HISTORY OF AACN
Established in 1969 to help educate nurses working in newly developed intensive care units, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) is the world's largest specialty nursing organization.
The first intensive care units were developed in the 1950s in response to the need for special areas in hospitals that could provide complex care for critically ill patients, such as polio victims. As a result of the specialized care provided in these ICUs, patient survival rates improved drastically, generating a call for additional units capable of caring for seriously ill patients with heart disease. Once these cardiac care units were developed in the 1960s, the need for nursing specialists in intensive care increased significantly.
By 1967, specialized nurses were in the work force, but there was still a lack of continuing education opportunities for intensive care nurses. Realizing this, nurses at Nashville’s Baptist Hospital mailed postcards to approximately 400 nurses in the U.S. asking if they would be interested in forming a national organization to disseminate information relating to coronary care nursing. One year later, more than 400 nurses attended a cardiac nursing symposium and confirmed the need to form a national specialty nursing organization.
When AACN was first established in 1969, thanks to the efforts of those nurses and the support of physicians who understood the need for qualified nurses with specialized skills, it was as the American Association of Cardiovascular Nurses. At the time, the association’s purpose was to help educate cardiovascular nurses working in newly developed intensive and cardiac care units. In 1971, the association adopted its current name – the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses – to include all nurses who care for critically ill patients, regardless of the setting or diagnosis. In the more than three decades since then, AACN, through its leadership, products and services, has kept pace with the advances in medicine and technology that affect the care of patients with complex problems.
Today, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses is the largest specialty nursing organization in the world, representing the interests of more than 500,000 nurses who are charged with the responsibility of caring for acutely and critically ill patients. The association is dedicated to providing our members with the knowledge and resources necessary to provide optimal care to critically ill patients. In addition to publishing a monthly newsletter, AACN publishes a scientific research journal, a clinical magazine for the practicing nurse, and a quarterly series for advanced practice nurses.
Established in 1974, the National Teaching Institute (NTI) & Critical Care Exposition is the cornerstone of AACN's business. The National Teaching Institute is the premier clinical education program for nurses caring for patients with critical and complex health problems. NTI curriculum offers a variety of formal, self-paced and interactive sessions covering a wide range of clinical content. The Critical Care Exposition is the large and most comprehensive trade show for acuate, advanced practice and critical care nurses. Approximately 450 companies exhibit annually, presenting more than 6,500 NTI participants with the latest in healthcare equipment and supplies, plus training materials, education and career opportunities.
In 1975, the AACN Certification Corporation was established to provide comprehensive credentialing for nurses who establish and maintain standards of excellence in acute and critical care nursing and who contribute to the achievement of optimal health outcomes for persons experiencing acute and life-threatening illness. The AACN Certification Corporation accomplishes its mission by providing certification exams, programs and credentialing opportunities for individuals involved in critical care.
In 2002, AACN launched the Essentials of Critical Care Orientation (ECCO), an online, self-paced, interactive program that teaches the basics of critical care nursing for novice nurses. It also serves as a refresher course for nurses in the system a long time, to upgrade and validate their training. To date, more than 600 hospitals – national and international – have implemented this e-learning program.
In 2003, the Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence was established to recognize critical care nursing units that achieve the highest-quality outcomes. Applicants are rated on factors including nurse recruitment and retention, staff training, patient outcomes, healthy work environments, leadership and evidence-based practice and research. In 2006, AACN launched an additional application based on nurse-sensitivity quality indicators specific to the progressive care segment. The Beacon Award is presented twice a year.
In 2004, AACN conducted the National Critical Care Survey of 300 critical care units in 120 hospitals. In addition to traditional ICUs, the study surveyed other hospital areas where acutely and critically ill patients are cared for, including progressive care, telemetry units and step-down units. It's the first survey report designed to break down results at the specialty level. The profile of the facilities and units surveyed was published in the January 2006 issue of the American Journal of Critical Care.
In 2005, AACN introduced AACN Standards for Establishing and Sustaining Healthy Work Environments: A Journey to Excellence, which puts forth six essential elements that must be in place for work environments to thrive and contribute to improved patient and system outcomes. These are Skilled Communication, True Collaboration, Effective Decision Making, Appropriate Staffing, Meaningful Recognition and Authentic Leadership. The publishing and distribution of these standards are the critical first steps in AACN fulfilling its commitment to actively promote healthy work environments that support and foster excellence in patient care wherever acute and critical care nurses practice. Creation of healthy work environments is AACN’s highest advocacy priority.
In 2005, AACN introduced Basic ECG Interpretation, which uses the same Web-based training platform as ECCO. In fact, it can be used in conjunction with ECCO modules. Content includes cardiac physiology, ECG equipment, lead placement, and dysrhythmia analysis and interpretation.
In 2006, AACN collaborated with Nursing Spectrum and Bernard Hodes Group to conduct their first RN Work Environment Survey. The project was designed to help better understand the environments in which nurses work and what elements of the work environment most influence nurses' decisions to stay in a position or move on. The findings, reported in the October 2006 issue of Critical Care Nurse, suggest that the majority of critical care nurses are very satisfied with nursing as a career; however, for many, issues remain in the work environment that cause dissatisfaction with their roles. When asked to report on the health of their organizational environments vs. their unit environments, the majority rated their units considerably healthier than their organization as a whole on most factors. Improved leadership emerged as one of the primary factors that would influence nurses’ decisions to leave their positions.
In 2007, AACN introduced Essentials of Nurse Manager Orientation, a comprehensive Web-based E-learning program for frontline managers, charge nurses, aspiring managers and leadership staff that addresses the issues nurse managers face every day. Developed by a distinguished panel of experts and modeled after the Nurse Manager Leadership Collaborative's Learning Domain Framework, this program is offered through a partnership with the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE).
In 2008, AACN and AONE announced plans to develop a certification exam for nurse managers, to validate that they have acquired the knowledge and skills that are essential to their leadership role.
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