Board certification

Education and Certification

“…The importance of certification centers on the belief that certification is a measure of nurses' abilities to provide competent care at a higher standard. Certification is also demonstrated to promote optional health outcomes in patient population and their families 5–11. Successful certification validates to stakeholders that an individual has mastered a body of knowledge and has gained expertise in the advanced practice role and the population of interest 6,10–12.…”

“…Certification is also demonstrated to promote optional health outcomes in patient population and their families. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11] Successful certification validates to stakeholders that an individual has mastered a body of knowledge and has gained expertise in the advanced practice role and the population of interest. 6,[10][11][12] Finally, multiple studies report that nurses feel empowered by certification as a visible indication of their knowledge and achievements.…”

“…Increased compensation is often tied to successful certification. [6][7][8][9][10][11] In keeping with the topic of this issue, let us examine how the certification agencies address nutrition. Study guides are available for most certification examinations and can be found on the appropriate agency's Web site.…”

Readiness Tests

“…5 Nurse leaders can address the first barrier by providing protected time for studying and taking the certification test, and organizations can address the cost barrier by offering certification financial support as an employee benefit. 6 That leaves test anxiety, which can be high in nurses who finished their basic education several years ago and thus have limited recent testing experience. The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) offers readiness tests as a strategy for reducing this anxiety by offering a real-world simulated testing experience that provides feedback about knowledge gaps.…”

“…Factors hamper certification efforts including time, costs, and test anxiety 5 . Nurse leaders can address the first barrier by providing protected time for studying and taking the certification test, and organizations can address the cost barrier by offering certification financial support as an employee benefit 6 …”