The Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse (CMSRN) is the gold-standard certification demonstrating credibility in nursing expertise for the medical-surgical specialty and beyond. The Monitor’s CMSRN Certification Spotlight series highlights medical-surgical nurses who have achieved CMSRN certification, understand its value to the profession, and hope to inspire others to embark on their own journey to certification. In this Q&A, Christina Estes, BSN, RN, CMSRN, acknowledges that preparing for certification may seem intimidating at first but urges other medical-surgical nurses not to let self-doubt prevent them from achieving this professional milestone.
What is the value of the CMSRN certification? What does it mean to you personally to be CMSRN certified?
Achieving CMSRN certification was a very meaningful professional milestone for me personally. It sounds silly to say, but obtaining my CMSRN certification meant more to me than passing the NCLEX! I proved it to my peers, family, and friends, and more importantly to myself, that I know my specialty. You really need to think of your profession as a medical-surgical nurse as an expert generalist. We know a lot about everything. You know the information already; this is just proof.
How did you learn about the CMSRN certification? What made you decide to pursue and achieve certification?
I learned about the certification through my educator and through my peers. I decided to get certified simply because I live the certification questions every day. Looking at the CMSRN certification question book, I was expecting the questions to be NCLEX-type questions and select all that apply, etc., but that was not the case. I believe it took me longer to drive to the testing center than it did to take the test.
What advice would you give to medical-surgical nurses who have not yet achieved their CMSRN to encourage them to pursue certification?
Honestly, getting certified was a little intimidating. What if I do not pass? Do I really know what I am doing? What will my peers think of me if I do not pass? Will they trust me to watch their patients for a lunch break? You can certainly get in your head about taking it. I thought I would never get to say that I am certified in medical-surgical nursing. My biggest piece of advice is to not let self-doubt win. You know your specialty; the certification simply proves it.
Is there anything you would like to add about the process that you think medical-surgical nurses should know before embarking on their journey to CMSRN certification?
Just take the leap and do it! The feeling of accomplishment is amazing, and you do this great work for your patients every day. It is not just letters behind your name, but letters of honor!
To learn more about CMSRN certification and how to get certified, visit the MSNCB website.
Content published on the Medical-Surgical Monitor represents the views, thoughts, and opinions of the authors and may not necessarily reflect the views, thoughts, and opinions of the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses.