The Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board (MSNCB®) names new officers, four of whom are nurses. Nurses are invited to join the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN) for their annual Advocacy Day Feb. 22-23. A proposed bill could curb Indiana’s nursing shortage. A Texas health system names its new chief nursing executive. Read on for this week’s nursing news and insights.
Med-surg nursing board names new officers
Four nurses are among the leaders newly named to officer positions on the Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board (MSNCB®) board of directors.
Charles “Wes” Foster MSN, BA, RN, CMSRN, OCN, president; Antoinette Falker, DNP, RN, GCNS-BC, CMSRN, CBN, immediate past president; Cynthia Frazer, MSN, RN, CMSRN, CNE, treasurer; and Cathryn Kelly, MSN, RN, RD, CMSRN, CCTM, secretary, have all begun their positions effective Jan. 1.
Board members work together with the MSNCB staff to manage the organization, including determining policy, overseeing financials, and defining strategic direction.
The new officers join current board members Jessica Tully, DNP, RN-BC, CMSRN, CNML, CENP, director; Kim Lipsey, MLS, public member; Summer Bryant, DNP, RN, CENP, CMSRN, president ex-officio of the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses; and Terri Hinkley, EdD, MBA, BScN, RN, CAE, chief executive officer.
Foster, of Glendale, AZ, is residential faculty at Mesa Community College. His previous positions with MSNCB include serving on the Item Writers Committee for the certified medical-surgical registered nurse (CMSRN) as member and chair. He has served on the MSNCB board as a director since 2016.
Falker, of Saint Louis, MO, is a clinical nurse specialist at Washington University School of Medicine’s Barnes-Jewish Hospital. She has been involved with MSNCB for 10 years, including her role as president from 2017-21 and director from 2013-16.
Frazer, of Lexington, KY, has nearly 40 years of nursing experience in the United States Air Force. She has been involved with MSNCB for more than 10 years, including serving on the CMSRN Item Writers Committee as member and chair.
Kelly, of Bethlehem, PA, is manager, populytics care coordination, at Lehigh Valley Health Network. She has been a board member since 2017.
MSNCB’s focus is on certifying med-surg nursing, the largest nursing specialty in the U.S. The organization develops, administers, and evaluates certification programs for RNs in areas of specialty practice to obtain CMSRN certification. There are currently 40,000 nurses who have earned their CMSRN credential, one of the most prestigious achievements in med-surg nursing.
More information about the MSNCB board of directors can be found online.
International Association of Forensic Nurses to host Advocacy Day
Nurses are invited to join the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN) in Washington, DC, (or virtually) for the organization’s annual Advocacy Day Feb. 22-23. A free, members-only training event, the program will offer networking, opportunities to meet congressional representatives, and other incentives.
For more information, visit the IAFN online.
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Proposed bill could curb Indiana’s nursing shortage
The nursing shortage in the state of Indiana could see some improvement if proposed legislation to ease regulations passes.
According to a recent report by the Indianapolis Business Journal, hospital officials and other healthcare officials who support the proposal have told legislators that thousands of nursing jobs are open across the state. The Indiana House could vote soon to approve or deny a bill that would allow nursing schools to increase enrollment and hire more part-time instructors. A committee has already voted unanimously to endorse the proposal, according to the report.
Specifically, the bill would allow nursing programs that have been operating for five years or more and have an 80% or higher rate of students passing the state licensing exam to increase enrollment at any rate they deem appropriate, as opposed to the current limit of 25% per year. The bill would also reportedly allow nurses who hold a bachelor’s degree to teach associate-level nursing courses if they are enrolled and making progress in a master’s degree program.
More information on House Bill 1003 can be found online.
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Texas health system names new chief nurse
Covenant Health in Lubbock, TX, has appointed Cynthia Salisbury, MSN, as the organization’s regional chief nursing executive.
Salisbury is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing. Salisbury is certified as a family nurse practitioner who has worked with Covenant Health and held leadership roles in clinical excellence and quality, patient safety, risk management, and infection prevention for 12 years.
Under her leadership as executive director of clinical excellence, Covenant Health has consistently demonstrated top regional performance and continues to receive recognition for high quality performance by top national organizations, according to Covenant officials.
“Nursing and healthcare in general are undergoing a tremendous transformation filled with innovation and new models of care delivery,” Salisbury said in a prepared statement. “What an amazing time to step into this role and work with our courageous and dedicated team to continually advance and shape our systems of care delivery and ensure that healthcare in West Texas and eastern New Mexico is not only successful in this new era, but that it thrives. I am grateful for the team of strong, dedicated, passionate leaders, caregivers, and providers that I have the privilege of working with daily. I absolutely love this community and look forward to the opportunity to expand my ability to serve through this new role.”
Views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Elite Learning or Colibri Group. Media referenced in this news round-up does not constitute an endorsement.
