Emergency Nurses at Carolina Pines receive CEN certification
Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center is known for having a nursing staff that often goes the extra mile to receive more training and certifications. To add to the growing list of registered nurses passing the Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) exam are Frank Munn, RN Director of Emergency Services of Carolina Pines and Brandon Singletary, RN in the Emergency Department.
Frank Munn is a Hartsville native with over 23 years of healthcare experience. Munn began his career in the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, moving from an airborne medic to an airborne nurse. Choosing to care for others comes naturally to Munn.
“The military and healthcare in general to me are always about having a servant’s heart,” Munn said. “I want to help others.”
He holds so many certifications and degrees that his team jokes that his nametag needs a smaller font – MBA, BSN, RN, and now CEN.
“I have a great team here,” Munn said. “The most challenging part of working here is that you are caring for people in the community that you know and love. It’s hard sometimes when you see folks come in and they need assistance, or they have an urgent medical problem. But also, the most rewarding thing about working here is that you are caring for the people you know and love…The toughest part of our job is also the most rewarding part.”
Brandon Singletary, RN of the Emergency Department at Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center also received his CEN certification. He was recently named the Nurse of the Quarter and the DAISY Award winner for Nursing Excellence.
Singletary spent over seven years as an ICU nurse before he moved to the Emergency Department, and says that the fast-paced work suits him.
“I enjoy working with my team, we are all like a big family,” he said. “It’s a huge change from the ICU where you have one patient for a week or longer. Here, we may see them for a shorter amount of time but we get the opportunity to help each one. It changes every day.”
Singletary said that going back for the CEN certification was a challenge but well worth the reward.
“This has been a challenging, but a really good year.”
The combined efforts of the accomplished staff at Carolina Pines are instrumental in helping ensure the hospital maintains their accreditations with Joint Commission, Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program, American College of Cardiology as a Chest Pain Center and the American College of Surgeons as a Level III Trauma Center.
“What makes the Emergency Department so unique is that the nurses in this area must be adept at working with the entire human lifespan – from newborns to geriatric patients,” said Munn. “Staff must also be able to recognize and treat all medical problems and disorders. That is why this CEN accreditation is so important. To show that these nurses can take care of all these varieties of patients and they not only have a foundation, they have excelled and really have a good understanding of each problem that they may have. They truly are the best in Emergency Nursing.”
According to certification corporation BCEN®, the distinction of Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) elevates the professional standards; enhances individual performance; and demonstrates the knowledge essential to the specialty of emergency nursing care, associated specialties and subspecialties. The number of candidates who sat for the CEN exam in 2016 was 6,776 and only 4,156 passed.
To learn more about Carolina Pines, please visit www.cprmc.com
