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Certification in heart failure nursing is coming
AAHFN LEADERSHIP MESSAGE
Certification in heart failure nursing is coming
A
t the June annual meeting of the American Association of Heart Failure Nurses (AAHFN), then President Sue Wingate announced that the organization would offer the first Heart Failure Certification Examination at the 2011 Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington. The auLinda S. Baas, RN, PhD, ACNP, FAHA dience cheered. As the noise abated, questions arose. At that time we had little information to share, but more will be coming. The Job Analysis survey was sent to the membership in June. The results of this survey provided the first step in the certification development. We thank all who contributed to this effort of identifying what the registered nurse who works in heart failure does in practice. A task force has been formed to work with a professional test organization to prepare the test. As I am writing this column, the board has no new news to report to the membership, but as soon as information is available, it will be distributed to the AAHFN membership through e-mails, the website, and the AAHFN newsletter. What I really want to discuss is why heart failure nurses should become certified.
taining a high rate of certified nurses as another example of excellence in providing patient care. In a recent study, certified nurses had higher levels of empowerment and fewer wanted to leave their position or the profession.1 In clinical simulations, those nurses who were certified had higher knowledge and clinical scores than noncertified nurses.2,3 In another study, the proportion of certified nurses was inversely related to patient falls in critical care.4 Certified nurses were more likely to support family-centered care during resuscitation.5 These studies support certification to improve patient care delivery and outcomes. Becoming certified in a specialty in nursing can increase professional recognition and career advancement. A large national study found general agreement that specialty nursing certification increased credibility and recognition.6 Nurse managers reported that they were more likely to hire a certified nurse. Often, institutions support nurses who are seeking certification by paying the examination costs. Furthermore, many institutions consider certification as a criterion in professional advancement programs and reward this achievement with higher pay.7 There are many reasons to become certified in heart failure nursing. The first step is making a commitment to do it. The next is watching for the information about the exam. Check the website for announcements and look for the e-mails. The AAHFN Board wants to be sure that we provide our members with accurate and complete information to help them on the journey to certification.
What is certification? It is a voluntary demonstration of knowledge and skill in a specified area. It is different from licensure, which is legal status conferred by a state agency to practice a profession or perform a specific job. The goal of licensure is to protect the public and ensure adequate education to perform a job. Certification in nursing began approximately 35 years ago with the development of a test to demonstrate specialized knowledge. Why should you take the certifying exam? Certification demonstrates that you have attained a set of skills or knowledge. Magnet hospitals and those on the magnet journey want to demonstrate the competence of nursing staff by at-
Linda S. Baas, RN, PhD, ACNP, FAHA Board of Director, American Association of Heart Failure Nurses
From The Christ Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio Linda S. Baas, RN, PhD, ACNP, FAHA Linda Baas is currently a Professor at the University of Cincinnati and Director of Nursing research at The Christ Hospital. She is a Director of AAHFN. She has worked as a ACNP in Heart Failure. 0147-9563/$ - see front matter Ó 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.hrtlng.2010.10.005
HEART & LUNG VOL. 39, NO. 6
REFERENCES 1. Fitzpatrick JJ, Campo TM, Graham G, Lavandero R. Certification, empowerment, and intent to leave current position and the profession among critical care nurses. Am J Crit Care 2010;19:218-29. 2. Zulkowski K, Ayello EA, Wexler S. Certification and education: do they affect pressure ulcer knowledge in nursing? Adv Skin Wound Care 2007;20:34-8. 3. Whyte J, Ward P, Eccles DW. The relationship between knowledge and clinical performance in novice and experience critical care nurses. Heart Lung 2009;38:517-21. 4. Kendall-Gallagher D, Blegen MA. Competence and certification of registered nurses and safety of patients in intensive care units. Am J Crit Care 2009;81:106-13. 5. Twibell RS, Siela D, Riwitis C, et al. Nurses’ perception of their self-confidence and the benefits and risk of family presence during resuscitation. Am J Crit Care 2008;17:101-11. 6. Stromberg M, Nieburhr H, Prevost S, et al. Specialty certification: more than a title. Nurs Manag 2005;36:36-46. 7. Mee CL. Nursing 2006 salary survey. Nursing 2006;36:176-81.
