Getting Certified in Your Nursing Specialty

Should you or shouldn’t you beceome certified in your nursing specialty and can you be self employed if you are not certifited?

I recently was asked a question about certification. She wanted to know how she could become certified as a nurse case manager if she didn’t have the experience (which is what is required to take the exam) and no one would hire her without being certified.

How could she get experience to take the exam if no one would hire her to get that experience so she could take the exam? Confusing, yes a little bit.

If you look at the requirements for becoming certified in most nursing specialties they do want you work a certain amount of hours in that nursing specialty before taking the exam.

This makes sense because why would you want to become certified in that nursing specialty if you never worked there.

How would you know if this area of nursing was right for you? How would you know how to react in certain situations?

This part I do understand but I have noticed recently there are many nursing positions posted requiring you to be certified before applying for that position.

I’m assuming this is because employers can now be picky in who they hire due to the economy.  If costs them money to train someone new to that position and these days it’s about saving money not spending it.

My recommendations would be to take classes in that specialty, obtain continuing education credits (CE) apply for the position anyways and focus on the skills you do have that are transferable to this new position , join the associations or organizations that are related to the specialty you want  to work in.

Go to their local chapter meetings or their national conferences or conventions. Get involved with online communities related to your nursing specialty (I have a few nursing forums listed on the Information Station section of this site.)

You never know who you will meet at these events; it could be just the person who helps you obtain the job you always wanted.

But if you can’t get hired in the nursing specialty you want especially after sending money for courses and CE credits than consider self employment. You don’t have to be certified as a Legal Nurse Consultant to own your own business in these areas. You will definitely put in the hours and then later on become certified when you are ready.

There are no rules stating that you have to be certified to work in any nursing specialty, it is a recommendation not a requirement so keep this in mind and don’t let not being certified stop you from becoming self employed.

But do educate yourself on the subject before starting that nursing business. Buy books on the subject, there’s plenty out there.

Donna Cardillo wrote a great book for nurses who want to make a change in their nursing careers called The ULTIMATE Career Guide for Nurses: Practical Advice for Thriving at Every Stage of Your Career
I highly recommend this book for any nurse who wants to change her nursing specialty whether it’s within the hospital setting or to self employment.

You’ll learn what transferable skills nurses have, how to interview, how to transition to that new specialty and much more. You’ll be inspired and feel much more comfortable and confident in your abilities when it comes time to make a change in your nursing career.

So follow this advice, get involved in that nursing specialty community by joining organizations, online forums, reading books on the subject, taking courses and CE credits.  You’re sure to get into that nursing specialty that you want.

Here’s to your success as a nurse in whatever you decide to do!

Tina

Tagged as: nursing certification