June 17, 2015
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Center for Reproduction and Infertility (REI) at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, a Care New England hospital, has earned the status of a Nursing Center of Excellence from The Nurses’ Professional Group of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine(ASRM). This approval status will be active for the next three years. The Nursing Center of Excellence status indicates that at least 50 percent of the registered nurses and/or nurse practitioners in the Center for Reproduction and Infertility are experienced in reproductive endocrinology nursing and have completed the additional training in this area through the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) eLearn REI Nursing Certificate Course.
A total of 16 nurses from Women & Infants Hospital completed the training course, including: Susan Bacon, RN; Lynne Browning, RN, CNM, interim nurse manager; Susan Byrne, RN; Linda Campbell, RN; Barbara Dockray, RN; Nancy Donahue, RN; Rebecca Enright, RN; Coni Ferland, RN; Lisa Konvar, RN; Angela Matarese, RN; Susan McLinden, RN; Lise McParlin, RN; Hitherias Merlino, RN; Deidre Mitchell, RN; Susan Pearson, RN; and Diane Sharkey, RN.
Angelleen Peters-Lewis, RN, PhD, chief nursing officer and senior vice president of patient services is happy to see nursing at Women & Infants continue to take steps to improve the patient experience. “The literature suggests that nursing specialty certification improves quality of care and patient outcomes. As we move toward a health care system that is focused on quality and outcomes, I am thrilled that our nurses are preparing themselves to practice to the fullest potential and make significant contributions to the quality agenda.”
“Our nurses play an integral role in patient education and satisfaction. I am incredibly proud of our team for taking the initiative to achieve this designation and enhancing the care we provide for our patients and our community,” said Maureen G. Phipps, MD, MPH, chair and Chace-Joukowsky professor in the department of obstetrics & gynecology and assistant dean for teaching and research in women’s health at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and professor of epidemiology at the Brown University School of Public Healthand chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Women & Infants Hospital and Care New England.
The Women & Infants Center for Reproduction and Infertility provides a comprehensive approach for both male and female infertility patients with a team that includes reproductive endocrinologists, nurses, social workers and other providers, working with specialists in male infertility, as needed. Specialized genetic services and consultation are also provided.
About The Nurses’ Professional Group
The Nurses’ Professional Group (NPG) is composed of nurse members of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). NPG’s purpose is to foster the Society’s goals within the practice of professional nursing. We are committed to improving patient.
About Women & Infants Hospital
Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, a Care New England hospital, is one of the nation’s leading specialty hospitals for women and newborns. A major teaching affiliate of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University for obstetrics, gynecology and newborn pediatrics, as well as a number of specialized programs in women’s medicine, Women & Infants is the 12th largest stand-alone obstetrical service in the country and the largest in New England with approximately 8,500 deliveries per year. A Designated Baby-Friendly® USA hospital, U.S.News & World Report 2014-15 Best Children’s Hospital in Neonatology and a 2014 Leapfrog Top Hospital, in 2009 Women & Infants opened what was at the time the country’s largest, single-family room neonatal intensive care unit.
Women & Infants and Brown offer fellowship programs in gynecologic oncology, maternal-fetal medicine, urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery, neonatal-perinatal medicine, pediatric and perinatal pathology, gynecologic pathology and cytopathology, and reproductive endocrinology and infertility. It is home to the nation’s first mother-baby perinatal psychiatric partial hospital, as well as the nation’s only fellowship program in obstetric medicine.
Women & Infants has been designated as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiography; a Center of Excellence in Minimally Invasive Gynecology; a Center of Biomedical Research Excellence by the National Institutes of Health (NIH); and a Neonatal Resource Services Center of Excellence. It is one of the largest and most prestigious research facilities in high risk and normal obstetrics, gynecology and newborn pediatrics in the nation, and is a member of the National Cancer Institute’s Gynecologic Oncology Group and the Pelvic Floor Disorders Network.
