1. Transplant Nurse Certification in the United States
Christine Shay-Downer, RN, BSN, CCTC
President
International Transplant Nurse Society (ITNS)
Intestinal Transplant Coordinator
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Thank you for that great introduction. I would like to thank the organizing committee for inviting me to your conference and I consider it a great honor and privilege to share some information with you today about transplant nurse certification in the United States

2. Objectives
At the end of this presentation the attendee will be able to:
Define the concept of nursing certification
Identify benefits and barriers to obtaining a nursing certification
Describe the role of ABTC when obtaining transplant nursing certification

3. Certification is the formal process by which a certifying agency validates a nurse’s knowledge, skills, and abilities in a defined role and clinical area of practice, based on predetermined standards.
Achieved through:
specialized or advanced education
experience in a specialty area
method of validating competency (exam)

4. Nursing Certification
35 years
>67 certifying organizations
>134 specialty areas
>400,000 certifications held by RNs

5. Why Certify?? Improve quality of patient care
Professional recognition and credibility
Personal accomplishment / satisfaction
Indicates attainment of practice standard
Professional growth
Increases marketability
Career advancement / higher salary
Insurance companies send patients to health care facilities who promote certification
Organizations are often rated based on % of certified personnel they employ.
Families feel loved ones receive better care
Prof recog/credibility – certified nurses are recognized and respected
confirms nurse’s competence and capabilities to peers, patients, supervisors, and administrators
Prof achievement – as health care delivery and pt acuity become more complex, demand for experienced hightly skilled hc providers in on the rise
continued competence requirements for certification renewal ensure we remain upt o date with latest development in our specialty
increases job satisfaction, sense of empowerment, and level of competence, enhances collaboration with other health care team members.
Career advancement – survey of nurse managers, 86% would hire certified over non certified if everything else was equal.
have proven knowledge base in a specialty and a higher commitment to lifelong learning
74% in same survey provide incentives to promote and recognize certification

6. Barriers Costs of certification Lack of institutional reward/support
Lack of access to preparation courses
Lack of access to exam site
Time
Extrinsic fxs outway intrinsic fxs
Time – nursing shortages leading to longer work days, increased call duty, less time for family/oneself

7. American Board of Transplant Certification (ABTC)
Independent, not for profit, 1988
Awards voluntary, non-governmental certification credentials
Transplant nurse, clinical coordinator, procurement coordinator, preservationist

8. ABTC Certification Board of Govenors + 4 committees
Develop and administer a reliable, valid certification examination / continuing certification program.
Work coordinated by Applied Measurement Professionals, Inc., an independent testing agency which provides management and testing services

9. ABTC Certification
Exam is designed to measure professional knowledge of individuals engaged in clinical and procurement transplant coordination.
Detailed content outline developed from surveys of currently certified transplant nurses

10. Preparing for Certification Exam
ABTC candidate handbook
Work study groups
Flash Cards
Formal review course
Core Curriculum
Transplant IQ series
Practice questions

11. Current Status of ABTC Exams
75% pass exam
Electronic exam sites by appointment
Based primarily on US practice currently
Offered to transplant nurses outside the United States

12. Maintaining Certification
Every 3 years
Provide renewal application with documentation of continuing education and transplant activities.

13. Resources
Certification is an important part of nurse education, career growth. The American Nurse. March/April
Wade, C.H. Perceived Effectgs of Specialty Nurse Certification: A Review of the Literature. AORN Journal. January 2009, Vol. 89, No. 1.
Baird, C. Specialty Certification: Is It for You? Journal of Additions Nursing, 18: , 2007
Prowant,B., Niebuhr, B., & Biel, M. Perceived Value of Nursing Certification – Summary of a National Survey. Nephrology Nursing Journal. July-August 2007, Vol. 34, No. 4.
Candidate Handbook