SAUSALITO, CA (ASRN.ORG) -- Nurses certified in critical care indicate greater satisfaction with their jobs and careers and report higher perceptions of empowerment than their non-certified peers, reports the first national study to examine these issues in tandem. 

The study, based on a national online survey of more than 6,500 members of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), reports these key findings:
 

•Certified nurses express the highest sense of empowerment: “Significant differences were found in total empowerment scores between AACN-certified nurses and nurses not certified by AACN,” it states. 

• Critical care nurses intend to stay in their profession: A high percentage of critical care nurses (93 percent) do not intend to leave their profession. Never previously studied in a national sample of critical care nurses, this variable supports recent research indicating a high level of career satisfaction among critical care nurses.
 

• Retention remains an issue: The study found survey participants with AACN specialty certification are less likely to leave their position than their counterparts not certified by AACN. More than 41 percent of participants indicate intent to leave their current position. More than 18 percent plan to leave their position within the next year.
 

• Perception of empowerment affects intent to leave: In all instances, nurses who do not intend to leave their position or profession expressed higher empowerment scores.