Personal and professional goals sometimes supersede financial gain or salary bumps. That is often my answer when colleagues ask me why I decided to sit for the NCSN exam. I am state certified through the New Jersey Department of Education, so it’s a reasonable question. Goals, personal, professional or a combination of both, were my deciding factor. Nurses LOVE credentials, our alphabet soup of accomplishments really means something. Simply stated, I wanted to be able to proudly write “NCSN” after my name.
Few of us like to take tests; it could be PTSD from nursing school and our boards. There seems to be extreme reactions around the NCSN testing experience, but I am here to share that it is not only doable, it is actually satisfying. Once the test ended, I felt a sense of accomplishment. I did not know the test results for some time, so it was not about instant gratification. My sense of accomplishment came from completing the test, feeling challenged, and satisfied that I did my best, regardless of the outcome.
I was private about my decision to sit for the test, and admittedly it was probably out of a sense of embarrassment in case I did not pass. Now, reflecting on the experience in its totality, I think I could have benefited from sharing my plans. Eileen Gavin, a dear, trusted school nurse colleague and I embarked on the journey together. We did not study together, but checked in about practice test questions and shared encouraging messages.
I am happy to report that I can now write NCSN after my name and so can Eileen! My test results came via email this past Friday evening. I was relieved to see the results but felt especially proud that I reached an important goal. My new goal is to encourage School Nurses who are thinking about sitting for the test. You will find me popping up on NASN’s SchoolNurseNet NBCSN National Certification Exam Candidates Community: https://schoolnursenet.nasn.org/communities/community-home?CommunityKey=a1d6196f-cc80-4042-bc08-18e408547324.