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Mount Nittany Health is pleased to celebrate Certified Nurses Day. To recognize the special occasion, a ceremony was held on March 20, 2023 at the Mount Nittany Medical Center for more than 80 certified nurses in various specialties throughout the health system.
According to the American Nurses Credentialing Center, Certified Nurses Day is a day to recognize nurses committed to advancing their field through “professionalism, excellence, recognition, and service.” Nursing certification is a way for nurses to demonstrate their dedication to and expertise in their specialty.
Mount Nittany Health is proud to have nurses with certifications in acute/critical care nursing, case management, diabetes education, emergency care, executive nursing, infection control, informatics, healthcare quality, obstetrics, oncology, operating room, orthopedics, pain management, pediatrics, pre-hospital care, professional development, progressive care, and wound/ostomy/continence.
To celebrate Certified Nurses Day, we are sharing the experiences of a few certified nurses who discuss their own certifications.
Nicki Olson, RN, Emergency Department
Olson works as a registered nurse (RN) in the Emergency Department and earned her certification as a SANE-A (sexual assault nurse examiner – adults) in 2016. She is the coordinator and educator for the organization’s Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE) program, which is a 40-hour class that educates new emergency department RNs about the care of patients after sexual assault. In preparing for these classes, Olson works closely with the district attorney’s office, local police, and Centre Safe to provide a curriculum that supports the highest quality of care for these patients. She also completes all chart reviews, follows up on any concerns, and serves as a resource person for other agencies such as the Children’s Advocacy Center and local correction facilities.
In addition to her work with SAFE, Olson also serves as an alternate charge nurse and a preceptor in the Emergency Department. She is also a member of the Team Building Committee, the Centre County Domestic Violence Task Force, and the International Forensic Nursing Association.
Alexis Harr, RN, Quality and Patient Safety
Harr works as a Quality Improvement Specialist in the Quality and Patient Safety department. She earned her certification in informatics nursing (RN-BC) in 2017 and her certification in healthcare quality (CPHQ) in 2021. Harr said, “Certification is an opportunity to showcase my expertise and commitment to excellence in healthcare. It demonstrates my knowledge and capabilities and, frankly, has been a confidence builder. And at the root of it all, what we all do every day is impactful to our patients. I feel it is my obligation as a nurse and as an informal leader to continue to learn and grow so that I can make positive changes for our patients, frontline workers, and entire organization. Certification has been one opportunity for me to do just that.”
Harr is active in her career and in her personal life. She is a member of the Patient Safety Steering Committee, the Patient Experience Committee, and the Interdisciplinary Clinical Performance Council at Mount Nittany Health. She was also recently involved in performance improvement initiatives involving geriatric hip fractures and outpatient total joint replacements. When she is not busy improving patient care, she volunteers at Nittany Christian School and Faith Church, making food, gathering supplies for special functions, assisting with different classroom activities and field trips, and supporting children’s church and vacation bible school.
Laurie Smeal, RN, Women and Children’s Services
Smeal works as a registered nurse for Women and Children’s Services and earned her certification in inpatient obstetrics (RNC-OB) in 1996. She made certification a personal objective for herself, with the intention of keeping her knowledge about her specialty current. Smeal demonstrates her dedication to her specialty by serving as a preceptor and nurse mentor, functioning as a scrub tech as needed during cesarean deliveries, and being involved in several performance improvement projects including one that resulted in the implementation of bedside rescue medication boxes for patients who had received Duramorph during delivery.
Smeal is involved in several Women and Children’s Services specific committees. She is a member of the scheduling committee and the co-chair of the bereavement committee, which provides support to parents who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, and neonatal loss. Smeal has also volunteered for several fundraisers to benefit Ghana Medical Relief, an organization founded by Samuel Owusu, MD, OB/GYN, and Belinda Owusu, RN, to provide medical care to underserved communities in Ghana, Africa. Smeal is also a member of the clinical ladder committee, which helps further education and training, and she regularly speaks with new nurse residents about the program.
Thank you to the amazing certified nurses at Mount Nittany Health who go above and beyond providing compassionate care every day.
More information about Certified Nurses Day is available at nursingworld.org/education-events/certified-nurses-day.
