There are requirements both experiential and educational that you must meet before you can get a nursing certification. Only Registered Nurses licensed by the state can avail of a nursing certification. The main objective of getting certified is to ensure that you meet the specified level of learning related to a medical specialty.
Certification for nurses are issued and regulated by a recognized credentialing institute and in the US that will the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The process of certification combines having educational and clinical experience. Though nurses can find employment without getting certified, a nursing certification enables one to get higher salary.
There are different certificates offered to nurses which are based on the different kinds of nursing careers.
Nurse practitioners who are required to get advanced nursing education credentials and acquire skills in providing a higher degree of patient care are issued certificates with NP (Nurse Practitioners) after the name of specialist.
Clinical nurses who receive education and acquire experience focusing on specific types of patient or illness receive certificates with CNS (Clinical Nurse Specialists) after the name of specialist.
Nursing certification is also available for other more specialized fields like forensics nursing, diabetes management, and nurse executives.
To get a nursing certification, here is what you need to do:
• Choose the certificate you want to obtain (there is a list of options available, course syllabus providing the course outline and the materials that are needed as well as a list of the schools where the courses are offered)
• If you don’t have the time to attend on site learning, online options are available so you can still get to study on your schedule
• Choose the method of course delivery that you prefer.
• Register for the course with the ANCC (your credentialing institute)
• Pay any required fee
• Take advantage of any additional resources available throughout the course including online review seminars, weekend review courses, multiple choice test banks and study groups.
• Schedule your exam date for the course you are taking. Seventy percent is the required minimum mark to pass the nursing certification course. You will get the result through the mail within 6 to 8 weeks of the examination.
After getting certified successfully then you can provide a copy of your certificate to your job’s human resources department and let your boss know you have obtained a certification.
Nurses who got certified normally make more money however if you have just received nursing certification and you were previously employed, perhaps you need to move into a different post to take full advantage of your newly acquired credentials.
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