Newswise — Today’s increasingly complex healthcare environment requires nurses in management roles to balance staff leadership, patient care and budget considerations while also keeping their own nursing skills current.

The AACN Nurse Manager Priorities conference, presented by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), is designed to meet the unique needs of nurse managers in high acuity patient care settings.

The third annual conference, Sept. 18-20, 2013, in Las Vegas, features interactive case studies, lively discussions and instructional presentations on complex management issues. While learning in a collaborative setting from recognized nurse expert facilitators, attendees will return to their teams and institutions with new skills and fresh insights.

“Nurse managers are uniquely positioned to engage staff nurses to improve patient outcomes and their hospital’s fiscal health, particularly now that reimbursements and quality measures are so closely tied,” said Susan R. Lacey, RN, PhD, FAAN, director of the AACN Clinical Scene Investigator (CSI) Academy nurse leadership development program and one of the presenters at this year’s conference. “The AACN Nurse Manager Priorities conference offers a dynamic program to help them address the complexities of leading in an ever-changing healthcare environment.”

Those interested in attending the conference can review a complete program schedule and register online via the AACN website by Aug. 20 to take advantage of early-bird savings.

Before the conference, nurse managers are encouraged to evaluate their individual skillset using AACN’s free, downloadable Skills Inventory Assessment Tool.

The conference is among many AACN resources for nurse managers, including the Certified Nurse Manager and Leader (CNML) certification, a collaborative effort between the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) Credentialing Center and AACN Certification Corporation.

AACN also offers Essentials of Nurse Manager Orientation, the first comprehensive online leadership development course created by experts in nursing management specifically for nurse managers, and those aspiring to leadership, to show them how to best carry out these complex responsibilities. AACN and AONE partnered to develop the course to promote nursing leadership excellence.

About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses: Founded in 1969 and based in Aliso Viejo, Calif., the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) is the largest specialty nursing organization in the world. AACN joins together the interests of more than 500,000 acute and critical care nurses and claims more than 235 chapters worldwide. The organization’s vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. www.aacn.org; facebook.com/aacnface; twitter.com/aacnme