Oak Hill Hospital Receives National Award from Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing
Spring Hill, Florida (October 22, 2019) – Oak Hill Hospital proudly announces that it is the recipient of the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing’s (BCEN) 2019 National Certification Champion Award in the Large Healthcare Organization category. The hospital was recognized on October 2 during the Emergency Nursing 2019 Conference in Austin, Texas, at the annual BCEN Certification Recognition breakfast.
“Emergency nurses and organizations that support and advocate for their peers and staff to become board certified are growing and sustaining an expert emergency nurse workforce,” said BCEN Executive Director Janie Schumaker, MBA, BSN, RN, CEN, CENP, CPHQ, FABC. “BCEN is pleased to recognize the winners for their professionalism, innovation and heartfelt dedication to providing the best possible care,” she added. During the award breakfast the following awards were presented:
- Distinguished CEN Award
- Distinguished CPEN Award
- National Certification Champion Awards in three categories: small healthcare, large healthcare and healthcare system
In making the announcement to Oak Hill Hospital the BCEN news release stated that “each winner demonstrated a commitment to excellence in pursuing advanced emergency nursing knowledge and expertise through board certification, showed exceptional achievement in designing and implementing effective and innovative practices and programs to encourage, support and recognize emergency nursing specialty certification, and demonstrated the impact of a board certified emergency nurse workforce on patient, nurse and organization outcomes.”
Board certification, which independently validates a nurse’s specialty knowledge and expertise, based on rigorous national standards, is nursing’s highest professional credential. Board Certification of eligible nurses is a requirement of the Emergency Room at Oak Hill Hospital. Currently, 93 percent of Oak Hill Hospital’s eligible emergency room nurses are board certified, with the other eligible nurses scheduled to take their board certification test. One hundred percent of Oak Hill Hospital’s nursing leaders are board certified in a specialty.
“Our nurses know that to provide the best, evidence-based care to our community, they need to continue their professional development,” said Kimberly Loucks, RN BSN CEN, Director of Emergency Services. “Their commitment to raising the standards of emergency room care is why the doctors, advanced practice professionals, EMS professionals, and our patients trust us and why we saw more than 62,275 visits to our emergency room in 2018.”
About BCEN
The independent, nonprofit Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN®) develops robust certification exams fostering empowered nurses across the emergency spectrum who contribute noticeably to patient care, safety and outcomes. Over 53,000 BCEN board certifications are currently held by registered nurses (RNs) who specialize in emergency, flight, critical care ground transport, pediatric emergency and trauma nursing. BCEN offers the Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN®), Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN®), Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse (CPEN®), Certified Transport Registered Nurse (CTRN®) and Trauma Certified Registered Nurse (TCRN®) certifications. The CEN, CFRN, CPEN, and TCRN certification programs are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC), the only accrediting body specifically for nursing certifications. Learn more at bcen.org. Follow BCEN on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Background Info about Board Certification
Board certification is the nursing profession’s highest professional credential. As such, board certified nurses are among the elite practitioners in their specialty, and earning this voluntary distinction is a testament to their commitment to professional practice. To become board certified, RNs must pass a rigorous, national exam that validates their specialty knowledge, skills, and clinical judgment based on standards identified by the nursing specialty to promote optimal patient outcomes. To maintain any of BCEN’s five emergency nursing specialty board certifications, an RN must complete 100 CEs in their specialty every four years or retake the certification exam.
Board certification helps assure patients they are being treated by RNs who are experts in their specialty and who engage in lifelong learning to remain current in their specialty knowledge and practice. Board certification provides professional recognition and credibility by validating a nurse’s expertise to themselves, their colleagues and their employer. Research links board certification with a host of positive nurse outcomes, including greater confidence, personal and career satisfaction, and career opportunities and advancement. Board certification is also associated with positive patient and organizational outcomes. Board certification helps advance nursing specialty areas and the nursing professional overall.
Visit the Oak Hill Hospital Newsroom for recent releases: www.OakHillHospital.com/About/Newsroom/
About Oak Hill Hospital:
Oak Hill Hospital has been serving the Nature Coast since 1984, is the area’s largest private employer with 280 beds, and is the largest medical facility in Hernando and Citrus Counties. The hospital is currently undergoing a $38.5M expansion project which will add 70 private rooms to its North Tower by Spring 2020, bringing the total bed capacity to 350. The facility offers Hernando County’s only comprehensive cardiovascular program, including an arrhythmia center and open-heart surgery. Oak Hill Hospital’s healthcare delivery team is comprised of over 600 physicians, 1,486 associates, and over 265 volunteers.
Oak Hill Hospital is an accredited teaching hospital with approval to train 65 residents in the Internal Medicine residency program, 24 residents in the Family Medicine program, 18 residents in the General Surgery program integrated with Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point, 18 residents in the Emergency Medicine program, 18 residents in the Anesthesiology program, 6 residents in the Podiatry program, 10 residents in the Transitional Year program, and two residents in the Geriatric Fellowship program.
The Maternity Suites at Oak Hill Hospital offers advanced labor and delivery capabilities in a comfortable and family centered setting. In addition to the Graduate Medical Education Program, Oak Hill Hospital offers several unique programs in the area, including a 24/7 Critical Care Medicine Program staffed by Intensivists, a Pediatric ER, and a dedicated Pediatric Inpatient Unit. Please visit our website for a comprehensive listing of all Oak Hill Hospital accreditations, awards, and distinctions.
The hospital is located at 11375 Cortez Boulevard, Brooksville, FL; 1.9 miles east of US 19 on State Road 50. For more information about this release, please contact Katie Stacy, Director of Public Relations & Communications, at 352-597-6317. For more information about Oak Hill Hospital, visit OakHillHospital.com, or Like Us on Facebook.