The nurse workforce constitutes the largest sector of health professionals in the United States and includes individuals with varying educational backgrounds and expertise. Like other health professions, nursing includes a large number of specialties and subspecialties. Nurses may seek certification, based on various standards and criteria, from a wide range of organizations. Similarly, organizations may participate in nursing credentialing programs, which typically reflect the attainment of various nursing care standards and outcome measures. It is, however, unclear how this additional training and education affects health care quality and patient health.

Future Directions of Credentialing Research in Nursing examines short- and long-term strategies to advance research on nurse certification and organizational credentialing. This report summarizes a workshop convened by the Institute of Medicine in September 2014 to examine a new framework and research priorities to guide future research on the impact of nurse credentialing and certification on outcomes for nurses, organizations, and patients. Over 100 people attended the workshop, which focused on topics such as emergent priorities for research in nursing credentialing; critical knowledge gaps and methodological limitations in the field; promising developments in research methodologies, health metrics, and data infrastructures to better evaluate the impact of nursing credentialing; and short- and long-term strategies to encourage continued activity in nursing credentialing research. Future Directions of Credentialing Research in Nursing is a record of the presentations, discussion, and break-out sessions of this event.

Contents

• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
• PLANNING COMMITTEE
• Reviewers
• Acknowledgments
• 1. Introduction
  • WORKSHOP THEMES
• 2. A New Framework for Credentialing Research in Nursing
  • UNDERSTANDING THE LANDSCAPE AND STATE OF SCIENCE IN CREDENTIALING RESEARCH IN NURSING
  • DEVELOPING A NATIONAL AGENDA FOR CREDENTIALING RESEARCH IN NURSING
  • QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
• 3. Strengthening Data and Health Informatics for Credentialing Research
  • DATA HARMONIZATION FOR CREDENTIALING RESEARCH
  • HARMONIZATION AND PERFORMANCE MEASURE DEVELOPMENT TO EVALUATE CREDENTIALING
  • DEVELOPING, TESTING, AND REFINING MEASURES OF NURSE-SENSITIVE QUALITY OF CARE
  • INFORMATICS FOR DECISION MAKING
  • QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
• 4. Challenges and Opportunities in Credentialing Research Methodologies
  • CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN NURSING CREDENTIALING RESEARCH DESIGN
  • INVESTIGATING CAUSAL PATHWAYS AND LINKAGES
  • KNOWLEDGE DISCOVERY DATA ANALYTICS METHODS
  • NEW RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES: BUILDING ON THE MOMENTUM OF THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
  • QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
• 5. Assessing Core Competencies in Nursing Credentialing
  • MEASURING CORE COMPETENCIES IN MEDICINE USING TRADITIONAL AND ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT METHODS: LESSONS FROM THE ACCREDITATION COUNCIL FOR GRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION (ACGME)
  • ASSESSING OUTCOME PERFORMANCE COMPETENCIES IN PHYSICAL THERAPY
  • CORE COMPETENCIES IN ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSING CREDENTIALING AND CERTIFICATION
  • QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
• 6. Nursing Credentialing Within a Complex Health Care Landscape
  • THE FUTURE OF NURSING, CREDENTIALING, AND EFFORTS TO IMPROVE QUALITY
  • ENCOURAGING NURSING CERTIFICATION AND ASSESSMENT IN HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATIONS
  • DEVELOPING A NATIONAL FOCUS
  • GETTING FROM RESULTS TO PRACTICE AND POLICY: IMPLICATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION
  • QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
• 7. Taking the Temperature: Stakeholder Reactions and Suggestions
  • USING THE FRAMEWORK TO DEVELOP RESEARCH PRIORITIES TO ADVANCE NURSING CREDENTIALING
  • IMPROVING RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES
  • SHORT- AND LONG-TERM STRATEGIES TO ENCOURAGE ACTIVITIES RELATED TO NURSING CREDENTIALING RESEARCH
  • STAKEHOLDER PERSPECTIVES, COMMUNICATION, AND OUTREACH
  • LOOKING AHEAD—ESTABLISHING A COMMON VISION FOR FUTURE DIRECTIONS AND RESOURCES NEEDS IN NURSING CREDENTIALING RESEARCH
• References
• APPENDIXES
  • A Workshop Agenda
  • B Glossary

Rapporteurs: Margaret A. McCoy and Victoria D. Weisfield.

This project was supported by the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program; American Association of Colleges of Nursing; American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Certification Corporation; American Association of Nurse Practitioners; American Board of Nursing Specialties; American Board of Perianesthesia Nursing Certification, Inc.; American Nurses Credentialing Center; Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing; Center for Nursing Education and Testing; Competency & Credentialing Institute; Infusion Nurses Certification Corporation; Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board; National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses; National Board for Certification of School Nurses; National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists; National Certification Corporation for the Obstetric, Gynecological and Neonatal Specialties; Nephrology Nursing Certification Commission; Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation; Orthopaedic Nurses Certification Board, and Pediatric Nursing Certification Board. The views presented in this publication are those of the editors and attributing authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

Suggested citation:

IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2015. Future directions of credentialing research in nursing: Workshop summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

NOTICE: The workshop that is the subject of this workshop summary was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.