Certification is an objective, measurable way of determining a nurse's competency that attests to the achievement of specialty knowledge beyond basic nursing preparation. It benefits you, your patients, and employers. Here are just a few ways this important credential benefits you:

• Personal satisfaction through increased confidence and personal growth
• Monetary differentials
• Enhanced career mobility
• The right to use the credential CPEN™ (Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse)
• Elevation of the professional practice standards for pediatric emergency nursing practice
• Recognition of your special knowledge by employers, consumers, and colleagues
• Provision of national certification credentials to state licensing bodies and employers

Please see the following references for more about information:

• Pediatric Nurses Value Certification. Pediatric Nursing Certification Board, January 2007.
• American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS) Value of Certification Survey Executive Summary. American Board of Nursing Specialties May 2006.
• Certified Registered Nurses: Results of the Study of the Certified Workforce.
  Cary, A.H. American Journal of Nursing. 101(1):44-52, January 2001.
• Differences in Perceptions of Empowerment Among Nationally Certified and Noncertified Nurses.
  Piazza, Irene M., et al. Journal of Nursing Administration. 36(5):277-283, May 2006.
• NAPNAP Position Paper on Certification. National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, June 2006.
• Specialty Certification: More Than A Title. Stromborg, M.F., Niebuhr, B.N., et al.
  Nursing Management. 36(5):36-46, May 2005.
• The Value of Specialty Nursing Certification. Biel, M., and Niebuhr, B.N.
  Nursing Outlook. 55 (4):176-181, July-August 2007.
• Why Certification? Society of Pediatric Nurses Certification webpage accessed June 7, 2007.