Expand Your Med-Surg, RN Skills With These Certifications
Will a CMSRN® or MEDSURG-BC™ Credential Help Your Nursing Career?
If you’re a Med-Surg RN, you’re a member of the largest group of hospital-based
nurses. Congrats! You’re a jack-of-all-trades, flexible, quick on your feet, able to take on a bit of everything (and
often asked to do just that). Perhaps because the scope of work in this specialty is broader than most, a certification
in Med/Surg is not as commonplace as in other areas of practice. In fact, the majority of RNs do not possess a Med-Surg
certification.
So is there any upside to earning a Med-Surg certification?
Yes, there is. RNs with specialized certification in this practice area have an advantage in being hired at hospitals
and clinics. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) found that
90 percent of nurse managers preferred to
hire certified RNs over non-certified ones.
According to the AACN, most employers
also prefer to hire RNs who hold a Bachelor’s degree. Receiving certification in Med-Surg nursing may also boost your
chances of being hired or receiving a higher salary. This can be especially useful if you have a two-year college
nursing degree or if you have less than three years of clinical experience. That same hiring preference for staff nurses
with BSNs and advanced credentials also applies to travel nurses.
What are the Pathways to Acquiring Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification?
Acquiring certification as a Med-Surg Registered Nurse requires you to pass an exam administered by either the
American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or the
Medical-Surgical Nursing MSNCB Certification Board (MSNCB). The criteria differ slightly
between these two credentialing bodies. The ANCC’s computer-based test includes around 150 scored questions related to
nursing in a surgical setting. The MSNCB exam questions are fewer and grouped according to physiological system. Note
that a minimum of two years of experience as an RN is required to take either exam.
Do YOU Need a Medical-Surgical Nursing Certificate?
In most cases, the Med/Surg certification is not required for employment -- neither for travel nursing jobs nor
for permanent positions. But there are some situations in which a Med-Surg Nursing Certificate is particularly useful,
for example:
- You want to advance to a supervisory role in a hospital or other healthcare setting. Earning a certification shows you are serious about your career, determined, and willing to put in the work. It can also be a plus when it comes to your performance evaluations. Certification is something that supervisors can highlight if you ever need to ask them for a reference.
- You can’t see yourself working until retirement as a floor nurse in a hospital Med-Surg unit. Maybe you are thinking about an academic or corporate role. Holding a Med-Surg nursing certificate can better position you to shift to a research facility, outpatient clinic, and/or function in a teaching role.
- You want to give yourself every possible edge when that dream travel assignment becomes available. Advanced certifications can push you higher up the selection ladder and give you an advantage over the competition.
How Travel Nurses Benefit by Obtaining a Medical-Surgical Certificate
Your employment options increase when your resume includes credentialing beyond a nursing degree.
If you didn’t specialize in Med-Surg when you were in nursing school, obtaining a Medical-Surgical certificate (along
with some real-life time as a floor nurse in a Med-Surg capacity) will open up travel assignments in this specialty to
you. Med-Surg travel assignments are the most commonly available type of position, and there are always openings in this
practice area, nationwide. Certification can also help make you a more desirable candidate and even give you leverage in
negotiating the terms of your hire.
Obtaining an advanced certification of any kind can provide a wider range of
travel nursing employment opportunities. It demonstrates your commitment to
your profession, showcases your time management skills, and can help you become a more skilled -- and even more
respected -- nurse.
Last Modified On: Nov 16, 2022
The next stop on your travel journey awaits.
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