AACN Certification Corporation — the credentialing arm of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) — announces its board of directors for fiscal year 2024, with terms effective July 1, 2023.
AACN Certification Corporation drives patient health and safety through comprehensive credentialing of acute and critical care nurses, advancing practice consistent with standards of excellence. To carry out its mission, the organization offers 15 specialty, subspecialty and advanced practice nursing certification programs and has granted more than 135,000 certifications.
Elizabeth Scruth, PhD, MPH, RN, CCNS, CCRN, FCCM, FCNS, CPHQ, begins the second year of a two-year term as chair of the AACN Certification Corporation board of directors. She is regional executive director for clinical quality programs, data analytics and tele-critical care at Northern California Kaiser Permanente.
“As a voluntary process, certification points to nurses’ commitment to career development and dedication to patient care, particularly as healthcare becomes increasingly complex and challenging,” Scruth said.
“Certification provides patients and their families with validation that the nurse caring for them has demonstrated a level of expertise and a focus on quality and safety. It demonstrates to employers and colleagues their commitment to using the best evidence to provide care for patients and families.”
Myra Ellis, MSN, RN, CCRN-CSC, chair-elect, is a clinical nurse IV at Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina. She has worked in critical care throughout her 45-year nursing career, with a focus on the care of cardiothoracic surgical patients.
Lisa Falcón, MSN, RN, TCRN, NE-BC, director of trauma and injury prevention at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, serves the second year of a two-year term as immediate past chair.
Clareen Wiencek, PhD, RN, ACHPN, ACNP, FAAN, serves a one-year term as secretary/treasurer. She is professor of nursing at University of Virginia School of Nursing and program director of advanced practice.
Joining the board for a three-year term as directors are Carly Byrne, DNP, APRN, PCNS-BC, CCNS, CPN, CCRN-K, and Carol Olff, MSN, RN, CCRN-K, NEA-BC. Byrne is a clinical nurse specialist at Legacy Health, Portland, Oregon, and adjunct faculty for Rush University College of Nursing, Chicago. Olff is director of critical care services at John Muir Health, Concord Medical Center in California.
Returning to the AACN Certification Corporation board with Dana Woods, MBA, AACN chief executive officer, are the following directors:
- Jodi Berndt, PhD, RN, CCRN-K, PCCN-K, CNE, CNEcl, CHSE, associate professor of nursing at College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University in St. Joseph, Minnesota.
- Kathleen Siedlecki, who also serves as consumer representative, is the founder of KAS Strategies, where she designs programs to raise awareness, engage thought leaders, influence health policy, mobilize advocates and motivate positive health behavior.
Each year, two members of the AACN board of directors are appointed to concurrent terms on the AACN Certification Corporation board:
- Joseph Falise, MSN, RN, CCRN-CSC, director of nursing for critical care and progressive care at University of Miami Hospital and Clinics, Miami.
- Tonka Williams, MHA, BSN, RN, CMSRN, nursing director of medicine and nursing nutrition support at VCU Health, Richmond, Virginia.
About AACN Certification Corporation: Established in 1976, AACN Certification Corporation, the credentialing arm of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, drives patient health and safety through comprehensive credentialing of acute and critical care nurses, advancing practice consistent with standards of excellence. Currently, more than 130,000 acute and critical care nurses hold AACN Certification Corporation credentials.
About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses: For more than 50 years, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has been dedicated to acute and critical care nursing excellence. The organization’s vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. AACN is the world’s largest specialty nursing organization, with about 130,000 members and nearly 200 chapters in the United States.
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 27071 Aliso Creek Road, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656; 949-362-2000; www.aacn.org; facebook.com/aacnface; twitter.com/aacnme
