Newswise — The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) will present the Flame of Excellence Award to Reynaldo “Rey” Rivera, RN, DNP, NEA-BC, FAAN, recognizing him as a champion of nurse engagement and empowerment.
Rivera will receive the award — which honors sustained contributions to acute and critical care nursing at a high level and with broad reach — at the 2014 National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition, Denver, May 17-22.
Since 2006, Rivera has worked for NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, including at its NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and NewYork-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan sites. As corporate director of professional nursing practice innovations, he oversees the implementation of evidence-based initiatives that will improve nursing practice and patient outcomes.
Among his initiatives, Rivera established a Graduate Nurse Residency Program to assist new nurses to transition into the role of professional nurse and leader at the bedside.
In addition to dramatically decreasing the attrition rate for new graduates from 50 percent to 4 percent in their first year of employment, the program led to a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration to develop internship and residency programs to encourage mentoring and the development of specialties among new nurses.
A native of the Philippines who immigrated to the United States in 1986, Rivera is past president of the Philippine Nurses Association of America (PNAA). In that role, he developed innovative programs, providing leadership development, mentoring, education and service to nurses in the United States and the Philippines.
His PNAA initiatives included a “go back and teach” program through which U.S.-based Filipino nurses share expertise with colleagues in the Philippines. He represented the PNAA as an invited participant at the 2009 and 2011 Global Forums on Migration and Development in Switzerland and the 2010 and 2011 Global Diaspora Forums convened by U.S. Department of State.
He has been a noteworthy contributor to policy development related to ethical recruitment practices and the rights of disenfranchised foreign nurses. He served on the board of directors of the Alliance for Ethical International Recruitment Practices, which ensures fair recruitment of migrant workers, and the National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurses Association to advocate for equity in nursing.
Rivera has been active as a local and regional AACN leader, serving as president of the New York City Chapter and as a chapter advisory team member.
Rivera is an appointed national board member of the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) and a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.
Rivera earned a BSN from the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center, College of Nursing, followed by a master’s degree in psychology from Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines.
He also holds two master’s degrees, both with a concentration in nursing organization executive roles, from Columbia University, New York, and a post-master’s advanced certificate in advanced nursing practice from New York University. He completed a doctor of nursing practice degree from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, with his doctoral work on nursing engagement.
About AACN’s Flame of Excellence Award: AACN’s Flame of Excellence Award recognizes consistent high-level outcomes with a broad reach in acute and critical care nursing. Selected from the AACN Circle of Excellence Society, Flame of Excellence Award recipients promote patient-driven excellence through skilled communication, collaboration and decision making that transform thinking and achieve visible results. Award recipients receive a $500 honorarium and a crystal replica of the AACN vision icon at the 2014 National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition, May 17-22, in Denver.
About the National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition: Established in 1974, AACN’s National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI) represents the world’s largest educational conference and trade show for nurses who care for acutely and critically ill patients and their families. Bedside nurses, nurse educators, nurse managers, clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners attend NTI.
About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses: Founded in 1969 and based in Aliso Viejo, Calif., the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) is the largest specialty nursing organization in the world. AACN joins together the interests of more than 500,000 acute and critical care nurses and claims more than 235 chapters worldwide. 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. www.aacn.org; facebook.com/aacnface; twitter.com/aacnme
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