Dispelling Magnet® Myths.

ABSTRACT: Organizations on the journey to Magnet® excellence have questions. In many cases, those questions are based on myth, not fact. In this month's Magnet Perspectives, we break down the most commonly asked questions, dispel the myths, and explore the resources available to help organizations get the answers they need to achieve Magnet® recognition.

The Anesthesiology Milestones 2.0: An Improved Competency-Based Assessment for Residency Training.

The evolution of medical education, from a time-based to a competency-based platform, began nearly 30 years ago and continues to slowly take shape. The development of valid and reproducible assessment tools is the first step. Medical educators across specialties acknowledge the challenges and remain motivated to develop a relevant, generalizable, and measurable system. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) remains committed to its responsibility to the public by assuring that the process and outcome of graduate medical education in the nation's residency programs produce competent, safe, and compassionate doctors. The Milestones Project is the ACGME's current strategy in the evolution to a competency-based system, which allows each specialty to develop its own set of subcompetencies and 5-level progression, or milestones, along a continuum of novice to expert. The education community has now had nearly 5 years of experience with these rubrics. While not perfect, Milestones 1.0 provided important foundational information and insights. The first iteration of the Anesthesiology Milestones highlighted some mismatch between subcompetencies and current and future clinical practices. They have also highlighted challenges with assessment and evaluation of learners, and the need for faculty development tools. Committed to an iterative process, the ACGME assembled representatives from stakeholder groups within the Anesthesiology community to develop the second generation of Milestones. This special article describes the foundational data from Milestones 1.0 that was useful in the development process of Milestones 2.0, the rationale behind the important changes, and the additional tools made available with this iteration.

[An Experience Developing Nursing Excellence Using the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®].

The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) manages Magnet Recognition Program® certification. Candidates for this certification are required to pass a review comprising six compulsory documents and 84 sets of written documents in five model components as well as an onsite appraisal. The Magnet Recognition Program® for medical institutes is currently regarded as the highest honor in the nursing field. The series of measures necessary to establish a Magnet-recognized hospital is described in this article. Our hospital began preparation for recognition in January 2016, with the application submitted in May 2017. The required measures include establishing a Professional Practice Model, Governance Council, and National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators as well as implementing a mentoring plan. ANCC approved Magnet Recognition Program® recognition for our hospital in May 2020, making ours the first Magnet-recognized hospital in Taiwan. The nursing staff shared their experiences on their Magnet journey. Magnet-recognition demonstrates that a hospital is adequately equipped and trained to provide patients with outstanding nursing care and to operate an excellent nursing practice environment.

The US Health Provider Workforce: Determinants and Potential Paths to Enhancement.

The health provider workforce is shaped by factors collectively influencing the education, training, licensing, and certification of physicians and allied health professionals, through professional organizations with interlocking and often opaque governance relationships within a state-based licensing system. This system produces a workforce is that is insufficiently responsive to current needs and opportunities, including those created by new technologies. This lack of responsiveness reflects the complex, nontransparent, and cautious nature of the controlling organizations, influenced by the economic interests of the organized professions, which seek protection from competitors both local and international. The first step in addressing this is to comprehensively examine the organizational complexity and conflicted interests within this critical ecosystem. Doing so suggests areas ripe for change, to enhance the health workforce and benefit public health.

Do pharmacist employers prefer or require board certification?

