AACN News—August 2000—Association News

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Vol. 17, No. 8, AUGUST 2000

Join the Circle of Excellence

Have you or someone you know helped make a difference not only in the life of a patient or family? Has a colleague been an inspiration to you and others? If so, nominate yourself or a colleague for an AACN Circle of Excellence Award. Sept. 1, 2000, is the deadline to submit nominations.

This awards program applauds exceptional practice on the part of critical care nurses in a number of areas, including caring practices, clinical practice, advanced practice, education, leadership, management, community service, mentoring, preceptorship, media, innovation and multidisciplinary team efforts.

Circle of Excellence awards range from scholarships and grants to complimentary airfare, hotel accommodations and registration to AACN’s annual National Teaching Institute.

Nominees will be sent follow-up application materials. In some cases an exemplar is required describing how a difference in a patient’s outcome was achieved. These materials will be due Nov. 1, 2000.

Following are the awards for which the application deadline is Sept. 1:

Ross Products-AACN Pioneering Spirit Award

Cosponsored by the Ross Products Division of Abbott Laboratories, this award recognizes an individual or group involved in influencing the direction of acute and critical care nursing. The contributions must be far-reaching and must exemplify a pioneering spirit. Recipients will be presented a plaque and $500 honorarium, as well as complimentary registration, airfare and hotel accommodations for the NTI in May 2001 in Anaheim, Calif.

AACN Honorary Member Award
This award is granted to individuals who are not eligible for active membership in AACN but who have contributed to the advancement of care for acute and critically ill patients and their families. The award honors those who have achieved national recognition for contributions in clinical practice, administration, education, research or legislation, and who have fostered and promoted a positive image for nursing. In addition to honorary AACN membership, recipients are presented a personalized plaque as well as complimentary registration, airfare and hotel accommodations for the NTI in 2001.

AACN Lifetime Member Award
This award recognizes AACN members who have rendered distinguished service to the association and demonstrated potential for continuing contributions to acute and critical care nursing through AACN. In addition to lifetime AACN membership, recipients are presented a personalized plaque as well as complimentary registration, airfare and hotel accommodations for the NTI in 2001.

AACN Mentoring Award
This award recognizes individuals or groups who develop and enhance another’s intellectual and technical skills, acculturating them to the professional community, and modeling a way of life and professional achievement. Recipients are presented a personalized plaque.

AACN Excellence in Caring Practices Award
Presented in honor of John Wilson Rodgers, this award recognizes nurses whose caring practices are paramount in empowering acute or critically ill patients and/or their families. Recipients will receive complimentary registration, airfare, and hotel accommodations for the NTI in 2001.

AACN Excellent Preceptor Award
This award recognizes preceptors who demonstrate the key components of the preceptor role including teacher, clinical role model, consultant and friend/advocate. Recipients will receive complimentary registration, airfare and hotel accommodations for the NTI in 2001.

3M Health Care-AACN Excellence in Clinical Practice Award

Sponsored by 3M Health Care, this award recognizes acute and critical care nurses who embody and exemplify the principles of acute and critical care nursing practice. Recipients will receive complimentary registration, airfare and hotel accommodations for the NTI in 2001.

AACN Outstanding Advanced Practice Nurse Award
This award recognizes acute and critical care advanced practice nurses who function as advanced practitioners. Recipients will receive complimentary registration, airfare and hotel accommodations for the NTI in 2001.

AACN Excellence in Education Award
This award recognizes nurse educators who facilitate the acquisition and advancement of the knowledge and skills required for competent practice and positive patient outcomes in the care of acute and critically ill patients and their families. Recipients will receive complimentary registration, airfare and hotel accommodations for the NTI in 2001.

AACN InnoVision Award
This award recognizes initiatives and programs that innovatively and collaboratively meet the needs of families of the acute and critically ill. Up to three awards, with $2,500 earmarked to fund projects, are granted to partnerships that include an AACN member, a healthcare provider organization and a community group. In addition, individual recipients will receive public recognition and a personalized plaque.

AACN Multidisciplinary Team Award
This award recognizes a multidisciplinary team that clearly practices key principles of collaboration and multidisciplinary practice. Up to three awards are given to multidisciplinary teams, with $2,500 earmarked to fund projects. In addition, individual recipients will be given public recognition and a personalized plaque.

