NR 439 CCN Nurses Continuous Education Discussion

Please respond to the classmate post for this discussion question.

The study conducted by Boyle et al. (2020) included a comprehensive review of aspects that impact the decision-making process of nurses in pursuing continuous education, as well as the challenges they encounter throughout this endeavor. One of the three primary topics within the literature review part pertains to the examination of factors that facilitate or impede the attainment of nursing certifications. According to the study conducted by Haskins et al. (2011), which involved interviews with 1383 specialty-certified nurses, the primary facilitators to achieving certification were financial compensation for examination expenses, acknowledgment via the inclusion of credentials on name tags or naming individuals in institutional newsletters, and bonuses or pay increase. On the other hand, the primary obstacles identified were the financial burden associated with the test, inadequate institutional support, and limited availability of resources and time (Haskins et al., 2011, p. 231).

The goal of the study conducted by Boyle et al. (2020) was to explore the perception of the importance of continuous certification among CMSRNs, as well as factors that either support or hinder its implementation. The author was able to identify relevant studies and explore these topics in depth providing evidence to support the research objectives. I found it interesting to analyze data provided in Table 2 “Top 10 Facilitators and Barriers to Continuing Competence”. The majority of respondents agreed that “learning is fun” (98.3%) and that nursing specialty certification provides a “personal sense of professionalism” (98.2%), indicating a positive attitude towards continuing education (Boyle et al., 2020, p. 234).

The key component of a strong literature review process is the process of finding the most relevant studies that are pertinent to the investigation problem rather than getting distracted by literature that is only tangentially linked to the subject of the research. One of the strategies I learned during our Lesson Week 3 is how to develop and narrow the search strategy by utilizing the Boolean operators AND, OR, and NOT. By using Boolean operators, nurses can refine the search and combine different concepts. This involves generating alternative terms and phrases that are comparable to guarantee a complete search strategy (Houser et al., 2023).

The ability of nurses to identify knowledge gaps and areas that need investigation combined with their ability to search and analyze the relevant published studies enables them to maintain the most effective and up-to-date evidence-based clinical practices. Eventually, this leads to the quality improvement of patient care and health outcomes.

References

Boyle, D. K., & Thompson, S.A. (2020). CMSRNs’ continuing competence methods and perceived value of certification: A descriptive study. MEDSURG Nursing, 29(4), 229-254.

Haskins, M., Hnatiuk, C.N., & Yoder, L.H. (2011). Medical-surgical nurses’ perceived value of certification study. MED- SURG Nursing, 20(2), 71-93.

Houser, J. (2023). Nursing research: Reading, using, and creating evidence (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.