If
you’re thinking about a career that includes leadership roles, obtaining certification
in one or more specialty areas will help you reach those goals. Becoming
certified requires a commitment to life-long learning and to meeting the
highest standards in the nursing profession—both qualities expected of nursing
leaders.
If
you’ve been working in a nursing specialty for a few years, you already have an
excellent grasp of the certification exam material and the preparation will
enhance what you know. Taking this career-advancing step gives you advanced
clinical knowledge and brings you closer to moving into a leadership role.
“Certification
represents that the nurse took their career to the next level,” says Charles
“Wes” Foster, MSN, BA, RN, CMSRN OCN, president-elect of the Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification
Board (MSNCB). “Employers want certified nurses, and being certified in
many institutions advances you on the clinical ladder. Certified nurses are the
experts on the latest information on patient care.”
Nurses find they can take the
additional skills that come with certification and apply them almost
immediately with patients and peers. And, if your supervisors aren’t noticing
your professional efforts and you’re thinking of a job change, certification is
essential when you’re looking for a job with more responsibility or where you
can make a real impact through advocating for policy changes in local organizations
and at a national level.
According
to Crystal Lawson, DNP, RN, CENP, education director of the American Organization for Nursing
Leadership, many organizations prefer or even require
certification for leadership positions. The credential demonstrates a
competency that reinforces professional credibility, and it frequently begins
valuable professional growth. “Certified
nurses are often members of a specialty nursing association, which connects
them to a network of peers, mentorship, professional development, and
leadership opportunities,” Lawson says. “Through achievement of certification,
many nurses find themselves leading in shared governance, laying the foundation
for future leadership roles.”
Certification’s immediate benefits
are obvious—you learn new standards and practices to provide the best care—and
those skills can be used right away. Other benefits are less evident, but are
equally important to augmenting your leadership abilities. Nurse leaders set an
example by continually striving to improve themselves and their teams and also
by demonstrating the motivation to do better. Their work as a role model is
expected and frequently is inspiration for others working in the same unit.
“Employers also love that the nurses are participating in unit-based practice
councils and are making positive changes for health care delivery,” says
Foster. “Certification demonstrates that the nurse has set the bar high for
their performance, and they maintain that standard.” Some certifications even
focus specifically on leadership qualities and skills, such as the Clinical Nurse Leader certification.
Your certification status shows you
have the ambition to do better and to become a better nurse and your peers take
notice. “Being a certified nurse also helps in formal leader roles,” says
Foster. “Leaders are looked upon as experts in the field and being certified
supports that the nurse has expertise in their area.” Once you achieve that
credential, you can help others nurses who have questions about how to prepare
for the exam or how to use their new skills.
Many nurses report anxiety as a
barrier to pursuing certification, and Foster has words of wisdom. “You’re the
expert in your field,” he says. “You know this stuff. It’s stuff you would see
on a daily basis—it’s not something you saw in school and then forgot about.” And
for nurses concerned about how not passing could impact their career trajectory,
Foster has a simple solution. “I didn’t tell anyone when I took my test,” he
says. “If I failed it, the only one who knew was me.” And, he says, if you
don’t pass, the result is like a guide for how to prepare for the next time you
take it.
Career advancement and leadership
are excellent motivators for taking on the additional work toward
certification. It’s often contagious when nurses see peers succeed because they
see how the credential improves outcomes for their patients. “I know of
organizations that do see that their patient satisfaction scores are higher on
units where most of the clinical nurses are certified,” says Foster.
Lawson found her certification
revealed unexpected opportunities in her own career. “Earning certification in
my clinical specialty led me to participate in a professional development
program, which was the catalyst to my involvement in professional governance
and council leadership,” she says. “These experiences sharpened my leadership
competencies. Soon after, I found my passion in nursing leadership and career
advancement into formal leadership positions. Achieving my first certification
was the spark to my leadership journey.”
By Julia Quinn-Szcesuil
Julia Quinn-Szcesuil is a freelance
writer based in Bolton, Massachusetts.