Nurses from Women’s and Children’s Earn Certifications

In December, more than 50 nurses from the Women’s and Children’s Service at Cleveland Clinic Fairview Hospital earned certifications in their field. The nurses worked on several units across the service line, including the Birthing Center, the Mother/Baby Unit, Childbirth and Lactation, High-Risk Obstetrics and the Family Birth Place, a high-touch, low-intervention level 1 birthing center offering women a natural childbirth experience.

“To work at Cleveland Clinic, you have to be highly skilled and highly knowledgeable,” says Denise Speer, MSN, RN, Director of Women’s and Children’s Service. “Certifications show that nurses put in that extra effort.”

Nurses work as a team to earn individual certifications

Just as nurses work together on their units to provide quality care, so too did the nurses who registered for the certification exams. They wanted to study together and take the test in a group setting, which is not typically done. A few clinical nurses approached nursing administration, which then worked with the National Certification Corporation to offer group testing on two dates at Fairview Hospital.

Nurses earned one of three different certifications: Electronic Fetal Monitoring (C-EFM), Maternal Newborn Nursing (RNC-MNN) and Inpatient Obstetric Nursing (RNC-OB). Of the nurses who achieved certification, 36 were from the Birthing Center. Kitty Russ, MSN, MSHA, RNC, Nurse Manager of the Birthing Center, is very proud of her team of expert nurses.

“Not only is there extensive studying to accomplish achieving certification,” says Russ, “but the certification requires extensive continuing education for recertification, assuring that the RN is keeping up to date with the evidence-based practice for their specialty.”