SILVER SPRING, Md. — Aug. 7, 2014 — The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the Rheumatology Nurses Society (RNS) today announced plans to develop a new board certification through portfolio for rheumatology nursing. Announced at the RNS Annual Conference in Louisville, Ky., the new certification program will be developed beginning in 2014 and is scheduled for launch in 2015.
ANCC’s certification through portfolio is an alternative assessment method for credentialing individual registered nurses in their specialty area. Nurses document their skills, knowledge, abilities and career accomplishments as part of the application assessment process. Certification through portfolio requires equivalent rigor as examinations to meet accrediting bodies’ criteria to determine proficiency through a peer review process informed by nurse experts…
Editorial Comment: Certification in rheumatology nursing is important for a number of reasons. Not only does certification validate the knowledge and skills of nurses in this field, it demonstrates to patients, coworkers, peers, and physicians that we are competent and capable of caring for people with rheumatic disease. Most importantly, certification as a rheumatology nurse will raise the entire field of rheumatology by improving patient care and assuring patient safety.
Victoria Ruffing, RN
