Become a Nurse >> Browse Articles >> Degrees & Certifications

5 Nursing Certifications to Increase your Value

Featured Author:

Hollis Forster, RNC-NP

Nursing Career and Education Expert

Hollis Forster, RNC-NP received her RN in 1980 and her nurse practitioner license in 1982 from the University of California at Los Angeles. She’s worked in intensive care units and ambulatory care centers, delivering hands-on women’s health care services to countless women. During many of these years, she also worked as the risk and quality manager of ten women’s health centers, assuring compliance with local and federal law and managing the details of protocol development and implementation.

From 2003-2005, she served as the Executive Director of the National Cervical Cancer Coalition, drawing on her knowledge of cervical cancer from her twenty years as a provider of cervical cancer services. This experience enriched her knowledge of the administrative needs of health care services.

In 2006, Holly joined Affiliates Risk Management Services, a risk management organization that serves a national health care association. She is currently Director of Risk and Quality Management for over 860 health care sites. She also continues her hands-on work to stay connected with the most important part of this job- the patient.

Ms. Forster has also served on the board of medical management for the Family Planning Funding organization in California and has been a visiting faculty member for the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, delivering medical education to reproductive health care professionals across the U.S.

More articles from this author:

• Advancing Your LPN License
• Expanding Acceptance of Nursing Students
• 5 Ways to Get the Most Out of Clinical Rotations

If you want to broaden your nursing knowledge or take the next step in your career, upgrading your degree is far from your only option. Nursing certifications can add value to your degree and help you specialize in one area of the profession. Here are a few popular choices for you to consider:

You could be an 1. ACRN (AIDS-Certified RN), or a CMCN (Certified Managed Care Nurse) These certifications are all open to RNs without specific educational criteria and they can allow you to specialize in your profession, perhaps moving away from hospital nursing, or adding to your value as a direct care giver.

2. CPHQ (Certified Professional in Health Care Quality) Health care quality certification demonstrates your dedication to continuous quality improvement measures and systems. As you prepare for CPHQ certification, you may be able to participate in or lead quality improvement teams within your organization. You’ll solidify your knowledge of outcome measurement and data management, which can prepare you to take on an administrative role in your organization.

3. CCM (Certified Case Manager) According to the Commission for Case Manager Certification, case management is “a collaborative process that assesses, plans, implements, coordinates, monitors and evaluates…services required to meet the client’s health and human service needs.” CCMs are encouraged to adopt a much more holistic view of the patient. They are involved with the immediate needs of patients, but they also address less acute needs to maximize the wellness of each patient or client. Visit the website www.ccmcertification.org for more information.

4. ACRN (AIDS Certified RN) The AIDS nurse certification provides nurses working with HIV -infected patients with a network through which they can exchange information and increase their education to improve the care they provide. The website for this certification opportunity is www.anacnet.org.

5. CHPN (Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse) These nurses work with bereaved patients or patients experiencing life-limiting illness. They focus on physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual needs of patients, working on a team, often with the RN providing direct assessments of the client, and the nurse’s aides providing supportive care. The certification exam is a great way to gain recognition for the knowledge and experienced needed in this specialized field.

5. CMCN (Certified Managed Care Nurse) As a CMCN, you can demonstrate your success as a nurse in a managed -care environment. In this field, case management is crucial. The job of a managed care nurse is to maintain and optimize the wellness of clients. This is done through understanding the client’s medical and social needs and addressing concerns before they escalate to the need for hospitalization or other care.

Each of these certifications is available to nurses educated at all levels. Therefore, they can be valuable ways to increase the range and depth of your knowledge, your career and ultimately positively affect the outcomes of the patients who come under your care.

*Commission for Case Manager Certification. ”Glossary of Terms and Reference List.” From http://www.ccmcertification.org/pages/22frame_set.html Accessed on December 3, 2008.