A brand new report focuses on supporting certified emergency nurses

Certified emergency nurses make a positive impact on each patients and hospitals, and with the fitting support, can play a key role in constructing a robust emergency care team.

Support your emergency nurses to realize certified success, a white paper recently published by the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing, provides step-by-step guidance on how one can foster a culture of certification at every level, from physicians and nurse managers to educators, administrators, and bedside nurses. “Certified emergency nurses bring an unparalleled level of motivation and knowledge to the job,” said BCEN Executive Director Janie Schumaker, BSN, MBA, RN, CEN, CENP, CPHQ, FABC, in a speech Press Release. “BCEN’s new white paper details ways leaders and organizations can create an environment that cultivates nursing excellence by supporting nurses to earn and maintain board certification.”

It starts with leadership

Leadership leads by example on the subject of certification. Nurse leaders who want to guide a board-certified workforce should first develop into certified themselves, based on the white paper.

“The walkability is essential,” said Jessica Thomas, MSN, RN, CCRN-K, CNML, CENP, associate administrator of USC-Verdugo Hills Hospital, “because nurses are watching and saying, ‘Why should I take on this really hard thing if You didn’t do it yourself?”

“My best advice for administrators would be to get your own certification,” Thomas continued. “Leadership is a separate specialty, so your certification may not necessarily be in the same area of ​​clinical practice in which you worked as a bedside nurse.” The white paper includes helpful “Expert Insight” features in a Q&A format from hospitals and health systems discussing their very own experiences with emergency nurse certification. Tom Scaletta, MD, MAAEM, FACEP, CPXP, chief of emergency services at Edward Hospital in Naperville, Illinois, said physicians might be among the biggest advocates for nurses to develop into certified. Board certification is a signal that nurses have mastered their specialty, Scaletta said. Certification also expands existing knowledge, he said. “From a business standpoint, hospitals that support specialty nursing certification not only provide the best care for patients, but also safer care, which means risks are minimized,” he said. “It’s based on experience, but there’s also the fact that you’re more confident and more focused. You also develop internal talent, so you don’t have to look for external talent along the way.”

Offer incentives

While support is crucial to constructing a solid team of certified emergency nurses, an absence of support and encouragement can have long-term, devastating effects on teams. Under the regulations, facilities must offer incentives to acquire and maintain certification BCN. Such incentives include:

• Reimbursement or financing of certification and recertification fees
• Providing time and space in facilities for nurses to satisfy and study for certification exams
• Encouraging mentoring between certified nurses and certification seekers
• Provide resources for test anxiety
• Recognizing and rewarding certifications

One idea to incentivize nurses is to supply annual bonuses starting from $300 to $2,000 for single or multiple certifications. BCEN also recommends one-time or annual salary increases, additional management responsibilities, and special projects and bonuses. Certification incentives could also be funded through scholarships, hospital foundations, fundraising efforts, and other means. Since retesting or 100 continuing education credits is required every 4 years to keep up certification, it is crucial to repeatedly promote a healthy certification culture. According to BCEN, this will likely include:

• Having a central location where you may get certification information, resources, and learning
• Connecting nurses with or taking certification preparation and CE coursework details
• Make preparation support and encouragement a every day practice

At USC Verdugo Hills Hospital in Glendale, California, nurses receive $1,000 for credentialing and $500 for re-credentialing, Thomas said. There can also be a plaque confirming the certificate within the ED.

When Thomas arrived on the hospital in 2015, not one of the nurses within the hospital’s 12-bed emergency department were certified. According to BCEN, through a targeted certification initiative, that number increased to 12 nurses by 2017. The board recognized Verdugo Hills Hospital nationally for its certification efforts in 2018.

Certification advantages everyone

According to BCEN, certified nurses bring special knowledge and important considering based on rigorous national standards, the power to anticipate hazards and promote safety, and a commitment to accuracy and ethics.

“Because we support board certification, we have the best of the best, experts in the field, working here,” Patrick Cassell, MSN, RN, CPEN, director of emergency services at Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center, said within the white paper. “

Cassell said his team continually creates a positive environment that keeps nurses on the team. “We create such a positive environment that nurses don’t want to leave. Our nurses have autonomy and respect from physicians, and I think that also affects physician retention.” Check out our Emergency Nurse Certification Review Course.