www.heartandlung.org
463
Certification in heart failure nursing is coming
A
t the June annual meeting of the American Association of Heart Failure Nurses (AAHFN), then President Sue Wingate announced that the organization would offer the first Heart Failure Certification Examination at the 2011 Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington. The auLinda S. Baas, RN, PhD, ACNP, FAHA dience cheered. As the noise abated, questions arose. At that time we had little information to share, but more will be coming. The Job Analysis survey was sent to the membership in June. The results of this survey provided the first step in the certification development. We thank all who contributed to this effort of identifying what the registered nurse who works in heart failure does in practice. A task force has been formed to work with a professional test organization to prepare the test. As I am writing this column, the board has no new news to report to the membership, but as soon as information is available, it will be distributed to the AAHFN membership through e-mails, the website, and the AAHFN newsletter. What I really want to discuss is why heart failure nurses should become certified.
taining a high rate of certified nurses as another example of excellence in providing patient care. In a recent study, certified nurses had higher levels of empowerment and fewer wanted to leave their position or the profession.1 In clinical simulations, those nurses who were certified had higher knowledge and clinical scores than noncertified nurses.2,3 In another study, the proportion of certified nurses was inversely related to patient falls in critical care.4 Certified nurses were more likely to support family-centered care during resuscitation.5 These studies support certification to improve patient care delivery and outcomes. Becoming certified in a specialty in nursing can increase professional recognition and career advancement. A large national study found general agreement that specialty nursing certification increased credibility and recognition.6 Nurse managers reported that they were more likely to hire a certified nurse. Often, institutions support nurses who are seeking certification by paying the examination costs. Furthermore, many institutions consider certification as a criterion in professional advancement programs and reward this achievement with higher pay.7 There are many reasons to become certified in heart failure nursing. The first step is making a commitment to do it. The next is watching for the information about the exam. Check the website for announcements and look for the e-mails. The AAHFN Board wants to be sure that we provide our members with accurate and complete information to help them on the journey to certification.
What is certification? It is a voluntary demonstration of knowledge and skill in a specified area. It is different from licensure, which is legal status conferred by a state agency to practice a profession or perform a specific job. The goal of licensure is to protect the public and ensure adequate education to perform a job. Certification in nursing began approximately 35 years ago with the development of a test to demonstrate specialized knowledge. Why should you take the certifying exam? Certification demonstrates that you have attained a set of skills or knowledge. Magnet hospitals and those on the magnet journey want to demonstrate the competence of nursing staff by at-
Linda S. Baas, RN, PhD, ACNP, FAHA Board of Director, American Association of Heart Failure Nurses
From The Christ Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio Linda S. Baas, RN, PhD, ACNP, FAHA Linda Baas is currently a Professor at the University of Cincinnati and Director of Nursing research at The Christ Hospital. She is a Director of AAHFN. She has worked as a ACNP in Heart Failure. 0147-9563/$ - see front matter Ó 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.hrtlng.2010.10.005
HEART & LUNG VOL. 39, NO. 6
REFERENCES 1. Fitzpatrick JJ, Campo TM, Graham G, Lavandero R. Certification, empowerment, and intent to leave current position and the profession among critical care nurses. Am J Crit Care 2010;19:218-29. 2. Zulkowski K, Ayello EA, Wexler S. Certification and education: do they affect pressure ulcer knowledge in nursing? Adv Skin Wound Care 2007;20:34-8. 3. Whyte J, Ward P, Eccles DW. The relationship between knowledge and clinical performance in novice and experience critical care nurses. Heart Lung 2009;38:517-21. 4. Kendall-Gallagher D, Blegen MA. Competence and certification of registered nurses and safety of patients in intensive care units. Am J Crit Care 2009;81:106-13. 5. Twibell RS, Siela D, Riwitis C, et al. Nurses’ perception of their self-confidence and the benefits and risk of family presence during resuscitation. Am J Crit Care 2008;17:101-11. 6. Stromberg M, Nieburhr H, Prevost S, et al. Specialty certification: more than a title. Nurs Manag 2005;36:36-46. 7. Mee CL. Nursing 2006 salary survey. Nursing 2006;36:176-81.
www.heartandlung.org
463