OBJECTIVE: The pharmacy profession has promoted the value of board certification, yet the impact of board certification on employment opportunities for pharmacists is largely unknown. This study aims to report employer preferences for board certification as indicated on job listings. DESIGN: A national search for pharmacy job postings from November 16, 2018, to March 8, 2019 was performed by reviewing websites and attending conferences. For each listing, data on the status of required, preferred, or neither for board certification, type of specialty, and the practice setting were recorded. Employers listing a preference or requirement for board certification were asked to complete a questionnaire to ascertain reasons for requiring or preferring board certification. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The study includes job listings from various non-community pharmacy employers. OUTCOME MEASURES: The outcome measures were to (1) assess if board certification is required/preferred by pharmacist employers, (2) determine if predominantly clinical versus nonclinical job listings include board certification as a requirement or preference, (3) differentiate practice area and specialty with regard to requirement or preference for board certification, and (4) evaluate reasons behind the requirement or preference. RESULTS: More employers did not prefer or require board certification compared with those who listed such preferences (51% vs. 49%). Employers of jobs with a predominantly clinical component were more likely to require or prefer board certification (53% vs. 27% [no clinical component]). The board certification most often requested was pharmacotherapy, followed by oncology and psychiatry. Most employers (98%) who prefer board certification and those who require board certification (79%) believe that credentialing verifies competence in a specialty practice (P = 0.03) and ensures acquisition of knowledge and skills within the specialized field (P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: More pharmacy employers do not require or prefer board certification. Employers are more likely to prefer or require board certification for predominantly clinical jobs.

CHES, MCHES, and/or CPH? Selecting the Best Credential for You.

The health education profession within the broader context of public health has chosen certification to grant recognition to individuals meeting certain standards, as well as optional accreditation of academic programs. Regarding certification options for health education professionals, those who qualify may sit for the exams to achieve one of the following certifications: Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES), Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES), or Certified in Public Health (CPH). Some health education and other professionals may be familiar with the concept of certification but may not be aware of the value of certification for the profession, their options for certification, or the processes of certification. This article provides information on CHES, MCHES, and CPH certifications and compares and contrasts their requirements. While many professionals may choose one credential over another, others may decide to pursue CHES/MCHES and the CPH. Credentialing continues to be an important part of advancing the health education profession and ensuring that those practicing in the field are highly qualified.

Internationally educated nurses in Canada: predictors of workforce integration.

BACKGROUND: Global trends in migration accompanied with recent changes to the immigrant selection process may have influenced the demographic and human capital characteristics of internationally educated nurses (IENs) in Canada and in turn the assistance required to facilitate their workforce integration. This study aimed to describe the demographic and human capital profile of IENs in Canada, to explore recent changes to the profile, and to identify predictors of IENs' workforce integration. METHODS: A cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational survey design was used. Eligible IENs were immigrants, registered and employed as regulated nurses in Canada. Data were collected in 2014 via online and paper questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the data by year of immigration. Logistic regression modeling was employed to identify predictors of IENs' workforce integration measured as passing the licensure exam to acquire professional recertification and securing employment. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 2280 IENs, representative of all Canadian provincial jurisdictions. Since changes to the immigrant selection process in 2002, the IEN population in Canada has become more racially diverse with greater numbers emigrating from developing countries. Recent arrivals (after 2002) had high levels of human capital (knowledge, professional experience, language proficiency). Some, but not all, benefited from the formal and informal assistance available to facilitate their workforce integration. Professional experience and help studying significantly predicted if IENs passed the licensure exam on their first attempt. Bridging program participation and assistance from social networks in Canada were significant predictors if IENs had difficulty securing employment. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses will continue to migrate from a wide variety of countries throughout the world that have dissimilar nursing education and health systems. Thus, IENs are not a homogenous group, and a "one size fits all" model may not be effective for facilitating their professional recertification and employment in the destination country. Canada, as well as other countries, could consider using a case management approach to develop and tailor education and forms of assistance to meet the individual needs of IENs. Using technology to reach IENs who have not yet immigrated or have settled outside of urban centers are other potential strategies that may facilitate their timely entrance into the destination countries' nursing workforce.

Is credentialing a solution to the workforce crisis?

With the number of patient attendances increasing, we need to address the challenges facing the emergency care workforce, particularly how the system can survive the shortage of doctors. It is a strategic priority for Health Education England (HEE) to ensure an emergency care workforce with the right numbers, skills and behaviours, that can respond to the changing patterns of service.

Perspectives From the Field: Certified Health Education Specialists on the Value of Health Education Credentialing.

