Riverside Healthcare is proud to announce that Erika Ohlendorf, MSN, MBA, RN, CCRN-K, the Magnet Program manager at Riverside, has been named to the Illinois Nurses Foundation’s 2022 40 Under 40 Emerging Nurse Leaders list.

The award highlights and celebrates young nurse leaders who are making an impact on health care and the nursing profession today, and who will shape the future of the profession.

“Riverside Healthcare is a three-time Magnet Designated hospital. We could not achieve such a distinction without our nursing leaders, such as Erika,” said LaTivia Carr, chief nursing officer at Riverside Healthcare. “I want to extend my congratulations to Erika for this well-deserved recognition and honor and thank her for her continued commitment to nursing excellence here at Riverside.”

The Illinois Nurses Foundation hosted a reception to honor those named to the 2022 40 Under 40 Emerging Nurse Leaders list on September 22, in Lisle, Ill.

Erika Ohlendorf MSN, MBA, RN, CCRN-K, Magnet Program Manager

Ohlendorf currently serves as the Magnet Program manager and has been an active member of two of Riverside’s three Magnet Designation teams. As the Magnet Program manager, she oversees the nurses who make up the Riverside Shared Governance Council. The Shared Governance Council gives nurses the ability to take an active role in research, professional development, and a platform to bring new ideas to the leadership teams to better care for the community we serve. Ohlendorf works alongside nursing leadership to encourage the Riverside nurses to offer their highest thinking, kindest touch and a strong commitment to nursing excellence.

National Clinical Nurse Specialist Recognition Week (CNS Week) is September 1-7, 2022.

CNS week is an annual event that acknowledges the contributions of the nearly 90,000 Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs) in North America.

NACNS established National CNS Recognition Week (CNS week) in 2009 to commemorate and celebrate the birth of Hildegard Peplau, who was born on September 1, 1909. Dr. Peplau was a prominent nursing theorist whose landmark book, Interpersonal Relations in Nursing, emphasized the nurse-client relationship as the foundation for nursing practice and today serves as the basis of the CNS role in health care.

CNS Week is a perfect time for CNSs to celebrate and bring attention to the role, and for hospitals and health care systems to pay tribute to the valuable part CNSs play in health care and healthcare delivery.

Riverside’s Clinical Nurse Specialists include:

• Jen Dole
• Elaine Papineau
• Liz Wirth
• Deena Layton
• Margaret Ondrey
• Sue Giacchino

Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer LaTivia Carr congratulated our newest graduates of the Riverside Healthcare Transition to Practice Program. This six-month program helps new graduate nurses transition from academics to practice, further developing critical thinking, decision-making, leadership skills, and clinical skills to become successful partners in our health care team.