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Alphabet soup is how some refer to the letters of professional certification that often trail our name. What do all these letters behind our name say about us, and why bother with the time and expense of maintaining them? The fact is the world has become a much more complicated place. Specialists are needed, even within one career field. We are no longer generalists as we once were. There was a time when a nurse was simply a nurse, or an attorney, simply an attorney. Today, professional roles are much more specific in nature. There are tax attorneys and criminal defense attorneys, maritime attorneys and real estate attorneys. We have cardiac nurses, pediatric nurses, infection control nurses, and, yes, even clinical research nurses. The training these professionals receive is similar, but their specializations, the direction in which they have honed their skills and developed their knowledge, are quite different.
Professional certification is one way that we demonstrate the expertise and skill we have developed within our chosen practice. In clinical research, this is a particularly important distinction. In order to enter the field, clinical research professionals are not bound by any particular educational degree. We come to the profession with differing educational degrees and backgrounds. Obtaining certification through ACRP sends a message to colleagues that we are specialists within our field; that we have spent time developing skills and a body of knowledge that gives us a certain expertise within the industry. Ultimately, certification demonstrates one’s commitment to the field of clinical research.
Conversely, the organizations we work for can demonstrate their commitment to clinical research professionals, and the field of clinical research as a whole, by supporting the time and expenses associated with obtaining professional certification through ACRP. When the organization we work for covers the expenses of exam preparation, the exam itself, and certification maintenance; the message the organization sends to the employee is: you matter! You are a valuable asset and we are interested in investing in you! The message the organization sends to the clinical research industry as a whole is: we want to lift this profession! We recognize the value of this profession!
When I sat for the ACRP certification exam in 2009, I didn’t fully consider the value a specialty certification holds. Ultimately, membership and certification through ACRP has given me much more than I anticipated. Yes, there are tangible benefits to membership and involvement with ACRP such as The Clinical Researcher Journal, with the many topics it covers in a variety of articles. There are the message boards for access to literally a world of industry inside information and experience. These are certainly important resources that affiliation with ACRP provides; but for me, the even greater value of specialty certification comes in the way that having a certifying body such as ACRP, defines and lifts our profession. ACRP provides an outlet for professional development and a motivator for increasing career satisfaction and shared knowledge within our industry. Additionally, it provides an avenue for Clinical Research Organizations to encourage, invest in, and develop their employees. Therein lays the true value of certification – the community of professionals that emerges, and the opportunities that having a certifying body affords the profession.
Tricia Grossman, BSN, RN, CCRC
Professional certification is one way that we demonstrate the expertise and skill we have developed within our chosen practice. In clinical research, this is a particularly important distinction. In order to enter the field, clinical research professionals are not bound by any particular educational degree. We come to the profession with differing educational degrees and backgrounds. Obtaining certification through ACRP sends a message to colleagues that we are specialists within our field; that we have spent time developing skills and a body of knowledge that gives us a certain expertise within the industry. Ultimately, certification demonstrates one’s commitment to the field of clinical research.
Conversely, the organizations we work for can demonstrate their commitment to clinical research professionals, and the field of clinical research as a whole, by supporting the time and expenses associated with obtaining professional certification through ACRP. When the organization we work for covers the expenses of exam preparation, the exam itself, and certification maintenance; the message the organization sends to the employee is: you matter! You are a valuable asset and we are interested in investing in you! The message the organization sends to the clinical research industry as a whole is: we want to lift this profession! We recognize the value of this profession!
When I sat for the ACRP certification exam in 2009, I didn’t fully consider the value a specialty certification holds. Ultimately, membership and certification through ACRP has given me much more than I anticipated. Yes, there are tangible benefits to membership and involvement with ACRP such as The Clinical Researcher Journal, with the many topics it covers in a variety of articles. There are the message boards for access to literally a world of industry inside information and experience. These are certainly important resources that affiliation with ACRP provides; but for me, the even greater value of specialty certification comes in the way that having a certifying body such as ACRP, defines and lifts our profession. ACRP provides an outlet for professional development and a motivator for increasing career satisfaction and shared knowledge within our industry. Additionally, it provides an avenue for Clinical Research Organizations to encourage, invest in, and develop their employees. Therein lays the true value of certification – the community of professionals that emerges, and the opportunities that having a certifying body affords the profession.
Tricia Grossman, BSN, RN, CCRC
