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Canton-Potsdam Hospital honors registered nurses who achieved specialty certifications

Posted 6/5/15

Pictured are a hand-full of the more than 80 certified registered nurses at Canton-Potsdam Hospital. From left are Linda Sholl, emergency medicine; Fran Hall, AVP for patient care services; Sue …

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Canton-Potsdam Hospital honors registered nurses who achieved specialty certifications

Posted

Pictured are a hand-full of the more than 80 certified registered nurses at Canton-Potsdam Hospital. From left are Linda Sholl, emergency medicine; Fran Hall, AVP for patient care services; Sue Caswell, obstetrics; Stephanie Rogers, emergency medicine; Ethel Gilbert, medical/surgical; Amy Nugent, nursing education; Sandra Jensen, emergency medicine; Tammy Sykes, emergency medicine; and Barbara Bromley, obstetrics.

POTSDAM -- Canton-Potsdam Hospital recently honored registered nurses who have achieved specialty certifications at a banquet held in honor of “Certified Nurses Day” during the lead-up to National Nurses Week, May 6 to May 12.

Eighty-three RNs at Canton-Potsdam Hospital hold specialty certification in everything from anesthesia to emergency nursing to infection prevention to informatics.

“Specialty certification demonstrates mastery of a standardized body of nursing knowledge and skills as well as a commitment to continuous learning,” said Marie Martin, chief nursing officer at Canton-Potsdam Hospital.

“Nurses were the first professional group to provide anesthesia in the United States,” said Martin.

“Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists have their roots in the use of anesthesia by nurses caring for soldiers wounded in the Civil War. Since that time, professional organizations such as the American Nursing Association have developed rigorous standards of practice that define a specialty nursing area as well as standards for approving and regularly reviewing programs that certify nurses in a specialty,” she said.

Nurses pursuing specialty certification must pass certification exams and must commit to continuing education following achievement of the specialty certification, according to Martin.

“Nurses are life-long learners, especially here at CPH, so continuing education just seems to come naturally to us,” said Martin. “We are always building our skill set, learning from each other, from colleagues in other healthcare disciplines, and from patients too. Some of the best lessons come from listening carefully to what our patients are telling us,” she said.

During Nurses Week, Canton-Potsdam Hospital’s nursing staff was treated to a free continuing education ANA webinar entitled “My Patient, My Code, My Practice: Ethical Decision-making and Action,” and were able to take advantage of free massages provided by licensed massage therapists stationed in the hospital during work hours.