Certified nurses driven by desire to learn and provide exceptional care

Approximately a 4-minute read

Key takeaways:

• It’s National Nurses Week, a chance to recognize all of the nurses who make a difference at Michigan Medicine.
• Certified nurses take extra time, beyond their license requirements, to gain specialized knowledge that benefits patients and families.
• Approximately 1,450 nurses are certified in niche areas at U-M Health.

National Nurses Week gives us the opportunity to recognize all of our nurses who make a difference at Michigan Medicine. They are the backbone of our health system and the caring faces our patients and their families see every day.

During this special week, the organization also wants to acknowledge the many nurses who have gone above and beyond to seek certification in their specialized fields. They take the extra time, beyond their license requirements, to expand their scope of knowledge in specialty fields or in niche areas of care. It adds value to their role, supports their teams and improves the patient experience.

Currently, there are approximately 1,450 certified nurses at U-M Health, which represents 29% of all eligible nursing staff. U-M Health has a contract with three nursing certification programs which support certification costs for nurses and while the eligibility criteria vary slightly, all applicants must hold a RN license and practice for a specified period of time in their specialty.

“We are extremely proud of our certified nurses,” said Chief Nurse Executive Nancy May. “The fact that so many of our nurses participate in our certification program, beyond their mandatory requirements, shows how dedicated they are to their profession and to their patients. We respect their personal desire to become lifelong learners and their professional commitment to continuous improvement within our health system. What they do truly makes a difference to our patients, their families, our teams and the community.”

Why is certification important to you?

In addition, to supporting certification programs, Michigan Medicine takes time out each year to celebrate their achievements during Certified Nurses Day in March. Headlines visited with a few of these certified nurses during that special day to ask why they felt it was important to become certified.

Here’s what they had to say:

 “I have a desire to learn. I feel like receiving a certificate gives you an end marker, like a goal to achieve and I enjoy learning. It allows me to offer the best care for my patients and a resource for my colleagues. It helps to forward your career.”

 Maria Gutowski, R.N., UH and CVC, 7A

“I feel that it gives me a better understanding of my profession and how I can improve my work and better care for my patients.”

Scott Viola, R.N., interventional radiology, UH

“For me, certification is imperative to stay up to date with the rapidly expanding oncology practices and drugs. Certification allows me access to resources, CEU’s and makes me a better nurse with a stronger foundation. My patients are directly impacted by the learning opportunities that certification requires. This U-M recognition of certified nurses is beyond anything I have experienced in my previous 20 years as a certified nurse. I’m proud to be OCN certified and grateful to be a part of this organization!”

Andrea Lum Freeman, R.N., B.S.N., O.C.N.

“Certification is the next step in professional development and the advancement of medicine is such a part of our profession and the way we care for others.”   

Amy Allen, clinical nurse director, D.N.P., CNML, 5 B1 Med Surg, UH

How to sign up

Interested in a certification program? Here is where you can go for more information:

Success Pays® Program: 18 different nursing certifications

• Certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center
  • https://www.nursingworld.org/certification/faqs/

FailSafe Program-Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification

• Certified by the Medical-Surgical Nurse Certification Board (MSNCB)
  • https://www.amsn.org/certification

No Pass, No Pay® Program-Pediatric Nurse Certification

• Certified by the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board
  • https://pncb.org/cpn-certification-steps