Do think it is important for clinical nurses to obtain certification in their specialty areas? If so, why? If not, why not? Yes, I actually do, for many of the same reasons as above, but actually more. The half-life of information and resulting changes in technology, procedures, appropriateness of care, and pharmacology are such that changes in specialties are so regular it is necessary to receive the highest and most specific level of training possible. Starting with a base curriculum and graduation is not the middle or the end, but only the beginning -- once the basics are mastered; it is time to continue to improve.

Do you believe the nurse leader/manager position is an advanced practice role? If so, why? If not, why not? The very nature of the changes in both expectations and professionalization for nurses in contemporary healthcare almost insist that nurse managers are an advanced practice role. Not only are the intellectual and courseload requirements far more substantial than ever, the expectations in cross-discipline fields are expected and enormous (e.g. business, psychology, human resource management, logistics, distribution,...

Continued professionalization of the nursing industry cannot help but raise the bar for all practicing nurses, thus improving the internal vision as well as external perception.
Do you think it's important for a nurse leader/manager to get more education to fill these roles? If so, why and what kind? If not, why not? Despite the fact that it is extremely difficult to manage career, home, and life -- let alone add other variations to the mix, I do think it is vital that all healthcare professionals, like educators, CPAs, and other professionals, take yearly continuing education courses. If one does not continue to learn, one remains stagnant; if one does not have the time (and most of us do not), to pour over journal articles monthly, then it is important to remain current within one's field, as well as to understand the advances and expectations that intersect with healthcare. This continuing education may take many forms; technological seminars, short classes on specific techniques, or even coursework that is multi-disciplinary. The important aspect, though, is that the nurses continue to learn and grow.