Emergency Nurse Practitioner Certification

[Corey Narry]

Got a letter from ANCC asking for volunteers to be content experts in the development of a new Emergency Nurse Practitioner certification board examination. Sounds like qualifications will be based on portfolio (active practice in ED or UC setting). Early in this stage, I am assuming this is another layer of certification or subcertification if you will, on top of a primary NP certification (i.e, FNP, ACNP) which is totally in-line with Consensus Model language. I'm obviously not qualified as a content expert (never worked in ED as an NP) but still interested in how this will materialize.

[MedictoRN]

This looks very cool. From looking at the brochure it seems that the requirements just need to be sure that not only are you practicing in an emergency room environment but that you are current on the latest evidence. Certainly you don't think continuing education for any medical professional is "fluff". If you've been doing it for 10 years preceping and professional service shouldn't be too hard to document if you don't have acedemic credits or research.

This is from the ANCC website:

Emergency Nurse Practitioner Eligibility Criteria

Credential Awarded: ENP-BC

Eligibility Criteria

Hold current licensure (RN or APRN) plus national certification in one of the following nurse practitioner populations:

Acute Care

Adult

Adult-Gerontology Acute Care

Adult-Gerontology Primary Care

Family

Pediatric Acute Care

Pediatric Primary Care

Hold a master's, postgraduate, or doctoral degree in one of the following nurse practitioner populations:

Acute Care

Adult

Adult-Gerontology Acute Care

Adult-Gerontology Primary Care

Family

Pediatric Acute Care

Pediatric Primary Care

Have practiced the equivalent of 2 years full time as a nurse practitioner in the past 3 years

Have a minimum of 2,000 hours of advanced practice in the specialty area of emergency care in the past 3 years

Have completed 30 hours of continuing education in advanced emergency care in the past 3 years

Fulfill two additional professional development categories, to be selected from the following list:

Academic Credits

Presentations

Publication or Research

Preceptor

Professional Service

[nomadcrna, DNP, CRNA, NP]

What I consider fluff or useless are the fulfill two additional professional development categories from

Academic Credits: Ok for the first certification but each time you re-certify? Easy to meet the academic credits as I'm finishing the Emergency Medicine Certificate Program at West Virginia University (great program). Much more difficult to meet the other one that is required. Difficult in a rural area and absolutely useless to evaluate you as a EM provider.

Nobody mentioned CEUs as fluff so don't put words in our mouths. That irritates me more than anything. You do understand what professional service is?

Complete 2 or more years of volunteer service within the past 3 years with an international, national, state, or local

health care–related organization in which your certification specialty expertise is required. Accepted volunteer

activities include serving on boards of directors, committees, editorial boards, review boards, and task forces.

I won't be doing it until they change the "two additional professional categories". Totally useless and a waste of my time as a clinician.

Presentations: useless

Publication or research: useless

Preceptor: useless

Professional service: useless

[MedictoRN]

Presentations: useless

Publication or research: useless

Preceptor: useless

Professional service: useless

In my opinion, these things you list as "useless" are some of the key components in what sets this portfolio process apart from taking a test for initial certification. This isn't establishing initial minimal competency, It is validating our expertise, both clinical and professional, in our career specialty.

Simply being an NP that works for two, ten or twenty years isn't enough to demonstrate to our peers that we are truly dedicated professionals who are advanced practice nursing experts in Emergency Medicine.

If you look at the content outline, Professional Development is only 15% of the review, which is only slightly more than the combined rating of your self eval and peer review, which I'm certain will be stellar for every portfolio submitted. I'm not thinking it should be too hard to come up with a couple of ways to do the things listed below, even in rural communities, if you are serious about wanting this certification.

From the content outline:

I.

Professional Development

The ENP is to provide evidence in certifications, professional development record, and/or resume of:

 Participating in activities that support personal development and career advancement in emergency care (e.g., speaking engagements, mentoring, precepting, active membership in professional organizations and/or community groups, publishing)

The ENP is to provide evidence in certifications, practice hours, professional development record, resume, and/or exemplar of:

 Participating in continuing education and academic pursuits (e.g., journal club, obtaining continuing education credits, academic credits, research) related to emergency care (e.g., treatment modalities, disaster training, advanced airway courses, ultrasound training, ACLS)

[MedictoRN]

Apparently, this will be "certification by portfolio" rather than examination. ANCC was asking for expert volunteers to review applicant portfolios.

