Celebrating Certified Nurses Day

Media Contact: Karina Rusk
831-759-1843

March 19, 2024,– A growing number of the nearly 800 registered nurses providing care at Salinas Valley Health will be honored this year for elevating their professional practice and achieving Board certification, denoting a level above and beyond their registered nursing (RN) license status. Certified Nurses Day is held every year on March 19 to publically recognize nurses worldwide who earn and maintain the highest credentials in their area of specialty.

“We empower our nurses to create an exceptional environment for our patients,” says Lisa Paulo, MSN/MPA, RN, CENP, Salinas Valley Health Chief Nursing Officer. “An impressive number of our nurses elevate their clinical and professional expertise by achieving and maintaining board certification in their nursing specialty. The dedication they demonstrate is amazing and our community as a whole benefits from their advanced certification.”

More than 36% of the nursing team at Salinas Valley Health have pursued and maintained board-certification, up 14.5% from July 2018 when 22% of the nursing staff held board certifications. The names of 266 certified nurses at Salinas Valley Health are proudly displayed on a banner in the Medical Center celebrating their achievements. The day of recognition includes nurse leaders handing out gifts and orchids to certified nurses. Family owned business Matsui Nursery in Salinas generously donates the orchids as a way of expressing appreciation to these dedicated healthcare providers. Nurses in turn, write notes of appreciation that will be sent to Matsui Nursery.

Salinas Valley Health encourages licensed registered nurses who want to advance their personal and professional growth with certification support because the process upholds standards of excellence in patient care, validates clinical knowledge, provides greater opportunity for career advancement, offers recognition and serves as a role model to other nursing professionals.

Salinas Valley Health is approaching its three-year anniversary of achieving the American Nurses Credentialing Magnet Recognition® for nursing excellence, an honor earned by less than 10% of hospitals nationwide.

The photo in this news release is a picture of four Certified Nurses at Salinas Valley health picking up their gifts.