AACN Certification Corporation — the credentialing arm of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) — announces its board of directors for fiscal year 2020, with terms effective July 1, 2019.

AACN Certification Corporation supports patient health and safety by establishing and maintaining high standards of excellence through comprehensive credentialing of acute and critical care nurses. The organization offers many nursing certification programs with more than 125,000 active certificants.

Denise Buonocore, MSN, RN, ACNPC, CCNS, CCRN, CHFN, continues as chair of the AACN Certification Corporation board of directors. This is the last year of her two-year term as chair, which will conclude June 30, 2020.

Buonocore is acute care nurse practitioner for heart failure services for St. Vincent’s Multispecialty Group at St. Vincent’s Medical Center, Bridgeport, Connecticut, where her clinical practice involves providing care for patients with heart failure in inpatient and outpatient settings. She is also a clinical preceptor for nurse practitioner students from the University of Connecticut, Yale and Sacred Heart University.

“More than 125,000 nurses hold certifications through AACN Certification Corporation,” Buonocore said. “Acute and critical care nurses need to practice to their highest potential and have the right knowledge, skills and abilities to care for really complex patients. Certification helps protect patients and families by ensuring nurses have these competencies. It’s a mark of excellence.”

Chair-elect Lisa Falcón, MSN, RN, TCRN, NE-BC, is director of trauma and injury prevention at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, New Jersey. She has over 20 years of experience in surgical critical care and trauma as a clinical nurse, clinical educator and nurse leader.

Director and consumer representative Patty Cox, MBA, also serves a one-year term as secretary/treasurer.

Linda Bay, DNP, RN, ACNS-BC, CCRN-K, PCCN-K, joins the AACN Certification Corporation board for a one-year term as a director. She is a nurse consultant with the VA Office of Inspector General in Salt Lake City.

Returning to the AACN Certification Corporation board with Dana Woods, MBA, AACN chief executive officer, are the following directors:

  • Lori Cox, MSN, RN, ACNP-BC, ACNPC, CCRN, FCCM, director of the Advanced Practice Critical Care Fellowship Program at Penn State Health, Hershey
  • Myra F. Ellis, MSN, RN, CCRN-CSC, clinical nurse IV at Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina
  • Elizabeth Scruth, PhD, MPH, RN, CCNS, CCRN, FCNS, FCCM, CPHQ, director of Tele Critical Care for Northern California - Kaiser Permanente

Each year, two members of the AACN board of directors are appointed to concurrent terms on the AACN Certification Corporation board. Serving this year:

  • Justin DiLibero, DNP, RN, APRN-CNS, CCRN-K, CCNS, ACCNS-AG, an assistant professor in the Graduate Department of Rhode Island College School of Nursing, Providence, and director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program.
  • Kiersten Henry, DNP, ACNP-BC, CCNS, CCRN-CMC, chief advanced practice clinician at MedStar Montgomery Medical Center in Olney, Maryland.

About AACN Certification Corporation: : 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, ensuring practice consistent with standards of excellence. Established in 1976, AACN Certification Corporation has granted more than 125,000 nursing certifications.

About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses: Founded in 1969 with 400 members, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) is now the world’s largest specialty nursing organization. In 2019, AACN celebrates 50 years of acute and critical care nursing excellence, serving more than 120,000 members and over 200 chapters in the United States. The organization remains committed to its vision of creating a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. During its 50th anniversary year, AACN continues to salute and celebrate all that nurses have accomplished over the last half century, while honoring their past, present and future impact on the evolution of high-acuity and critical care nursing.

American Association of Critical-Care Nurse s, 101 Columbia, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656-4109; 949-362-2000; www.aacn.org; facebook.com/aacnface; twitter.com/aacnme