Seabury & Smith-AACN Community Service Award

Cosponsored by Seabury & Smith, this award recognizes significant service by acute and critical care nurses, as individuals or in groups, who make a contribution to their community. Individuals or groups selected will receive a complimentary registration to the NTI, or they may choose up to $500 toward speaker fees for an educational symposium.

AACN Excellence in Management Award
This award recognizes managers who demonstrate excellence in coordination of available resources to efficiently and effectively care for acute or critically ill patients and their families. Recipients will receive complimentary registration, airfare and hotel accommodations for the NTI in 2001.

For more information about the Circle of Excellence awards program or to obtain an awards guide, call (800) 899-AACN (2226) or visit the AACN Web site at http://www.aacn.org. Click on “Awards.”

Public Policy Update

For more information, on these and other issues, visit the “Public Policy” area of the AACN Web site at www.aacn.org.

Senate OKs Health, Education, Labor Funds
The Senate passed a massive spending bill for health, education and labor programs to provide more money for schools and medical research. The $350 billion bill, $20 billion more than the current funding level, represents the largest amount of domestic spending for the next fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1, 2000.

President Clinton had threatened to veto the House-passed version of the bill, which was approximately $8 billion less than that of the Senate. Democrats contended that the House version failed to protect people from discrimination based on genetic information, or to expand patients’ rights with their managed healthcare plans. Clinton’s differences with the Republicans on this bill will likely be resolved in negotiations to complete the budget and adjourn Congress before the November 2000 elections.

In other actions taken at the end of June 2000, Republicans voted to block the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) from imposing workplace standards to protect people from ergonomic injuries. The proposed rules are the first attempt to establish broad federal standards that incorporate the principle of ergonomics by adjusting the workplace to the physical needs of workers.

Business groups complained that the proposed rules were overreaching and burdensome to employers, while labor unions pushed for the safeguards to prevent 1.8 million workplace injuries each year because of overexertion and repetitive motion. One-third of these cases force workers to take time off. Officials say that a projected annual reduction of 300,000 potentially disabling injuries would save employers $9 billion in annual workers’ compensation costs. The vote prevents OSHA from issuing final rules before the end of the year.

Republicans also defeated Democrats’ efforts to provide new patient protections from managed healthcare companies and from insurer and workplace discrimination, based on health information from genetic testing. Instead, Republicans passed a modified HMO rights measure offering limited rights to sue health plans. This version would allow people to sue in federal court after exhausting the appeals process, if the health plan did not comply with the appeals decision. The plan would apply mainly to 56 million Americans enrolled in a specific type of federally regulated group health plan. The Democrats want coverage for all 161 million privately insured Americans.

In the same week that scientists announced they had mapped the human genetic code, the Senate defeated a plan by Democrats to bar employers and insurers from requiring genetic tests or basing health coverage or employment conditions on genetic information that indicated a predisposition to illnesses. Instead, the Senate reaffirmed a narrower, previously approved bill to protect patients from genetic discrimination by health insurers.

House Passes Physician Collective Bargaining Bill
H.R. 1304, the Quality Health-Care Coalition Act of 2000, sponsored by Rep. Tom Campbell (R-Calif.) was passed by the House in June 2000. The bill, which would make doctors exempt from major provisions of the antitrust laws, entitles all healthcare professionals negotiating contract terms for benefit coverage with health plans to the same protection afforded to collective bargaining units recognized under the National Labor Relations Act. The bill does not give doctors the right to strike or to withhold services from patients.

In lobbying for the bill, the American Medical Association said that doctors needed protection in advocating for their patients in dealing with large insurance companies and HMOs. The House bill would grant immunity from the antitrust laws to independent doctors who say they need more leverage to negotiate on such issues as working conditions, the quality of care and the number of patients they must see in a day. Doctors who are employees at hospitals can join labor unions and collectively negotiate with their employers under existing law.

Passage of the Campbell bill has triggered a battle of lobbyists that reflects the struggle between doctors and insurance companies to control patient care. The bill is opposed by groups representing nurses, nurse practitioners and midwives, who fear doctors will demand that health plans restrict their roles. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott said he will not support the House-approved collective-bargaining bill. The full text of the bill can be found at .

