CSSM: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Last fall we interviewed Dr. Jim Stobinski on the First Case podcast. Our topic was credentialing, and since I was right in the thick of gathering all of my required CEs for CNOR recertification, I really peppered him with all of my questions about recertification. He was very patient with all of my questions, and also really helped me understand the points system and why CCI is moving away from CEs for verifying continued competency.

What I also learned through that conversation was how committed Jim, and CCI as a company, is to certification, and helping anyone pursuing certification to succeed. I didn’t realize I could email them and ask them questions until our interview. So I made sure to do that! They were quick to answer, always friendly, and very helpful.

Would I be interested in taking the CSSM exam?

A few weeks after our podcast interview, I got a phone call from Jim. He asked me if I had ever considered getting the Certified Surgical Services Manager (CSSM) credential. And honestly, I hadn’t. I didn’t even really know what it was, but since it had the word manager in the title, it wasn’t on my list of things to do. My time as an OR Manager left its mark on me, and not in a good way, and I’ve been hesitant to step back into a larger leadership role ever since. After I left my manager position, I accepted an Orthopedic Team Leader position at another facility and I really enjoyed it. I did have leadership responsibilities, but I also felt like my job was still very clinical, and that was a better mix for me.

Jim thought that I was a great candidate for the CSSM, and he really encouraged me to take it. After we talked more about it, I was starting to consider it, but certification tests are expensive. So even if I wanted to take the test and earn the credential, I would be paying for it out of pocket, and that just wasn’t a possibility for me at the time.

Then, Jim made me an offer I couldn’t refuse…

Jim asked if, in exchange for taking the exam, would I write a review of my experience afterward? Absolutely! So, CCI covered the cost of the exam and they even sent me a study guide, and I set to work studying for the CSSM exam. And while I’m holding up my end of the bargain writing the review, the opinions in it are mine, and not influenced by anyone at CCI.

So, what IS the CSSM?

According to CCI, the Certified Surgical Services Manager credential is “the only perioperative management credential for perioperative managers, directors, and nurses who oversee personnel, a budget, business unit, or service line.” (This includes team leads, specialty leads, all the way up to a VP of Surgical Services) This credential validates your proficiency in your perioperative leadership role, and it’s open to bachelor’s prepared nurses with a minimum of 2-4 years of leadership experience.

The exam consists of 180 multiple choice questions, covering 7 different subject areas: Operational Management, Financial Management, Human Resource Management, Strategic Management, Leadership, Communication and Relationship Management, and Professionalism. You have 3 hours and 30 minutes to take the computer-based exam, and the results are given as either Pass or Fail. Currently, there are 329 certificants who hold the CSSM, but there are thousands of perioperative leaders who are eligible.

Why the CSSM if I have the CNOR?

So many OR leaders have the CNOR (Certified Perioperative Nurse) credential – which is good! But, the CNOR credential is clinical. According to CCI, the “CNOR certification assesses the knowledge and skills of a perioperative nurse with a minimum of two years of clinical practice.” I definitely want OR leaders who are competent on the clinical side.

But as a leader, how does having the CNOR credential help you in the boardroom? The answer is, it really doesn’t. As a CNOR you’ve mastered and understand the clinical side of the operating room. However, as a perioperative leader, you also need to master and understand the business side – and that’s what the CSSM validates. It gives credibility to your voice as a perioperative leader because it demonstrates your understanding of the business and management principles that are at work in running a surgical department.

Study Materials

I used the CSSM Exam Prep study guide from CCI, the CSSM On-Demand Prep Course, and, in a bundle of anxiety the day before the test, I purchased the CSSM Online Practice Exam. I focused my study with the study guide and the prep course, and the only other text that I referenced was Berry and Kohn’s Operating Room Technique textbook. I referenced Berry and Kohn’s for facility-specific requirements like air exchanges, temperatures, humidity, etc.

I started studying regularly in January, 2022. My approach was to read a chapter, and then watch the prep course lecture on that chapter. Reading the information, and then following it up by seeing and hearing the information in a lecture is a good way for me to learn, but everyone is different. I spent about an hour and a half a week studying. Taking things in small doses is a much easier way to retain information long term compared to the last-minute cram sessions we all did in nursing school. But obviously as the test approached, I started putting in more time reviewing the information and really focusing on those areas where my experience was weakest.

Test Day – March 29, 2022

To say I was nervous would be an understatement! But, I felt prepared, and when I sat down to take the test, I was confident that I would be able to give this test my best effort. And, much to my relief, I passed! There really are no words to describe the relief that washed over me when I saw those 4 green letters that said “PASS.”

My Critique: The Good

Studying for and taking the CSSM was a very good experience for me. It opened my eyes to the differences between the CNOR and the CSSM, and really showed me the value in this credential. Strategic planning, financial planning, operational management, and human resources aren’t clinical skills that we learn as nurses. But as nurse leaders, they are skills that we need to have an understanding of, and be able to demonstrate our mastery of, and the CSSM is a good way to do that.

I had several people tell me that the CSSM “was a really good test.” And I thought that was the dumbest thing I’d ever heard. Who thinks tests are good? But after taking it, I can definitely say that I thought it covered the material well, and the questions were very intuitive. I was able to pull from my experience as a leader to answer many of the questions.

The questions and rationale found in the exam guide, the prep course, and the practice exam were all very helpful. I found that reading and listening to the rationale really helped me cement my understanding of the topic being discussed.

After completing the On-Demand Prep Course, I felt like it could be used as an orientation for new OR leaders. The information in there would be helpful, not only to people studying for the exam, but for anyone starting out in a leadership role.

My Critique: The Bad

I found the On-Demand Prep course informative, but the presentations could be a little dry at times and lacking in enthusiasm. The instructor was very knowledgeable, and obviously had alot of experience in surgical services. When he would go off of the slides and talk about his experience, tell a story, or add more detail to the rationale behind something, I found all of that very helpful. So I had to keep watching so I could get the extra tidbits of information! Also, it was recorded in 2018, and I wondered if any of the information needed to be updated.

The prep course could be viewed on a laptop or on a mobile device. So I could play the videos on my phone, but I couldn’t close my phone screen or it would pause the presentation. That made it very hard to try to listen to lectures while I was walking my dog or on the treadmill, but all wanted to do was to replay lectures and listen, I didn’t need to see the slides. I couldn’t put my phone in my pocket because I had to leave the screen on, and holding the phone got frustrating. A minor annoyance for sure, but still frustrating.

The online practice exam is pass/fail only. Which didn’t do much for my morale when I failed it. You have to make a 100% to pass, and obviously I didn’t. I would like to see it graded in the same way the test is so that someone taking it could get a better idea of how they will do on the actual test.

My Critique: The Ugly

The only thing that was ugly about this whole experience was the woman working at the testing center. She was incredibly rude! I made sure to note that in the review I had to complete after my test. But other than her attitude, my overall experience was very positive.

My Advice

Give yourself plenty of time to study. Recognize what studying method works best for you, and use that approach. Also, the CSSM covers 7 different areas. Look at those areas and determine which areas are your strongest, and which are your weakest. Focus your study on those weaker areas to increase your understanding of those subjects. (My weakest area was Financial Management, so I spent alot of extra time in that chapter.)

And Finally…

If you are in any type of leadership position in perioperative services, I strongly encourage you to earn this credential. I really believe that it will add value to your professional development, and strengthen your voice when advocating for your department.

I hope you will consider earning this credential and good luck in your studies 🙂

Until next time,

Melanie

The Circulating Life