Nurses (CTRNs), and 7,200 Trauma Certified Registered Nurses (TCRNs).
