AACN advanced critical care
-
The mission of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses focuses on providing nurses with expert knowledge to promote delivery of excellent, safe, quality care to acutely and critically ill patients and their families. Chapters consist of professional leaders in a community who carry on the mission work of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses at the local level. Chapters can emphasize the value of certification and continuing education, because they offer a wide spectrum of opportunities to meet the learning and developmental needs of nurses as they advance in their professional careers. This article will highlight strategies that can be implemented by local chapters to facilitate and promote certification.
-
Certification benefits nurses, patients and their families, and hospitals. Nurses become certified for various reasons: personal challenge; self-improvement; advancement of knowledge and education; demonstration of mastery of skills, knowledge, and abilities; and commitment to lifelong learning and career growth. However, there are also barriers to certification. ⋯ Nurse leaders play a pivotal role in supporting nurses to obtain and maintain specialty nursing certification. Nurse leaders may promote certification, support nurses who are on their certification journey, and reward and recognize those staff that become certified. This article will share practices to increase the number of specialty certified nurses in your unit or organization.
-
Certification is defined in the nursing literature in several ways; no one consistent definition of certification exists. Nursing specialty certification programs are intended for consumer protection. ⋯ However, benefits for stakeholders other than patients and families are also described in the literature. This article describes the value of specialty certification from the perspective of the patient and family, nurse, and employer.
-
The purpose of this article is to provide a road map for individuals and chapters to use in beginning a certification program. The Heart of the Piedmont Chapter used the mission, vision, and values of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses to create an environment of safety and expert care for patients and their families. The journey began when our chapter realized that there were only a few certified nurses in our chapter and hospital. ⋯ Collaborating with nursing administration, we held study groups, brought in a national speaker, and assisted with payment of the certification examination. This article describes how 1 chapter can make a positive difference in the lives of nurses and patients. Although our chapter's journey is ongoing, we hope to share our strategies for success with others.
-
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common disease in the acutely ill patient population, as a singular diagnosis or a complication of sepsis, causing significant mortality and morbidity. Progress in diagnosis, treatment, and research in AKI has been limited by the lack of a universally accepted clinical definition. ⋯ An update on the most recent concepts affecting renal pathophysiology in AKI is also presented. Current clinical tools used in diagnosing and monitoring AKI, including the development of renal biomarkers, are discussed.