SE5
Commitment to Professional Development SE5
Provide a narrative description of a unit’s or division’s action plan for registered nurses’ progress toward obtaining professional board certification. The narrative must include the following:
- State the targeted goal
- How the target goal was established
- What strategies were utilized to achieve or maintain the target
- How the nurses are supported to achieve or maintain professional board certification
Example: The Outpatient Department Action Plan for RN Professional Board Certification
Targeted Goal
The Outpatient Department (OPD) of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) St. Vincent Hot Springs’ (SVHS) biannual target goal for registered nurses to progress toward obtaining professional board certification is greater than or equal to 2%.
Due to extenuating circumstances within CHI SVHS, the target goal was changed in July 2022. The COVID pandemic brought on unforeseen nursing staffing shortages, as CHI SVHS had more RN turnover than in the past.
With the Great Resignation and nurses leaving jobs to travel, the Interprofessional Practice Council (IPC) believed the certification goal needed to be adjusted. The target goal was decreased to greater than or equal to a 0.5% biannual increase in the percentage of RNs holding a professional board certification. This biannual decrease to greater than or equal to 0.5% included the targeted goal for OPD registered nurses.
How the Target was Established for OPD RN Professional Board Certification
The action plan for establishing the target goal of registered nurses with professional board certification at CHI SVHS is reviewed and updated annually by CHI SVHS Interprofessional Shared Governance (ISG). The CHI SVHS ISG structure consists of four levels of governance councils, including the IPC, where organizational decisions are made.
The CHI SVHS IPC is facilitated and led by chair Allison Fitts, RN, CMSRN, Clinical Nurse, 4 East Medical/Surgical, who was the IPC chair from July 2020 to June 2022. The IPC makes organization-wide decisions through a representative group of clinical nurses.
The assistant chief nursing officer (role of CNO), clinical directors, and Magnet Program Director attend and actively participate in the IPC. However, only one clinical director representative has voting privileges, and the CNO only votes when there is a tie. This nursing administration group also meets biweekly with the SG Nursing Executive Council (NEC).
In accordance with the bylaws, the purposes of CHI SVHS Professional Nursing Shared Governance (NPSG) include professional development:
- “The NPSG shall promote the ongoing development of members through education, mentorship, peer review, and recognition opportunities.”
On July 9, 2021, the IPC reviewed the current percentage of registered nurses obtaining professional board certification at the Nursing Strategic Planning Summit, under the direction of Teresa Lambert, MBA, BSN, RN, CHI SVHS Vice President of Patient Care Services/Assistant Chief Nursing Officer (role of CNO). The review includes the current percentage of certified registered nurses at the unit level.
The CHI SVHS IPC members and additional invitees (Table 1) attended the summit. The summit attendees reviewed the strategic priorities for FY2021 to FY2025 and the current professional board certification percentages to establish the target goal. The target goal is established for the organization and then cascades to the individual units.
Nursing Strategic Planning Summit Attendees
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Name/Credentials |
Discipline |
Title/Role |
Department |
Bryan Williams, DNP, MBA, RN, NE-BC |
Nursing |
St. Vincent Market Chief Nursing Executive, Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services |
Administration |
Teresa Lambert, MBA, BSN, RN, OCN |
Nursing |
SVHS Vice President of Patient Care Services, Assistant Chief Nursing Officer |
Administration |
Laura Murphy, BSN, RN |
Nursing |
Nursing Excellence Manager, Magnet Program Director |
Clinical Education/ Clinical Informatics |
Allison Fitts, RN, CMSRN |
Nursing |
Clinical Nurse, Chair |
4 East Medical/Surgical |
Lyssa Edwards, BSN, RN, WOCN |
Nursing |
Clinical Nurse |
IP Diabetes Wound |
Carla Buttrum, RN |
Nursing |
Clinical Nurse |
LDRP |
Sierra Mueller, RN |
Nursing |
Clinical Nurse |
OR |
Logan Jenkins, BSN, RN, CCRN |
Nursing |
Clinical Nurse |
Surgical ICU |
Ann Myles, BSN, RN |
Nursing |
Clinical Nurse |
Emergency Department |
Jamie Sills |
|
Executive Assistant |
Nursing |
Charity Hixon, MSN, RN |
Nursing |
Market Director |
Infection Prevention |
Tonya Baier, BSN, RN, CNML |
Nursing |
Clinical Director of Nursing |
Nursing Administration |
Kaitlyn Atkins, MSN, RN, CPN |
Nursing |
Clinical Director of Nursing |
Nursing Administration |
Vicky Sanders, MSN, RN, |
Nursing |
Clinical Director |
Nursing |
On September 20, 2021, the attendees of the Nursing Strategic Planning Summit from the CHI SVHS Nurse Executive Council (NEC), along with Laura Murphy, BSN, RN, Magnet Program Director, reviewed and approved the action plan developed by attendees at the July 2021 Nursing Strategic Planning Summit. Summit attendees included nurses from the entire market (all four hospitals), including the CNE, CNOs, and clinical directors of nursing.
The action plan included the established target, strategies used to achieve the target, and how nurses are supported to obtain professional nurse certification. The action plan is disseminated to all units that can then add unit-specific actions or strategies to meet the target goal.
