About Certified Nurses Day
History of Certified Nurses Day-March 19, 2010
CNOR®s and CRNFA®demonstrate their personal commitment to "every patient, every day" by earning and maintaining their certification. There's no better time to celebrate that commitment than on Certified Nurses Day, March 19, 2010.
Certified Nurses Day started as just an idea and quickly gained support before the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) launched the program nationwide in 2008. This special day is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the contribution of board certified nurses to the advancement of nursing professionalism and to higher standards and better outcomes in patient health.
Certified Nurses Day may be a relatively new concept, but it has strong ties to the history of nursing certification in the United States. ANCC selected March 19th because it is the birthday of Margretta "Gretta" Madden Styles, who is known as the "Mother of Nurse Credentialing." Styles was the architect of the first comprehensive study of nursing credentialing in the 1970s. She also served as President of the American Nurses Association, the International Council of Nurses, the California Board of Registered Nursing and the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
With the support of OR nurses, CCI hopes to help the nursing community raise awareness, celebrate and encourage certification, improve patient outcomes, support extraordinary care and further the role of certification in the American healthcare system.
Message from the CCI Board of Directors President:
CCI and our certificants are committed to creating a culture of safety for patients through certification and professional development. Certified Nurses Day gives the healthcare community the opportunity to stand up and celebrate the work that certified nurses do in all areas and to help support the delivery of quality patient care.
Michelle Byrne RN, PHD, CNOR
How to celebrate CNORs and CRNFAs in your facility
Employers, directors, and educators can continue the celebration of Certified Nurses Day by participating in some of these activities:
- Send a press release to local papers.
- Send a letter of appreciation to CNORs/CRNFAs on your staff.
- Display a plaque with the names and or pictures of certified nurses in your facility/institution.
- Highlight a CNOR or CRNFA once a month or quarter.
- Hold a certification drive in your hospital. Assist your hospital in becoming a Magnet Hospital*.
- Provide a special luncheon, dessert break, coffee or tea honoring your CNORs and CRNFAs.
- Have a special pinning ceremony for the new CNORs and CRNFAs.
- Place announcement and signage throughout your facility to show your support for the CNORs and CRNFAs.
- Download a Certified Nurses Poster.
How to join the community of CNORs and CRNFAs
- Ask the CCI Champion in your institution how you can join this community. Request an application from your Champions.
- Champions, if you are in need of applications or additional materials, please contact us.
- If you would like more information about the CCI Champion Program, please contact us.
- Speak with your supervisor/educator in your hospital about the eligibility requirements to become a CNOR or CRNFA.
- Talk with other CNORs and CRNFAs and see what their certification means to them.
- Click here for a CNOR Certification Application.
- Click here for a CRNFA Certification Application.
- Join the CCI Facebook Group.
- Join the CCI Linked In Page.
*ANCC Magnet ® is a registered trademark of the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
