Certification in the Time of COVID-19

Certification in the Time of COVID-19

BY LOUIS PILLA

Certification, like nursing itself, has faced challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. But earning certification remains a vital sign of expertise and achievement.

In this article, we’ll discuss the specific impacts the pandemic

has had on nursing certification, with a look at ways certification bodies have helped nurses cope with the pandemic and potential lasting changes in certification. But first, let’s take a brief look at the overall state of nursing certification.

Demand Remains High

The desire for nursing certification continues unabated. “In general, nursing certification has been in high demand for many years now,” says Lisa Falcón, MSN, RN, TCRN, NE-BC, chair of the board of directors of the American Association of Critical- Care Nurses (AACN) Certification Corporation. In January 2020, almost 3,000 nurses became certified through the AACN Certification Corporation, a record month.

“The interest in specialty certification has continued to increase,” says Kathy Chappell, PhD, RN, FNAP, FAAN, Senior Vice President of Accreditation, Certification, Measurement, and the Institute for Credentialing Research and Quality Management at the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). She notes, however, that it is “often dependent on whether an employer supports and compensates the nurse for pursuing certification.”

ANCC supports 18 active board certification exams. The most popular ANCC certifications include family nurse practitioner, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, med/surg nursing, and nurse executive/nurse executive advanced.

“We have seen steady growth, probably not as much growth as we would have seen had we not had a pandemic,” says Janie Schumaker, MBA, BSN, RN, CEN, CENP, CPHQ, FABC,

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chief executive officer of the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN). “But we’ve seen about a five percent overall growth for all of our certifications combined in 2020, which I think is remarkable given that we’ve had a pandemic.” BCEN’s fastest growing certification is also its newest one, the Trauma Certified Registered Nurse.

According to one estimate, there are 183 different nursing certifications. Types include specialty and subspecialty practice certifications, interprofessional certifications, and advanced practice certifications.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic falls into two main areas: the temporary closing of testing centers and the increased stress and workload the pandemic posed on nurses with the resulting challenges in obtaining certifications.

Impact of COVID

The impact of the COVID- 19 pandemic falls into two main areas: the temporary closing of testing centers and the increased stress and workload the pandemic posed on nurses with the resulting challenges in obtaining certifications.

The BCEN certification program was going “gangbusters” before the pandemic hit, says Schumaker. Like other certifying bodies, the BCEN saw its testing centers close at the start of the pandemic. The centers reopened at limited

capacity, which still continues to be the case, notes Schumaker.

Falcón at AACN notes that its exam administration partner closed all test centers nationally in April due to COVID-19, but that “during the summer and fall of last year, we were right on pace with the number of certificants.” With the rise in COVID-19 cases this winter, AACN has again seen a slowdown in certification.

Similarly, the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board experienced closing of test centers, notes Mary Ellen Roberts, DNP, APN-c, FAANP, FAAN, chair of the board and associate professor at Seton Hall University’s College of Nursing. But the test centers reopened in May, responding to the argument that if students were not allowed to take the certification exam, there would be no new group of certified nurse practitioners who could work in COVID-19 units.

Limits to Time

Beside testing centers closing, the pandemic meant that nurses were working long hours under highly stressful conditions, limiting the time and energy they could devote to certification activities.

Imagine, for instance, a nurse who has small children at home and is exhausted from working clinically during the day. If she were to then want to study for her certification exam, “that presents a significant challenge,” says Chappell.

Some nurses may have been stressed due to being furloughed early in the

pandemic and then stressed when they were asked to put in long hours as patient loads increased, notes Schumaker. If a nurse was being overrun with patients, she didn’t

have time to study. “That just couldn’t be your priority if you were working twelve hours a day,” she says.

Going “Micro”

One development in certification related to COVID-19 was the October 2020 introduction by AACN of a “microcredential.” The “COVID-19 Pulmonary and Ventilator Care” micro-credential validates entry-level knowledge of direct care clinicians who provide pulmonary and ventilator care to COVID-19 patients, says AACN.

Unlike a certification, the 38-question micro-credential exam has no eligibility criteria. Providers other than nurses can take the online exam.

Micro-credentialing is seen as a “way to validate knowledge without going for a fullblown nursing certification,” says Kiersten Henry, DNP, ACNP-BC, CCNS, CCRN-CMC, a director on the AACN board of directors. This represents the “first venture into microcredentialing for AACN but a very logical one,” says Henry.

“One of the trends that we’re seeing in nursing care right now is a lot of travel nurses and

crisis response nurses going from one hot spot to another,” she says. The micro-credential, she notes, is “portable” and, like other AACN credentials, is nationally recognized.

“One of the trends that we’re seeing in nursing care right now is a lot of travel nurses and crisis response nurses going from one hot spot to another,” she says. The micro-credential, she notes, is “portable” and, like other AACN credentials, is nationally recognized.

Making Accommodations

The era of COVID-19 did cause organizations to make various accommodations to ease the certification burden for nurses. For instance, the ANCC has extended renewal dates so that nurses can obtain continuing education, says Chappell. ANCC has also provided discounts or waived fees due to hardship.

Likewise, BCEN, says Schumaker, has offered a discount on recertification since March. Also, BCEN allowed applicants to use clinical hours instead of continuing education, realizing that conferences were being cancelled and CE hours could be more difficult to come by.

Similarly, AACN doubled the testing window from 90 to 180 days, giving applicants twice the normal amount of time from when they first signed up for the exam to when they take the test.

Changing with the Times

Certification exams change to reflect advances in nursing practice, and the era of COVID-19 may prompt modifications. For example, the pandemic may spur inclusion

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of more content on telehealth “because we’ve seen with the COVID pandemic that care has had to be delivered in different ways,” says Chappell.

Certification exams may also begin to include topics such as maintaining patient privacy online and establishing a connection with a patient virtually. Certification exams may also adjust, Chappell notes, to reflect

Certification exams change to reflect advances in nursing practice, and the era of COVID-19 may prompt modifications.

greater interest in public health and infectious disease. Exams for nurse leaders may incorporate managing a public health crisis, with topics such as supporting staff and ensuring the interprofessional care team remains connected.

Chappell also notes an increased interest in psychiatric mental health nursing. “We see a lot of nurses picking that up as a second board certification, because I think it’s complementary no matter where you are in your practice. Mental health is not well-resourced in the United States and nursing has an opportunity to address health and well-being in a way that is desperately needed,” Chappell notes.

Taking the Next Step

Of late, notes Schumaker, nurses have had a lot of rightfully deserved attention. “I think nurses are proud and that’s really driven more nurses to pursue that next step in their career, which might be specialty certification. I think they want to demonstrate their expertise in a lot of different ways and specialty certification is one of them.”

Louis Pilla is a seasoned publishingexpert with over 20 years ofexperience in providing contentand digital products to healthcare audiences.

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