We are still reminiscing about AORN’s 2024 Global Surgical Conference and Expo! CCI had a blast in Nashville, connecting with both new and familiar faces in the Exhibit Hall. The energy was electric, and the various conversations we had regarding perioperative nursing and certification were truly inspiring and filled with so much opportunity. Here are some of CCI’s highlights from our trip!

A Bittersweet Board Meeting

Right before the opening day of Expo, CCI held a board meeting that saw a changing of the guard. Welcome our new Executive Board Directors: Darcie Opalko, MBA, MS, RN, CNOR, CSSM, NEA-BC (President), Leigh Anne Piper, MSN, RN, CNOR, CSSM(E) (Vice President), and Arthur Shapiro, RN, MSN, CNOR, CNAMB, NE-BC, CSSM (Secretary/Treasurer).

Additionally, we inducted our new board members Beth Bozzelli, MBA, RN, CNOR, CSSM, and Gini Beatty, CNOR, NPD-BC, and are excited to have their expertise on our board!

CCI said farewell to some of our valued, long-serving board members: former Board President Elaine Geroski, MSN, CNOR, CSSM(E), and former Secretary/Treasurer Marian Kleinman, MBA, BSN, CNOR(E), CSSM.

We will miss them at the round table and are thankful for all that they achieved during their terms of service. Forever CCI Family! 

We Gave Out Some Awards

While we were at Expo, CCI also gave out some of our most coveted awards.

Congratulations to our former Board President, Elaine Geroski, MSN, CNOR, CSSM(E), for winning the CCI DAISY Nurse Leader Award for Extraordinary Nurses!

We awarded 2023’s Top Exam Scorers. Congratulations on acing the exams! 

Certified Perioperative Nurse (CNOR®): Lacey Liske

The Certified Surgical Services Manager (CSSM®): Jennifer Lowe

Certified Foundational Perioperative Nurse (CFPN®): William Heilman and Erin O’Donohue

Certified Ambulatory Surgery Nurse (CNAMB®): Kelly Johnson

We celebrated our 2023 Partner of the Year, AORN.

And, CCI recognized our 2023 Top Volunteers of the Year:

We Saw Our First CNOR-PEDS Designee

CCI had the pleasure of connecting with our very dear colleague and the first CNOR-PEDS designee, Charlie Lin, MSN, APRN, NP-C, CNOR-PEDS, CNAMB, RNFA, FCN, on the Expo floor.

It has been wonderful to hear all the buzz and excitement around our CNOR Specialty Designations. We are so excited to begin this chapter with you, paving the way for the representation of specialization in the world of perioperative certification. This is only the beginning!  

Keep an eye out as CCI continues to roll out more designations throughout the year.

CCI’s Very Own Took the Stage

Our CEO, Melissa Nosik, PhD, BCBA-D, ICE-CCP, SHRM-SCP, commanded the Expo speaker stage during her presentation, “An Update on Certification and the Profession of Perioperative Nursing.”

We Launched Some New Nursing Continuous                          Professional Development Activities

CCI highlighted the recent release of our new collection of Nursing Continuous Professional Development (NCPD) Activities, previously known as CEs. At Expo, we announced that these contact hour courses are free to our CCI Certificants.

We are so excited to not only provide but grow these resources. As a rule of thumb, when working toward recertifying your credential, please reference your recertification handbook, checklist, and more – all of which can be found on our CCI Document Hub. 

We Celebrated Our 45th Anniversary

CCI threw a bash in honor of our 45th Anniversary! It was wonderful for the CCI Family to celebrate our outgoing and incoming board members and relive all the amazing memories, milestones, and successes we have achieved in the past 45 years of operation. At the core of it all is our dedication to promoting the highest standards of patient care through perioperative certification. 

Nurses, we had a great time seeing you all at Expo! We hope that you enjoyed our booth and our special 45th Anniversary gifts. We are counting down the days until next year, but between now and then, keep in touch and stay in the know of all things CCI certification!