On March 19, the birthday of Dr. Margretta “Gretta” Madden Styles, EdD, RN, FAAN, a pioneer and one of the greatest leaders in the field of nursing certification, nurses are recognized worldwide to honor their certifications in nursing specialties and advanced practice. Within Children’s Minnesota, over 665 nurses hold a professional nursing certification, many holding multiple certifications.
Kaitlin Moore, Eilene Peters and Lynsey Jablonski are nurses who have demonstrated expertise, a level of knowledge validated by the credentialing boards in their specialty field and a commitment to life-long learning. Here are their stories of what nursing certification means to them.
Kaitlin Moore, BSN, RN, RNC-NIC, RNC-LRN, CCRN
Kaitlin Moore has been a nurse for three years and is in the NICU at Minneapolis with the RNC-NIC, RNC-LRN, and CCRN-Neonatal certifications.
At my last hospital, you were required to get your RNC-NIC between year two and three of being a nurse. If you didn’t obtain the certification, you were fired. I moved to Minnesota and started in the NICU here with the mindset that I wanted to pass to prove to myself that I could do it. At my other hospital, there was no free course that you could take to study, no vouchers to help you pay for the exams and no financial benefit to taking the exams. Coming to Children’s Minnesota, there was no reason not to take the exams! There are so many benefits including feeling validated that you know the field you are working in. I always encourage other nurses to get certified here at Children’s Minnesota.
My certification means that I am knowledgeable about all things NICU, and baby for that matter. I feel confident when I am asked questions and I love that having certifications means my knowledge has been validated. I think it also helps parents to feel more confident in their nursing staff.
Do it! You aren’t going to regret it. As long as you study and have had experience in your field, you will do fine! Talk to other nurses on your unit about the different types of certifications. I learned a lot about how to study and what resources were available to me through the nurses on my floor. There is honestly no reason that you shouldn’t get your certifications specific to your field!
Eilene Peters, BSN, RN, CPN
Eilene Peters has been a nurse for over 33 years and is on the 6th Floor at Minneapolis with the CPN certification.
I chose to obtain certification because I wanted to enhance and further “fine-tune” my assessment skills.
I feel that having my certification in pediatric nursing has allowed me to apply all the “book knowledge” into my clinical practice and allowed me to see changes in patient status more quickly as well as improve my interactions with the kids and their families.
You will never regret getting further education into learning more. It has helped with my critical thinking skills and enhanced things I learned back in college to a more practical/ hands-on approach now.
Lynsey Jablonski, MSN, RN, CPN
Lynsey Jablonski has been a nurse for seven years and is on the critical care float team in Minneapolis with the CPN certification.
I chose to obtain my certification to continue advancement in my nursing career. I have a drive to accomplish more in the pediatric nursing field and this was a logical next step for me.
My certification has instilled in me a sense of confidence and accomplishment in the pediatric nursing field. Certification exemplifies expertise in pediatric nursing as well as dedication to patients, families and Children’s Minnesota.
I highly suggest obtaining a nursing certification! The feeling of accomplishment, confidence and pride in obtaining a certification is invaluable.