Nursing certification is a valuable asset to improve your career and your facility’s performance. Are you a director of nursing services (DNS) ready to take your skills and knowledge to the next level with the Directors of Nursing Services—Certified (DNS-CT) certification? To help answer that question, the experts at the American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing (AAPACN) put together a list of questions for you to evaluate your level of knowledge and readiness.
1. How long have you been a director of nursing services (DNS)?
AAPACN recommends that you have at least six months to a year of experience as a DNS or relevant nursing leadership experience before taking the DNS-CT certification. If you are very new to your DNS role, you may want to consider taking Nurse Leader Fundamentals first, which will give you the foundational knowledge you need to succeed as a DNS. Nurse Leader Fundamentals includes several tools to help get you organized as a DNS. If you are interested, the tools are also sold separately.
2. How long have you been in post-acute care?
AAPACN recommends that you have two years of full-time post-acute care experience before starting the DNS-CT certification.
3. Do you hold a current registered nurse (RN) license?
Holding a current RN license is a requirement of DNS-CT certification. For more certification requirements, review the DNS-CT Candidate Handbook.
4. Do you feel ready for an in-depth continuing education program that will challenge you to look at the following knowledge domains of the DNS role?
- Leadership & Management
- Risk Management
- Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement
- Human Resource Management
- Survey Readiness
- Survey Management and Enforcement
- Compliance and Ethics Essentials
- Essential Business Skills
- MDS and Medicare Process Essentials
- Care Management and Surveillance Systems
5. Are you looking to grow and develop professionally and prove you have what it takes to be a DNS?
By taking the DNS-CT certification, you will not only challenge yourself, but you will demonstrate to others that you have the knowledge and skills to lead your team.
Member feedback on the DNS-CT certification:
“The course content was greater than I ever imagined.” – Ada Ezeama, RN, MSN, manager of nursing services, Rhode Island Veterans Home
Additional Resources for a New DNS:
Blogs
- The Value of AAPACN Certification
- Five Ways to Be a DON Who SNF Staff Want to Follow
- The Qualities and Skills of a Successful Director of Nursing Services
- 3 Tools for the New Director of Nursing’s Toolbox – Part 1
- 3 Tools for the New Director of Nursing’s Toolbox – Part 2
- 3 Tools for the New Director of Nursing’s Toolbox – Part 3
Podcasts
Articles
Education
Other Resources