Newswise — The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) expands the national rollout of its hospital-based nurse leadership and innovation training program to a seventh region, with the addition of seven Seattle-area hospitals.
AACN Clinical Scene Investigator (CSI) Academy is designed to empower bedside nurses as clinician leaders and change agents whose initiatives measurably improve the quality of patient care with bottom-line impact to the hospital.
As the only nursing excellence and leadership skill-building program that provides hospitals with both educational programming and grant funds to support project implementation, AACN CSI Academy represents a substantial investment by AACN in the future of nursing.
Washington hospitals participating in the team-based program:• Harborview Medical Center, Seattle• Island Hospital, Anacortes• Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma• Regional Hospital for Respiratory and Complex Care, Burien• Swedish Medical Center, Cherry Hill Campus, Seattle• Swedish Medical Center, First Hill Campus, Seattle• VA Puget Sound Healthcare System, Seattle
Healthcare leaders in Seattle said the program offers area hospitals the opportunity to achieve sustainable improvements in patient outcomes in their acute and critical care units.
These leaders include June Altaras, RN, MN, chief nursing officer for Swedish Medical Center, which has two hospital campuses participating in AACN CSI Academy. She says the program aligns well with the hospital system’s Culture of Safety efforts.
“Involving nursing staff in a transformational leadership program such as the AACN CSI Academy truly helps inspire staff to take their nursing practice to the next level,” Altaras said. “The evidence-based program supports nurses in their efforts to create relevant and lasting solutions for the health and safety of their patients.”
Regional Hospital for Respiratory and Complex Care is the first long-term acute care (LTAC) hospital selected for AACN CSI Academy. Christi Sifri, RN, MN, its chief nurse executive, is also anticipating positive results from the program.
“Empowered nurses are able to drive change from the bedside to benefit their patients and the hospital,” Sifri said. “By participating in AACN CSI Academy, our frontline nurses will gain leadership skills and be prepared to harness their power to continuously improve their practice and the healthcare system.”
For the next 16 months, teams of up to four nurses from each Washington hospital will work with CSI faculty, an internal mentor and a chief nursing officer to identify issues related to existing patient care responsibilities. Teams will then develop and implement unit-based projects, resulting in quantifiable improvements in patient outcomes and decreases in hospital expenses.
The AACN CSI Academy teams in Washington follow regional cohorts in Indiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas. Nationwide, nearly 200 nurses at 49 hospitals have completed or are now participating in the program.
Nurse participants in other regions took on projects such as preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, pressure ulcers, falls and delirium, and improving mobility, communication and teamwork between healthcare providers and patients’ families.
“AACN CSI Academy offers tremendous potential benefits for nurses, patients and hospitals, from strengthening clinician confidence to preventing adverse events and shortening hospital stays,” said AACN CEO Dana Woods. “Initial results clearly demonstrate the impact of frontline nurses as leaders in efforts to enhance patient care while decreasing costs — to the tune of $24 million in anticipated savings from project initiatives thus far.”
As part of its broader goal to inspire and empower all acute and critical care nurses to lead change that benefits their patients and improves the effectiveness of their organization, AACN shares the CSI Academy team learnings, results and documentation through the AACN CSI Academy Innovation Database.
This searchable database with real-world project plans, clinical interventions, data collection tools, outcomes and references will continue to grow as additional CSI teams complete the program. Access the database from the AACN CSI Academy Web page or www.aacn.org/csiprojects.
AACN CSI Academy expands a successful pilot program developed by Children’s Mercy Hospital and the Bi-State Nursing Innovation Center, Kansas City, Missouri, with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
During the past three years, AACN has invested more than $1.25 million to fund national implementation of the program at partner hospitals across the country. This investment supports program administration and provides a $10,000 implementation grant to each participating hospital.
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
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