Two specialized credentialing programs - Wound Care and Pediatrics - give our nurses the opportunity to develop professionally as well as provide higher quality care to their patients. In addition to enhancing nursing skills, the credentialing programs help reassure doctors, patients and family members as well as clinicians who are transferring their patients at shift change.

Wound care credentialing for clinicians consists of a self-study course, skills/competency checklists and examinations. Local Interim HealthCare offices are credentialed when they can demonstrate that their clinical staff has access to current wound care resources. Offices also make use of Interim HealthCare's proprietary documentation system called INTERPath, which measures utilization and outcomes focusing on patients' ability to understand their condition and successfully manage it in daily life.

Pediatric credentialing consists of basic care of sick children or newborns, tracheostomy care, ventilator care, IV medication, nutrition and insertion of peripheral lines. For each care level, nurses must read a study guide that covers key procedures and information. Nurses complete a written exam on the material covered in the guides, such as calculating medication doses for children. The exam, which takes about 30-40 minutes, includes several questions to challenge nurses' critical-thinking skills. In addition to passing the written test, nurses must demonstrate their ability to perform specific skills for each level of care. Upon successfully completing Interim HealthCare's written exam and demonstrating the necessary skills, nurses are presented with a different color pin for each level of achievement as well as a letter of commendation from the Interim HealthCare National Service Center.