New Board Member
April 12, 2010
Cecil King, MS, RN, CNOR, CNS
Board Member
Hi, I am Cecil King and the newest member of the CCI Board of Directors. I was encouraged by many of you to submit a willingness to serve form last year to serve as board member and was honored to be elected by you in 2010. I have served over the past decade as an item writer and reviewer, on the research committee and more rece
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The Number One Public Member of the CCI Board
March 30, 2010
Drew Sones
CCI Board Member
Hi! I am Drew Sones and I am the “public member” on the CCI Board of Directors. I was duly elected two years ago and I would like to take a few moments to comment on your Board and my involvement so far. As the lone non nurse on the Board, I was more than a little concerned about how I could add value in a field where I have very little e
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Update from Congress - March 16th
Tuesday, March 16th
It was a very busy day at Congress today, and it was great for all of us—the CCI Board and staff—to meet so many of our CNORs and CRNFAs.
The CCI Lounge was busy as usual, with many people stopping in to rest and refresh. And it was a great surprise this year to see how popular our information booth was. This is the first year that we had an information booth on the exhibi
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CCI Board Members Present Seminar
Monday, March 15th
CCI Board Members Michelle Byrne and Kathryn Schroeter lead a seminar at Congress today. The seminar, titled The Impact of Certification on Perioperative Nurses covered findings from a recent qualitative survey.
Click here to view video of the event.
Kathryn Schroeter will be leading another Congress seminar on Thursday, at 8:00 AM in
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Visit us at AORN's 2010 Congress
March 14, 2010
We are back at AORN Congress. Stop by and visit our booth on the exhibitor floor, come relax in the CCI Oasis, and check out the CCI books and accessories on sale in the AORN bookstore.
Come check your email in the Oasis
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Life After Retirement
February 19, 2010
Nancy Lilliott, RN, MSN, CNOR, CRNFA, APRN-BC
CCI Board Member
I know some of you think you will never get there or can’t imagine it if you ever do. It’s so far off, you say, who cares? Others might think in retirement they will have nothing to do, no one to talk to, or no reason to get up in the morning. Well, with a little planning it can turn into the best time o
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Going Back to School…..In the Second Half of Your Life.
January 28, 2010
Pamela D. Gorgone, BSN, RN, CNOR
CCI Board Member
As we all know the average age of the perioperative nurse is between 47 and 48, we also hear that 50 is the new 30 (I’m sincerely not convinced of this, at least my body is not!!) and lets face it, not to many of us will retire at the ages our parents did. In addition to this, we as nurses are committed to life long lear
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Yoga
January 6, 2010
Michelle Byrne RN, PhD, CNOR
CCI President 2009-2010
Happy New Year.. It seems like yesterday we were fretting about Y2K and the next millennium… and just think that was a decade ago! What that tells me is that the next decade will speed by even faster. Think about your physical and mental health currently and anticipate what that will look like in 2020… I know age is
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Medical Mission Trips
December 9, 2009
Dawn Yost, RN, RDH, BSN, CNOR
In 1987, I met a very special perioperative nurse named Becky. Becky would spend two weeks every year traveling to developing countries with a medical surgical mission team called Interplast.
I eagerly awaited her return from these trips to hear her tell about the patients that her surgical team had worked on during her trips. She woul
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Nursing Summit Establishes Priorities for Research Agenda
November 2, 2009
Cynthia Allen
The Nursing Certification & Competency Summit marked the start of an industry-wide collaboration to build and implement a unified research agenda.
Aurora, OH (November 2, 2009) &ndash The American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS) and the Competency & Credentialing Institute (CCI) announced today the priorities f
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Stressed out from work? From being on call?? From simply the uncertainty of health care these days???
October 27, 2009
Larry Asplin, RN, MS, CNOR, RT (R), President-Elect
We ALL need time to de-stress in our lives, and perioperative nurses, with so much pressure to perform efficiently, safely and precisely, may need even stronger reasons to take the time to do what is enjoyed the most from the day-to-day life in a busy OR setting.
