Hi all,

I am a new nurse educator and I am looking for creative ideas to reward nurses that successfully pass their CCRN! I know its such a huge accomplishment and I want to find a way to encourage my nurses to go for it! I know when I passed mine how proud I was of myself and I think it would have been great for my employer to recognize it in some way. If any of you have creative ideas of something I can do to make each nurse feel special and proud of themselves I would greatly appreciate it!!

Our place offered a $500 incentive.

That was all the creativity any nurse needed.

keeping my job worked for me. not sure that i think there needs to be an incentive other than what a person gets in self satisfaction in accomplishing something. many hospitals consider your ccrn a requirement for ccu/icu nurses, so just like my annual license renewal or my annual ceus it is my responsibility to meet those and no one gives me kudos out for those. why ccrn? i see highlighting the achievement of ccrn as more reason to create a greater riff between ccu/icu and the rest of the hospital.

i apologize if this sounds harsh or unsupportive it’s just that i often see nurse educators more interested in the fru fru, and not in the trenches actually educating so guess pre- ccrn exam i would be all over them in trying to support the education.

again i apologize if this sounds rude, it is not ended to be....just my view point.

when i was a clin spec in icu, i got the hospital to make new name badges with the newly-achieved certification on them, and we put up a plaque at the entrance to the unit that noted the name and credentials of all nurses who earned them. and everybody got a $ bonus, too, but i doubt if that last would be so feasible these days.

it was very gratifying to have patients and families (and sometimes other staff) ask, "what's the ccrn...cen...ocn...whatever?" and be able to tell them that it showed the nurse had extensive experience in the specialty and had passed a national examination for certification. it was also a bit of a peer-pressure thing .

note that there are certifications available for every hospital unit, so having icu nurses recognized ought not to cause any bad feelings. i noticed that once the icu nurses started wearing their certs on their sleeves, so to speak, the number of certifications house-wide started going up. nothing the matter with raising the bar.

These are my suggestions

1. Increase in hourly pay at least 50 cents-pref. $1.00 while certification is current.

2. Tuition reimbursement for recert-full amount when successfully obtained.

3. Approval for continuing education to one professional conference per year-or one course per year (academic or online greater than 8 hours of continuing ed that would be eligible for recert. requirements)

4. Name badge designation

5. Movie tickets

6. Name added to unit plague or bulletin board where all certified nurses are listed

We give a .50 cent an hour increase in pay for national certifications. The nurses love it!

Cash is the best incentive. It makes sence to pay board certified nurses more as their postgraduate education enables them to give more to their patients and to their employers.

Public recognition is important. Board certified nurses should be identified, with photographs, in a prominent location clearly visible to patients and visitors. It makes the hospital look good, and increases patient confidence.

Board certified nurses should receive identification badges that include their certification (Jane Doe, RN, CCRN, for example). These badges should be given to them in a cerimonial way. Nothing fancy; just a presentation with as many of the hospital staff (including physicians and administrators) as possible. It can be short, simple, and take 2 minutes during shift report. The cerimonial context is psychologically powerful.

Consider giving board certified nurses a new title. For example, "Registered Nurse - Critical Care Specialist." This should also appear on their I.D.

Finally, offer nurses who achieve board certification reimbursement for classes, books, application fees, etc. that they had to pay for. Reimbursement should be contingent upon successful completion of the specialty requirements (if you don't pass, you don't get reimbursed). Also consider tuition assistance for continuing education activities required to maintain certification.

Tell them to look into a mirror and tell themselves: I am good enough, I am smart enough, and doggonit, people like me.

How many cutzie name badges do MD's need to wear???

Give em a new white hat...

Hi all,

I am a new nurse educator and I am looking for creative ideas to reward nurses that successfully pass their CCRN! I know its such a huge accomplishment and I want to find a way to encourage my nurses to go for it! I know when I passed mine how proud I was of myself and I think it would have been great for my employer to recognize it in some way. If any of you have creative ideas of something I can do to make each nurse feel special and proud of themselves I would greatly appreciate it!!

Money. It is the driving force behind most all higher-level certifications. Of course, the recognition should come with it but, if others on their unit know that a raise came with this certification, others will follow suit. The personal satisfaction only goes so far (I have taken specialty certifications and passed) and then, it fades. Money should be contingent upon staying certified (if you want everyone on your unit to be certified and stay that way); reimbursement for books/testing costs should also be reimbursed. The raise should be significant enough - a dollar or two per hour above other staff - which then is the motivating force for the rest of the staff to follow suit. If they let it lapse, this "bonus wage rate for certification" is then removed and that understanding has to be very, very clear - no certification renewal, no more "bonus wage". We got $1.50 an hour more and within 2 years, everyone of our staff members had their specialty certifications which was the goal of our manager.

See if you can get a place that does massages and day spa activities to give you coupons. Some of them will do a special giving up to 50% off services. They love to do things like this for first time customers as it generates repeat business.

If you have the budget you can pay the other 50%.

I'm going for my CCRN. Would love extra money but my hospital doesnt offer it. Also, some recognition like gift card to an spa would be lovely ; )