WVU Medicine recognizes Certified Nurses Day

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – WVU Medicine is celebrating Certified Nurses Day, March 19, by recognizing its board-certified nurses for their professionalism, leadership, and commitment to excellence in patient care.

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 healthcare 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 require extensive education, as well as a strong personal commitment to excellence by the nurse.

WVU Medicine encourages national board certification for all its nurses. Patients are encouraged to inquire whether there are certified nurses on staff when they visit a hospital or their primary care provider. 

There are many nursing certification specialties, such as medical-surgical, pediatric, pain management, cardiac vascular, oncology, hospice, case management, emergency nursing, critical care, and many others. 

Many nursing certification bodies exist to serve the full range of specialized nursing care offered in the contemporary healthcare system; national nurse-certifying bodies should be accredited by the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification or the National Organization for Competence Assurance.

Certified Nurses Day™ occurs every March 19, the birthday of Margretta “Gretta” Madden Styles, R.N., Ed.D., F.A.A.N., one of the greatest leaders in the field of nursing certification.

She recognized the critical importance of credentialing long before broad awareness of its value existed; her work greatly affected the nursing profession. Dr. Styles architected the first comprehensive study of nurse credentialing in the 1970s. She then pioneered the development and implementation of standards and credentials for nurses. In the 1980s, she spearheaded the definitive work of the International Council of Nurses on nursing regulation. 

Styles was a driving force behind the creation of the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC); she advanced nurse certification services and programs across the U.S. and abroad.

The ANCC administers the Magnet Recognition Program^®, which designates organizations worldwide where nursing leaders successfully align their nursing strategic goals to improve the organization’s patient outcomes. The Magnet Recognition Program provides a roadmap to nursing excellence, which benefits the whole of an organization. To nurses, Magnet Recognition means education and development through every career stage, which leads to greater autonomy at the bedside. To patients, it means the very best care, delivered by nurses who are supported to be the very best that they can be. WVU Hospitals is the only Magnet facility in West Virginia. It has 343 certified nurses, who work in all areas of the hospital, including direct care, specialty care, nursing administration, and nursing education

Hundreds of nursing positions are available across WVU Medicine. To learn more, visit WVUMedicine.org/Careers.

For more information on WVU Medicine, visit WVUMedicine.org.