Interview Spotlight: The Value of Certification for Employers
We sat down with Keisha Davidson, MBA, ICE-CCP, an ABSNC Board member and Director of Credentialing at the Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center, along with her colleague Rachel Dennis, MBA, Director of Corporate Partnerships, to discuss how supporting certification can enhance an organization's credibility while attracting and retaining high-quality employees.
Q: How does specialty nursing certification benefit healthcare organizations?
A: I see specialty nursing certification as an investment in clinical excellence. Preparing for and maintaining certification requires nurses to stay current with evidence-based practice, emerging research, and specialty-specific standards of care. This ongoing professional development strengthens clinical knowledge, enhances critical thinking, and supports high-quality patient care. It also strengthens the organization's reputation and demonstrates a commitment to maintaining high professional standards.
Q: How can certification help employers attract and retain top nursing talent in a competitive workforce environment?
A: Supporting certification shows nurses that employers value their professional growth and career development. Organizations that invest in certification often attract ambitious, highly skilled nurses who are committed to lifelong learning. Providing certification support also increases job satisfaction, engagement, and loyalty, which helps improve retention and reduce turnover.
Q: How does specialty certification contribute to improved patient care and safety?
A: Certified nurses have demonstrated specialized expertise and an ability to follow best practices, contributing to safer care, fewer errors, better patient outcomes, and higher patient satisfaction.
Q: What impact can certification have on team collaboration and accountability?
A: Certification promotes a culture of professionalism and shared accountability. Certified nurses often serve as clinical resources and mentors for their colleagues, encouraging teamwork and knowledge sharing. Their expertise helps strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration and supports consistent, high-quality patient care across the healthcare team.
Q: What is the return on investment for employers who support certification programs?
A: While there are upfront costs associated with certification support, the long-term benefits outweigh the investment. Organizations often experience improved patient outcomes, higher staff retention, increased employee engagement, enhanced quality metrics, and a stronger reputation for excellence. Reduced turnover and improved performance can also lower recruitment and training costs over time.
Q: What are some effective ways employers can encourage and support certification among their staff?
A: Employers can encourage certification by offering reimbursement for exam fees, providing paid study time, recognizing and rewarding certified nurses, offering salary differentials or bonuses, creating mentorship programs, and celebrating certification achievements. Providing access to study resources and review courses also helps nurses succeed.
Q: If there is one key message you would like employers to understand about certification, what would it be?
A: Specialty nursing certification is more than a professional credential—it is an investment in people, patient care, and organizational excellence. When employers support certification, they strengthen their workforce, improve patient outcomes, and foster a culture of continuous learning that benefits everyone.
Keisha and Rachel dove into how certification provides equal value to both employees and employers, fostering a collaborative partnership that ultimately enhances the quality of patient care. Learn more about ABSNC's values and how commitment to certification excellence makes a difference for everyone: https://absnc.org/