RN Specialty Certification:
An Answer for Continuing Education &
Continuing Competence
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
 AR, DE, FL, GA, IA, KY, LA,
MA, MI, MN, NC, NE, NH, NM,
ND, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA,
WV & WY
 AK, AL, CA, IL, KS, MT, NJ, PA
& UT only allow the
education leading toward
certification to count toward
CE/CC
32 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?
Contact:
Sandra T. Samargis
Executive Director
Board of Certification for
Emergency Nursing
Email: ssamargis@bcencertifications.org
Phone: (630) 352-0812
Certification advocacy toolkits
available on request
Seeking
Further
Support &
Information