San Diego, CA – The National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS) today presented its prestigious Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) of the Year Award to Colonel Carole Farley, MS, RN, CCNS, CCRN, CMC, CHFN, Critical Care Master Clinician/CNS assigned to the 96th Medical Group on the Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. The 96th Medical Group is the fifth largest U.S. Air Force hospital with 1,600 personnel, 55 beds and 68 ambulatory care areas.
The Award recognizes an NACNS member for outstanding professional achievement in all aspects of CNS practice. It is presented each year to a nurse who demonstrates CNS competencies and exemplary practice in patient care, nursing and health care delivery systems.
Colonel Farley’s expertise and influence have helped the 96th Medical Group earn “Best Hospital” of the year awards in 2011, 2012 and 2013 and the title of “Top Performer” from The Joint Commission for pneumonia, surgical care and venous thromboembolism prevention. She was deployed to Afghanistan and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for her leadership and actions in the war zone. Her CNS expertise and professional influence directly contributed to a 98 percent patient survival rate of war wounded.
Colonel Farley also oversees critical care nurses’ skills to ensure they are competent to deploy to a combat zone and because of her critical care expertise, she was appointed to the position of Air Force Surgeon General Consultant for Critical Care Nursing, overseeing the practice of 397 critical care nurses.
“It is our great honor to present the CNS of the Year Award to Colonel Farley,” said NACNS 2015 President Peggy Barksdale, MSN, RN, OCNS-C, CNS-BC. “Her service to her country and her commitment as a CNS to ensuring that our men and women in uniform get the highest quality of evidence-based care is truly inspirational. Among other achievements, she instituted multidisciplinary rounds, and was the 96th Medical Group’s lead for Partnerships for Patients, an Air Force initiative to address and reduce the incidence of ten common hospital acquired conditions. Her work, both stateside and in Afghanistan is exemplary.”
Farley earned her BSN from Bowling Green University and her Master of Science in Emergency, Trauma and Critical Care from the University of Maryland.