American Association of Critical Care Nurses

The National Teaching Institute and Critical Care Exposition (NTI) is a 4-day conference expected to attract over 7,800 critical-care and advance practice nurses. More than 200 educational sessions were offered on the most current techniques and equipment available to improve patient care and patient outcomes (7,800 nurses). Because of the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference scheduled for May 2022 had just 2,969 live attendees, but this was augmented by 3,269 nurses attending the virtual conference.

The association sponsors various volunteer work group meetings to determine the educational requirements of critical-care nurses. Continuing education (CE) opportunities are provided to meet this need via educational articles and online webinars. These CE products are provided free of charge to our membership. Other educational items are available for purchase in our online bookstore. In addition, AACN has developed a number of self-paced e-learning training programs including orientation courses for nurses transitioning into an ICU setting (ECCO) and for new nurse managers (FSNM). Other self-paced courses include an ECG basics, preceptor, and pharmacology courses. (over 103,000 unique learners received CE credits on our website CE Activities pages, and we provided over 2.3 million contact hours during the year.)

At year end, the association had over 127,000 nurse members who are eligible for research grants as well as educational scholarships. In addition, the association provides members with journals, newsletters, practice alerts, protocols for best practices and unlimited continuing education credits covering a wide range of topics pertinent to caring for acute and critically ill patients (127,000 nurse members).

AACN has over 200 organized Chapters that hold local community meetings and workshops and sponsor regional educational seminars to help critical-care nurses keep current with the latest trends and technologies. (Estimated 19,000 chapter members).

Practice Excellence: Using feedback from members, volunteers, constituents and outside leaders, research is funded through grants in areas such as palliative and end-of-life care, pain management, advance directives, and healthy work environments. Also includes the CSI Academy, a regional 12 to 16-month nursing excellence and training program designed to leverage staff nurses' expertise to enhance patient care and decrease hospital expenses. Lastly, includes the Beacon Award for Excellence which recognizes individual hospital units that distinguish themselves by improving every facet of patient care. The Beacon Award's three levels of designation recognize significant milestones along a unit's journey. For patients and families, the Beacon Award signifies exceptional care through improved outcomes and greater overall satisfaction. For nurses, a Beacon Award signals a positive and supportive work environment with greater collaboration between colleagues and leaders, higher morale and lower turnover.