The Importance of Nursing Specialty Certification
Gage Reichert
The CNOR is a professional certification which identifies perioperative nurses that have demonstrated proper knowledge and skills in this area. I have worked in the operating room setting for about three years now and I hope to achieve my CNOR certification within this year. This certification would be a valuable asset to both my practice and the nursing profession in general. The knowledge gained from achieving this certification would help me understand and carry out standard of care. I would be better prepared to care for my patients with the information learned. This organization also has practical benefits to my practice. Membership allows access to more information and news about the latest research in the perioperative setting. Members are allowed to interact with other members online and discuss nursing issues. This organization also provides continued education units or CEUS that I can use for renewal of my nursing license. Achievement of my CNOR would positively affect the nursing profession as a whole. More educated nurses lead to better patient outcomes and a better reputation for nurses everywhere. Increased trust in the nursing staff can allow the patient to feel comfortable and safe. This organization brings specialized perioperative nurses together online and at conferences. These gatherings allow for conversation and knowledge sharing. Perioperative nurses all over the country can learn from one another through this group. These groups connect nurses together and educates them on the latest standards of care making the nursing profession more competent and informed. Nurses may be able to expand their scope of practice in the future and increased education and certification will help facilitate this expansion. Higher and higher levels of knowledge advance the nursing role into new responsibilities and roles.
Correct, Certification in nursing specialty demonstrate a commitment to advancing one’s knowledge and skills.
Commitment to advancing knowledge shows your adaptability as a nurse. Being able to learn and utilize new information is key to being an efficient nurse. Research is constantly being done and this work is leading to changes in healthcare. Nurses must be willing to learn and adapt if they are to succeed during these changes.
Certification contributes to better patient care. A growing body of research indicates a link between certification and nurse knowledge, techniques, and judgment that affect patient safety. More and more employers are looking at certification as a way to assess whether an individual possesses the skills and knowledge required for successful performance in a particular job role.
Current research does show a correlation between advanced certification in nurses and better patient outcomes. One review study stated a few of the areas in which the the correlation was evident. One example of this is Certified wound care nurses staging wounds better than non-certified. Also patient length of stay was reduced when the number of certified nurses rose in multiple rehabilitation units. One study found a 10% increase in in baccalaureate prepared nurses caused a 2% decrease in patient mortality. (Biel, Melissa, et al., 2014)
Reference
Biel, Melissa, et al. “The Relationship Between Nursing Certification and Patient Outcomes A Review of the Literature.” 2014, http://www.nursingcertification.org/resources/documents/research/certification-and-patient-outcomes-research-article-synthesis.pdf.
Best of luck with your certification this year. I applaud you on your desire to pursue it! I had a hard time finding any current studies that prove nursing specialty improves patient outcomes but it seemed like this was due to the possibility of far too many uncontrollable variables. According to Boyle (2017), “For individual RNs, credentialing means voluntary specialty certification that improves access to, and quality of, care, particularly in special populations. Further, nurse credentialing may contribute to standardized care quality and promote nurse participation in leadership roles” (p. 137).
Boyle, D. K. (2017). Nursing Specialty Certification and Patient Outcomes: What We Know in Acute Care Hospitals and Future Directions. Journal of the Association for Vascular Access, 22(3), 137-142. doi:10.1016/j.java.2017.06.002
The literature I looked into showed a positive correlation between certification and patient outcome. I shared a link in the comment above this one that looked into some of the research. Currently much more research is needed on the topic. I think increased levels of certification cause an increase in respect for the nursing role if nothing else.
My hospital, it is very hard to get in perioperative nursing, 2 years of acute care nursing experience and recommendation and after accepted the program, 6 month of training and pass the test. You must be very smart and hard working nurses, and planning to get certified this year even you are taking classes to be BSN. I am very impressed, I am hardly making to take classes even only one class a time.
Thank you for the compliments. It is difficult juggling all this and trying to give my family the time they need. I enjoy the material associated with nursing and the medical sciences which really helps me put in the time needed. It is a beautiful thing when your interests in life coincide with your career.
I think that getting a certification in a specialty area of nursing is incredibly important. Like you said, it is important for patient care and better outcomes as the nurse getting the specialty certification is increasing the knowledge and expertise in order to give better patient care. Great post and hopefully one day you can obtain that CNOR certification!