Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to compare the barriers to certification and the perceived value of certification by nurses in a Magnet(R)-recognized and a non-Magnet-recognized organization.
BACKGROUND: Magnet recognition promotes certification as a component of professional practice. It is not known if nurses in Magnet and non-Magnet organizations hold different values toward certification.
METHODS: An electronic survey obtained perceptions of certification values and barriers of nurses practicing at a Magnet-recognized facility (n = 202) and a non-Magnet-recognized facility (n = 103).
RESULTS: There was no difference between nurses from a Magnet-recognized facility and nurses from a non-Magnet-recognized facility on intrinsic or extrinsic certification value perceptions. However, as a group, certified nurses reported higher intrinsic value perceptions than noncertified nurses.
CONCLUSIONS: Nurses' intrinsic and extrinsic perceived values of certification do not differ by the Magnet recognition status of the facility. Strategies to improve certification rates should focus on targeting the extrinsic values of certification.