Protections Proposed for Human Subjects in Clinical Trials
H. R. 4605, the Human Research Subject Protections Act of 2000, which was introduced by Reps. Donna DeGette (D-Colo.), Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), and John Mica (R-Fla.), is aimed at protecting patients involved in clinical trials. The bill proposes standards for research institutions and increases funding for the federal Office for Protection of Human Subjects. The legislation’s goal, according to DeGette’s office, is to improve training of hospital institutional research board members and improve the informed consent processes.

The Association of American Medical Colleges has endorsed the bill. In addition, a proclamation by 300 medical schools, teaching hospitals, patient groups, healthcare associations and scientific societies noted their commitment to providing safe environments for patients in clinical research. In the proclamation, the organizations pledge to uphold the trust involved in informed consent and emphasize the importance of adhering to federal regulations for human research and the need for adequate resources, training and support for members of institutional review boards. The bill was referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.

Panel Approves Medical Privacy Bill
H.R. 4585, the Medical Financial Privacy Protection Act, was approved by the House Banking Committee in June 2000. The purpose of the bill is to strengthen consumers’ control over the use and disclosure of their health information by financial institutions, or for other purposes. It would require financial companies to obtain customer consent before sharing medical data with other firms or using it to make decisions about granting credit.

The committee voted 26-14 to approve the bill, sponsored by its chairman, Rep. Jim Leach, (R-Iowa). The measure is similar to the medical-data provisions of legislation recently proposed by the Clinton administration and Democratic lawmakers. Both proposals go beyond privacy rules included in legislation that President Clinton signed into law in November 1999, which removed Depression-era barriers and allowed banks, brokerage firms and insurers to share information. The premise is that a consumer who, for example, applies for a loan or credit card should not have to worry about being rejected because of medical data provided to the bank by an insurance company with which it is affiliated. The Senate has not acted on similar legislation.

The medical privacy bill would:
• Require financial companies to obtain customers’ express written consent before disclosing “individually identifiable’’ health or medical data to an affiliated company or any other firm, such as a telemarketer.
• Prohibit financial companies from using health or medical data in deciding whether to grant credit without the prospective borrower’s express consent.
• Require separate and specific customer consent for disclosure of information regarding mental health, substance abuse treatment and sexually-transmitted diseases including HIV and AIDS, as well as genetic information.
• Give consumers the right to inspect, copy and correct health or medical data that are under the control of a financial company.
• Prohibit financial companies from requiring or coercing consumers into agreeing to sharing their health or medical data as a condition of obtaining a loan or other financial product.

Supreme Court Rules Against HMO Lawsuits
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that HMOs offering bonuses to their employee-physicians to hold down costs do not violate their obligations to patients under federal law, regardless of whether a decision results in mistreatment of the patient. The financial incentives are how Congress intended HMOs to work, the justices said in the ruling, which has closed one legal avenue for patients’ lawsuits. However, the possibility of lawsuits in state courts remains open. In a case with broad ramifications for the managed healthcare industry and 185 million patients, the court said patients cannot sue their HMOs under the terms of a 1974 federal law that set out the obligations of administrators of employee-benefit plans.

The justices barred a lawsuit by an Illinois woman, who blames the fact that her appendix ruptured on inadequate care. The court said federal law does not allow Cynthia Herdrich of Bloomington, Ill., to sue her HMO on a claim that it violated its duty to act in patients’ best interests. Writing for the court, Justice David Souter said, “Since the provision of profit is what makes the HMO a proprietary organization, (Herdrich’s) remedy in effect would be nothing less than elimination of the for-profit HMO.” Souter added, “for over 27 years the Congress of the United States has promoted the formation of HMO practices. The federal judiciary would be acting contrary to the congressional policy of allowing HMOs, if it were to entertain (a claim) portending wholesale attacks on existing HMOs solely because of their structure.”

By deciding Herdrich cannot sue her HMO under federal law, the court appeared to be leaving open the possibility of filing such lawsuits in state courts, if allowed by the law of a particular state. Some patients’ rights advocates prefer the alternative, because the federal law on which Herdrich based her lawsuit strictly limits damage awards.

