Celebrating CPAN & CAPA Nurses: Fueling Hope and Healing at ABPANC’s 2025 Luncheon
On April 28, 2025, the American Board of Perianesthesia Nursing Certification, Inc. (ABPANC) gathered in Dallas, Texas, to recognize the certified perianesthesia nursing community at our annual CPAN®/CAPA® Celebration Luncheon, held in conjunction with the ASPAN National Conference.
This year’s theme, “Fueling Hope and Healing,” perfectly reflected the heart of perianesthesia nursing. Whether calming a patient in pre-op, guiding them through recovery, or supporting colleagues through challenging shifts, CPAN and CAPA certified nurses continue to be steady, compassionate forces in moments that matter most.
Honoring Excellence and Leadership in Certification
The luncheon highlighted a range of achievements across the perianesthesia nursing community.
ABPANC’s Shining Star Award recognizes ASPAN components that go above and beyond to promote and celebrate CPAN and CAPA certification. This year’s honorees stood out for their creativity, consistency, and powerful impact.
ABPANC Shining Star Award
Region 1
- NPANA – Northwest
- PANAC – California
- RMPANA – Rocky Mountain
Region 2
- TAPAN – Texas
Region 3
- MNDAKSPAN – Minnesota/Dakotas
- OPANA – Ohio
Region 4
- MASPAN – Massachusetts
Region 5
- CBSPAN – Chesapeake Bay Society
- NCAPAN – North Carolina
ABPANC’s Certification Achievement Awards celebrated hospitals and units where 75% or more of eligible perianesthesia nurses are certified. Facilities from across the country were honored for setting the standard in patient care and team excellence.
Each facility listed below has achieved 75% or more of their eligible perianesthesia nurses are CPAN or CAPA certified. This level of commitment elevates the standard of care and fosters a culture where excellence thrives.
2025 Certification Achievement Award Recipients
Adventist Health Hanford, Short Stay Surgery – Hanford, California- Inova Fairfax Medical Campus, Professional Services Building Surgery Center – Falls Church, Virginia
- Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital, HMTW PACU – The Woodlands, Texas
- The Reading Hospital SurgiCenter at Spring Ridge – Wyomissing, Pennsylvania
- Jefferson Health Methodist Hospital – Central Region PACU – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Endeavor Health Orthopedic and Spine Institute, Skokie Hospital PACU – Skokie, Illinois- Mercy Medical Center, Crane Preop – Baltimore, Maryland
- Salem Hospital PACU – Salem, Oregon
- Cedars Sinai Medical Center – Los Angeles, California, was recognized for achieving certification milestones across five certified units:
- Outpatient Stay Unit (OSU)
- 5 Pavilion PACU
- 7 PACU
- 4 Pavilion PACU
- 5 Main PACU
A new honor, the ABPANC Governance Division Award, was introduced to recognize outstanding volunteer leadership. The inaugural recipient, Lynn Nolan, MSN, RN, CPAN, CAPA, NEA-BC, was honored for her strategic leadership and long-standing service to ABPANC.
Lynn served on ABPANC’s Board for six years, including two as President (2020–2022), helping guide the organization through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She restructured our governance model, helped ensure continuity during times of uncertainty, and remained a trusted advisor to the Board and staff alike.
Before that she was shaping exam development as Co-Chair of both the Item Writing and Exam Construction Committees. Her influence is everywhere—and we’re honored to recognize her leadership, heart, and vision. Congratulations Lynn!
For 25 years ABPANC’s Advocacy Award has celebrated a CPAN or CAPA-certified nurse who demonstrates extraordinary advocacy—not only for patients, but also families, teams, and the nursing profession as a whole.
The 2025 ABPANC Advocacy Award was presented to Dolores “Dee” Buonacuore, BSN, RN, CAPA, of Virtua Marlton, New Jersey.
Dee is the kind of nurse who doesn’t just meet expectations, she transforms them. When a patient experienced a delay due to antibody identification, she didn’t just solve the problem—she created a system-wide alert across five hospitals and hundreds of care sites to prevent it from ever happening again.
When a nurse flagged a patient discharge concern, Dee stepped in, escalated the issue, and ultimately helped save a life—ensuring the family member was admitted to the ICU before they ever left the hospital.
Her leadership shows up in small moments, too: coaching new staff, reinforcing ASPAN standards, and always circling back to the “why.” When OR safety alerts failed, Dee didn’t wait, collaborated and corrected the issue in two hours flat.
As her colleagues say: “She never forgets the why,” and “She makes the hard work look easy.” Dee, thank you for being the advocate every patient wishes for, and every nurse is lucky to have beside them.
Closing Reflections: Light, Legacy, and Looking Ahead
Keynote Speaker John O’Leary
Keynote speaker John O’Leary closed the luncheon with a message of resilience, reminding us all that even in the darkest moments, nurses carry the light that guides patients and colleagues forward. His words echoed the theme—Fueling Hope and Healing—and honored the quiet strength and extraordinary dedication of CPAN and CAPA certified nurses everywhere.
From newly certified professionals to longtime credential holders, this event was a celebration of the journey, the service, and the heart of perianesthesia nursing.
To all of this year’s award recipients—congratulations, and thank you for the difference you make.
We look forward to recognizing more certified nursing excellence at the 2026 Celebration Luncheon in San Francisco, California. Until then, explore our full list of award opportunities—and consider nominating a deserving colleague whose light deserves to shine.