Nursing Certification Opens Unexpected Paths Home

The road home is often an unexpected path. For Mount Desert Island Hospital Nurse Educator Betsy Corrigan, RN, MSN, CDN, PCCN, becoming a certified nurse was the head of the trail that eventually led her back to MDI.

In commemoration of Certified Nurses Day, Corrigan is sharing her story of how achieving advanced specialty nursing certification helped her fulfill her professional and personal objectives. “After attaining my certifications as a Certified Dialysis Nurse and Certified Progressive Care Nurse I was quickly sought after to precept, mentor and provide formal in-services in my specialties,” Corrigan said.  “The teaching experience inspired the pursuit of a graduate degree in Nursing Education.”

When the position of nurse educator became available last summer, Corrigan saw the opportunity to move from Florida back to MDI. “My husband and my dream of returning home was then realized in August. I am truly a blessed woman and amazingly, my journey all began as the result of becoming a certified nurse,” she said.

Nurses and the entire Mount Desert Island Hospital team are commemorating Certified Nurses Day on March 19 by recognizing its board certified nurses. Board Certification of nurses plays an increasingly important role in the assurance of high standards of care for patients and their loved ones.

While a registered nurse (RN) license provides entry to general nursing practice, the knowledge-intensive requirements of modern nursing require extensive education, as well as a strong personal commitment to excellence by the nurse. Forty MDI Hospital nurses team have earned additional board certification in areas including Emergency Nursing, Operating Room Nursing, Lactation Counseling, Oncology and other specialty areas.

There are many nursing certification specialties such as medical-surgical, pediatric, pain management, cardiac vascular, oncology, hospice, case management, emergency nursing, critical care and many others. Certification bodies exist to serve the full range of specialized nursing care offered in the contemporary health care system; national nurse-certifying bodies should be accredited by either the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC) or the National Organization for Competence Assurance (NOCA), or both.

 

MDI Hospital

MDI Hospital
17 Hancock Street
Bar Harbor, ME 04609
207 288-5081

At Mount Desert Island Hospital, we provide comprehensive care for you and your family through our hospital in Bar Harbor and a network of health centers across Mount Desert Island.