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 specialty nursing 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]
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