Have you ever considered certification from the perspective of patients and their family members? Although certification provides many benefits to nurses, it also exists to protect and enhance patient health and safety.1 Nurses who hold a certification demonstrate achievement of patient care knowledge and clinical judgment according to a national standard. The certification credential communicates this achievement not only to the nurse’s colleagues and professional networks but also to patients and families. When my father was a patient in an intensive care unit after major surgery, in a hospital I was unfamiliar with, knowing that he was being cared for by CCRN-certified nurses gave me peace of mind and comfort. A certification credential is a quick way to send a message that the nurse possesses knowledge of practice consistent with evidence-based standards.1 Certification is one of many ways to convey excellence. My father was also cared for by...
Certification Sends a Message
KNIPPA
Sara Knippa, ms, rn, accns-ag, ccrn, pccn, is the column’s content expert. Sara is a clinical nurse specialist for critical care, UCHealth, Aurora, Colorado. She welcomes feedback from readers and practice questions from potential contributors at [email protected]. Sara wrote the introduction.
SOLLARS
Kristin Sollars, msn, rn, ccrn, is an intensive care unit float nurse at Saint Luke’s Health System, Kansas City, Missouri. Kristin and Marci wrote the CCRN review questions.
EBBERTS
Marci Ebberts, msn, aprn, fnp-c, ccrn, is Program Director of nursing research at Saint Luke’s Health System and a practicing occupational health nurse practitioner. Kristin and Marci wrote the CCRN review questions.
RUBARTH
Lori Rubarth, phd, aprn-np, nnp-bc, was a professor at Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, and the track lead for the neonatal nurse practitioner program before she retired. Lori wrote the neonatal CCRN questions.
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