PHILADELPHIA, PA – After serving one year as president‐elect, Stephen Patten MSN, RN, CNS, CNOR, was recently inducted as president of the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS) at the NACNS Annual Conference held March 10- 11, 2011 in Baltimore, MD.
Patten took the office of president-elect in March 2010. Patten is a Perioperative Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) for the Operative Care Division at the Portland Department of Veterans Affairs. In this Magnet-awarded facility, Patten works with a team of twelve CNSs to improve patient outcomes. “Clinical Nurse Specialist are experts at system change and have a significant contribution to leading successful transformation during this era of healthcare reform implementation,” said Stephen Patten. “The CNS is an important advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) role. As president of NACNS, I will work to inform policymakers about this role and its contribution to the healthcare system.”
In addition to his volunteer work with NACNS, Stephen Patten has worked with the Association of perioOperative Registered Nurses and the American Association of Tissue Banks. He has held local and national leadership roles in these organizations for the last fifteen years.
Patten was trained as a medic in the U.S. Army. His military career spans approximately 20 years of active duty and reserve duty. Patten began his nursing career with an associate’s degree in nursing from Mt. Hood Community College. He earned a BA from Linfield College, 1985, and his BSN from Graceland College, 1998. He received his MSN in Nursing in 2004.
“Stephen is a strong, seasoned leader” stated Patti Zuzelo, EdD, RN, ACNS-BC, ANP- BC, CRNP, NACNS’ immediate past-president. “I am convinced that Stephen is the right person at the right time for NACNS. He will certainly take on the challenges of this role and set a direction for the association that will increase the visibility of the CNS role.”