What Is Nurse Credentialing?

Nursing can be a good career choice if you enjoy working with people in a medical setting. Nurses are always in demand and can perform a variety of duties in many different settings. Once you complete a basic nursing degree you can choose to specialize in one or several areas of health care. You can become certified or credentialed in a specific field of nursing to help you find the work you enjoy most.

Identification

• One of the largest nursing credentialing centers is The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). This organization is a division of the American Nurses Association. It credentials nurses in a chosen field of specialty, ensures safe working environments, and provided accreditation for schools offering continuing education credits for nurses.

Types

• Nurses can choose to become credentialed in specialties such as surgical, pediatric, cardiac, community nursing, gerontology, home health nursing, psychiatric and pain management. There are also options to become credentialed to work in more of an office or business like setting or in schools. Advanced credentials can be obtained to work in diabetes management or other condition-specific fields, public health or in executive positions.

Considerations

• To become credentialed you must first hold a degree in nursing from an accredited college. Then you must choose a specialty. Next you take courses either in person, online or by reading manuals. Some credentialing programs also require that you work for a specific period of time as a nurse before applying. Depending on your specialty, you may also have to complete a certain number of hours working in your field. Upon completion, you must pass a test to prove your knowledge. The links below will take you to various websites that outline the requirements needed for each given specialty.

Time Frame

• The actual courses you take to specialize and become credentialed vary in length. You can take courses in person, online or through self study with books and manuals. As mentioned above, you may need to complete up to 2,000 hours of on-the-job experience. Before choosing a specialty, try interviewing nurses who are working in that particular field and even see if you can shadow them for a day. This way you can get a real sense of what your workday will be like to make sure it is the right fit for you. You should explore different settings, as working in a school or corporation is very different from a hospital or nursing home.

Benefits

• Taking classes and obtaining credentials helps in several ways. First it keeps you up to date on the latest treatment options and research. Medical knowledge is constantly changing. New medications are always being developed and as more is learned about different medical conditions, the more efficiently they can be treated. Constant education is necessary to stay on top of recent developments. Becoming certified can increase your salary and make you more desirable when searching for employment.