Guaranteeing continued excellence in nursing is an ongoing commitment to education. Silvercrest's Director of Staff Development provides an In-Service program for staff and brings outside educators to the institution as well. Programs that require a return to school are encouraged, and as a result, many of our Certified Nursing Assistants have earned their LPN credentials, and many LPNs have gone on to become RNs.

The significant resources of NYHQ College are now available to Silvercrest's staff, and our relationship with New York Hospital Queens allows us to send new nursing graduates to the hospital for preceptorships and in-hospital orientation before bringing them back to their new, elevated roles with us.

Judy Ingrassia, Silvercrest's VP of Nursing Services, has a special set of goals for the institution, and provides the skills and experience needed to achieve them. Central to nursing philosophy is the need to "keep raising the bar" for the quality of care. Input from the nursing staff is critical to the design of the in-service curriculum and efforts to add to the nursing "skill mix" will help guarantee ever-quicker responses to patient needs.

Silvercrest nursing also maintains its vibrancy by providing geriatric and respiratory nursing education to others. Nursing students learn first hand from seasoned staff while many at other institutions benefit from Silvercrest's educational outreach. Widening opportunities for affiliation with area educational institutions also provide Silvercrest with access to tomorrow's nursing talent, and give the department a wonderful chance to impart a love for extended care nursing to young professionals.

The commitment to nurses and their growth is mirrored in Silvercrest's relationship with its Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA). CNAs are the most important link between patients and the nursing and medical staffs, and their importance to the delivery of quality care cannot be overstated. CNAs are actively encouraged to increase their skills and extend their education. Also, evolving relationships with nearby schools will help our nursing team to impact upon the quality of education provided to those seeking CNA certificates.