By Kelle Overand, RN, BSN, CPN

This was a question many of us asked ourselves when INTEGRIS Health made the decision to pay the testing fees for the certification examinations upfront. Many of us questioned why do we need this and how will I benefit from becoming certified? Working in the pediatric field for almost ten years, becoming certified as a pediatric nurse was something I knew about, however, only three people were certified in my department. This made me think, what were my perceptions about the people who were certified? What I realized was these people were mentors, true innovators of the practice of nursing. So why not become certified? Several of us nurses began to talk about becoming certified and we took the plunge.

First of all, most of us had to get over the fear of test taking. The last test we had taken was nursing boards. Our test preparation consisted of review books and a two-day review class. A few weeks later several of us took the test and passed. WOW—what a great feeling! The Pediatric unit and PICU went from only three certified nurses to now seven certified nurses with several more signing up to take the exam. For some units, the numbers do not appear to be great, however, for our small unit this is quite a positive reflection. So why become certified?

Research* has shown that nurses who are certified receive several rewards such as personal growth; recognition; increased autonomy; empowerment; career advancement; increased marketability, higher self-esteem; enhanced collaboration; and financial reimbursements. Some nurses reported feeling more confident in their ability to detect the early signs and symptoms of complications with their patients, which aids in the induction of early treatment interventions. The National Credentialing Research Coalition (NCRC) concluded certified nurses have higher patient satisfaction ratings, more effective communication skills, fewer disciplinary events and higher job satisfaction. Additionally, supervisors report scoring certified nurses higher on performance in areas of teaching/collaboration and planning/evaluation. For organizations, the benefits include a reduction in sentinel events, a decrease in work-related injuries, and improvements in nursing turnover and retention of certified nurses. INTEGRIS Health's national certification program includes the initial fee of $250 for the exam with year-end bonuses, depending on employment status, of up to $1000. Thanks to INTEGRIS Health for allowing nurses the opportunity for this advancement.

Many thanks to Kelle Overand, Team Manager/Unit-based Education, at INTEGRIS Health in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma for sharing this inspiring article, which first appeared in her hospital's NurseNotes newsletter. And thanks to INTEGRIS Health for supporting certification at their facility.

Do you have a story to share about becoming certified? We'd love to hear it! Please email feedback@pncb.org with your thoughts.

*References:

Piazza, I., Donahue, M., Dykes, P., Griffin, M., Fitzpatrick, J. (2006). Difference in perceptions of empowerment among nationally certified and noncertified nurses. Journal of Nursing Administration, 36 (6), 277-283.

Nevada Nurses Association. (2000, May). Certified nurses report fewer adverse events survey links certification with improved health care.

Cary, A. (2001). Certified registered nurses: Results of the study of the certified workforce. American Journal of Nursing, 10 (1), 44-52.