October 2012 Ambassador Update

Fall is in the air! At least, I wish it were. Here in Southern California, it still seems like the middle of summer — mostly hot and dry, with an occasional muggy day. But the days grow slightly shorter, kids are back in school, football is on every channel (and people are complaining about every blown call), the cold-weather catalogs have arrived and seasonal decorations abound in the stores.

It’s the time of year to anticipate the holidays ahead and reflect upon the year that’s passing. As I reflect, I think about your contributions and what they mean to our community of exceptional nurses. I pause to thank you for your willful — and joyful — participation in helping to further the AACN mission. Have a great month and enjoy this beautiful season.

Warm regards,
Melinda

Evidence-Based Practice

Encourage Clinicians and Researchers to Apply for AACN Grants
Invite clinicians and researchers at your facility to apply for AACN grants, which range from $10,000 to $50,000. Tell them to act quickly — applications must be submitted online by Nov. 1. Here are some talking points if they have questions about the grants:

AACN’s Impact Research Grant funds projects to address gaps in clinical research at the organization or system level and translate findings for bedside clinicians.
- They are available to established researchers and beginning researchers with mentors.
- Grant projects include:
  - Technology to assess patients and manage outcomes.
  - Healing and humane environments.
  - Processes, systems to optimize high acuity and critical care nursing.
  - Symptom management and complication prevention.
Principal investigators for all grants must be current AACN members.
For more information, including award criteria, please tell them to visit www.aacn.org/grants or email research@aacn.org.

AACN PEARL: Implementing the ABCDE Bundle at the Bedside
AACN PEARL — an acronym for Practice, Evidence, Application, Resources and Leadership — is an online collection of evidence-based tools and resources for sharing critical learning with peers, new staff nurses and hospital leadership.

AACN PEARL brings together validated clinical knowledge, tools and guidelines for introducing new concepts all in one convenient place, including:

AACN Roadmap for Implementing Change and corresponding assessment tools.
Comprehensive ABCDE teaching presentation.
ABCDE-related clinical protocols, journal articles and an AACN Practice Alert.
Detailed ABCDE Bundle session notes from NTI.

If you haven’t already, find PEARL in the Clinical Practice section of AACN’s website or visit www.aacn.org/aacnpearl. Then, download and review the materials to:

Share with colleagues.
Post on your unit.
Present to unit or hospital leadership.

AACN Chapters

Urge Colleagues to Seek Out AACN Chapter Events
Fall is a busy time of year for AACN chapters, when many sponsor educational events and symposia. It’s also the perfect opportunity for AACN members to seek out chapter events in their area to take advantage of them. This would be a good time to encourage your colleagues and co-workers to participate in chapter events. Chapter events provide a number of benefits and advantages:

Many events provide CNE or CERP credits
They are great networking opportunities and a chance to meet nursing peers
They are a place to share and learn best practices
They provide one of the best ways to stay connected to the AACN community

Direct AACN members to the Chapters area of the AACN website (www.aacn.org/chapters) to find resources such as the Chapter Events Calendar and the Find a Chapter section. Capitalizing on this year’s theme, this would also be a good time to urge AACN members to Dare to join their local chapter and play a more active role in supporting our AACN community.

Submit nominations for 2013 AACN Chapter Awards
Is the chapter in your area doing great work to advance AACN’s mission and critical care nursing in your area? If so, be sure to nominate the chapter for the 2013 AACN Chapter Awards, which recognize exemplary efforts to make a difference in the healthcare profession and communities and further AACN’s mission, vision and values. The chapter award categories:

Excellence in Chapter Collaboration
Excellence in Chapter Leadership Development
Excellence in Community Education and Public Service
Excellence in Chapter Educational Programming
Excellence in Promoting the Value of Certification
AACN President’s Award for Chapters

Nominations for the AACN President’s Award for Chapters close Friday, Feb. 15, 2013. All other nominations close Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012.

Professional Development

AACN Offers ‘Nurse in Washington Internship’ Scholarships for Fourth Year
Your colleagues and co-workers will want to know that AACN Continuing Professional Development Scholarships are available for AACN members to attend the annual Nurse in Washington Internship (NIWI) program, March 24-26, 2013, in Washington, D.C. The NIWI program — sponsored by the Nursing Organizations Alliance, a coalition to create a strong voice for nurses — teaches nurses how to influence health policy at the local and national levels. Urge your colleagues to act quickly, though — the deadline to apply for an AACN scholarship is Monday, Oct. 15.

Certification

CCNS Renewal
CCNS-certified nurses who renew by CE Points (in two of the three renewal options) after Jan. 1, 2014, must complete 150 CE Renewal Points, 25 in pharmacology. Information about the new five-year CCNS renewal periods and additional ways to earn CE Points are included with the new Renewal Requirements. For complete CCNS renewal information, see the CCNS Renewal Handbook online at www.aacn.org/certification.

Certified Nurses from Volunteer Database Sought
AACN Certification Corporation will be seeking volunteers in the first half of 2013 for: 1) Virtual Item Writing Committee for CMC/CSC exams, 2) Exam Development Committee for the PCCN certification exam and 3) the Study of Practice Task Force for CCRN/CCRN-E Adult and CCRN Neonatal and Pediatric exams to develop the survey for the upcoming National Study of Acute and Critical Care Practice. The Study of Practice updates and refreshes the CCRN and CCRN-E certification exam test plans.

Please let your colleagues know that to be considered as a volunteer for these opportunities, they must have a volunteer profile on file with us. To create or update a profile, simply visit the Volunteer area of the AACN website.

If filling out the profile for the first time, be sure to have a current CV or resume handy to upload. Keywords you will want to select in the interest section are Certification exam development, item writing and review panel.

Certified Nurses Day 2013
It’s time to start planning for Certified Nurses Day 2013, which will occur on March 19. Certified Nurses Day was founded by ANCC to honor the birthday of Margretta “Greta” Madden Styles, RN, EdD, FAAN, an international pioneer of nursing certification and longtime friend of AACN and AACN Certification Corporation. Styles designed the first comprehensive study of nurse credentialing.

Learn about the many resources to help your facility and/or chapter honor, recognize and celebrate certified nurses by visiting the Certified Nurses Day page of the AACN website.

New in the Bookstore

The Leadership Challenge
The 25th anniversary edition of the best-selling classic "The Leadership Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations," 5th ed., has been completely revised and updated. Authors James Kouzes and Barry Posner include more than 100 all-new case studies and examples, focus on the toughest organizational challenges facing leaders today and address changes in how and why people work.

Item # 128252
Member Price: $28.45 Nonmember: $29.95

When Nurses Hurt Nurses
Are nurse bullies an issue with you or any of your colleagues? “When Nurses Hurt Nurses: Overcoming the Cycle of Nurse Bullying ” examines the causes and provides ways to diffuse a confrontational situation.

Item # 330121
Member Price: $28.45 Nonmember: $29.95