I do not currently hold any special nursing certifications, but if I were to choose one, I would take the PCCN certification exam. I actually finished a PCCN review course a few years ago and started studying but then never actually took the exam. The reason I would like to take this certification has to do with my preference for cardiac patients. I enjoyed working both in PCU and cardiac interventional unit, but since I have decided to leave bedside nursing, I am not sure what I want to do next and what certification I would like to get.
I do think that specialty certification holds value both personally and professionally as long as the certification has accreditation through a valid nursing organization. To me the certification must challenge ones current knowledge and expand on it to hold merit. It is personally satisfying to have a certification knowing your hard work and extra education in your specialty is recognized and provides for better patient outcomes. Professionally it also has great value to the nursing profession as a whole. Nursing is very diverse and certain areas are very specialized, so having certification shows the nurses have done the extra education for their specialty. Just like physicians who specialize and hold certifications to recognize their specialty, nurses should be recognized as well for holding certification.
Studies have shown specialty nursing certification does improve patient outcomes such as the one listed below:
Kendall-Gallagher, D., Aiken, L., Soane, D., Cimiotti, J. (2011). Nurse specialty certification, inpatient mortality, and failure to rescue. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, Vol 43, Iss 2,pgs 188-194. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3201820/
I love when you said “certification must challenge ones current knowledge and expand on to it to hold merit.” I think the idea of nursing certification is an exciting one because just when we think we may have maxed out in a specific area, we can certify in it and really show a love and specialty for it. I would love to look up what certifications nurses can obtain in a clinic. Clinic nurses often know a ton of information because a huge part of their job is education. They are fantastic nurse educators and that definitely counts for something.