AACN News—June 2001—Certification

Vol. 18, No. 6, JUNE 2001

AACN Certification Corporation Set to Welcome 2001-02 Leadership Team

Margaret M. Ecklund, RN, MS, CCRN, CS, has been selected as chair-elect of the AACN Certification Corporation Board for 2001-02.
In addition, Beth A. Glassford, RN, MSHA, CHE, has been appointed as a director representing the perspective of certified nurses, and Mindy A. Hecker and Thomas L. Hickey have been appointed as directors representing the consumer perspective. All terms begin July 1, 2001, when Elizabeth M. Nolan, RN, MS, CS, succeeds Patricia A. McGaffigan, RN, MS, as chair of the board.

The appointments by the AACN Board of Directors followed a nominating process in which representatives of AACN Certification Corporation screened, evaluated and interviewed prospective candidates for the national leadership positions.

Returning to the board are Director Suzanne S. Prevost, RN, PhD, CNAA, and Consumer Representative Wanda G. Wright, RN, DDS.
Debbie Brinker, RN, MS, CCNS, CCRN, and Dorrie Fontaine, RN, DNSc, FAAN, will also serve on the Certification Board as the appointed representatives of the AACN Board of Directors.

Completing their terms on the board are Secretary/Treasurer Jan Foster, RN, MS, CCRN, and Consumer Representatives The Rev. Philip Goff and Joan F. O’Sullivan.
Following is information about Nolan, Ecklund and the other newly appointed members of the AACN Certification Corporation Board of Directors:

Elizabeth M. Nolan
Nolan is a cardiac clinical nurse specialist at the CardioVascular Center, University of Michigan Hospital & Health Centers, Ann Arbor.

She was treasurer of the AACN Board of Directors before being appointed chair-elect of the AACN Certification Corporation Board in July 2000.
Nolan received her nursing diploma from St. Michael’s Hospital School of Nursing, Toronto, Canada; her bachelor of science in nursing degree from the University of Michigan School of Nursing, Ann Arbor; and her master of science degree from the University of Rochester School of Nursing, Rochester, N.Y. She currently is a doctoral student at the University of Michigan School of Nursing.

She is a founding member and past president of the Washtenaw County Chapter of AACN.

Margaret M. Ecklund
Ecklund is an advanced practice nurse on a pulmonary step-down unit at Rochester General Hospital, Rochester, N.Y. For the past two years, she has been an AACN Certification Corporation board member representing the AACN Board of Directors, where she completes a three-year term as secretary on June 30, 2001.

Ecklund began her nursing career in 1979, after graduating with an associate of arts in science degree from Monroe Community College, in Rochester, N.Y She has been certified as a CCRN since 1989, and an acute care nurse practitioner since 1996.

She earned her bachelor of science in nursing degree from SUNY Brockport and her master’s degree in the adult critical care clinical nurse specialist track at SUNY Buffalo, and completed a postmaster’s acute care nurse practitioner program at the University of Rochester.

An AACN member since 1987, Ecklund is also a member and former president of the Greater Rochester/Finger Lakes Chapter of AACN. In addition, she has been a representative to the National Kidney Foundation for the Creation of the Communication Document for Donor Recipient Families.

Beth A. Glassford
Glassford is nurse executive at Williamsburg Community Hospital, Williamsburg, Va.

She received her bachelor of science degree in nursing from Wilkes College, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; her master of science in nursing from the University of Delaware, Newark, Del; and her master of science in health administration from the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Va. She is a certified health executive.

A member of AACN since 1982,Glassford is a member, currently treasure, and past president of the Greater Richmond Area Chapter of AACN. Most recently she has served AACN as chair of the Ethics Work Group. She has also served as the nonprofit chair of the Greater Williamsburg United Way Campaign and on the board of the American Heart Association’s Richmond Metro Council.

Mindy A. Hecker
Hecker is former director of membership for the American Occupational Therapy Association, Bethesda, Md.

She received her bachelor of science degree in human ecology from Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., and her master’s degree in business administration from the University of Miami.

Hecker is a member of the American Society of Association Executives and of the American Family and Consumer Science Association.

Thomas L. Hickey
Hickey is founder, president and CEO of MediQuest, Inc., Canton, Mich.

He received his bachelor of science degree in business management from Oakland University, Rochester, Mich.

Hickey is a member and former chapter director of the National Association of Vascular Access Network and of the Intravenous Nurses Society. In addition, he is a board member of the Educational Excellence Foundation for the Plymouth Canton Schools.

Grant Opens CCRN Review Preparation to Pediatric Nurses

As a certified critical care nurse, Andrea Kline, RN, MS, PCCNP, CCRN, knows the satisfaction that demonstrating her knowledge and passing a rigorous certification exam can bring. Now, she is sharing her passion for excellence by paving the way for her colleagues to pursue the possibility of becoming certified.

Already, a group of pediatric ICU nurses at Children’s Memorial Hospital of Chicago are enrolled in a free, two-part CCRN review course arranged by Kline with a $4,000 grant from her hospital. She said she applied for the funding when she realized that less than 5% of the pediatric critical care nurses at the hospital were CCRN certified. “I just felt it was important to get more of our nurses certified,” Kline said.

After coming up with the idea of offering a CCRN review course to familiarize nurses with the exam requirements, Kline applied for the hospital’s Prince Nursing Scholar Grant. Her program is one of six funded for this year.

The annual grant has been used to fund a variety of education and research projects, including the purchase of nursing resources and covering the expenses of attending conferences, Kline said. However, this is the first time the funds have been granted to prepare nurses for certification.

After deciding on topics and selecting speakers, Kline set the first review course for May and June 2001. Because staffing dictates that only a limited number of nurses can take the course at any given time, it will be repeated in September 2001.

For nurses who cannot attend, the classes will be recorded on videotapes that nurses can check out and view on their own time.“Those who are serious about taking the exam will receive a free CCRN review book,” Kline said.

She has also purchased plaques to begin displaying the names of the nurses who become certified. In addition, nurses who become certified will receive a CCRN key chain and a lapel pin.

The program has attracted great interest, Kline said.

Kline has worked at Children’s Memorial for seven years, the last three as a pediatric critical care nurse practitioner. She obtained her CCRN certification in 1997 while working as an ICU staff nurse. Her motivation was personal, to verify her own knowledge, she said. Her impetus was admiration for a couple of certified nurses in the unit.

3-Person Discount of CCRN Exam Fee Expires on June 30, 2001

Don’t miss out! June 30, 2001, is the deadline to take advantage of the special three-person CCRN certification exam fee discount.

With the discount, each applicant saves $45 off the fee regularly collected. However, group application materials must be postmarked by June 30.

The discounted exam fee is $175 for AACN members and $255 for others. To be eligible for the discount, applications must be accompanied by the “3-Person Discount Flyer,” which is included with the application materials. The flyer can also be printed from the AACN Certification Corporation Web site at www.certcorp.org, or requested by calling (800) 899-2226 or e-mailing certcorp@aacn.org.

The 200-item, multiple choice CCRN examination is administered year-round in a computer-based format at more than 300 locations nationwide.