Leadership Certification

If I were to seek a certification in a specific specialty of nursing after receiving my RN license, I would choose Emergency Nursing. Emergency medicine has always been my passion and favorite place to work. I believe that every specialty takes a special person from cardiac, pediatrics, intensive care to hospice and more. Each nurse has their own calling and specialty that I feel that are set to be in.

The population of patients in the emergency nursing specialty varies. There is a large variety of patients from day to day, all day long. The emergency room is a place that receives patients in emergencies and stabilizes them until they need further treatment or can be released. They can range from teenagers and motor vehicle accidents, pediatrics with accidents on the playground, pediatrics with chronic illnesses and respiratory emergencies, allergic reactions, elderly patients when they encounter falls, strokes, heart attacks or other medical emergencies. Patients with any type of chronic disease or illness that experiences an exacerbation of their symptoms or illness could end up in the emergency room. The variety of cases and situations that a nurse can encounter in the emergency room can make it challenging because the nurse needs to have knowledge about each situation and it can also make for an interesting and exhausting day.

There is a difference between being certified and holding a license. According to the NREMT organization, a certification is “ a voluntary process” it is “by a private organization” and is “for the purpose of providing the public information on those individuals who have successfully completed the certification process (usually entailing successful completion of educational and testing requirements) and demonstrated their ability to perform their profession competently (NREMT, 2001-2014).” The NREMT also states that a license is “the state’s grant of legal authority, pursuant to the state’s police powers, to practice a profession within a designated scope of practice (NREMT, 2001-2014).”

To obtain a certification of an emergency nurse, also known as a “CEN,” you hold a current registered nurse license, have two years of experience in the emergency room, and then be able to pass the CEN certification exam (Nursing, 2014). The CEN certification will then be good for a four year period once the registered nurse has passed the CEN exam. By the end of that four year period the CEN, RN must have completed the following: “100 contact hours, 50 of the 100 contact hours must be from accredited sources, 75 of the 100 hours must be in the CLINICAL category, and up to 25 may be in the other category (Nursing B. o., 2014).” When a registered nurse gets certified in a specialty it sets them apart from other registered nurses who don’t have a certification and helps to show their accomplishments throughout their registered nursing career. The certification helps

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