7 In-Demand Nursing Certifications for Your Career
Looking to enhance your nursing career? Discover the nursing certifications that are currently in high demand and recommended by experienced nurses. Nursing certifications can be a valuable asset if you’re seeking a promotion or entering a specialized field. However, with numerous certification options available, how do you decide which ones to pursue? We interviewed three seasoned nurses to uncover the most sought-after certifications in 2024.
Preferred Nursing Certifications and Specialties Recommended by Nurses
Nursing certifications signify your expertise in a particular nursing specialty and your ability to practice safely within that area. They also indicate your commitment to professional growth and best practices in your chosen field. Nursing certifications have varying prerequisites, but all require an active and unrestricted nursing license, graduation from an accredited nursing school, and successful completion of an exam. Below, you can learn more about the nursing certifications that experienced nurses recommend.
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Critical Care Registered Nurse Certification
Overview: Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN) certification equips you to handle the most critical injuries or illnesses.
Requirements: Prerequisites include either two years of nursing experience with at least 1,750 hours of direct care for acute/critical adult patients, or five years with a minimum of 2,000 hours of direct care for acute/critical adult patients, along with passing the exam.
Nurse’s Insight: Jenna Liphart Rhoads, BN, MS, Ph.D., notes, “The CCRN certification is highly sought-after among registered nurses. It’s often a requirement by employers and covers a wide range of acute and critical care specialties, making it a versatile RN certification.”
Certified Emergency Nurse
Overview: The Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) certification is for handling critical care patients in emergency departments. It involves working with critically injured or ill patients of all age groups.
Requirements: The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing recommends, but does not mandate, two years of experience in emergency nursing prior to taking the CEN exam.
Nurse’s Insight: Nicholas McGowan, a nurse educator, emphasizes the significance of CEN, stating, “CEN is pivotal in every emergency department where the RN is recognized as having the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities for competent emergency nursing care.”
Progressive Care Nursing Certification
Overview: This certification enables you to offer direct care to acutely ill adult patients. These patients usually require a higher level of care than standard hospital units, although they may not need intensive care.
Requirements: The prerequisites involve either two years of nursing experience with a minimum of 1,750 hours of direct care for acute/critical adult patients, or five years with at least 2,000 hours of direct care for acute/critical adult patients, coupled with an exam.
Nurse’s Insight: McGowan underscores the versatility of this certification. He notes, “Nurses pursuing this certification may work in intermediate care, direct observation, stepdown, telemetry, transitional care, or emergency departments.”
Family Nurse Practitioner Certification
Overview: This certification targets advanced practice registered nurses seeking to specialize in family practice. Family Nurse Practitioners (FNPs), like other nurse practitioners, are qualified to serve as primary care providers.
Requirements: To obtain this certification, you need to graduate from an accredited master’s or higher-level Family Nurse Practitioner program and pass a multiple-choice examination.
Nurse’s Insight: Robin Squellati, Ph.D., a faculty member in Walden University’s master of science in nursing program, recommends this certification for its career prospects. She explains that “the number of nurse practitioners is projected to increase by 52% over the next eight years.” This growth is driven by the increasing number of physicians specializing instead of entering primary care, where salaries may be lower. The rise of NPs as primary care providers also stems from their significant cost savings for patients, healthcare organizations, and the healthcare system as a whole.
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certification
Overview: This certification qualifies you to work as a nurse practitioner in the field of psychiatric and mental health conditions. Like other NPs, those with this certification can diagnose conditions and prescribe treatments.
Requirements: To earn this certification, you must graduate from an accredited psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) master’s or doctoral nursing program and pass the certification exam administered by the American Nurses Credential Center. The PMHNP program must include at least 500 faculty-supervised clinical hours.
Nurse’s Insight: Squellati highlights the broad and diverse nature of this field. She adds that this certification is particularly valuable due to the growing demand for mental healthcare services.
Certified Nurse Educator
Overview: Certified Nurse Educator certification prepares you to educate other nurses, whether in a nursing school or as an in-house educator within a hospital or healthcare system.
Requirements: Besides passing an exam, this certification necessitates a master’s or doctoral degree in nursing, along with coursework in nursing education, such as nine hours of graduate education or a post-master’s education certification.
Nurse’s Insight: Squellati underscores the necessity for nursing faculty to meet the rising demand for nurses. She mentions, “There is a shortage of nurse educators due to academic prerequisites, relatively lower compensation compared to other nursing positions, and an aging nursing workforce.”
Adult Nurse Practitioner Certification
Overview: With an Adult Nurse Practitioner (ANP) certification, you can serve as a primary care provider with the authority to diagnose conditions and prescribe treatments. Requirements: This certification is exclusively for renewal. Applicants must have graduated from a board-certified program and fulfill continuing education requirements, including a minimum of 25 hours in pharmacology.
Nurse’s Insight: Rhoads highlights the popularity of this certification, stating, “This certification is well-received as it equips nurse practitioners to care for adult and geriatric patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings.”
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