An Answer for Continuing Education & Continuing Competence RN Specialty Certification:

The formal recognition of the specialized knowledge, skills, and experience demonstrated by the achievement of standards identified by a nursing specialty to promote optimal health outcomes ABNS is an acknowledged leader in recognizing and accrediting RN specialty certification boards. Certification Defined by American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS)

 Licensure allows you to legally enter practice (one time measurement through NCLEX-RN © )  Certification is voluntary and measures achievement in RN’s specific area of practice  Re-certification assures the public that the RN is maintaining competence through knowledge and participation in their specialty What is State Licensure v. Certification?

 RNs enter the profession through licensure (authorized to practice across the entire Nursing Practice Act)  As RNs progress throughout their careers, specialty practice emerges  RNs who want to validate and enhance that specialty practice seek, prepare, and obtain specialty certification More About RN Specialty Certification

 90% of nurse manager respondents preferred hiring certified RNs over non-certified RNs  58% of nurse manager respondents see a positive performance differences in certified nurses  2009 IOM report stated that for RNs to keep their knowledge and skills up to date, the best way to achieve that was through ongoing certification that satisfies CE requirements What the Reports Says

 Patients, families, employers, and nurses all benefit from specialty certification  Certification assures patients that RNs are competent  Employers supporting specialty certification are better positioned to prosper in highly competitive health care market Benefits of Hiring Certified RNs

 Validates specific nurse practice knowledge and skills to remain professionally competent in intricate health care environment  Improves capacity and use of evidence-based guidelines in nurse practice  Advances ability to remain on front edge with emerging technologies and processes  Meets challenges of evolving scopes of practice  Reinforces professional and career development Benefits of Certification to RNs

 Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN®) promotes RN specialty certification as a way to fulfill continuing education (CE) or continuing competence (CC)  BCEN supports all RN specialty certifications  Five pilot states initially targeted (FL, MO, OR, TX, VA) BCEN Certification Project Benefits All Certified RNs

 AL, AR, DE, FL, GA, IA, KY, LA, MA, MI, MN, NE, NH, NM, ND, OK, PA, SC, TX, UT, VA, WA & WV  AK, CA, IL, KS, MT & NJ only allow the education leading toward certification to count toward CE/CC 29 States Recognize RN Specialty Certification for CE/CC

 Some states do not mandate CE or CC requirements  15 states have no CE requirements: AZ, CO, CT, HI, IN, ME, MD, MO, MS, NY, OR, RI, SD, VT & WI NC, TN & WY have no CE requirement but do have CC requirements Certification Project Challenges

 States and health care professions are exploring ways to measure current practice  RN specialty certification is an excellent way to demonstrate ongoing competence ‒‒ it is tied to a specific practice focus beyond a general license  Grassroots coalitions of all stakeholders enhance advocacy  Linking RN specialty certification to IOM Future of Nursing recommendations is an advocacy strategy with potential  Devising comprehensive communications plans add value  Regulatory and legislative actions with boards of nursing and state legislators must be monitored Certification Project Lessons Learned

 If your state accepts RN specialty certification for CE/CC Practice Positive PR ‒ tell colleague, managers, HR departments, etc. Write newsletter articles for employer and nurse newsletters and magazines in your state Ask your board of nursing to promote it on its web site where RNs go to renew licenses What Can You Do?

 If your state does not accept RN specialty certification for CE/CC Encourage colleagues, management, patient groups, etc., to let board of nursing and legislators know how important specialty certification is for RNs and maintaining CE/CC Write newsletter articles for employer and nurse newsletters and magazines in your state encouraging certification and CE/CC link Make presentations advocating specialty certification at state nursing, health care, and patient-related groups in your state Develop a stakeholder coalition What Can You Do?

BCEN Contact: Kathleen Ream Principal, KAR Associates, Inc. Phone: Certification advocacy toolkits available on request Seeking Further Support & Information