Exploring Nurses' Perceptions of Specialty Certification

Background: The strategic nursing plan for a large Midwestern health care system includes achieve-ment of the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Magnet (R) recognition for all their hospitals. This study explored the barriers to and perceived value of certi-fication among nurses employed by the same health care system across eight facilities in a metropolitan region. One of these facilities holds Magnet (R) recogni-tion. Method: Subjects were recruited by direct email to collect demographic data and complete a barrier to certification survey and the Perceived Value of Certi-fication Tool-12. Results: There were statistically sig-nificant differences in the perception that lack of in-stitutional support is a barrier to certification both in aggregate and when comparing the Magnet (R) hospital with the others. Conclusion: As an initial exploration into barriers and perceived value, this study provides data for this health care system to plan strategies to promote certification. This study also serves as an ex-emplar for other organizations considering evaluation of certification barriers and value among their nursing staff. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2023;54(12):567-573.]