CCI Blog

Preparing for a certification exam can seem overwhelming. To help ease the stress and guide you in the right direction, CCI has developed a list of five must-have resources to best prepare for the CNOR exam.

Helen DeVos Children's Hospital has worked hard over the last several years, striving towards excellence by promoting certification. Their efforts have lead them to achieve the Magnet designation two years in a row as well as being recognized as one of CCI's 2018 TrueNorth Award Honorable Mentions. Boasting a high retention rate in the OR specifically, the facility has not had a need for travel nurses in several years of operation. We are pleased to feature Helen DeVos Children's Hospital (HDVCH) of Grand Rapids, MI as a Hospital Highlight on the CCI Blog.

As the newest VA hospital in 19 years opened in May of 2013, there was no doubt that certified nurses would be highly involved in the activation process. Not only did certified nurses assist with design, equipment ordering, vendor collaboration, and departmental organization, but they collectively wrote 43 new Standard Operating Procedures for the facility. Fast forward five years later and VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System (VASNHS) is still highly encouraging and supportive of their certified nurses, allowing them to be recognized as a recipient of CCI's 2018 TrueNorth Award.

In the suburbs of Reading, PA there is a small borough in Berks County that is home to around 10,000 residents known as Wyomissing, PA. While this quaint town has plenty of charm, we are particularly interested because it is the location of the Reading Hospital SurgiCenter at Spring Ridge, one of two 2018 TrueNorth Award recipients. As a 2017 TrueNorth Award Honorable Mention, this facility was eager to continue toward excellence. Highly committed to supporting nurses through the process of certification, this returning applicant caught CCI's attention when they submitted an application even more impressive than the last. 

CCI's TrueNorth Award was created to recognize those organizations that use CNOR certification to guide their perioperative nursing staff to be lifelong learners, models of competent practice, and advocates for excellence and patient safety. Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital of Orlando Health does this well. A first-time applicant for the TrueNorth Award, Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital stood out and impressed judges with the ways they support and promote certification amongst their perioperative nurse staff. In fact, their 2018 TrueNorth Award application was so impressive, they were named this year's TrueNorth Award Runner Up and received a recent visit from CCI's CEO Dr. James Stobinski. Their commitment to perioperative certification has shown through in numerous ways.

Inspiring and determined nurse Renee Hilderbrand, RN, MSN, CNOR, RNFA, has been working in the perioperative field for over 35 years, making a definite impact along the way. Her passion for perioperative nursing eventually brought her to Northern California where she has assisted in the training of hundreds of perioperative nurses.

We recently had the privilege to visit one remarkable facility and host a CNOR Exam Prep Course for a group of exceptional and determined nurses. Part of Northern California's largest health network, Sutter Health, Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento, is made up of multiple facilities including Ose Adams Medical Pavilion, Anderson Luchetti Women's & Children's Center, and Sutter Center for Psychiatry. While each of these facilities offers patient care in different areas, they all work together to serve the surrounding Sacramento community with compassion and excellence.

As you may have seen from one of CCI’s recent social posts, one of our CNOR Coaches has been promoted to Lieutenant Commander of the Nurse Corps, United States Navy. Not only has Josh Wymer, MSPM, MA, BSN, RN, CNOR, CSSM worked in the operating room for several years, but he is always eager to help others excel in the perioperative field as well. We are so proud to honor newly-appointed LCDR Wymer as an exceptional leader in the perioperative community, featuring him as this month’s Nurse Spotlight.

We are so honored to present John Muir Medical Center, Walnut Creek as this month’s Hospital Highlight. This impressive facility is recognized as one of the nation’s premier health care providers by several organizations including U.S. News & World Report. The 554-licensed bed hospital offers high quality care in many specialty areas including pediatrics, orthopedics, cardiac, neurosciences, rehabilitation, cancer, and more. John Muir Medical Center, Walnut Creek has been awarded many accolades because of the hard work of a dedicated staff, all serving a meaningful mission. The facility’s dedication to provide exceptional care is mirrored by the practices in place within which have lead to the recognition of outside organizations.

CCI has been very busy working with the Healthcare Corporation of America (HCA) this  year to increase the number of certified perioperative nurses employed within their facilities. With this partnership, we have had the opportunity to present several CNOR Exam Prep Courses over the last year, one of which recently took place at The Medical Center of Aurora (main campus).