Experience and Activities
Chapter Membership
- South Central Alaska Chapter, 2007–present
AACN Commitment and Involvement in the Past 3 Years
Includes how the candidate integrated AACN's mission and work into her current role and practice. Local and national volunteer activities are listed, if applicable.
- AACN Certification Corporation
- Director, July 1, 2008–June 30, 2011
- Secretary/Treasurer, July 1, 2010–June 30, 2011
- AACN Ambassador, 2007–Present
- NTI Speaker, May 2012
Key Professional Activities Outside AACN in the Past 3 Years
Includes involvement with other professional organizations, teaching and/or speaking.
- Member, Take Heart Alaska Steering Committee, 2010–Present; chairperson, subcommittee, Stroke Systems of Care Task Force, Alaska, 2009–Present
- American Stroke Association — appointed member, Northwest Affiliates Stroke Task Force, 2011–2012; reappointed 2012–2013
- American Heart Association, Go Red for Women Luncheon speaker and community speaker for multiple community events throughout 2011–2012
- American Association of Neuroscience Nurses, CE Review Panel 2012–2015
- Speaker, Activase Speaker’s Bureau — stroke lectures throughout the U.S.
Issues Statement
A key issue affecting critical care nursing today is the growing use of technology in the acute and critical care environments. As the nation’s healthcare system faces numerous challenges including economic turmoil, an aging population with complex healthcare issues and advances in technology, it will continue to identify ways to deliver care to highly acute patient populations, using fewer resources.
Telemedicine programs including the e-ICU provide excellent sources of support and oversight, improving the outcomes for acute and critical care patients. A concern is the potential to consider replacing bedside care with remote oversight, advocating for less educated or trained specialized staff at the bedside.
A similar model of care delivery was attempted in the mid-1980s, resulting in poor patient outcomes and decreased quality. Despite current regulatory guidelines requiring higher quality and monitoring of patient outcomes, healthcare corporations will likely seek opportunities to optimize resources using technology.
The implementation of “smart pumps” illustrates the use of technology that has impacted critical thinking by the bedside nurse. Barcoding medications and electronic medical record tools are also minimizing the need for staff to use their critical thinking skills and could lead to changes in operations that impact the perceived need for highly skilled acute and critical care nurses.
AACN has been a leader in the establishment and implementation of standards of practice and the delivery of high-quality patient care for decades and must maintain its position of authority and expertise as it relates to the use of technology and its impact on the delivery of acute and critical care.
Research and evidence must be the foundation for practice and operational changes. AACN must champion the appropriate use of technology to support the care at the bedside as the undisputed leader in this arena.
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