When workers have certification or professional licenses, it makes them look more credible to the people they serve and it also protects them in the event of legal issues that occur on the job. In addition, professional licensing helps workers increase their salaries and advancement opportunities.
Adds Credibility
When a registered nurse works with patients, she has to know the right dosage of medicine to prescribe to them, which meals are right for them, and the proper way to bathe them. Because she has been trained in these areas, it makes the patients more comfortable with her work.
Increases Salaries
In jobs where certification is not required but encouraged, this can increase the workers' salaries. For example, an executive chef isn't required to be certified by the state, but if he or she chooses certification, it may improve his or her salary in the culinary arts field.
Advancement Opportunities
When you have a professional license, you open the doors to better opportunities within your career. For example, when a social worker receives a master's degree and passes a certification exam that's sponsored by The National Association of Social Workers, he or she may be in a better position to have his or her own private practice.
Misconceptions
Some jobs that require certification do not always bring salary increases or higher advancement opprtunities. For example, certified nurses assistants do not earn high salaries, and they would have to receive more education in order to move up. And although teachers must be certified, they don't always earn the best salaries in certain states.
Considerations
It's beneficial to have professional licensing and certification, but they don't guarantee immediate advancement. Instead, certification offers more credentials and trustworthiness for workers.
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