This manner of certification involves the applicant submitting a CV. ANCC will verify skills, knowledge, abilities, and career accomplishments in the Emergency Nurse Practitioner role as part of this alternative application assessment process. ENA is involved.

Any NP in current ED or UC practice can apply once the program begins.

For more info: http://www.nursecredentialing.org/Certification/EmergencyNursePractitioners-PressRelease.pdf

I don't believe Urgent Care qualifies according to the eligibility criteria published on the ANCC site. It says "Emergency Care".

[nomadcrna, DNP, CRNA, NP]

What you wrote is not what is required. Once again, from the site.

These are what is listed. I stand by the opinion that they are pretty much useless in evaluating ER expertise.

Presentations: useless

Publication or research: useless

Preceptor: useless

Professional service: useless

Complete 2 or more years of volunteer service within the past 3 years with an international, national, state, or local

health care–related organization in which your certification specialty expertise is required. Accepted volunteer

activities include serving on boards of directors, committees, editorial boards, review boards, and task forces.

[MedictoRN]

What you wrote is not what is required. Once again, from the site.

These are what is listed. I stand by the opinion that they are pretty much useless in evaluating ER expertise.

Presentations: useless

Publication or research: useless

Preceptor: useless

Professional service: useless

Complete 2 or more years of volunteer service within the past 3 years with an international, national, state, or local

health care–related organization in which your certification specialty expertise is required. Accepted volunteer

activities include serving on boards of directors, committees, editorial boards, review boards, and task forces.

I don't know where you found that information but what I listed is copied directly from the ENP Content Outline so that's what I'm using to guide the application process.

I stand by my opinion that these are part of what makes this a valuable certification.

[nomadcrna, DNP, CRNA, NP]

That is DIRECTLY FROM THEIR SITE. Here is the link. You need to drill down to see exactly what they require.

So describe or post evidence that the things I listed as not being helpful actually do help in determining how compentent you are as an Emergency Medicine Practitioner.

http://www.nursecredentialing.org/CertificationPortfolioRequirements.pdf

[MedictoRN]

That is DIRECTLY FROM THEIR SITE. Here is the link. You need to drill down to see exactly what they require.

So describe or post evidence that the things I listed as not being helpful actually do help in determining how compentent you are as an Emergency Medicine Practitioner.

http://www.nursecredentialing.org/CertificationPortfolioRequirements.pdf

I see those are the general requirements for the portfolio review process. I'm going to go with the ones specifically for the ENP.

To me, those speak less about competency and more about being a leader in the profession. Competency is evaluated in other sections.

[nomadcrna, DNP, CRNA, NP]

No need to be a leader in the profession to be clinically competent.

BTW, those ARE ENP requirements. I'm not sure what you are suggesting. They were a direct link from the ENP page.

[MedictoRN]

No need to be a leader in the profession to be clinically competent.

There is more to this certification than clinical competence. It validates professional dedication, involvement, leadership, mentorship and clinical expertise.

The good news is that nobody has to have this to get a position in the ER. It is simply a way to show to peers, colleages and potential employers that one has demonstrated not just clinical competence but a level of clincal and professional expertise that is above average.

BTW, those ARE ENP requirements. I'm not sure what you are suggesting. They were a direct link from the ENP page.

This is what I'm using to guide the application process. http://www.nursecredentialing.org/EmergencyNP-PCO

This is specific for the ENP application. What you are quoting is the general instructions for all of the certifications through portfolio. I think those specifically listed in the ENP specific instructions are very doable and relevent to my practice.

[Corey Narry, MSN, RN, NP]

I don't believe Urgent Care qualifies according to the eligibility criteria published on the ANCC site. It says "Emergency Care".

The initial press releases I've received from ANCC stated UC or EC. That's when I started this post. The final rules only say EC. I have no interest in this certification, I am an Adult Critical Care NP. I started this thread as a form of information dissemination.