Some qualified individuals may elect not to be certified. Most of the healthcare programs at Bellevue College are professional / technical programs that prepare for certification in a specific profession. By contrast, certification is usually a voluntary process by which individuals take an examination in a specialty area for the purpose of professional recognition. The APRN certification examination must be directed toward measuring the essential competencies in the professional APRN role. However, the use of APRN certification examinations as a basis for entry into advanced practice by boards of nurses raises several issues. Licensure examinations measure entry-level practice to prevent unnecessary barriers to individuals aspiring to practice and the minimal competency level necessary for the protection of the public. The following are some of the striking differences between Certification Vs. Licensure: Meaning. Successful completion of a board approved APRN certification examination is used by boards of nursing as only one criterion for licensure. Therefore, APRN certification, if used for licensure, is no longer voluntary but instead mandatory for practice. Successful candidates certified in these specialty areas use specific initials after their names to signify excellence in these specialty areas. From a measurement perspective, they may not be constructed psychometrically in a manner appropriate for legal recognition. Licensing can also be thought of as mandatory certification. In: Impara JC, ed. Nurses' postnominal letters (abbreviations listed after the name) reflect their credentials—that is, their achievements in nursing education, licensure, certification, and fellowship.The letters usually appear in the following order: Because the primary purpose of licensure is public protection and safety, the major stakeholder for licensure is the public.3. Licensure, certifications, and scope of practice Depending upon your license or certification, your scope of practice will differ. Boards of nursing have reported cases of APRNs neglecting to apply to their board of nursing for licensure and, instead, practicing as an APRN after successfully taking an APRN certification examination. Some states have a single license and some have a tiered system, and the names of licenses, as well as requirements, vary from state to state. The purpose of public protection, which is inherent in licensure examinations, has been extended to the certification programs developing APRN examinations for licensure, and APRN certification programs used for licensure now must meet the public safety goal of licensure examinations. Nursing Licensure. NCSBN Video: New Nurses - Your License to Practice Video addresses key issues for new nurses. This is further complicated by the variety of uses for these terms both in statute (law) and common vernacular (or language). The title used by an individual after successful completion of a certification examination does not carry any type of legal status. October/December 2008, Volume :10 Number 4 , page 90 - 93 [Free], Join NursingCenter to get uninterrupted access to this Article. [Context Link], 3. After enacting a nurse practice act, a state legislature delegates authority to a state agency, such as a board of nursing, to enforce it. This is accomplished by submitting the certification from Bellevue College. Boards of nursing very carefully review APRN examinations before determining which APRN certification programs meet their licensure requirements. A license is granted by your licensing board and enables you to … Laws governing individual healthcare providers are enacted through state legislatures. This becomes a limiting factor when the practitioner is faced with a wide variety of health disorders in practice. All of the criteria must be evaluated by the board of nursing before the approval of the APRN's licensure application. To practice beyond treating that specific disease entity could mean that the nurse practitioner has gone beyond his/her scope of practice. How have the stakeholders changed? The Licensure and Certification Unit maintains the responsibility for licensing these long-term care facilities and for certifying those facilities participating in the Medicare and/or Medicaid programs. Certification vs. Licensure A common problem for those entering the healthcare professions is to define the difference between licensure and certification. Evidence of the job-related knowledge, skills, and abilities required for entry-level practice must be identified and incorporated into the examination process. Advanced practice registered nurse subspecialty education and certification examinations can be taken after licensure for a value-added purpose. Due to recent changes in state law, nursing assistant certification and licensing numbers have changed. A common problem for those entering the healthcare professions is to define the difference between licensure and certification. Certification examinations are developed by private organizations and are not subject to the same level of legal scrutiny as that of a licensure examination. Often this is something that would be illegal with out a license. If you hold an active Canadian license, your education program was taught in English, and your nursing license has not been sanctioned , thenyou are not required to obtain CGFNS certification. The previous distinctions between certification and licensure have subsequently become blurred, and questions arise regarding the meaning of APRN certification examinations. Certification, accreditation, and licensure are all professional development opportunities for students and health care workers who want to improve their knowledge and skills in the health care industry. Before practicing as an RN, candidates must apply to a board of nursing and submit evidence that they have completed requirements. One thing prospective