Nurse Certification Rates Continue to Rise
The complexity and intensity of patient care increases with each passing decade. Nurses must make complex decisions, adapt to ever-changing technology, understand health policy and integrate seamlessly as a team. Obtaining advanced degrees and specialty certification by individual members contributes to the ability of interprofessional teams to provide quality care.
In 2019, 22.1% of all eligible Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital nurses held professional nursing certifications. The target for 2022 is 32.7%. A program offering support and incentives, implemented by the Magnet® Steering Committee and the Professional Development Council, was so successful in its first year, that the Nursing Leadership Council doubled its goal from a 1% annual gain to 2%. The actual achievements of the program’s first three years surpassed 2% each year.
The successful increase in nursing certifications to 31.7% in 2021 was accomplished despite pandemic restrictions on in-person meetings. Following distancing guidelines, certification courses continued and certification rates surpassed goals. More than half of those enrolled in the certification prep classes achieved certification within 60 days of completing the course.
Results each year have exceeded the target by 1.7%, 0.6% and 3.3%, respectively.
Specialty-specific certification information is readily available on the units and is shared during professional development fairs. On Certified Nurses Day, recognition activities and rewards are provided for all SVMH certified nurses. A poster listing all the names of SVMH certified nurses is on continuous display in the hospital lobby.
The percentage of SVMH nurses holding a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree or higher is also on the rise. In 2018, 50.3% of SVMH nurses had at least a BSN, and by 2021 that number had jumped to 61.5%. The goal for 2022 is 62.5%. The growth rate for percentages of nurses holding a BSN or higher was 2.1%, 5.4% and 3.7%, respectively, for the three years the tuition incentive program has been offered.
Celebrating Certified Nurses Day 2020 and 2021
While we originally had a breakfast event planned for March 19, 2020, celebrations were canceled due to the COVID-19 shutdown. Instead, the nurses’ managers handed out their certified nurse pens and letters from the chief nursing officer, and a banner recognizing our certified nurses was displayed in the main hospital hallway.
On March 19, 2021, Professional Development Council members visited the certified nurses on their units and brought them gifts: a custom-made navy-blue insulated water bottle, a “Certified Nurse and Proud” pen, and a voucher to pick up an orchid at the end of their shift. A table was staffed by Professional Development Council members, where the certified nurses came to pick up their generous gift, graciously donated by Matsui Nursery. All were excited to pick out an orchid to take home in recognition of their accomplishment.