Each of us has found a "niche" of relaxation, and wha
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Update from the Nursing Certification and Competency Summit
October 9, 2009
Cynthia Allen
Nearly 100 dedicated participants have traveled to Baltimore, MD to tackle the complex task of creating an international research agenda that focuses on nursing certification and competency. Collaboration is the overarching theme of the Nursing Certification and Competency Summit. This important theme is evident not only in the meeting goals, but in the format of the se
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The Ethics of Professional Misrepresentation
October 7th, 2009
Kathryn Schroeter, PhD, RN, CNOR and Rodney Schroeter, BA
Is it ever alright to exaggerate the facts? Did you ever encounter someone who deliberately embellished their own credentials in order to achieve some goal, or by failing to correct errors that others make regarding their qualifications? Did you ever see a patient call a medical student “Doctor” and see that the
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My First CCI Board of Directors' Meeting
August 31st
By Joyce Cox, CCI Board Member
My first CCI Board of Directors Meeting. Wow! What an awesome experience. I flew from Ohio to Boulder on a Thursday morning and attended the Governance Committee meeting. Although I read all my "pre-meeting" documents, I must admit, I was a nervous newcomer! The committee was extremely warm and welcoming. I soon realized that this group wo
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How may I help you? - Organizational Citizenship Behavior
July 13th
Patricia Wright, CNOR
Dozens of times a day, the phrase “How may I help you?” is voiced by caring perioperative nurses, who seek to help others in whatever manner facilitates safe, effective patient care. These actions may involve offering to take call for someone who has a sick child; staying lat
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The Nursing Professional Development Program - A Case Study
June 17th
Cathy Fenton, RN, BSN, CNOR
The Nurse Professional Development Program (NPDP) was initiated in June, 2007, at Memorial Hospital, Belleville, IL. This program was instituted to recognize and reward participate in hospital/departmental committee(s), instructor(s), i.e., CPR, ACLS, etc., continuing/formal education, and national certification(s). Additional opport
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Book Review: Competency for Safe Patient Care During Operative and Invasive Procedures
June 3rd
Competency for Safe Patient Care During Operative and Invasive Procedures
Reviewed by J. Mower, RN MSN CNS CNOR
M. Phippen, B.C. Ulmer, and M.P. Wells, eds. Denver, CO: CCI, 2009. $95. ISBN 978-0-9787582-9-5. Hardcover, 1440 pages.
Competency for Safe Patient Care During Operative and Invasive Procedures provides
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Ethics in the Workplace - The Role of Character
May 27th
Deborah Smith, RN, CNOR
When a boss hears someone say, “Joe is very dependable, honest and doesn’t need someone to tell him what needs to be done,” they are talking about his character. A person with “character” is said to be self disciplined and takes responsibility for his own actions. Character can mean several things to several different people. But in this
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Leading a Multigenerational Workforce
April 20
Patricia Wright, CNOR
Within the context of nursing communication forms the basis of practice, whether it is between nurse and patient, nurse and physician or nursing peers (Clausing, Kurtz, & Prendeville, 2003; Lancaster, 1999; Sherman, 2006). Effective communication is one of the most critical elements of leadership. There is
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Role modeling: Cost Versus Benefit
April 8th
Vicki Dreger, MSN, RN, MA, CNOR, CNL
"A ship in harbor is safe; but that is not what ships are for." — William Shedd
"I know God won't give me anything I can't handle...I just wish He didn't trust me so much." — Mother Theresa
The first post in this series referred to the
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AORN Congress: Tuesday
Tuesday, March 17th
It's been another fun day at Congress. With the exhibit floor open, many of our CNORs were checking out the all the latest products and technology
Our latest product, Competency for Safe Patient Care During Operative and Invasive Procedures, has been very popular at the AORN...
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AORN Congress: Monday
Monday, March 16th
It has been a very busy day at Congress! Our iPod raffle was huge, and we gave away all 30 iPods within 2 hours. Congratulations to all our winners!
And a very big congratulations to all of our CNORs who have been certified for the all of the last 30 years. We have all of their names on display here in the Oasis, so come by and check it out
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AORN Congress: Sunday
Sunday, March 15th
The 2009 AORN Congress is off to a great start. We have already met many of our CNORs, and it has been a busy day at our CCI desk. If you are attending Congress, be sure to stop by and introduce yourself.
We have been hard at work getting the CNOR/CRNFA Certification Oasis all ready. As always, we will have free massages, refreshments, and p
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Come visit us at AORN Congress!
March 10th.
CCI will be at the AORN Congress next week, and we look forward to seeing you. If you have attended Congress before, then you know about the CNOR/CRNFA Oasis. The Oasis is a great place to stop and take a break from the hectic Congress schedule. We will have snacks and refreshments, along with massages, internet kiosks, and plenty of room to sit down and stretch your legs. We will be locate
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Join the CCI Champion Program
March 2nd, 2009
Katie Nahulu, CCI Staff
Do you know who your CCI Champion is? Check our champion verification page to find out who the CCI Champion is in your facility. If there is no one fulfilling this role in your facility you could consider signing up! CCI is always looking for volunteers for the CCI Champion program.
