March 19 is Certified Nurses Day every year. The day was originally established in honor of the work of Margretta Madden Styles, the leader of the accreditation movement in nursing, which includes specialty certification. March 19 was Gretta's birthday, so it is a fitting day to celebrate nursing expertise. Today in North America there are more than 150 nursing specialty certifications offered by 44 different certification boards. Certification in a nursing specialty is an important step in professional development and a way to demonstrate expertise and ongoing commitment to quality in practice.
Jan Jones-Schenk (Sun,) studied this question.