Strategies to Achieve the RN Professional Board Certification Target
Outpatient Department Specific
The OPD at SVHS encourages the nursing staff to become certified, and study materials are available on the unit. The department also routinely celebrates each nurse who obtains certification at unit meetings. The manager of OPD includes in monthly unit meetings that full reimbursement is available to anyone who takes their certification exam.
One example of an OPD nurse receiving her certification is Frances Thornton, RN, ABC-BC. Thornton became board-certified in ambulatory care in April 2023. She was encouraged to further her education and participate in the Clinical Ladder program to help her move into an advanced position.
Before registering for the certification exam, Thornton spoke with her leader about which certification would be most beneficial to her. She ordered study materials and downloaded practice tests. She was nervous because she had not taken an official nursing exam since 1989. She prepared extensively for the exam and was very proud of the results.
Thornton passed her exam on the first try and has moved up a level on the Clinical Ladder. She has also advanced to become the Patient Care Coordinator for the OPD. Now Thornton shares her knowledge and materials with others in the OPD and encourages them to obtain their certification.
Clinical Ladder
The CHI St. Vincent Clinical Ladder program provides recognition and reward for clinical nurses, including OPD clinical nurses, who demonstrate initiative and progression toward expert clinical skills, using a clinical track framework. Since the goal was established in 2021, the Clinical Ladder program is based on RN levels.
RNs are hired in as RN 1 and must submit a binder with requested documentation to achieve an RN 2, RN 3, or RN 4 level. To achieve an RN 3 level, the applicant must be professionally board-certified or have a minimum of a BSN degree. To achieve an RN 4 level, the applicant must be professionally board-certified and have a minimum BSN degree.
Therefore, professional board certification in nursing is promoted through this program, because professional board certification helps RNs achieve higher levels on the ladder. Clinical nurse Clinical Ladder champions promote the program. Awardees of RN 2 and greater achieve monetary compensation (per hour differential) and recognition.
Certified Nurses Day
Certified Nurses Day recognizes professional board certification annually at CHI SVHS with the most recent celebrations taking place in March 2022 and March 2023. Nurses holding professional board certifications joined the nursing administration team for a celebratory breakfast in honor of their achievement. This allowed time for certified nurses to celebrate with their peers, managers, and the leadership team.
A banner was updated during Certified Nurses Day and printed with all professional board-certified nurses listed at CHI SVHS and their credentials. This banner was also hung in the main hallway of CHI SVHS for all to see. Professional board-certified nurses were gifted a certified nurse’s tee shirt in 2023 to wear on Certified Nurses Day and any other days during the year when CHI SVHS t-shirts are allowed.
Quarterly Professional Development Update
In effect since the certification goal was established in 2021, nursing administration has held quarterly nursing fairs promoting professional development, including obtaining professional board certification. The fairs have included multiple online and local colleges and universities, information on professional board certification, degree advancement, and tuition reimbursement.
Nursing administration promotes the quarterly fair and attendance by allotting time for clinical nurses, including OPD clinical nurses, to attend during working hours by providing food, fun learning activities, and raffles with prizes. Nursing managers cover the nurses’ patient care, while they are away from their units.
Annual Performance Appraisals
Annual performance appraisals for RNs include goals for professional development, including professional board certification since the certification goal was established in 2021. The collaborative process through which the nurse and their direct manager set goals includes determining professional growth opportunities, such as obtaining a professional board certification.
Organizational Support to Achieve or Maintain RN Professional Board Certification
Clinical Ladder Reimbursement
The organization dedicates resources to developing and maintaining the Clinical Ladder program, which directly supports obtaining professional board certification. In addition, the organization pays working hours for the clinical RN Clinical Ladder champions to promote the program and attend monthly Clinical Ladder meetings.
In the years 2021, 2022, and 2023, when a Clinical Ladder participant achieved an RN 2 or greater level, they received monetary compensation as follows:
- RN 2 - $2 per hour
- RN 3 - $4 per hour
- RN 4 - $6 per hour
The organization purchased badges to recognize the achievements of these nurses. The badge denotes the RN level and year. Therefore, each clinical ladder participant may receive one to two clinical ladder badges per year.
The administration also recognized the Clinical Ladder awardees by presenting their certificate and badge with the achieved RN level at a breakfast in their honor. Since Thornton received her nursing certification, she advanced from a Level 2 RN to a Level 3 RN for the Clinical Ladder. She completes her Clinical Ladder every six months.
Professional Certification Reimbursement
CHI SVHS provides monetary compensation by providing reimbursement for the certification exam expenses. An OPD clinical nurse seeking professional certification pays for the professional certification exam and then submits for reimbursement through a contracted vendor called Concur. The clinical nurse can submit for and receive reimbursement before taking the certification exam.
The certification exam is reimbursed to the clinical nurse, regardless of a pass or fail grade. The same certification exam can be reimbursed twice within a fiscal year (July to June). Certification renewals are eligible for reimbursement via the same process as the initial exam. In effect since the certification goal was established in 2021, SVHS reimburses clinical nurses for one certification renewal per fiscal year.