CCRNs Have Earned the Right to Use and
Display Credential
Organizations Can Show Commitment to
Providing Quality Care
Nurses
who successfully meet the criteria for CCRN
certification have earned the right to use
and professionally display the credential on
their name badges and following their
signatures on official records, according to
a position paper recently released by AACN
and AACN Certification Corporation.
Further, such acknowledgment of the
credential is a meaningful way for
organizations to demonstrate support for the
value of certification and a commitment to
ensuring the delivery of competent,
high-quality healthcare. The ability to
prominently and legibly display credentials
also demonstrates recognition of the
healthcare providers' obligation to the
consumers' rights to be informed about those
who are responsible for their care.
Pointing to the fact that certification is a
voluntary process, the position statement
notes that specialty certification reflects
a nurse's commitment to career development
and dedication to patient care.
'Support for continuing education and
certification has been found to be a driver
of nurses' job satisfaction and has been
identified as essential elements in
recruitment and retention,' the statement
continues 'Display of the credential
provides validation that the nurse has
demonstrated experience, knowledge and
skills in the specialty of critical care.
'Today's critically ill patients require
heightened vigilance and extraordinarily
intricate care,' the statement reads. 'As
skilled and responsible health
professionals, the 403,000 critical care
nurses in the United States must acquire the
specialized knowledge and skills needed to
provide this care and demonstrate their
competence to the public, their employers
and their profession. Certification provides
validation of such specialized knowledge and
skills.'
The
full position paper is available online.
CCRNs Stay Connected Through Alumnus Status
AACN
Certification Corporation began offering the
Alumnus CCRN status in response to CCRN-certified
nurses who, though they have left direct
bedside critical care, want to remain
connected with the credential.
E. Faye
Daly, RN, BS, AD, of Sedro Woolley, Wash.,
is just one of those nurses who have been
granted Alumnus status. Following are her
comments about how much the opportunity to
be given this special standing meant to her:
Because
of a hand injury, I am not able to work at
the bedside as a caregiver. Unable to meet
the clinical requirements to renew my CCRN,
I applied for Alumnus CCRN status.
Recently, I received confirmation of
acceptance. It feels wonderful to me! As my
renewal due date approached, it was very
hard for me to think of giving up CCRN
certification.
Being
able to remain connected through Alumnus
CCRN standing is such a healing balm for my
heavy heart from not being able to do direct
bedside care after some 30 years of clinical
practice. I am working at keeping myself
positive by acknowledging that I am making a
difference in patient care, just in a
different position.
Thanks
to you all, my fellow professionals, for
initiating a standing for us 'ol' health
warriors' alias critical care RNs!
When
written, the Alumnus CCRN designation may be
used on a resume or below a person's name
and credentials on a business card. However,
the designation may not be used after a
signature or on a name badge.
To be
eligible for Alumnus CCRN status, an
applicant must have been CCRN certified and
no longer working at the bedside of acutely
or critically ill patients. CERPs are not
required. Alumnus CCRNs receive a
certificate, lapel pin and monthly issues of
AACN News.
The
Alumnus CCRN application is available by
calling (800) 899-2226 or visiting the AACN
Certification Corporation Web site. The fee
is $75 for AACN members and $90 for others.
In the Circle
Jersey Shoreline Chapter Increases
Certification Numbers
Editor's note: The Chapter CCRN
Certification Drive Award recognizes
chapters that demonstrate the value of CCRN
certification by increasing the number of
CCRNs in their chapters during the year.
Following are excerpts from the exemplar
submitted by the Jersey Shoreline Chapter,
the recipient of this award for 2003. The
chapter received five complimentary tickets
to and was recognized at the Certification
Luncheon during NTI 2003 in San Antonio,
Texas.
Jersey Shoreline Chapter
Neptune, N.J.
The
Jersey Shoreline Chapter was almost defunct
when a small but determined group of nurses
envisioned a multifacility nursing group
with a concentrated focus-providing updated
critical care nursing educational programs.
These nurses banded together and decided to
provide bimonthly seminars, as well as a
CCRN review. The attendance grew; the
interest mounted; and the chapter was
reborn! The numbers of chapter members
increased from 54 to 102, and nationally
certified members, specifically CCRNs,
doubled from 37 to 74.
The
chapter accepted the award on behalf of not
only chapter members, but also all the
critical care nurses in the Central New
Jersey area who are now enriched by the
educational programs and community projects
the chapter continues to provide.
Renewing Your CCRN Online Fast and Easy
Renewing your CCRN online is faster and
easier than mailing or faxing a paper
application. You receive your new card and
certificate in four to six weeks with online
renewal, half the time it takes with the
paper process. If you are an active CCRN who
is due to renew within the next four months
and plan to renew by CERPs, visit the AACN
Certification Corporation Web site at
www.certcorp.org > CCRN.
For the Record
Elaine
M. Buesgens, RN, BS, CCRN, has been CCRN
certified since 1979. Her name was omitted
from a list of CCRNs celebrating 20
consecutive years of certification, which
appeared in AACN News in 2001.
Kelley
E. Hubbard, RN, BSN, MS, MBA, CCRN, CRNA,
has maintained her CCRN certification for 20
years. Her credentials were incomplete in a
list of CCRNs celebrating 20 consecutive
years of certification, which appeared in
the August 2003 issue of AACN News.
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