I have worked in the emergency room for 9 years now but do not hold any specialty nursing certifications. I would, someday like to obtain my CEN and become a certified emergency room nurse, as I feel it would increase my knowledge for the ER. I went back to school in 2012 and became a paramedic, so I feel that this knowledge has helped me benefit my patients in the emergency room. Maybe once I am finished with school I could make the CEN my next goal. Any additional knowledge that I have can only better the outcomes for my patients, which is one of our goals in nursing.
The value of specialty certification to professional practice would be better patient outcomes, which is priceless to our patients. By specializing in your field of expertise, it benefits patients by increasing the amount of knowledge you have. The more education you have the better, but the more education you have in a specific field of nursing, the more you can offer to your patients. By obtaining a specialty certification, it shows your knowledge, competence, expertise and commitment to your area of practice. This also shows a commitment to nursing, as we are willing for further our skills through dedication. Specialty certification validates us as nurses through the education obtained for that specialty practice. The standard of practice is raised for the nursing profession through this additional certification and shows not only dedication to our patients, but to the profession.
References
Murtha, A. [Avera McKennan]. (2011, March 01). Nursing certification – Avera medical minute. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtube.com/watch?v=NIZv6oJ7tvA
All nurses can benefit from certification | Nursing News, Stories & Articles. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.nurse.com/blog/2013/12/01/all-nurses-can-benefit-from-certification/
Kudos to you Angela, working in the ED would be a challenge for me. I do like to know in advance what will be coming through those doors. I am sure you could write a book working as a paramedic and an ED nurse about all the interesting cases you have dealt with. Do you find it difficult to sometimes cope and remain calm and clear-headed when you are dealing with extreme cases? Goodluck to you on your certification! Are you planning to continue your education after you complete your RN to BSN?
There is so much to learn in the process of becoming certified. As much as it demonstrates the level of clinical specialty knowledge you possess, it is also an opportunity to become more learned in that area as there are always things we have not personally encountered before. I made the same decision to wait until my schooling is complete before tackling certification. I don’t want to be wasting fee money or adding one more demand on my time. I hope that when I become certified it has been with my full focus and determination.
Thank you for your post. I am intrigued by the fact you had worked in the ED for awhile and then went back to school and became a paramedic. In what way does this change how you are able to practice nursing in the ED? Sorry if this seems like a dumb question, this is just an area I don’t have any working knowledge of, so I am curious what the difference is and how it affects how you are able to care for patients.