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Abstract
The nurse workforce consists of people with varying levels of education and experience in specialty areas.1 Nurses often seek to distinguish clinical and professional expertise through specialty certification.2,3 As the healthcare environment is becoming more complex, some healthcare leaders are advocating for specialty certification as a national standard to increase nurses' professional standing and prepare nurses to better meet the specific needs of the patient populations they serve.4 Board certification demonstrates excellence and recognition of the specialized knowledge, skills, and clinical judgement validated by the achievement of standards identified by nursing specialty to promote optimal health outcomes.5 The first large-scale, rigorous study examining the value of emergency nursing certification to nurses, their patients, and their employers, “The Value of Certification Study,” was conducted by the Human Resources Research Organization and commissioned by the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN).6 Study results were based on survey data from over 8,800 certified and non-certified emergency nurses and over 1,000 emergency supervisors. Previously, ENA has collaborated with stakeholders, including the American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners (AAENP) and the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists, to further establish core competencies and expand opportunities for APRNs in the emergency setting.20,21 In 2019, the ENA Position Statement, Advance Practice Registered Nurses in the Emergency Setting, established the importance of APRNs in the ED setting and outlined gaps in national certifications.22 AAENP developed a strategic partnership with ENA to establish the emergency nurse practitioner (ENP) specialty scope and standards, thereby paving the way for professional certification mechanisms.17,23 Emergency nurse practitioners may attain an Emergency Nurse Practitioner Certification (ENP-C) through a program offered by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners in collaboration with AAENP.24 For clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) who practice in the emergency setting, there is currently no emergency certification method for the CNS APRN role. [...]variations in practice, which take into account the needs of the individual patient and the resources and limitations unique to the institution, may warrant approaches, treatments and/or procedures that differ from the recommendations outlined in this position statement. [...]this position statement should not be construed as dictating an exclusive course of management, treatment or care, nor does adherence to this position statement guarantee a particular outcome.