The Importance of Specialty Certification for Family Nurse Practitioners
Attaining a specialty certification in the nursing practice is a critical milestone. Notably, this achievement attracts several significant benefits to an individual. Firstly, it enables a person to acquire in-depth knowledge in their area of specialization (Niebuhr and Biel 176). This fosters competency in healthcare provision.
Secondly, public recognition of a practitioner’s standards of excellence, which are indicated by a specialty certification, boosts confidence, and gives work satisfaction. Consequently, there is increased work efficiency due to employee motivation (Niebuhr and Biel 179). Thirdly, specialty certification improves the chances of a family nurse practitioner (FNP) to advance their career. It is important to note that, the looming concerns over the increased shortage of physicians has resulted in some states being forced to extend the scope of FNP’s practice to cover the role of primary care. This means that FNPs will be authorized to carry out their professional duties without the oversight of a physician (Niebuhr and Biel 180). As a result, it is becoming imperative for all FNPs to acquire specialty certification to assume their new roles effectively. Lastly, career advancement due to specialty certification is likely to attract a higher compensation package.
The Importance of Specialty Certification to the Nursing Profession as a Whole
Specialty certification of individual nurses has a positive impact on the nursing profession as a whole. For instance, certification is used as a mark of excellence in a specific area of practice. Therefore, encouraging nurses to meet this standard will facilitate a countrywide improvement in healthcare service provision. Additionally, public recognition reassures consumers that they are receiving the highest quality of healthcare services. This increases the public’s confidence in the healthcare systems (Niebuhr and Biel 181). Lastly, encouraging nurses to acquire specialty certification facilitates the retaining of talents and limits losses associated with high employee turnover.
Niebuhr, Bonnie and Melissa Biel. “The Value of Specialty Nursing Certification.” Nursing Outlook, vol. 55, no. 4, 2007, pp.176–181. doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2007.02.002
I love that we can become specialized in our area of expertise. I am currently working on becoming a certified ambulatory care nurse. It is a lot of work, but will be work it when I can put more initials behind my name and be recognized as an expert in my field.
I recently received and currently hold a TNCC certification for the nursing profession. This stands for Trauma Nursing Core Course Certification.
1. What is the value of specialty certification to your professional practice?
The TNCC certification taught me and allows me to be able to safely and effectively treat patients that come in as a trauma. Only certain nurses can be trained as a TNCC nurse and most commonly are ER or ICU nurses. Being TNCC certified teaches me what safety precautions to take and key elements to my nursing assessment need to be focused on for the trauma patient.
2.What is the value of specialty certification to the nursing profession as a whole?
The value of specialty certification to the nursing profession as a whole is that nursing is a job of caring for others and treating them to reach their maximum health. The nursing profession is a very challenging but rewarding job seeing things like babies being brought into the world but also being able to hold the hand of a dying person and comforting families along the way.
I love that we as nurses have the capablity to have added skill sets to our name. It not only helps develop us nurses as a whole but also I feel makes us feel more marketable and a better asset to our patients as well.
I love that you point out that employee retention is encouraged by certification. Retention is so important to patient safety and satisfaction.
What I love about nursing is that we have the ability in our career field to add certifications to our titles. Certifications also help the patients we care for feel like they are receiving the highest specialty of care, which is important. I love how in nursing we are able to specialize in any area we choose, and in this profession we are not limited on what we can and cannot do!