The case is only one of several fronts in the war over managed care. Other lawsuits against HMOs accuse them of violating a racketeering law by concealing doctors’ financial incentives to hold down treatment costs.

Keep Track of Legislation Online

By Mary E. Holtschneider, RN, BSN, MPA

The Internet makes it easy to stay up-to-date on just about everything, including public policy issues.

The AACN Web site is an excellent place to track legislative activities. Simply go to http://www.aacn.org and click on “Public Policy.”

Here you can read about AACN’s public policy involvement and monthly updates on issues that are important to critical care nurses. You can even learn how a bill becomes a law by clicking on “Introduction to the Legislative and Regulatory Process.”

The “Public Policy” area of the Web site also provides links to other relevant sites, including the “Library of Congress,” from which you can obtain congressional information and search for bills through the “Thomas” area, named for Thomas Jefferson. You can search for a specific bill or search by keyword. For example, a search for “medical error reduction” will find applicable bills, including the Medical Error Reduction Act of 2000 (S. 2038). You can obtain the full text of the bill, find out who the sponsors are and determine where the bill is in the legislative process.

Other useful information available in the “Public Policy” area of the AACN Web site includes individual state legislature sites, general public policy sites and health policy statistical information.

Of course, communicating your opinions to your elected representatives is an essential part of the legislative process. To find out who your representatives are, visit the American Nurses Association Web site at http://www.nursingworld.org and click on “CapitolWiz.” Type in your ZIP code to locate your congresspersons and senators, and their contact information.

Mary E. Holtschneider is a clinical nurse educator at Duke University Health System, Durham, N.C. She is chair of the AACN Education Work Group and is a member of both the AACN Public Policy Work Group and the AACN Online Advisory Team.

On the Agenda
Following are decisions and discussions that took place during the AACN Board of Directors’ June 2000 conference call.

Agenda Item: Professional Development
The board reviewed strategies proposed by the 1999-2000 Professional Development Think Tank to achieve the association’s education agenda for professional development. The agenda, which is linked to AACN’s strategic and operating plan, is intended to guide development of educational tools, resources and delivery methods for critical care nurses. The Education Work Group for 2000-01 will refine and recommend implementation of these strategies.

Agenda Item: Nominating Committee Report
The board reviewed recommendations from the 1999-2000 Nominating Committee on ways to improve the annual nominating and election process. Included were that voting trends among members be reported each year and that the online voting process, used for the first time this year, be evaluated to identify not only its effectiveness, but also member satisfaction with the method.

Agenda Item: ICU Overflow Position Statement
The board approved a position statement setting out criteria that should be met when ICU overflow patients must be admitted to a postanesthesia care unit or when stays for surgical ICU patients must be prolonged. The position statement was developed jointly by AACN, the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses and the the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Anesthesia Care Team Committee and Committee on Critical Care Medicine and Trauma Medicine. (See related article, page 17)

Agenda Item: Board Evaluation Process
Based on prior discussions, the board finalized the process under which the board and its individual members are evaluated annually. Evaluation tools were also approved. The policy establishes the guiding principles, steps and timelines for conducting the evaluations to ensure that the AACN Board of Directors optimally contributes to the ability of the organization to effectively attain its goals and outcomes.

Agenda Item: Bylaws Revisions
In addition to minor technical changes to the bylaws of AACN and AACN Certification Corporation, a new AACN membership category for permanently retired or permanently disabled members was approved by the board. The category, which will be available in 2001, was recommended in response to requests from members who, though no longer practicing,, wanted to continue their affiliation through membership in AACN. The change brings the total number of membership options to nine. The other membership categories are active, emeritus, lifetime, international, honorary, student, affiliate and corporate.

For a Healthier Tomorrow Go Online

You can find out more online about the Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow campaign to combat the growing shortage of nurses through recruitment and retention efforts. Supported by AACN and a coalition of 15 other nursing and healthcare organizations, the campaign recently launched its Web site at http://www.Nursesource.org.

Contributions to help fund the campaign can be sent to Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow, 550 W. North St., Indianapolis, IN 46202. Make checks payable to Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow/STTI.

For more information, contact Kathy Bennison at Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, 550 W. North St., Indianapolis, IN 46202; phone, (888) 634-7575; e-mail, bennison@stti.iupui.edu.

