Spelling out superior nursing for children with cancer: C-P-O-N
In more than 120 years spent serving Chicago and the surrounding areas, the Children's Memorial Hospital name has become synonymous with top-notch pediatric care. Consider the fact that the hospital treats about one-third of Chicago-area children who are diagnosed with leukemia, solid tumors or blood diseases, and treats over half of all area children who are newly diagnosed with a brain tumor. Naturally, parents find comfort in knowing that Children's Memorial offers some of the best pediatric oncologists in the country. After all, the hospital's oncologists are on faculty of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine; they have years of specialty training and hands-on experience treating children with all forms of cancer; and they are allied with one of only a handful of freestanding pediatric research centers in the country. All of these factors make Children's Memorial cancer specialists are among the nation's elite.
And so are the nurses.
As of July, 32 nurses at Children's Memorial have earned specialty certification as certified pediatric oncology nurses (CPON). Certification is based on current professional practice, and demonstrates that a nurse's knowledge is up-to-date. This is crucial considering the rapid changes in technology, treatment and research. As cancer treatments become more complex, patients require increasingly specialized care. CPON nurses have both the knowledge and experience to effectively deliver that care specifically as it applies to children's unique needs.
At Children's Memorial, CPONs can be found across the spectrum of cancer care—within the inpatient and outpatient areas, in the ambulatory stem cell unit, within the long-term follow-up program, and among the leaders of the Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases . In fact, according to the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation, more than half of all CPONs in Illinois work at Children's Memorial.
“As an advocate of the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation, the group that grants the CPON certification, I meet personally with nurses who are interested in certification,” says Janice Nuuhiwa, RN, MSN, APN/CNS, CPON. Nuuhiwa, who was named the 2005 CPON of the Year by the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation, is a staff developmental specialist who's spearheading the effort to certify all registered nurses working in the hospital's oncology department. “We do a knowledge assessment and create an individualized study plan. The hospital provides the resources and monetary support for their quest for certification.”
Beyond patient care: implications of CPON
Children's Memorial is consistently ranked as Illinois' top pediatric hospital and one of the nation's best by U.S. News & World Report. While CPON certifications boost the hospital's reputation for superior patient care, they have also had a positive impact on recruitment and retention, and employee job satisfaction. With a worldwide shortage of nurses across the span of health care providers, the recruitment and retention of the most talented individuals is essential. This is especially true in pediatric care. According to Nuuhiwa, there are fewer certified oncology nurses in pediatric than adult care because cancer care in children is such a subspecialty, and there are more opportunities in adult care due to a rapidly aging population.
“The opportunities for advancement are an important factor in maintaining our extremely low turnover and vacancy rates,” says Chief Nurse Executive Michelle Stephenson, RN, MSN. “That signifies to potential applicants that Children's Memorial provides an environment that will support their professional growth. In that sense, certification in pediatric oncology nursing not only makes better nurses of those on staff, but it brings us the best nurse candidates to care for children with cancer.”
Children's Memorial Hospital seeks philanthropic funding to enhance its programs and services. As a proud partner of the Children's Miracle Network (CMN), all funds raised in the Chicago area through CMN also benefit Children's Memorial. To find out how your support can help the hospital better serve children and families, please contact the Children's Memorial Foundation at 773.880.4237 or Foundation@childrensmemorial.org.
Last updated in December 2008