Certified Nurses Day was March 19, and St. Tammany Health System used the occasion to honor its cadre of certified nurses with the unveiling of a new recognition wall listing each STHS nurse who has taken the initiative to earn certification in their specialty area.
In total, 129 St. Tammany Health System nurses have earned certification, many in multiple specialty areas. That represents an increase from the health system’s 110 certified nurses last year.
“I am ecstatic over the number of certified nurses we have,” STHS Chief Nursing Officer Kerry Milton said Wednesday after helping to unveil the wall. “It is quite an accomplishment for each of you. Thank you all for taking the initiative.”
Located in the hospital’s first-floor Conference Center Hallway near the Daisy Award and Sunflower recognition walls, the new certified nurses wall of honor was concepted of by members of the STHS Shared Governance Professional Development Council, with financial support from St. Tammany Health Foundation.
It replaces a plaque previously displayed in the hospital cafeteria. That plaque had room for only 120 names.
“I am so impressed by what you all have done for your own career development but even more for our patients and community,” STHS President and CEO Joan Coffman told those nurses assembled for the unveiling. “Know that we are so proud of you and the work you are doing.”
Certified Nurses Day is recognized every year on March 19 to coincide with the birthday of Dr. Margretta “Gretta” Madden Styles, RN, EdD, FAAN, who was a pioneer in the area of nursing certification and a driving force behind the creation of the American Nurses Credentialing Center.