End-of-Life Series to Air in September 2000

A four-part PBS series, titled “On Our Own Terms: Moyers on Dying,” will air Sept. 10 through 13. Led by Bill and Judith Davidson Moyers following two years of research, the series focuses on end-of-life issues facing the dying, their families, and their caregivers, as well as the growing struggle to balance medical intervention with comfort and humanity.

The series is accompanied by an extensive community action and education campaign to improve care for the dying. AACN is taking a leadership role in the community-based campaign to improve care for the dying.

Following is information about each day’s programs on PBS. Check local listings for times.
• Sept. 10—“Living with Dying” will explore America’s search for new ways of thinking about death. It will focus on ways to overcome the fear and denial associated with dying and open conversations to help people live with dying.
• Sept. 11—“A Different Kind of Care” will report on the evolution of palliative care. Emphasized will be pain management and the need to address a patient’s psychological, emotional and spiritual well-being, as well as physical condition.

• Sept. 12—“A Death of One’s Own” will examine issues surrounding efforts to control the circumstances of a patient’s death, as well as the implications for families, institutions and communities.
• Sept. 13—“A Time to Change” will follow crusading individuals who offer palliative care to the working poor and the uninsured, whose work is creating models for change.

For more information, visit the “On Our Own Terms” Web site at http://www.thirteen.org/onourownterms.

Congratulations! AACN Volunteer Committee Appointments Announced

Aventis Scholarships Give 30 Members Their First NTI Experience

Recipients of NTI scholarships funded by Aventis Pharmaceuticals gathered in Orlando, Fla., at the Aventis Breakfast Session.

A $30,000 contribution to AACN by Aventis Pharmaceuticals made it possible for 30 critical care nurses to experience their first AACN National Teaching Institute and Critical Care Exposition in May 2000.

The Aventis contribution was used to support 30 $1,000 scholarships, which the recipients applied toward the expenses of attending the NTI in Orlando, Fla. Selected for the scholarships by AACN chapters, the recipients had all worked in critical care for less than two years. They were also guests at the Aventis-sponsored Breakfast Session at the NTI.

Following are the scholarship recipients and their chapter affiliations:

FCCS Course Builds on Success at NTI

The Fundamental Critical Care Support (FCCS) course, which preceded AACN’s National Teaching Institute in May 2000, proved successful, with a test pass rate of 100% and 30 instructor candidates registered.

Enrollment in the course was double that of 1999, the first year the course was scheduled as a preconference to the NTI. Evaluations completed by participants were positive.

The fact that participants received textbooks a month in advance of the course was cited as helpful.

This year’s course was part of the advanced practice track at NTI, with instructor candidates required to be either ACNP or CCRN certified and have a master’s degree in critical care.

CCRNs are also eligible to become course sponsors. A recent fee reduction is expected to enhance the sponsorship feasibility.

For more information about the FCCS course, e-mail mary@sccm.org, or visit the SCCM Web site at http://www.sccm.org. Click on “FCCS Course Schedule.”

CDS Plans Portfolio Series

Rosemary Westra, RNC, MS, is the new manager of continuing education and career development services for Cross Country University, a subsidiary of Cross Country/TravCorps. Her responsibilities include direction of the Career Development Service (CDS) alliance between AACN and Cross Country/TravCorps.

CDS offers AACN members direct access to career development professionals in three major areas: career counseling, career placement and career resources and information. One of Westra’s responsibilities will be to focus on growing CDS, an alliance between AACN and Cross Country/TravCorps. Among her initiatives is maximizing career strategies for AACN members through a series of articles in AACN News on building career portfolios.

Westra, who joined Cross Country/TravCorps in 1999 as a clinical liaison, has more than 25 years of experience in nursing education, quality improvement and individualized career counseling for nurses. She earned her bachelor of science in nursing degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and her master of science degree in nursing from Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Mass. Certified in continuing education/staff development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, Westra has published numerous articles and presented clinical and quality improvement topics in a variety of settings.

For more information about CDS, call (800) 899-2226, or visit the AACN Web site at http://www.aacn.org. Click on “Careers.”

Criteria for ICU Overflow Patient Care in PACUs

Concerns about the increasing use of Phase I postanesthesia care units (PACUs) to care for critically ill patients prompted AACN to join with two other professional associations in developing a position statement that recommends specific criteria for such admissions.