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We are the Cavalry
February 17
Marcia Morgenthaler, CNOR
As a profession and a nation, we must find ways to encourage and motivate students to take on the responsibilities of nursing. I believe nurses are the best and worst advertisement for the profession. A true advocate of nursing has high job satisfaction and feels valued in the workplace. The nursing and faculty shortage has created dissensi
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Leading a Multigenerational Workforce - Generational Cohorts
February 3
By Patricia Wright, CNOR
Research by Shader, Broome, West, and Nash (2001) indicated that generational attitudes towards work preferences make a difference in the willingness of nurses to remain with an organization. According to Shader et al. nurses belonging to older generations (Veterans or Boomers) are less likely to change jobs than nurses coming into the workfor
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Record Number of Nurses Have Earned the CNOR
January 28
The Competency and Credentialing Institute (CCI) announced today that more than 32,000 operating room nurses have earned the CNOR credential. This is the second straight year of record growth for CCI, which has been certifying perioperative nurses for 30 years.
“One of our goals is to continue educating nurses and hospital staff on why certification not only benefits them bu
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Laser Safety: “Do we really have to do this?”
January 27th
Lenard Hatfield, CNOR
Over the course of my years in the OR, I have had the opportunity to witness the growth of various technologies. One which has held my interest for several years is the use of surgical laser technology. The use of the laser in surgery has brought a new capability–and an old hazard–into our environment: thermal injury and fire.
A
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Results of Perioperative Educator Certificate Program Survey
January 21, 2009
Julie Mower, CCI Staff
In response to a poll question in one of their newsletters, The Competency and Credentialing Institute (CCI) determined a need for developing a Perioperative Educator/Staff Development Certificate Program. A task force was convened in Sept. 2008 to identify domains and tasks related to the role. In Oct., a 223-item survey based on the results fro
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Ethics in the Workplace: Self Esteem
January 13
Deborah Smith, RN, CNOR
There will always be someone who could replace us. No one is expendable. For a professional in today’s workforce, I believe self-esteem is crucial in standing out at work.?
You are a manger of a busy day surgery unit. You have been told you have to red
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The Perioperative Team
January 9th
A poem by Diana Crampton, RN, CNOR
The Perioperative Team
Surgical Day Care is where your journey takes start
Answering questions, soothing fears, caring from the heart
Next to the Operating Room team where they watch carefully over your case
Verifying the procedure & ensuring information is in the right place
Then off t
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Role Modeling: Integrity and Honesty
January 6th
Vicki Dreger, RN, CNOR
A large percentage of certified CNOR nurses are AORN members. Through web portal access, chapter activities, and regional or national conferences, we get access to colleagues across the country and even around the world. We have the chance to share stories and successes in each ot
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CCI Announces New Leadership to Steer Future Initiatives
December 16
DENVER, CO (Dec. 16, 2008) The Competency and Credentialing Institute (CCI) announced the results of the 2008 election today, which includes a new member of the Board of Directors as well as newly elected leaders who will help guide CCI’s strategic direction in the future. The recently elected director and officers include: Larry Asplin, RN, MS, CNOR, RT (R) (President Elect), Dawn Yost, RN, RD
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Technological Advances in the Surgical Environment
December 9
Lenard Hatfield
During the course of my career, which is now entering its fourth decade, I have had the opportunity to witness many advances in technology used in the operating room. Advances in techniques, instrumentation and equipment have made the operating rooms safer, improved patient outcomes and reduced surgical time. Improvements in electrosurgical safety, l
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Thankful For Being a Perioperative Nurse
December 1, 2008
Michelle Byrne RN, PhD, CNOR President-Elect CCI
Arriving home from a CCI Board meeting around midnight last weekend, I walked to the offsite parking shuttle place at the airport. Much to my surprise, a shuttle van was surrounded by yellow crime scene tape. The shuttle van had unexpectedly careened forward and hit a pole, causing an overhang to fall. This inciden
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Acknowledging Nursing Professionalism Through a Professional Nursing Development Program
Tuesday, November 18th
Cathy Fenton, RN, BSN, CNOR
As a perioperative nurse for thirty-two years, I have had many opportunities to personally and professionally advance my career. I have worked at Memorial Hospital for thirty-four years. When I tell people this, they are amazed. I believed the reason I have remained at this institute is multifold.
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Surgery Hands
November 10th, 2008
Created by Kristy Simmons, RN, CNOR.
Click the image to download a printable PDF.
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