Good Samaritan recognized the unique contributions of certified nurses
on Certified Nurses Day on Thursday, March 19, by honoring its board-certified
nurses for their professionalism, leadership and commitment to excellence
in patient care. Certified Nurses Day allows employers, certification
boards, education facilities and health care providers to celebrate and
publicly acknowledge their appreciation for nurses.
Karen Haak, Chief Nursing Officer of Good Samaritan, said she is proud
of the continually growing number of board-certified nurses at Good Samaritan
and encourages more to pursue certification. “Board certification
is a contributing factor to higher standards of patient care,” she
said. “Good Samaritan nurses, through certification, demonstrate
exceptional skill, competency and knowledge in their field. Nurses must
continually learn and acquire new skills to maintain and renew their certification,
ultimately leading to more advanced, safe nursing practices.”
Certification validates a nurse’s specialized knowledge for practice
in a defined functional or clinical area of nursing. According to data
collected by the American Board of Nursing Specialties in 2014, nurses
in the U.S. and Canada held more than 757,912 certifications, an increase
of more than 74,228 certifications compared to 2013 survey data. These
certifications were granted by 28 certifying organizations with over 144
credentials. In addition, certification benefits patients and their families,
validating that the nurse caring for them has demonstrated experience,
knowledge and skills in the complex specialties of acute and critical care.
Certified Nurses Day is an annual worldwide event dedicated to celebrating
certification as a means to ensure high standards of patient care and
to promote continuing excellence in the nursing profession. Initially
proposed by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the day honors the
birthday of the late Margretta “Gretta” Madden Styles, an
international pioneer of nursing certification who designed the first
comprehensive study of nurse credentialing.