In this commentary, four Certified Health Education Specialists (CHESs) share their reasons for obtaining national certification as health education specialists, the value of national credentialing to their employers, and the career development benefits of National Commission for Health Education Credentialing certification. CHESs play a vital role in diverse research and practice settings and increasingly contribute to changes in practice and policy that promote health equity. National Commission for Health Education Credentialing certification enhances our individual capacity as public health educators and also enhances our profession through systematic verification of responsibilities, competencies, and subcompetencies. This commentary is particularly timely in light of the Health Education Specialist Practice Analysis 2015, which updated, refined, and validated the model of health education practice.

Four Ways to Avoid a Credentialing Cash Flow Crisis.

Credentialing a physician for Medicare and private plans is a detailed and time-consuming process, but it must be completed before a plan will reimburse a practice's billed services. Assign a person with the right skills for this project, and insist on regular progress reports to be certain credentialing has been successfully completed. Submit credentialing applications three to six months ahead of opening your practice doors, moving to a new location, or merging with another organization. If you're considering outsourcing the credentialing process to a service, verify its reputation and work products with its customers.

Nurse Credentials: What Is the Economic Value?

A workshop sponsored by the Institute of Medicine brought together health care leaders to focus on the impact of credentials on nurse, patient, and organization outcomes. Demonstrating the value of credentials is very challenging. Does the credential cause improvement? Or does it simply indicate which organizations are the better performers (and thus does not cause improvement)? As our health care system moves toward rewarding the value of health care, proponents of credentials will need to demonstrate credentials reflect true differences in the capacity to deliver health care. Credentialing is expensive; thus, it is imperative to critically assess the overall value of credentials, whether some credentials are more important than others, and how to support attainment of the most important credentials.

The first nurse practitioner graduate programme in Japan.

AIM: This paper describes the establishment of the first Japanese nurse practitioner graduate programme and legislative activities to institutionalize nurse practitioners in Japan. BACKGROUND: To address the super-ageing population, Oita University of Nursing and Health Sciences initiated the first academic graduate level nurse practitioner programme in Japan, based upon the global standard defined by the International Council of Nurses. CONCLUSION: In 2010, Oita University of Nursing and Health Sciences graduated the first nurse practitioner. We believe that nurse practitioners will be highly valued in Japan for thoughtful nursing care to the fragile elders living in rural and urban Japan.

Advancing Nursing Practice: The Evolution and Impact of Continuing Professional Development.

American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Accreditation in Nursing Continuing Professional Development (NCPD) emphasizes the importance of maintaining competence, ensuring patient safety, and supporting career advancement in nursing through learning and development. It underscores the shift toward competency-based and outcome-oriented education models, addressing challenges such as misconceptions about the demands of NCPD and focusing more on the impact. This column provides the "why" for organizations, leaders, and nurses to engage in ANCC accredited NCPD educational programs. It further explores a future where NCPD fosters a skilled, equitable, and diverse health care workforce, promoting transformational learning experiences. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2024;55(4):153-156.].

Credentialing in pharmacy-an overview.

With the job market tightening, pharmacists are looking for ways to increase their attractiveness to employers and demonstrate their clinical knowledge and expertise. Six certification programs for pharmacists are available from the Board of Pharmacy Specialties, while certification in geriatric pharmacy practice is available from the Commission for Certification in Geriatric Pharmacy. More than 15,000 pharmacists have already achieved board certification from one of these programs. Multidisciplinary certifications such as "certified diabetes educator" are also available to pharmacists. Interest in certification programs for pharmacists is likely to increase.

Using Innovation in Credentialing to Foster Meaningful Transitions to Practice and Support Continuing Professional Development.

Certification within specialized areas in nursing has long been an avenue by which nurses demonstrate competence and dedication toward professional development. Because of innovation within the credentialing arena, certification also can serve as an avenue that supports nursing professional development practitioners who are assisting nurses transitioning into new roles or new practices. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2023;54(9):413-420.].