Benefits of Certification for Employers
Benefits to Hiring and Retaining Certified Nurses
- Certified nurses have a positive impact on patient care and patient safety
- Employing certified nurses validates to patients and families that nursing staff has obtained the highest level of experience, knowledge, and skills
- A facility staffed by certified nurses in turn attracts more qualified nurses
- Employers who support nurses in certification and education benefit from a higher nurse retention rate
- Certified nurses are essential to achieving and maintaining American Nursing Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet® Recognition
Recommendations
According to the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC) position statement on The Value of Nursing Specialty Certification, employers should:
- Seek certified nurses for their workforce
- Support nurses in their efforts to achieve or maintain certification
- Inform patients and the public about the certification status of their workforce
- Encourage nurses to display their certification credentials
- Market the accomplishments of certified nurses
Ways to Honor and Promote Certified Nurses
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Submit articles and press releases to local media
See our sample press releases for an individual nurse or a group of nurses - Announce in facility's newsletter, e-mails, annual report
- Offer salary increase, bonus, advances in clinical ladder
- Reward nurses during special events (luncheons, dinners, receptions) that celebrate certification, such as Certified Nurses Day™ (March 19)
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Display posters and plaques that recognize certified nurses
Order an MSNCB Perpetual Plaque - Give congratulatory certificates
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Give gifts (education resources, textbooks, pins)
See gifts in the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nursing online store - Support continuing education (host a conference, send nurses to classes or symposia)
Also see Benefits of Certification for Nurses.
Bibliography
ABNS, the American Board of Nursing Specialties, maintains a certification bibliography on their Website.
The bibliography provides a list of published sources that focus on nursing certification that is updated yearly, most recently in January 2012. The bibliographic sources are grouped under the headings:
- General Information on Nursing Certification
- Specialty Certification
- Value of Certification
- Role Delineation/Exam Development
- Advanced Practice Certification
- Descriptive Studies
- Patient Outcome Studies
- Certification and Recertification Methods
- Continuing Competency
- General Interest
