• Nurse Leaders
  • Voucher Program
  • Recognize Your Certified Nurses
  • Perianesthesia Nurse Awareness Week
  • Certified Nurses Day
  • Kudos and Commendations
  • Medical Mission Grant
  • Nursing Education Grant

Celebrate Certified Nurses Day!
March 19

ABPANC is proud to celebrate Certified Nurses Day, a national day of recognition for certified nurses. It began as a dream in 2008 as the idea of an ANCC staff member that quickly ignited the imaginations of American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) staff. Certified Nurses Day™ is a special day of recognition to celebrate the contribution of board certified nurses to the advancement of nursing professionalism and to higher standards and better outcomes in patient health.

ANCC selected March 19 in honor of one of the greatest nursing leaders in the field of certification. March 19 was the birthday of Margretta “Gretta” Madden Styles, RN, EdD, FAAN; Dr. Styles was a visionary scholar with an international impact on the profession of nursing. Dr. Styles was born March 19, 1930 in Mount Union, Pennsylvania and passed away on Nov. 20, 2005.

Promo Kit Digital Toolkit

Tips for Celebrating Certified Nurses Day

The themes of Certified Nurses Day™ are professionalism, excellence, recognition and service as defined by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). ABPANC’s vision is that by recognizing and respecting the unequaled excellence in the mark of the CPAN® and CAPA® credential, perianesthesia nurses will seek it, managers will require it, employers will support it, and the public will demand it.

There are two basic celebration tracks to consider: recognition by employers; and celebration by board certified nurses, through service promoting CPAN/CAPA certification.

For Employers – Provide Recognition for all Certified Nurses

1. Press release to local papers .
2. Create a public “honor roll” for board certified nurses, for all to see.
3. Send letter of appreciation to each certified nurse in facility/department (see sample).
4. Hold a certification drive and invite your certified nurses to participate/lead.
5. Have a banquet, tea or luncheon for all your certified nurses.
6. Offer gifts, gift certificates or special bonuses to all your certified nurses.
7. Provide ribbons/buttons to all certified nurses.
8. Place announcements and signage throughout your facility to show support for Certified Nurses Day™.
9. Benchmark your efforts against those of other health care facilities around the nation.

For CPAN/CAPA Certified Nurses – Provide Service

1. Work with your employer to set up educational presentations for your colleagues on issues related to your specialty.
2. Go out into your community and give presentations at retirement homes, schools, businesses, and other environments where you can put your knowledge and experience to service.
3. Set up a mentoring program for nurses who have entered the nursing workforce more recently — share your experiences regarding the value of certification, ongoing education, career planning, maintaining morale and motivation, and dealing with challenges.
4. Work to see that Certified Nurses Day™ is recognized by the media in your community, by employers, and by your fellow certified nurses.

We’d love to see how you celebrate CPAN and CAPA nurses in your unit or hospital. Send us photos of your celebrations and your nurses and we may use them on our website or in our Celebration Luncheon video during the ASPAN conference. Email photos to abpanc@cpancapa.org.