Lori Beaver, RN, BSN, director of surgery at Gothenburg Health, earned her Certified Nurse of the Operating Room (CNOR) credential in December 2025, marking a significant milestone in her nearly 30‑year nursing career.

Beaver joined Gothenburg Health in 2024 as the Director of Surgical Services. While CNOR certification is not a job requirement, she said achieving it was deeply meaningful.

“I love what I do, and this is a huge personal accomplishment,” she said. She encourages others in the field to pursue professional growth whenever possible. “Getting certified isn’t a requirement, but I would encourage anyone to never stop learning and improving if you have the chance.”

The CNOR credential is a nationally recognized designation for operating room nurses who meet strict professional standards. Candidates must have at least two years of OR experience prior to applying for certification, pass a comprehensive exam, and renew every five years by working full or part-time in perioperative nursing in clinical practice or research in addition to completing 125 continuing education credits.

Beaver passed the 200‑question exam. The moment she saw her results, she said she cried.

“Whenever I see someone with the CNOR credentials, I think it displays a personal commitment to his or her profession,” she said.

Beaver first explored the certification while working in Iowa as a Surgery Manager. She completed a two‑day prep course. She said at that time financial constraints and life circumstances prevented her from taking the test, but the aspiration never faded.

In March 2025, she applied for—and received—a $400 grant from the Association of Operating Room Nurses (AORN) to cover the exam fee. She registered for the exam in September and spent the fall continuing her studies before taking the test in December.

To prepare, Beaver also completed AORN’s CNOR Prep course, offered through Gothenburg Health. She is currently participating with six other staff members in the online program Peri-Op 101, which is also offered through AORN.

“All of the classes and preparation and studying just reiterates what you know,” she said.

Beaver’s nursing career began in 1997 as an LPN in a physician’s office. She later worked as an emergency room nurse before discovering her passion for surgery. In 2018 she moved from Iowa to Nebraska, serving briefly as a director of nursing in long‑term care and spending a year in nursing education before returning to surgical nursing.

“It’s a true calling,” she said. “Those of us who work in surgery love what we do. As an operating room nurse, I wanted to be certified for personal improvement as a level of expertise and to prove to myself that I could do it.”