Organizational Structure

American Association of Critical-Care Nurses

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) is dedicated to meeting the needs of its members who care for acutely and critically ill patients and their families. AACN provides practice and educational resources as well as professional support for members and is guided by its mission statement: Building on decades of clinical excellence, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses provides and inspires leadership to establish work and care environments that are respectful, healing and humane.

AACN is dedicated to creating a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families where critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. The key to AACN's success is through its members. Therefore, AACN is committed to providing the highest quality resources to maximize nurses' contribution to care for acutely and critically ill patients and their families.

AACN Certification Corporation

In 1975, the AACN Certification Corporation, with its own AACN-appointed nine-member board, was established as a 501(c)(6) corporation. The mission of the AACN Certification Corporation is to provide comprehensive credentialing for nurses to ensure their practice is consistent with established standards of excellence in caring for acutely and critically ill patients and their families.

The primary purpose of the AACN Certification Corporation is to promote and enhance consumer health and safety by establishing and maintaining high standards of professional practice excellence through certifying and recertifying nurses in the care of acutely and critically ill patients and their families.

The publication of the AACN Synergy Model for Patient Care, which outlines a model of certified practice that is based on the synergistic relationship between nurse and patient characteristics, has had a dramatic impact on how certified acute and critical care practice is conceptualized.

As a leader in credentialing, the AACN Certification Corporation is dedicated to fostering optimal health outcomes for acutely and critically ill patients through the creation of trustworthy healthcare environments where the knowledge and competencies of nurses are driven by the needs of patients and their families. The AACN Certification Corporation board of directors, in partnership with AACN, has adopted a strategic plan that includes implementation of strategies to expand the use of the Synergy Model in practice.

The InnoVision Group

The InnoVision Group was established as a wholly owned subsidiary of AACN in 1996 to provide an additional nondues source of revenue. The fundamental mission of The InnoVision Group is to support the mission and vision of AACN, its sole shareholder, by generating profit from providing services to select niche markets in order to strengthen the association's financial security.

The InnoVision Group offers specialized services in publishing and circulation management, and is governed by an AACN-appointed board of directors consisting of three members, including two outside directors and AACN's chief executive officer.