This essay will discuss nursing practice standards and how nursing certification affects these standards in healthcare organizations.

Activity 3 Maintaining Standards Example Solution

Nursing practice standards are more important than ever as healthcare continues to evolve. Maintaining practice standards is critical to ensuring patient safety and quality care. In nursing, certification is one way to demonstrate competence and adherence to these standards.

Certification for Nursing

Nursing certification is a process that validates nurses’ competence through assessment and evaluation. It ensures that nurses have the necessary education, knowledge, and skills to provide safe and high-quality care to patients (Lockhart, 2019). Nursing certification is optional but highly recommended for nurses who want to advance their careers, improve their professional development, and demonstrate their expertise in a specialized area of nursing.

Depending on the certification body, the nursing certification process may include meeting specific eligibility requirements, passing an examination, and maintaining certification through continuing education and ongoing professional development (Lockhart, 2019). The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) is one of the most well-known nursing certification organizations in the United States, offering certifications in various specialties such as critical care, gerontological, and pediatric nursing. The ANCC certification process requires that nurses have a certain level of education and experience in the specialty area, pass an examination, and continue to meet continuing education requirements.

The Impact of Nursing Certification on Organization’s Standards

Nursing certification is a widely accepted method for nurses to demonstrate their expertise and advance their careers. However, nursing certification has positive and negative effects on nursing practice and workplace issues. Improved patient care is one of the benefits of nursing certification. According to Mlambo et al. (2021), certified nurses have a higher level of expertise in their field, which results in better patient care and outcomes. Furthermore, certification can help nurses advance in their careers and provide new opportunities for professional development. This results in professional recognition and increased respect and recognition from colleagues and employers, which can contribute to increased job satisfaction.

Nursing certification, on the other hand, has some drawbacks. One of the most significant adverse effects is the cost of certification, which includes fees for the examination, continuing education, and recertification. Preparing for certification can also be time-consuming and require substantial study and preparation, which can be difficult for nurses who already work long hours (Dierkes et al., 2021). Nursing certification requirements can also impact staffing because not all nurses are certified in a specific specialty area, causing staffing and scheduling issues. Maintaining certification can also be stressful, putting nurses under pressure to meet ongoing continuing education requirements, leading to burnout and high turnover rates.

In my nursing practice, I have seen firsthand how nursing certification can improve patient care and overall workplace standards. Certified nurses, for example, are frequently more confident in their practice and can provide more comprehensive and up-to-date care to their patients. Certified nurses are also more likely to be current on the most recent evidence-based practices and can apply this knowledge to improve patient outcomes. Furthermore, certified nurses frequently exhibit higher professionalism, which can improve teamwork and collaboration among staff.

Conclusion

Maintaining nursing practice standards is critical for ensuring patient safety and quality care. Nursing certification is one method of validating nurses’ competence and demonstrating adherence to these standards. While nursing certification has positive and negative consequences, the positive consequences, such as improved patient care and career advancement, far outweigh the negatives. Nursing certification will become increasingly important as healthcare evolves to ensure nurses have the knowledge and skills to provide safe, quality care.

References

Dierkes, A. M., Schlak, A. E., French, R., McHugh, M. D., & Aiken, L. (2021). Why do some nurses obtain specialty certification and others do not? JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 51(5), 249–256. https://doi.org/10.1097/nna.0000000000001009