The Joint Position Statement on ICU Overflow Patients was developed by AACN, the American Society of PostAnesthesia Nurses (ASPAN) and the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Anesthesia Care Team Committee and Committee on Critical Care Medicine and Trauma Medicine. The position statement is intended to ensure quality care for patients and safe practices for nursing staff.

The ASPAN Standards and Guidelines Committee identified several areas of concern for PACUs when accommodating ICU overflow patients. Included were staffing requirements and inadequate training or competency validation for the PACU staff.

Following are the criteria recommended:
• It must be recognized that the primary responsibility for Phase I PACU is to provide the optimal standard of care to the postanesthesia patient and to effectively maintain the flow of the surgery schedule.

• Appropriate staffing requirements should be met to maintain safe, competent nursing care of the postanesthesia patient as well as the ICU patient. Staffing criteria for the ICU patient should be consistent with ICU guidelines and based on individual patient acuity and needs.
• Because Phase I PACUs are essentially critical care units, staff should meet the competencies required for the care of the critically ill patient. These include, but are not limited to ventilator management, hemodynamic monitoring and medication administration.
• Management should develop and implement a comprehensive resource utilization plan with ongoing assessment that supports the staffing needs for both the PACU and ICU patients when the need for overflow admission arises.
• Management should have a multidisciplinary plan to address appropriate utilization of ICU beds. Admission and discharge criteria should be used to determine the necessity for critical care and priority for admissions.
ASPAN, AACN and the ASA committees encourage their members to actively pursue the education and development of competencies required to care for critically ill patients in the perianesthesia environment and to actively identify strategies to address complex staffing issues.

Health Insurance Options Available

Health insurance alternatives are available through Seabury & Smith to AACN members who are covered by Continental Casualty Company, which is in the process of terminating its program by the end of 2000. The options available to members are part of Seabury & Smith’s market basket program. Information is available from Mark Michalik in the Health Insurance Information Department at Seabury & Smith, (800) 900-9772, ext. 34449.

Be an AACN Member Recruiter

You could receive valuable prizes by simply recruiting new AACN members under the AACN Member-Get-A-Member campaign, which ends Dec. 31, 2000.

Recruiters, in both individual and chapter categories, will be entered into a prize drawing each time a new member lists them on the “referred by” line of his or her application. This means that the chances of winning prizes increases with each new member recruited.

However, the rewards start up front, because recruiters will receive a free gift the first time a qualified new-member application is received.

Following are the prizes that will be awarded:

Grand Prize
(one per category)
Registration, airfare and hotel for NTI 2001, May 19 through 24

First Prize
(one per category)
Three-year membership to AACN (a $211 value) or an AACN gift certificate of equal value

Second Prize
(two per category)
Two-year membership to AACN (a $148 value) or an AACN gift certificate of equal value

Third Prize
(three per category)
One year membership to AACN (a $78 value) or an AACN gift certificate of equal value

For more information about this new Member-Get-A-Member campaign or to receive member recruitment materials, call (800) 899-AACN (2226), or visit the AACN Web site at http://www.aacn.org.

Membership Fee Discounted When You Join in Groups of 5 or More

Join or renew your membership in AACN with four or more of your colleagues and receive a discount on the membership fee. Under the program, both new and renewing members or affiliate members can pay $69 per year instead of the regular $78 annual fee if they join in groups of five or more.

The group discount also applies to international, student and emeritus memberships.

For more information about this new program or to obtain a group membership application form, call (800) 899-AACN (2226), or visit the AACN Web site at http://www.aacn.org.

Good Through September 2000: Receive a Free Educational Tool When You Order From AACN

Order a product from the AACN Resource Catalog during August or September 2000 and receive an educational tool valued at up to $10 free, while supplies last.
You can order online by visiting the “Bookstore” area of the AACN Web site at http://www.aacn.org, or by calling (800) 899-AACN (2226). Mailed orders must be postmarked by Sept. 30, 2000, to be eligible for this special offer.

Limit one coupon per order. Not redeemable for cash. Offer good only on products ordered directly from AACN.

