I am not currently a certified nurse. I’ve only been in practice for a year, so I wouldn’t be eligible to take any type of certification exam for at least another year. I am in outpatient nursing currently, so the certification I’d be able to work towards is Ambulatory Care Nurse Certification (ANCC). I am not sure I am staying in outpatient nursing long enough to take this exam. I would like to move back to inpatient nursing, and I’m not sure which area I’d like to try next, so it’s hard to say what the future holds! Certification is something that is important to me as a goal to work towards. For personal professional practice, it shows the holder specializes in the area related to the certification and is knowledgeable and clinically competent. Certified nurses are also preferred over non-certified for hiring purposes and tend to earn more money. Nurses who are certified have also demonstrated commitment to continuing their education and learning. As far as the certification to the nursing profession as a whole, it provides standardization. It sets a bar for all nurses in that specialty area to reach. Since certification is recognized in all states, it also allows nurses to transition to the same areas of nursing with the same type of base knowledge. Certification can also be perceived favorably by patients, because the certification is backed by a board and is regulated.
American Nurses Credentialing Center. (2018). Benefits of ANCC Certification. Retrieved from: https://www.nursingworld.org/certification/our-certifications/benefits-of-ancc-certification/
You have pointed out several benefits of nursing certifications. I like that you mentioned how certification leads to clinical competence. If nurses are supposed to be lifelong learners, certifications make sense! We should strive to be clinically competence, especially in our area of practice. Most jobs and patients do find certifications favorable as well (Montgomery, 2017).
Montgomery, S. (2017). The power of nursing specialty certifications. Retrieved from http://www.workingnurse.com/articles/The-Power-of-Nursing-Specialty-Certifications
I agree with you that having a certification shows commitment. I also think that having certification shows that you really take that much more initiative in putting in your own time and money to advance your own career.
I am working as a nurse in 33 years now and looked back beginning of my carrier, first 1 to 2 years I did not know anything, I was just doing what ever learned in school then 3rd year I realized I need to be more professional nurse ( I had RN license so I was professional nurse but I knew I was not critically thinking about patient care ) Then I changed my focus so I worked many different unit to learn what I want to be. That help my skills and critical thinking.
I agree with your post. Being certified makes us more marketable and desirable to a potential employer. Since you are not sure where you want to specialize, you may what to look into the Progressive Care Certified Nurse (PCCN) offered by AACN. This is what I am studying for. I chose this one because it is more rounded rather than focusing on a specific specialty. Since you are a fairly new grad, you can start studying now and will be ready once you have achieved the required hours.
Good luck to you!