MARTINSBURG, W.Va. – March 19 is Certified Nurses Day, a special day of recognition and celebration for certified nurses around the world.
WVU Hospitals-East is joining this national celebration in recognizing the many certified nurses working at both City Hospital in Martinsburg and Jefferson Memorial Hospital in Ranson.
“Certified Nurses Day is an opportunity to recognize these nurses for their professionalism, leadership and commitment to excellence
in patient care,” stated Donna Clews, RN, PhD, vice president of patient care services at City Hospital. The board certification of nurses plays an increasingly important role in the assurance of high standards of care for patients and their loved ones.
Nursing, like health care in general, has become increasingly complex. While a registered nurse (RN) license provides entry to general nursing practice, the knowledge-intensive requirements of modern nursing involve extensive post-secondary and continuing education and a strong personal commitment to excellence by the nurse.
There are many nursing certification specialties such as medical-surgical, pediatric, obstetric, operating room, orthopaedic, oncology, emergency nursing, critical care, and many others. Nursing certification bodies exist to serve the full range of specialized nursing care offered in the contemporary health care system.
“Certification is a voluntary process which signifies that a nurse has developed specialty knowledge beyond the entry level,” stated Linda Blanc, RN, BSN, administrative director of nursing at Jefferson Memorial Hospital. “Knowledgeable nurses are better equipped to recognize problems and take appropriate action, resulting in better patient care,” she added.
WVUH-East employs registered nurses with certifications in over 20 different medical specialties. National nurse certifying bodies should be accredited by the American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS) or the National Organization for Competence Assurance (NOCA), or both.
“We encourage our nurses at WVU Hospitals-East to pursue national board certification,” stated Michelle Thomas, vice president of human resources. “Please join WVU Hospitals-East and the nation’s national nursing certification organizations in honoring these hardworking, dedicated nurses for their professionalism and a job well done.”
Why March 19? March 19 is the birthday of Margretta "Gretta" Madden Styles, a pioneer in championing the value of nursing certification before broad awareness or acceptance of its value had been achieved. Dr. Styles led the first comprehensive study of credentialing in the 1970's and was a key leadership figure in a number of national and international nursing organization.