Looking Ahead

September 2000

Sept. 1 Deadline for nominations for AACN Circle of Excellence Awards for 2001. For more information or to obtain an awards guide, call
(800) 899-AACN (2226) or visit the AACN Web site at http://www.aacn.org. Click on “Awards.”

Sept. 1 Deadline to submit research and research utilization abstracts or creative solutions abstracts for AACN’s National Teaching Institute and Critical Care
Exposition, May 19 through 24, 2001, in Anaheim, Calif. To obtain abstract forms, call (800) 899-AACN (2226), or visit the AACN Web site at
http://www.aacn.org.

Sept. 1 Deadline for applications to be received for Agilent Technologies-AACN Critical Care Nursing Research Grant. To obtain application materials and
instructions, call (800) 899-AACN (2226), or visit the “Research” section of the AACN Web site at http://www.aacn.org.

Sept. 10-13 “On Our Own Terms: Moyers on Dying,” PBS series examining end-of-life issues. For more information, visit the “On Our Own Terms” Web site at http://www.thirteen.org/onourownterms.

Sept. 20-30 South America Study Tour. To request a brochure, call (949) 673-3596.

October 2000

Oct. 1 Proposals due for AACN Data-Driven Clinical Practice Grant. To obtain application materials and instructions, call (800) 899-AACN (2226), or visit the
“Research” section of the AACN Web site at http://www.aacn.org.

Oct. 1 Proposals due for AACN Clinical Practice Grant. To obtain application materials and instructions, call (800) 899-AACN (2226), or visit the “Research”
section of the AACN Web site at http://www.aacn.org.

Oct. 1 Proposals due for AACN-Sigma Theta Tau Critical Care Grant. To obtain application materials and instructions, call (800) 899-AACN (2226), or visit the
“Research” section of the AACN Web site at http://www.aacn.org.

Currents

Advanced Burn Life Support
Two courses in Advanced Burn Life Support (ABLS) will be offered in August 2000 in Albuquerque, N.M. The ABLS Provider Course will be Aug. 18 and the ABLS Pre-Hospital Course will be Aug. 19. Sponsored by the Los Ranchos Fire Department in Albuquerque, the courses are available for certification in emergency burn care by the American Burn Association. For more information, contact Ward F. Wagenseller, RN, CEN, at (505) 268-8729; e-mail, wfwags@netscape.net.

Enhancing Wellness
The 17th annual conference of the American Association of Spinal Cord Injury Nurses is scheduled for Sept. 5 through 7, 2000, in Las Vegas, Nev. “Enhancing Wellness in the New Millennium” is the theme. For more information, contact the American Association of Spinal Cord Injury Nurses, 75-20 Astoria Blvd., Jackson Heights, N.Y. 11370; phone, (718) 803-3782, or visit the association Web site at http://www.aascin.org.

Perinatal Clinical Conference
The National Perinatal Association Annual Clinical Conference is scheduled for Nov. 16 through 18, 2000, in Charlotte, N.C. “Evolution of Perinatal Health and Healing: Complementary Care & Non Traditional Practices” is the theme. For more information, call (888) 971-3295; e-mail, npa@nationalperinatal.org, or visit the association Web site at http://www.nationalperinatal.org.

ACT Report
Because of high demand, a limited supply of the Accelerating Change Today (ACT) for America’s Health report is currently available. The report was released in February 2000 by the National Coalition on Health Care (NCHC) and the Institute for Health Care Improvement (IHI). The report can be duplicated with permission. Fax a permission requests to Dr. Margaret Rhoades, NCHC Executive Director, at (202) 638-7166. Indicate the number of copies you want to make. In addition, a formatted copy that is easy to duplicate is available on the NCHC Web site at http://www.nchc.org. Inquiries can be directed to Alyssa Keefe, NCHC’s public affairs assistant, at (202) 638-7151.

Research and Model Demonstration Projects
The Research Program of the American Association of Spinal Cord Injury Nurses is accepting applications for research and model demonstration projects for its 2001 funding cycle. Dec. 1, 2000, is the deadline to submit proposals. Grants range from $2,000 to $20,000. To obtain an application, contact the American Association of Spinal Cord Injury Nurses, 75-20 Astoria Blvd., Jackson Heights, N.Y. 11370; phone, (718) 803-3782, ext. 324; fax, (718) 803-0414.