How to beat 5 med-surg certification challenges

Over the years, med-surg nursing has evolved right into a highly respected nursing specialty. Field nurses are tasked with providing care to patients with increasingly complex medical problems, and plenty of decide to pursue certification to validate their expertise and enhance their skilled development.

Mimi Haskins, RN Mimi Haskins, DNP, RN, CNS, CMSRN, immediate past president Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board and a company nurse educator at Catholic Health in Buffalo, New York, stated that getting the medical-surgical registered nurse degree from MSNCB meant that nurses gained additional skills, knowledge, and experience in the sphere of medical surgery. MSNCB also offers a second certification: Certificate in Care Coordination and Transition Management. We asked Haskins for recommendations on overcome common challenges nurses may face when considering certification:

1 – Doubt in your abilities

It’s one thing to do great work as a surgical nurse, but some nurses may query their ability to pass the certification exam. Haskins said nurses who’ve been working at Med-Surg for at the least two years and who’re preparing to grow to be certified often do thoroughly and feel a terrific sense of satisfaction once they pass the exam.

“I still remember how excited I was when I passed the exam,” Haskins said. “It truly validates everything you have learned as a nurse and shows employers, patients and their families that you have the knowledge, skills and experience to provide the best care possible.”

2 – Financing

“We offer a FailSafe certification programwhere a health care facility agrees to have 10 of its nurses take the MSNCB (CMSRN and CCCTM for Care Coordination Nurses) certification exams inside a 12 months,” Haskins said. As a FailSafe participant, hospitals receive a discount on the AMSN review course. Furthermore, Haskins said Academy of Medical and Surgical Nurses provides grants for certification and recertification as a registered medical-surgical nurse to AMSN members through a fellowship program. Each grant is awarded semi-annually and covers the full cost of the application at the membership rate. “Both AMSN and the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing offer scholarships for the CCCTM exam,” Haskins said.

3 –

For nurses who haven’t taken an exam in a while or who experience test anxiety, Haskins recommends taking a practice test to prepare for the certification exam. Haskins said the FailSafe program is a great way to boost the confidence of nurses who may be nervous before an exam or aren’t familiar with computer-based tests. “Nurses who have taken a credentialing course have been shown to perform better on the exam than those who have not,” Haskins said. “Additionally, nurses feel less pressure when they know that if for some reason they do not pass the exam on the first attempt, the FailSafe program will allow them to retake the exam.”

For nurses who have been out of school for a long time, the idea of ​​taking the test may seem intimidating. Haskins said going into the test feeling prepared can make a huge difference and recommends taking the free 15-question sample test at MSNCB.org.

“In addition to the 15-question sample test, you can also purchase review questions,” Haskins said. “We offer an online practice test consisting of 75 multiple-choice questions based on the CMSRN exam pattern. AMSN also offers a book of test question reviews and the Core Curriculum for Medical-Surgical Nursing, 5th Edition.”

Additionally, Haskins recommends joining a study group and refreshing your knowledge by taking a practice exam to increase your confidence. “We are proud that we have a fairly high pass rate for the certification test,” she said.

5 – Bypassing human resources

Forming a study group and preparing for the exam with colleagues can give nurses confidence as they prepare for the exam. Haskins said group study also allows nurses to identify topics for which they may need to spend additional study time. For example, a nurse may feel confident when it comes to caring for diabetes, but may need a refresher when it comes to breathing problems. “The staff at my facility got together and formed a study group in which each person read a portion of the Core Curriculum and reviewed it with colleagues in weekly meetings,” she said.

Maintaining the certificate

Once you’ve obtained your certification, which lasts five years, you’ll want to maintain it. To be eligible for recertification, nurses must have a current med-surg certification, a current RN license, have completed 1,000 practice hours in a med-surg setting within the last five years, and have earned 90 contact hours within the last five summers.

“AMSN offers members a free monthly CE paper, and continuing education credits can also be earned by attending AMSN’s annual national conference,” Haskins said. “This also applies to CCCTM certification.”

Additionally, college classes can also be used for continuing education. Haskins said instructions on how to do this are on the MSNCB website. “Most professional nursing journals also offer CE articles that can be used to achieve 90 CE in five years,” Haskins said. “Many local chapters of professional nursing organizations have educational programs throughout the year that also come with CE certifications.” Get more information about med-surg nursing in our digital edition.