Certification with pride and respect

MedSurg Nursing, Oct, 2003 by Deirdre G. Wartew

In the hallowed hails of Oxford University in England, the students have a rather facetious saying:

   "The more I study, the more I
   know
   The more I know, the more I forget
   The more I forget, the less I know
   So why study?"

As registered nurses and as professionals, we all know the importance of continuing education. The need to maintain an up-to-date knowledge base of nursing practice is vital to ensuring that we provide the highest quality patient care. We need to demonstrate commitment to our patients, our careers, and to ourselves.

Certification

In these days of managed care, cost containment, and health care reform, you have to be competitive and stay up-to-date, and that means getting certified. Certification is a process by which a non-governmental agency or association validates, based upon pre-determined standards, an individual's qualifications and knowledge of practice in a defined clinical specialty. Becoming certified in your specialty area is a very important step in the advancement of your career. Enhancing your professional development and expertise in your practice should always be a primary goal, and certification is validation that this goal has been achieved. Certification is a recognized measurement of competency and safety, and an asset in consumer protection. It demonstrates your commitment to your career, your competence in your profession, but most importantly, your commitment to yourself.

Why CMSRN (Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse)?

The first CMSRN exam was held in May 2003. Two hundred and twenty-five medical-surgical registered nurses successfully demonstrated their commitment to continuous learning and to quality in the delivery of care to the public.

Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse (CMSRN) is the official credential that is awarded to those who have passed the certification exam, and they are granted the right to use CMSRN after their licensing credential. This title declares that medical-surgical nursing is their specialty. It reflects essential core knowledge of medical-surgical nursing, and it is a recognized measurement of a commitment to professional development and to providing the highest quality of care. Certification conveys to the CMSRNs a sense of professional pride and achievement.

Wearing Your New Credentials with Pride

Obtaining certification reinforces your special knowledge and experience required for medical-surgical nursing, and it brings value to the services you provide to your patients. It demonstrates your professional aspirations and your desires to improve the quality of patient care. Public awareness of the value of certification is increasing, and thus certification has become a measure of excellence and safety for consumers.

CMSRN is a tangible recognition of professional achievement and excellence in medical-surgical nursing, and validation of a comprehensive knowledge of your specialty. Certification demonstrates to nurse colleagues, patients, and employers that you are knowledgeable of, experienced in, and committed to medical-surgical nursing specialty practice. The process of becoming certified enhances your professional development and provides opportunities for professional growth.

CMSRN is a well-earned credential, and it is indeed a privilege to wear the certification pin. You can wear the pin with pride--a pride that will be reinforced every 5 years when you recertify, and that will remain with you throughout your career.

Seeking Success

Jiddu Krishnamurti, a 20th century philosopher, once said, "In oneself lies the whole world, and if you know how to look and learn, then the door is there and the key is in your hand. Nobody on earth can give you either that key or the door to open, except yourself."

May I congratulate all of you who took the key and opened that door in pursuit of professional growth. You are now a CMSRN and can wear that title with pride and respect.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish every success to those of you who will be taking the CMSRN certification examination in October and in years to come.

Let us all celebrate the specialty of medical-surgical nursing!

Deirdre G. Wartew,

RN,C, CMSRN

Treasurer, MSNCB