nurse practitioners can expect is change: Nurse practitioner requirements are set at the state level, but there is also an emerging … Board certification means that certification is required for licensure, such as in the example of advanced practice registered nurses (APRN). Nursing licensure is a form of credentialing or regulatory method that is used when the activities being regulated are complex and require specialized knowledge coupled with the ability to make independent decisions. To assist boards of nursing in determining if an APRN examination meets licensure requirements, the NCSBN Advanced Practice Committee has developed APRN Certification Program Criteria for consideration by boards of nursing.6 The criteria include the following areas: * essential knowledge, skills, and abilities. License VS Certification. Nurses can verify their licenses by completing the Nursys verification process for $30 per license type, per each board of nursing where the nurse is applying. In general, doctors, nurses or other healthcare career professions earn a license from a state or federal government. New graduates can be confused regarding the meaning of APRN certification examinations. When you successfully complete a program at Bellevue College you are awarded a certificate for that program. In Washington State, for healthcare occupations, this is the Department of Health. The title given to an individual (eg, registered nurse [RN], licensed practical nurse, etc) indicates that he/she has completed eligibility requirements to obtain the title and authorizes him/her to be able to practice within a specific scope of practice. National Council of State Boards of Nursing. © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. NONE of the Allied Health programs grant or lead to licensure. IMPORTANT: All information from any of the selected agencies listed in Educational Requirements and Language Validation, must be sent dire​ctly to AZBN from the agency. However, by virtue of a certification examination being private and voluntary, it cannot be used by state as a public protection mechanism. Examination security must be maintained. However, with the advent of APRN certification examinations being used by boards of nursing as a measure of APRN competence, the stakeholders for APRN certification programs now include the public. If you are licensed to do something, for example practice medicine, then you have the legal authority to do that. Introduction to Nursing Licensure & Certification. Licensure is the process by which boards of nursing grant permission to an individual to engage in nursing practice after determining that the applicant has attained the competency necessary to perform a unique scope of practice. For instance, RNs can take certification examinations in the areas of oncology nursing, emergency department nursing, or informatics. An RN degree (sometimes an advanced degree, like an MSN), an unencumbered RN license, a minimum number of direct-care hours in the specialty, and a certification test are usually all required for a nurse to become certified in an area of care. National Council of State Boards of Nursing. This does. Registered nurse … The exception is our nursing program, which prepares for licensure in nursing (RN). Some nurses have assumed that by taking an APRN certification examination, they are entitled to practice as an APRN. The difference between licensure and certification seems very distinct in many healthcare roles. Since the certification is voluntary and private, there are no legal requirements that the individual must be certified to be practice. Individuals are required to have a license to practice as a nurse. The public can rightfully assume that the use of certified professionals will increase the probability of more proficient care. Licensure for Allied Health programs is. This certificate may. However, the use of APRN certification examinations as a basis for licensure has caused confusion among APRNs and APRN stakeholders regarding the difference between certification and licensure. Licensure Licensure is the process by which a federal, state or local governmental agency grants an individual permission Questions on the examinations are confined to those with a direct relationship to public safety. Registered nurse licensure is a prerequisite for achieving nursing certification. Only those certification programs willing to make the necessary changes can be used for licensure. This trend toward narrow specialties has decreased the flexibility of nurse practitioners to practice in a variety of settings and has compromised their ability to practice safely. Citation: Barnum, B., (August 13, 1997). As an example, in order to perform surgical procedures, you must be licensed to do so, most commonly a physician. Emergency Volunteer Health Practitioners . government VS private. Lippincott NursingCenter’s Best Practice Advisor, Lippincott NursingCenter’s Cardiac Insider, Lippincott NursingCenter’s Career Advisor, Lippincott NursingCenter’s Critical Care Insider, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Management of Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding, Management of Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding, Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), Comparison of Licensure and Certification. Due process must be in place, as well as confidentially for nonpublic candidate data. Licensure and NCARB certification are often confused, but it’s crucial to understand the differences, whether you’re embarking on the path to become an architect or already licensed! As healthcare becomes increasingly complex and challenging, the value of certification as a mark of excellence is more important than ever. Licensure results from the enactment of a nurse practice act by state legislatures to regulate nursing. 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