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DOI
https://doi.org/10.63853/OYDB2120
Description
INNOVATION & LEADERSHIP
Background: Nursing certifications help promote excellence in nursing and support the professional identity of nurses. In an urban academic pediatric hospital system, nursing leaders were tasked with increasing professional nursing certification rates within their departments. One team has excelled in increasing their professional certification rate. The team went from 8 to 35 certified nurses which was a 33.75% increase from July 2022 to July 2025. This has elevated the confidence and knowledge base of the nurses and leaders in the Variable Staffing department. Objectives included increasing knowledge and awareness of professional certification, providing resources available to assist with obtaining a certification, and increasing the number of certified nurses within the Variable Staffing department.
Implementation: Leading by example, five team leaders obtained their first certification and the director attained a second certification during this time frame. This encouraged staff to also obtain their certifications. Department leadership worked with the Unit Practice Council to create a goal of increasing the department’s certification rate. The Unit Practice Council created a virtual page with certification resources. A presentation was also made to the new graduate nursing group that would reach certification eligibility within the next few months. Variable staffing leaders assisted with creating and presenting content for system-wide certification study circles. They also saw a need for increased flexibility with review courses, so a virtual Certified Pediatric Nurse review course was created and is ongoing. Once Variable Staffing nurses obtained their certifications, leaders provided special recognition in multiple avenues.
Evaluation: The department started with 8 nurses with professional certifications in 2022. As of July 2025, the department has a total of 35 nurses with professional certifications. Certifications range from pediatric, pediatric emergency, pediatric critical care, neonatal, and executive leadership. The department experienced a 33.75% increase in certified nurses. The Variable Staffing department was able to significantly increase the percentage of certified nurses by providing information and resources for certification as well as recognition after they pass the certification exam. This helped advance the professional identity of nurses within the department as well as the leaders.
Publication Date
11-24-2025
Disciplines
Pediatric Nursing
Recommended Citation
Dossett, DeRhonda; Fleming, Sunni; Grantham, Amanda; and Muller, Johanna, "From Competence to Confidence: Fostering a Culture of Certification in Nursing" (2025). 2025. 22.
https://scholarlycollection.childrens.com/nursing-anf2025/22
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
