RNC?

Our hospital is going for magnet status, so they are encouraging EVERYONE who is eligible to get their RNC.

About 25% or our nurses are certified. You must have 2 years of experience in your field before you can sit for the exam. It was not an easy test, I had flashbacks of my state boards while I was taking the RNC Exam. LOL.

We do not get any compensation other than the hospital pays for the exam.

trouble editing, see below

Our pays for the exam if you pass, and then you are eligible to climb the clinical ladder (partner, senior partner) to get a slight pay increase. I was not eligible to do this when I was in NICU because I was not full time. I am a NANN member though, I like to keep up on research.

When I took a full time position in Mother-Baby, I joined AWHONN and started reading everything I could. I am thinking of asking for the core curriculum book for maternal-newborn nursing for Christmas.

I just took the exam almost 2 months ago and passed! I have 4 years exp in L&D, nursery and Postpartum. I have been out of OB full time for almost a year and still work PRN while working on my doctorate degree in nursing. I studied some PCEP books and reviewed some AWHONN literature before the test. My test was 175 questions and I finished in about an hour and a half.

Good luck to you :)

I got certified in Inpatient OB after being in L&D for 2 years. That was the requirement at that time and I believe it still is that way. It has not been a requirement on any unit I have worked on, but it has always been a financial bonus to have it. The pay increase has been more to be certified than to have a higher degree. I didn't get into nursing until I was 40 yrs. old and having a lot of student loan debt didn't seem like the thing to do. Getting the certification was my compromise. I have been glad about my decision. The studying I have done to maintain the certification has applied more to my clinical experience than the courses for a BSN. At this point, I have been in nursing for 20 years. Short of winning the lottery, I will not go back for my BSN or any advanced degree. I have been pleased to have the national certification.

Is the course material and test all online.

I earned my Inpatient OB certification back in 1994 after working in L&D for 3 yrs. The exam was very difficult (I thought it was even harder than the boards), but I've always been proud I got it. My hospital reimbursed us for the exam cost and gave us a $0.50/hr. raise too. I just earned my case management certification, but although my current employer will reimburse me for the exam fee, they don't give us a raise (even though they require it).

This site doesn't appear to be as active as it was. Thanks for responding.