Professional competency takes place gradually throughout the credentialing process. Full-fledged certification is a slightly different benchmark. Every state will be a little different in how they regulate the certification process for demanding fields.
That said, there are commonalities in social work, nursing, and education that will apply to virtually anyone in the United States.
In this article, we take a look at what it actually takes to become fully credentialed in demanding fields.
Overview
In a moment, we’ll take a closer look at the certification process in specific fields. For right now, it’s important to understand a few basic facts.
First of all, there are two basic credentialing requirements to be aware of. The first is rooted entirely in education. You enroll in a certified program that is accredited at both the state and federal levels.
For many people, this will mean attending a traditional college or university, but there are now also an increasingly large number of options for online-only credentialing programs. Depending on the state you live in, you may find these an acceptable alternative for everything from nursing to education and social work.
During the education phase, many of your responsibilities and requirements will be comparable to other university-based credentialing processes. You will attend lectures, complete homework assignments, and take tests. However, for regulated fields, you’ll also often need other types of certification or other types of credentialing benchmarks. This can include clinical hours, mandatory training sessions, and standardized exams.
Once you’ve completed all of these requirements, you are then certified to work in your chosen field.
Note that while these considerations are technically separate, they take place at the same time. Certification-related job requirements generally do not add to the timeline for moving into your career.
What Careers Require Credentialing?
Credentialing requirements are generally specific to jobs that are regulated at the state or federal level. This can include education, social work, nursing, and a wide variety of trade-based careers.
In the next few headings, we’ll take a look at what it takes to become certified in a variety of different occupations. Keep in mind that because state requirements can vary considerably, these are only incomplete descriptions of what you might need to do in your community to get the job that you want.
How to Become a Social Worker
If you are interested in a career in social work, you’re generally looking at a six-year credentialing process. This timeline takes into account both undergraduate requirements and the master’s level education options that the majority of social workers pursue.
Note that you do not necessarily need an MSW for a career in social work, but it is a commonly taken route that more than half of all social workers choose. That’s because it’s only through a master’s degree that you can work in a supervisory capacity or in clinical environments.
The good news is that if you have an undergraduate degree in social work already, you can complete the graduate program in less than a year. On the other hand, if you have an undergraduate degree in something unrelated to social work, you can still enroll in an MSW program.
In this case, the completion timeline will move up to about two years, but when you’re done, you’ll be able to work as a fully certified social worker.
How to Become a Teacher
Education careers generally require four years of education, though, as is the case with social work, there is some degree of variation.
The majority of teachers enroll in education programs as undergraduates. They complete four years of school, acquire all of the needed observation and practicum hours, and end their educational journey with a student teaching placement.
Student teaching placements generally last for one semester, though there are some programs that require a full year of it.
Once you’ve graduated, you take a standardized exam, sometimes specific to the subject area you are teaching if you’re interested in a middle grade or up placement. From there, you’re eligible to work as a teacher.
Like social work, there are pathways available for people who have a background in an unrelated field. As long as you have an undergraduate degree, you should be able to pursue one of two options.
The first is an accelerated program, which allows you to get certified and fulfill your student teaching requirements in approximately one year.
The other option is to pursue a master’s degree in education. As is the case with social work, a master’s in education will provide you with all of the certifications that you need, while also allowing you to join the profession at a higher level than would otherwise be possible with just a bachelor’s.
A master’s degree will take approximately two years if you are pursuing it as a full-time student, though the timeline can be much longer if you’re only taking on one or two classes at a time.
How to Become a Nurse
Again, there are multiple options. Nurses generally start as undergraduates. They complete four years’ worth of coursework, during which time they are exposed to a variety of clinical settings.
Once they’ve completed all of their school requirements, they will need to take the NCLEX before they can be fully certified.
Like the other options described above, there are alternative pathways into the profession. If you already have a college degree, you are eligible for an accelerated degree that will allow you to enter nursing in approximately one year.
There are also graduate programs that allow you to combine a bachelor’s and a master’s degree into a five to six year program.
What About Advanced Practice Nursing?
Advanced practice positions essentially provide nurses with a higher level of autonomy, control, and authority. They also generally correlate into much higher salaries, sometimes more than twice what RNs make.
The most commonly thought-of advanced practice position is that of a nurse practitioner, though there are actually many different options available.
Advanced practice nursing requires a master’s degree specific to the field you are interested in entering. This will usually take two years to complete, but again, the timeline can be flexible, particularly if you’re not completing courses at a hurried pace.
Conclusion
Meeting certification requirements can be stressful for aspiring professionals. In reality, it’s not much more complicated than completing a degree pathway.
Your university will understand all of the requirements that you need to meet and should have many resources to make the process easier for you.
Many of the most personally and sometimes even financially rewarding career paths lie at the other side of a certification. Don’t let the process intimidate you.
Photo Credit
Image by Leo Fontes from Pixabay
Guest Author Bio
Sarah Daren
With a Bachelor’s in Health Science along with an MBA, Sarah Daren has a wealth of knowledge within both the health and business sectors. Her expertise in scaling and identifying ways tech can improve the lives of others has led Sarah to be a consultant for a number of startup businesses, most prominently in the wellness industry, wearable technology and health education. She implements her health knowledge into every aspect of her life with a focus on making America a healthier and safer place for future generations to come.
Recent Guest Author Articles:
- JILI Games and the Growing Importance of Quality Over Quantity
- What It Actually Takes to Move From Competent to Credentialed in a Demanding Field
- What New Yoga Instructors Should Know Before Their First Paid Class
- How The Way You Were Taught Is Shaping the Way You Lead
- Learning to See the Barong Tagalog as Fashion
Please Share Your Thoughts - Leave A Comment!