Celebrating HCA Healthcare’s Certified Nurses

It is a privilege to honor and celebrate our HCA Healthcare nursing colleagues who have demonstrated advanced skill, knowledge and practice by earning a professional certification in complex nursing care specialties on Certified Nurses Day.

“Certified nurses demonstrate a dedication to excellence in patient care and serve as a role model to others in practice,” said Steve Tarkington, vice president, HCA Healthcare Center for Clinical Advancement.

“The certification process is a formal recognition to something we already know at HCA Healthcare, which is we have the best nurses in medicine,” adds Tarkington. “Our nurses are continuously growing and developing their knowledge and skills, and I’m proud to work alongside the best professionals in healthcare.”

HCA Healthcare offers qualifying nurses who wish to pursue a specialty certification the opportunity to take advantage of discounted rates, a voucher program and reimbursement upon successfully completing the certification exam.

The value of a specialty nursing certification is becoming more important as healthcare becomes increasingly complex and challenging. Certification demonstrates to patients, employers and the public that a nurse’s knowledge, skills and abilities meet rigorous national standards and reflect a deep commitment to patient safety.

“I’ve always been interested in the human body, but I fell in love with nursing during my clinical rotations,” said Hanna Hawk, a progressive care unit nurse at affiliate HCA Houston Healthcare Tomball. “My manager, Karen, provided lots of encouragement for me to obtain a certification. I’ve always been interested in the cardiovascular side of things, and this certification was one step closer to get to the ICU.”

According to the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, the benefits of obtaining a nursing certification include:

• demonstration that the nurse cares enough to be tested against rigorous standards, confirming their knowledge and skills in a specialty area;
• creating an environment of professionalism, contributing to staff retention and patient safety;
• serving as a role model for professional development, lifelong learning and dedication to excellence in patient care, and
• a sense of pride, fulfillment and empowerment, as well as career advancement. (Research shows nurse leaders prefer hiring a nurse who is certified.)

HCA Healthcare is proud of the contributions of our certified nurses and thanks them for all they do to deliver excellent care to patients and their families. To certified nurses everywhere, enjoy this special day and celebrate your knowledge, expertise and focus to advance the practice of nursing.

Congratulations Breana Jackson, newly certified nurse at HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake

Celebrating Curt, a newly certified charge nurse on 4W Med-Surg unit at St. Mark’s Hospital

Celebrating Karli Lien, a newly certified nurse at The Medical Center of Aurora

Visit the American Association of Critical Care Nurses for more information about the benefits and standards of national specialty nursing certifications.

HCA Healthcare is one of the largest employers of nurses in the country, with 98,000 registered nurses holding positions from bedside caregivers in a variety of healthcare settings to leadership positions throughout the organization. HCA Healthcare is a learning healthcare system that uses its approximately 35 million annual patient encounters to improve patient care and save lives.