UNM Hospitals Celebrates Certified Nurses Day

Promoting Greater Expertise in Patient Care

The University of New Mexico Hospitals will host a celebration recognizing the unique contributions of certified nurses on Monday, March 19, as part of National Certified Nurses Day.

The event, which will run from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. in room 1500 of the Barbara and Bill Richardson Pavilion, 2211 Lomas Blvd NE, will recognize nurses who have received board certification in a host of specialties, and provide information to those interested in seeking certification.

"Our nurses have achieved special recognition by completing additional education and obtaining certification from their national specialty boards and organizations," said Sheena M. Ferguson, RN, the hospital's chief nursing officer "This mark of excellence translates into higher-quality care and patient safety."

Certification validates specialty knowledge for practice in a defined functional or clinical area of nursing. UNMH nurses hold certifications in many areas, such as critical care, medical/surgical care, pediatrics, women's health/obstetrics, dialysis and radiology.

"It is indicative of the nurses' dedication to their patients and their profession that each certified nurse acquires ongoing knowledge and practice skills to maintain and renew their certifications," Ferguson said.

According to data collected by the American Board of Nursing Specialties in 2016, nearly 800,000 nurses in the United States and Canada held certifications granted by 28 certifying organizations and representing 144 different credentials.

National Certified Nurses Day celebrates 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 "Greta" Madden Styles, an international pioneer of nursing certification who designed the first comprehensive study of nurse credentialing