...and nursing services strategic plans include increasing the number of nurses certified and participating in professional associations as the organization continues on the journey toward becoming a Magnet[R] hospital. However, the 35-bed acute care medicine unit did not have any staff certified in medical-surgical nursing as of January 2005. In support of the VCUHS nursing strategic plan, the unit identified and implemented strategies to encourage staff to become certified.

Background

The American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS) (2005) defines nursing certification as a formal method of recognizing the specialized knowledge, skills, and experience nurses demonstrate to improve patient outcomes. Results of a recent study affirmed the values placed on certification by nurses and managers (ABNS, 2006). The values of certification included validating specialized knowledge, enhancing professional credibility, enhancing feelings of personal accomplishment, providing personal satisfaction, providing professional challenge, indicating professional growth, and providing evidence of professional commitment (ABNS, 2006; Cary, 2001; Cliff & Martinez, 2004; Stromborg et al., 2005).

In addition to the impact on staff, several sources provided strong evidence that certification may improve outcomes for organizations and patients. For example, the study conducted by the Nursing Credentialing Research Coalition indicated nurses perceived positive outcomes associated with certification, including fewer adverse events in patient care, higher patient satisfaction ratings, fewer disciplinary events, and fewer work-related injuries; in addition, certification was believed to contribute to increased productivity and staff retention, and improved patient outcomes (American Nurses Credentialing Center [ANCC], 2000; Cary, 2001).

ANCC's Magnet Recognition Program[TM] includes a focus on promoting nursing specialty certification. Organizations are required to provide data on certification of their nurses when submitting their application for recognition as a Magnet hospital (Weeks, Ross, & Roberts, 2006). Therefore, certification becomes an even more important goal for these organizations. By increasing the percentage of certified nurses providing direct care, the hospital's demographic profile and professional development programs are more likely to reflect the characteristics of a Magnet organization (Shirey, 2005).

Despite the strong evidence supporting the value of certification, barriers may impact an organization's ability to build a certified nursing workforce. For example, nurses who have never been certified report the greatest barriers as exam cost, lack of organizational support, and lack of rewards for attaining certification (ABNS, 2005). Nurses who allowed their certification to lapse indicate they no longer practice in the designated specialty, or receive inadequate compensation or recognition for maintaining nursing specialty certification.

Strategies to Increase Certification

VCUHS identified increasing nursing specialty certification as a goal at both the organization and department levels. At the departmental level, the decision was made to dedicate continuing...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.



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