Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

I explored the underutilization of the community/public health nursing (C/PHN) credential by examining the individual characteristics of public health nurses, the value these nurses perceive for certification, the barriers they perceive to obtaining or maintaining a C/PHN credential, and their credential status.

METHODS:

I surveyed a national sample of 655 public health nurses regarding this more than 20-year-old credential. I analyzed variables related to perceived value, barriers, and characteristics of public health nurses.

RESULTS:

The perceived value of credentialing did not differ among public health nurses relative to whether they had ever had a C/PHN credential. The C/PHN credential, however, was obtained significantly more often by public health nurses in academic settings than by those working in practice settings.

CONCLUSIONS:

The C/PHN credential appears to be disproportionately underutilized and unknown to public health nurses in the practice community. Findings suggest, however, that utilization could be improved by increasing the credential's visibility outside of academic environments and by establishing system-level changes that provide external recognition, such as salary increases and career advancement, for specialty credentials.