Focus On: Specialty Certification

Page reviewed and updated: March 11, 2025

Certification in one’s specialty is no longer just something that’s “nice to have.” While not a requirement for practice, more and more employers are seeking nurses who exhibit a commitment to excellence in their area of practice through specialty certification. This is especially true for those hospitals that are pursuing Magnet Recognition® and need to meet eligibility standards. Explore the resources below to learn more about the value of specialty certification and begin your certification journey. 

Nursing Certification Boards By Specialty

Explore available nursing specialty certifications with this comprehensive guide, including contact information for each certification board. 

Lippincott NursingCenter’s Certification Reviews 

Our nursing certification reviews are self-paced, online courses including questions related to each specialty that are mapped to certification test blueprints. Find your nursing specialty and get started today!

 

Certification Articles & Blog Posts

Considering Certification
Journal of Christian Nursing, October/December 2024
 
The Path to Certification for Emergency Nurse Practitioners
Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal, October/December 2024
 
Nurse Certification and Test Anxiety
JONA: Journal of Nursing Administration, July/August 2024
 
NLN Nurse Educator Certifications: The Processes of Setting Pass Scores on Certification Exams
Nursing Education Perspectives, July/August 2024

Getting Ready for Certification: Recommend and Provide Interventions to Promote Optimal Management of Ostomies
Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing, June 2024

Why Aren't More Nurses Certified?
Lippincott NursingCenter, March 2024

Lifelong Learning and Nursing Certification
Lippincott NursingCenter, March 2024

Updated Magnet® Certification Requirements
JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, January 2024

Getting Ready for Certification: The Road to Recertification
Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing, November/December 2023
 

Quick Guide to Studying for Certification Exams
Lippincott NursingCenter, August 2023

CE Advanced Certification in Nursing Professional Development: An Idea Whose Time Has Come
Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, July/August 2023

Novice to Expert: Pathways to Nurse Educator Certification
Nursing Education Perspectives, May/June2023

Preceptor & Certification Opportunities
Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, March/April 2022

Certification: A Designation that Matters!
Lippincott NursingCenter, March 2023

Readiness Tests: A Strategy to Boost Certification Success
JONA: Journal of Nursing Administration, December 2022

Pathway to Becoming a Progressive Care Certified Nurse
AJN, American Journal of Nursing, October 2022

CE Results From the Perceived Value of Certification Tool-12 Survey: Analysis of the Perceived Value of Certification Among Stroke and Neuroscience Nurses
Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, October 2022

A Day in the Life of a Certified Maternal–Newborn Nurse
Home Healthcare Now, September/October 2022. 

The Value of Certification
Nursing Made Incredibly Easy!, July/August 2022

Margretta "Gretta" Madden Styles: The Pioneer Behind Nursing Certification
Lippincott Nursing Center