If Not an Advanced Degree, How About a Certification?

[happybunny1970]

I am constantly amazed by people... not just nurses, though this is a nursing example... who have opportunity placed in their path to advance their career station and/or pay with just a little effort, but would rather complain about their current situation.

Case in point: I recently started working for a group in a specialty that has a certification exam available. There are many, many specialties that offer this -- most that require one year's experience in the specialty, followed by taking a certification exam, and when you pass you get new letters to add at the back of your name.

Now, this company I work for encourages nurses to achieve the certification -- so much so that NOT ONLY do you get an automatic raise for achieving it, but they also pay for the test and the travel expenses to TAKE the test. I recognize that not all employers offer this sort of thing, but if you know for a fact that they do (or simply ask and get an affirmative answer), why would you NOT go for it? It seems it certainly takes less time and money than studying for an advanced degree...

The only answer I get when I ask said persons about it is, "Why? I went to school, I'm done. I'm not taking any more tests." Some of these folks have been in the specialty for years, and from their work practices (and asking a few obscure questions taken from practice exams) I can't see that they don't already KNOW all of the information on the exam -- wouldn't even have to study much, just maybe a review.

Some of them are complaining about their hourly wage... DUH!

[llg, PhD, RN]

I can understand how they feel. For people who have been out of school for a while, it can be very intimidating to have to take another test. The test is probably computerized and they have probably never taken a computerized test before.

There is also the issue of: "Why should I have to prove myself by taking a test that doesn't truly test my abilities on the job when I have proven myself time and time again on the job year in and year out?" If they don't do well on the test, it will be a terrible blow to their self-esteem and make them look incompetent in front of the peers and boss. That's a very scary thing.

At some point in our careers, most people reach a point where we say, "I have proven myself enough. I have earned blah, blah, blah and should not have to take another test to show my competence." The risk of looking stupid by taking the test is not worth the benefits -- benefits I have already earned through years of competent practice.

llg, PhD, RN

[happybunny1970]

Reading this reply, it sounded a little condescending... then I realized that my age did not show on here anymore... I'm not some new grad, young and idealistic -- I'm 36.

My point was that, if there is an OBVIOUS benefit to be derived by taking a certification exam, why not do it? If one of the complaints is the wage, why not take the test (paid for by the company, no less, so it costs you nothing but your time) that guarantees you said wage increase? In my setup, no one knows you're even taking the test unless you tell them -- it's just between you and the manager you turn your pay request in to, so if you don't pass, no one would know that, either.

I understand wanting to be done with school, which is why I think the certification exams are such a great option. When I returned to college at 30 I was all gung-ho and ready to go straight through to the MSN goal I have. By the time I sat for the Board, however, I was pooped and walked away from it. I picked it up again a year ago, and am slowly working towards that goal -- not for work, but just because it's something I want.

I recognize everyone has a different set of goals, but again, my question was: If one of your goals was increased pay, and you were shown the way to achieve it, what sense does it make to complain about it rather than to just do it?

Merely an observation... I have this same conversation with my kids on a daily basis -- takes much longer to complain about something than to just DO IT.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I'm sorry you felt my reply was condescending. I didn't mean it to be. I was just trying to explain how "the other side" feels. You look at the certification as a means to an end - higher pay. Others look at it as an insult -- as yet one more hoop in a long (and seemingly never-ending line of hoops) they must jump through to get the respect and compensation they have already earned -- a hoop that has the potential to be humiliating and that might hurt their reputation and career if they fail.

For many people, it's really a complicated issue and a compex set of emotions. To you, it is simple and straightforward -- but that's not how other people perceive it. If you want to understand how other people can view the exams in a way different from the way you view them, this is a good place to start.

[Havin' A Party!, ASN, RN]

FWIW, don't see the original reply as offensive at all.

As an additional response, perhaps a simple and logical "answer" to the query posed would be that the individuals to whom the offer is being made just don't believe that the monetary increase to be provided is worth the effort, time, risk, ego-swallowing, or whatever... from their perspective. Nursing is not immune to the ordinary market forces at play in our economic system.