subject: Why Nurses Should Get Certified [print this page] Certification is a way of confirming or recognizing nurses' skills, knowledge and abilities. It attests to their professionalism and enables better outcomes for patients.
Being certified shows that a nurse has met professional development standards and achieved professional competency. Certification is accepted by insurers and the military.
Being certified also makes a nurse more appealing to employers, and certified nurses usually earn more than those who are not.
Currently more than 250,000 nurses have been certified by the American Nurses Association, and more than 80,000 advanced practice nurses have been certified.
In the United States, many nurses who specialize in a certain area will get certified in the specialty. This shows that they have expertise in that area. There are more than 200 nursing specialties. Nurses certified in their area of specialization have higher rates of patient satisfaction and fewer errors in patient care, according to a study by the Institute of Medicine.
However, there is no legal requirement that registered nurses be certified in a specialized area. You do not have to be certified as a medical-surgical nurse to work on a medical surgical floor, for example, and most medical-surgical nurses are not certified.
An advanced nursing degree can be helpful in your quest for certification.You needn't worry that you'll have to give up your career to pursue a nursing master's degree: many nursing programs in colleges and universities around the country now offer programs that are online, allowing you to pursue your studies at times that are convenient to your personal and work schedules.
In 2009, according to the ANA, more than 5,300 nurses and nurse practitioners took the certification exams in their specialties, and almost 4,300 of them passed. Also more than 5,400 nurses renewed their certifications in 2009.
Some examples of certification include:
Cardiac Medicine Certification (CMC) -- Certification in cardiology. CMCs may work in cardiac care units (CCUs) or similar.
Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) -- Certification to work in an emergency department or similar.
Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN) -- Certification to work in an aircraft setting. -
Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse (CHPN) -- Certification to work in a hospice or other palliative care facility.
Certified Nurse, Operating Room (CNOR) -- Certification to work in perioperative settings (pre-op, surgery, post anesthesia care unit.
Certified Registered Nurse First Assistant (CRNFA) -- Certification to work as a first assistant in surgery.
Certified in Critical Care Nursing (CCRN) -- Certification in intensive care medicine (critical care). CCRNs may work in Surgical Intensive Care (SICU) or Medical Intensive Care (MICU) units or similar.
National Certified School Nurse (NCSN) --- Certification to work in school nursing.
Progressive Care Certified Nurse (PCCN) -- Certification to work in a progressive care/step-down unit or similar.
Orthopedic Nurse Certified (ONC) -- Certification to work with traumatic orthopedic injuries and/or planned orthopedic procedures
