Certification: a mark that matters!

I used to be recently asked the query, “Does nursing certification really matter?” “Matters to whom?” there’s a matter. We know that patients who come to healthcare organizations expect the best quality care. As nurses, we expect the nurse working next to us to be a reliable – ​​and even higher – expert. Healthcare organizations are required to measure patient outcomes with a view to receive reimbursement from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and other third-party payers. So yes, certification matters – for patients, colleagues and the institutions by which we work.

What does it mean to be a licensed nurse?

According to the American Nurses Credentialling Center, certification recognizes specialized knowledge, skills and experience through passing a national standardized specialty nursing examination and allows nurses to reveal and validate their specialized knowledge to employers and patients. We recognize that health care is rapidly evolving, and nurses must put money into lifelong learning to take care of knowledge and supply the newest, evidence-based care.

Certificates are an indicator of professionalism; According to the United States Department of Labor, professionalism is defined because the competencies and skills expected of an expert who conducts himself or herself with responsibility, integrity, accountability, and excellence. When you invite a contractor into your own home to do work, you expect that she or he will probably be certified and an authority in his or her specialty and that he or she is going to behave accordingly.

The correlation between registered nurses and improved quality of care is obvious.

Research clearly shows that certification matters in healthcare. There is a direct link between registered nurses and patient clinical outcomes.

• Health care systems that employ BSN-prepared nurses who’re board-certified of their specialty experience lower rates of health care-related falls and infections.
• Certified nurses have greater profession opportunities and typically earn higher salaries than their non-certified colleagues.
• Health systems that support the certification of their nurses have improved retention rates because they put money into their workforce.
• Certified nurses make fewer medical errors, which improves the organization’s bottom line (Boyle, 2022; Coelho, 2020; Halm, 2021).

As an expert, certifications are necessary to me.

I even have been a registered nurse for a few years; years before I understood what it really meant. As I even have gained more years of experience, I now clearly see the difference that certification makes in my practice. I’m a sophisticated practice nurse and nurse practitioner on account of the necessities to take care of my certification. Attending skilled conferences, taking skilled development courses in journals, and enriching the skilled literature by creating presentations and writing articles for peer-reviewed publications makes the concept of lifelong learning a reality for me. Experience is undoubtedly necessary; nonetheless, being knowledgeable in your career and having the ability to continually reinforce that knowledge through certification demonstrates your dedication to your career and your patients.

If you have ever had doubts about whether certification is something you must consider, don’t hesitate. It is the skilled responsibility of registered nurses to encourage their colleagues to proceed this work. Nurses provide their patients with the best quality care. Certification is a crucial step within the strategy of making this goal a reality.

Boyle, D. 2017. Nursing specialty certification and patient outcomes: What we learn about acute care hospitals and future directions. (3), 137-142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.java.2017.06.002

Coelho P. (2020). The relationship between nurse certification and patient clinical outcomes: A scientific review of the literature. ,(1),E1–E5. https://doi.org/10.1097/NCQ.0000000000000397

Halma M.A. (2021). Specialty certification: a path to improved performance. , (2), 156–160. https://doi.org/10.4037/ajcc2021569

US Department of Labor. (n.d.) Professionalism. Retrieved February 13, 2023. https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/odep/topics/youth/softskills/professionalism.pdf