Designed to assist in the application process for the TrueNorth Award, CCI staff reviews components of the application, examines the scoring rubric and answers participants’ questions.

1. +
The Process for Recognizing Excellence
in Perioperative Certification
April 11, 2017
SETTING
THE
COURSE
FOR TRUE
NOTH

2. +
HOUSEKEEPING
DETAILS
 Today’s webinar is being recorded and will be available on our
website within a few days.
 Submit questions via the chat feature in the lower right hand
corner of your screen.
 Questions will be answered at the end of the webinar.
 If you need additional information or support, please call Olga
Mironova at 303-368-6728.

3. +
PRESENTER
Olga Mironova, BA
Test Development Specialist
TrueNorth Program Coordinator

4. +
PRESENTATION OBJECTIVES
 Review components of TrueNorth application.
 Provide overview of evaluation process.
 Discuss common questions related to completing a TrueNorth
application.

5. +
SECTIONS OF TRUE NORTH
APPLICATION
Workforce Statistics (20 points)
Letters of Endorsement (10 points)
Rewards and Recognition (30 points)
Impact of Certification (40 points)
TOTAL = 100 points

6. +
WORKFORCE STATISTICS
(20 points)
Total number of certified (CNOR + CSSM) FTE periop nurses 
total number of FTE periop nurses eligible for certification (both
certified and uncertified) X 100
Example:
26 CNORs + 1 CSSM = 27 certified nurses
Total number of eligible staff (certified and uncertified) = 32
27  32 = .84 X 100 = 84% of eligible staff are certified.

7. +
LETTERS OF ENDORSEMENT
(10 points)
 Letter from Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) (5 points)
 Letter from Manager or Director of Surgical Services (5 points)

8. +
REWARDS AND RECOGNITION
(30 points)
A. Evidence of Recognition (7 points)
B. Organizational Recognition (7 points)
C. Perioperative Department Recognition (7 points)
D. Demonstration of Expertise by Certificants (5 points)
E. Other Achievements (4 points)

9. +
REWARDS AND RECOGNITION
Category 3A: Evidence of Recognition (7 points)
 Recognition activities for certified nurses
 500 word limit
Example:
 Newsletters
 Posters
 Facility sponsored meals

10. +
REWARDS AND RECOGNITION
Category 3B: Organizational Recognition (7 points)
 Facility programs that support certified nurses
 500 word limit
Example:
 Clinical ladder with awards for certification
 Pay raise or bonus for certification
 Reimbursement for certification prep course

11. +
REWARDS AND RECOGNITION
Category 3C: Perioperative Department Recognition (7 points)
 Programs in place in your department that support certified nurses
 500 word limit
Example:
 Department participates in the CCI Take 2 Program
 Department holds CCI Strong Recognition
 Department has perioperative journal club

12. +
REWARDS AND RECOGNITION
Category 3D: Demonstration of Expertise by Certificants (5
points)
 Achievements of Certified Nurses
 500 word limit
Example:
 Publishing a professional article
 Presentation at a professional meeting
 Volunteering with certification organization

13. +
REWARDS AND RECOGNITION
Category 3E: Other Achievements (4 points)
 Other activities related to promotion of certification
 500 word limit
Example:
 Noteworthy achievements which were not covered in any of the
previous categories.

14. +
IMPACT OF CERTIFICATION
(40 points)
The intent of this section is to answer the
question –
How are certified nurses applying their knowledge and
expertise to effect positive change in patient and
nursing outcomes?

15. +
IMPACT OF CERTIFICATION
(40 points)
A written description of how certification has produced
positive change within the facility:
 Limited to 1000 words of text.
 Specific examples should be provided.
 The emphasis is on measurable outcomes.
 Trends and comparisons to external and internal
benchmarks will help to substantiate the achievements.

16. +
IMPACT OF CERTIFICATION
(40 points)
Examples:
 Accomplishments of certified preceptors (i.e. number of
orientees brought on to staff, retention rate for new staff).
 Accomplishments of CCI Champions or Coaches.
 QI, EBP or research performed by certified nurses.
 Results of employee engagement surveys and its
relationship to certification.

17. +
STEPS IN APPLICATION
PROCESS
1. Review application instructions.
2. Gather letters of support from both the organization’s Chief
Nursing Officer (CNO) and Director/Manager of Surgical
Services
3. Complete online application.
NOTE: all activities and accomplishments listed in the
application have to be dated after January 1, 2014.

18. +
APPLICATION EVALUATION
AND SCORE REPORTING
 An independent selection committee appointed by the
President of the CCI Board of Directors will review and
evaluate application and will choose the award recipient.
 Winner announcement: January, 2018.
 Score Report and a feedback sessions with CCI staff members
will be available upon request.

19. +
IMPORTANT DATES
Online application is already open!
Nominations must be submitted online no later than11:59 pm on
November 1, 2017.
 Incomplete or partial submissions will not be accepted.
All activities and accomplishments listed in the application have
to be dated after January 1, 2014.
Winner will be announced on January, 2018.

20. +
RESOURCES
TrueNorth home page http://www.cc-institute.org/truenorth-award
 Application Link
 Application Instructions
 Scoring Rubrics
 Application FAQ
 Webinar Recording

21. +
RESOURCES
CCI staff is always here to help you achieve your goal of
recognizing your staff who hold a perioperative certification.
If you have questions, please contact Olga at
303-368-6728 or omironova@cc-institute.org

22. +
QUESTIONS