Elite certification 'validates' Option Care nurses

Option Care recently recognized 19 of its nurses for passing the Certified Registered Nurse Infusion (CRNI) examination this spring. The credential, offered by the Infusion Nurses Certification Corporation, puts those nurses in an elite group of only 3,000 active certified clinicians in the world, saysBrenda Wright, senior vice president of clinical services at the Bannockburn, Ill.-based Option Care. Wright spoke with HME News recently about why this credential is rewarding for both nurses and the provider.

HME News:What is involved in obtaining the CRNI credential?

Brenda Wright:To be eligible to even take the exam, you have to be current and actively registered as nurse; and have to have 1,600 hours of experience in infusion therapy in the last two years, which someone at a supervisory level has to validate. The test is quite challenging—for the past three years, the pass rate for first timers is 70%. I have had a lot of my nurses study long and hard, and not pass it.

HME:What does obtaining this credential mean to these nurses?

Wright:It's validating. It means they are looked up to by their peers as being experienced, as well as knowledgeable. It also gives them some additional critical thinking skills, and helps them understand the risks in certain situations and be able to mitigate those risks and assure the patient receives safe and effective care in any setting.

HME:Why and how do you support your nurses in this?

Wright:By encouraging our nurses to pursue this certification, it really demonstrates our commitment to quality. We're very focused on assuring that the nurses we are employing have the experience in IV therapy. We also assist them in buying the study materials and reimburse them for the expense of taking the exam when they pass it.

HME:Will Option Care's focus on this kind of credential be attractive to potential employees?

Wright:There is a pretty significant nursing shortage right now, and there's about 1 million nurses who will reach retirement age in 2020 at a time when our need for nurses is increasing. So, we really stepped back and said, “What would make Option Care the employer of choice?” It's one of the reasons we are investing in our nurses.