Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Chapter 09: Building a Professional Practice Model for Excellence in Critical Care Nursing

Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Characteristics of Nursing as a Profession

Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins A Professional Practice Model for Critical Care Nursing

Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Positions Held by Critical Care Nurses

Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Break-out of Professions by Clinical Specialty

Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Nursing Degrees Obtained by Critical Care Nurses

Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Critical Care Nurses: Years in Practice

Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Professional Certifications Held by Critical Care Nurses See page 115 for statistics.

Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Core Values: American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) See Box 9-2.

Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Question In which of the following critical care units should the nurse expect to receive the Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence? A. A unit where the nurses have scheduling conflicts when trying to further their education B. A unit that follows AACN’s Standards of Care and embraces professionalism C. A unit that has a short orientation program D. A unit that uses mandatory education and has a low staff retention rate

Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Answer B. A unit that follows AACN’s Standards of Care and embraces professionalism Rationale: Beacon Award criteria include recruitment and retention rates, process of ongoing education, training, and mentoring, use of evidence-based practice guidelines and research, patient outcomes, existence of a healthy work environment, and leadership and organizational ethics. A unit that embraces professionalism and follows the recommended standards of care meets the criteria.

Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Question Which of the following characteristics show that critical care nursing is a profession? A. The services provided are needed by society. B. The body of knowledge is supported by research. C. There is a code of ethics to guide practice. D. All of the above

Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Answer D. All of the above Rationale: According to Kelly’s characteristics of a profession as noted in Box 9-1, all the answers show that critical care nursing is a profession. Society needs critical care nursing to provide life-saving intensive care. The AACN provides research-based knowledge that drives critical care textbooks and builds the framework for the standards of care. AACN adheres to the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics and has statements about ethics as well.

Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Question A critical care nurse brings into the patient’s room only the supplies needed to care for the patient. This reflects which of the AACN core values? A. Accountability B. Acting with integrity C. Demonstrating stewardship D. Promoting innovation

Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Answer C. Demonstrating stewardship Rationale: Demonstrating stewardship involves not wasting resources; taking more supplies than needed into the room would deplete supplies that other patients need. Accountability deals with acting in an ethical fashion. Acting with integrity involves maintaining open and honest communication and keeping commitments. Promoting innovation involves using creativity wisely to improve nursing practice after considering the risks and benefits of the innovation.