Zachary Jesko, FNP-C, ACHPN, an advanced practice nurse with VNA of Northwest Indiana was recently notified that he attained certification as an Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse (ACHPN) by the Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center (HPCC), HPCC is the only organization that offers specialty certification for all levels of hospice and palliative nursing care, administrators and perinatal loss care professionals.
Together with the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association and the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation, HPCC works to advance expert care in serious illness. Certification in hospice and palliative care for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (Clinical Nurse Specialists and Nurse Practitioners) had its first national testing in May 2003 as a partnership with the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Jesko is one of slightly more than 950 nurses who hold the ACHPN credential nationally.
In addition to successfully completing the HPCC national examination, candidates for certification must complete three core courses (advanced physical assessment, advanced pathophysiology, and advanced pharmacology) as well as a clinical practicum. They must also have been functioning as a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) or Nurse Practitioner (NP) with hospice and palliative advanced nursing practice of 500 hours in the most recent 12 months or 1,000 hours in the most recent 24 months prior to applying for the exam.
Jesko earned his Associate and B.S. Degrees in Nursing Science from Purdue University North Central and his Master’s Degree in Nursing Science from Purdue University Calumet, fulfilling the requirements to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. Prior to earning his Master’s Degree, he was an Emergency Department Nurse for six years at Methodist Hospital Southlake and an Intensive Care Nurse and House Supervisor at Porter Regional Hospital. He was a Family Nurse Practitioner at Vale Park Medical Center and the Hansa Medical Group in Merrillville before joining VNANWI in 2017. He also served three tours of duty in Iraq as a member of the U.S. Army.
VNA is the most patient-focused provider of aging, palliative, hospice and grief support services in Northwest Indiana. VNA’s services provide comfort, peace-of-mind, and superior care to families working through some of life’s greatest challenges. Services include Palliative and Hospice Care, easing the burden of end-of-life care; VNA Transitions, a home based palliative care program; and, the VNA Phoenix Center, providing grief support for children and their families. In addition, the VNA provides VNA Meals on Wheels and Lifeline, a personal emergency response system, to help the ill, elderly and disabled stay safe and independent at home. The VNA is an accredited, not for profit, United Way agency serving Porter, La Porte, Lake, Jasper, and Starke counties. For more information, contact the VNA of NWI at 219.462.5195 or visit www.VNANWI.org.
