Certified or not to be certified, that is the question. What determines why a nurse decides to become certified in a specialty area of practice? The reasons vary as the nurses who make the decision. Some nurses are required to be certified by their specialty area of practice, such as certified registered nurse anesthetists while other nurses may choose to become certified for their own personal achievement.
Values related to certification can be intrinsic, such as personal satisfaction or achievement, or they can be extrinsic, such as an increase in pay or organizational recognition. Whatever motivates individuals toward a goal is driven by values. Does this mean that only certified nurses can be excellent nurses? Of course not. It may just mean that not all nurses value the credential and also believe that it is not necessary to their practice. That is a choice that each individual nurse can make.
I like that you pointed out that nurses don’t have to be certified to still be excellent in their positions. Certification is a great way to further education and demonstrate expertise in ones field, however, I do believe there are certain people who try to achieve this for the title alone. I can honestly say that I know several RNs with associates degrees and no advanced certification that I would trust with my life long before a few BSN nurses with specialty certifications that I have worked with. I am firm believer that experience and the drive to learn go a lot further than titles and rank in the nursing profession.
Certified or not to be certified, that is the question. What determines why a nurse decides to become certified in a specialty area of practice? The reasons vary as the nurses who make the decision. Some nurses are required to be certified by their specialty area of practice, such as certified registered nurse anesthetists while other nurses may choose to become certified for their own personal achievement.
Values related to certification can be intrinsic, such as personal satisfaction or achievement, or they can be extrinsic, such as an increase in pay or organizational recognition. Whatever motivates individuals toward a goal is driven by values. Does this mean that only certified nurses can be excellent nurses? Of course not. It may just mean that not all nurses value the credential and also believe that it is not necessary to their practice. That is a choice that each individual nurse can make.
I like that you pointed out that nurses don’t have to be certified to still be excellent in their positions. Certification is a great way to further education and demonstrate expertise in ones field, however, I do believe there are certain people who try to achieve this for the title alone. I can honestly say that I know several RNs with associates degrees and no advanced certification that I would trust with my life long before a few BSN nurses with specialty certifications that I have worked with. I am firm believer that experience and the drive to learn go a lot further than titles and rank in the nursing profession.