Emergency nurses need additional knowledge of abortion-limiting legislation and the related clinical, ethical, and legal implications for emergency care staff and their patients, a study published in the Journal of Emergency Nursing found.
The findings also highlight the increase in pregnant patients seeking care in emergency departments as the number of “OB deserts”—regions with limited or absent perinatal care—grows. Through interviews with ED nurses, the study explored the clinical decision-making processes of emergency nurses caring for patients with obstetrical emergencies in the context of limited or no access to abortion care.
“This was an important study to conduct. First, laws surrounding access to appropriate care for patients having pregnancy emergencies have been in flux in large areas of the country. Second, EDs are seeing more and more obstetric emergencies in communities where no OB services are available,” says Lisa Wolf, PhD, RN, CEN, FAEN, FAAN, associate professor at UMass Amherst Elaine Marieb College of Nursing, who is also Director, Emergency Nursing Research at ENA and lead the study. “Emergency nurses are not commonly trained in identifying and treating OB emergencies.”
Anna Valdez, PhD, RN, PHN, CEN, CFRN, CNE, FAEN, FAADN, JEN editor-in-chief of the Journal of Emergency Nursing says the study is an excellent example of the current and relevant research nurses conduct that assesses and explains the ways policies and laws impact EDs.
The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing’s (BCEN)Certified Transport Registered Nurse (CTRN) national board certification program for critical care ground transport nurses is now accredited by the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC). Accreditation by ABSNC means that the CTRN certification program has met or exceeds the nursing certification industry’s most rigorous standards based on an independent, peer-reviewed process.
RNs significantly deliver crucial and often life-preserving or life-saving care to critically ill or injured patients in the dynamic, autonomous, high-stakes ground transport environment. To earn the CTRN credential, nurses must demonstrate mastery of advanced ground transport nursing-specific clinical knowledge and safety, survival, disaster preparedness, scene operations management, communications, and equipment and vehicle knowledge.
“Excellence in ground transport nursing is crucial to the public emergency response and successful interfacility transfers of critically ill and injured patients,” says BCEN CEO Janie Schumaker, MBA, BSN, RN, CEN, CPHQ, CENP, FABC. “ABSNC accreditation of the CTRN ground transport specialty certification is an important signal to nurses, healthcare teams, institutions, and patients and their families alike.”
CTRN Now Accredited by the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification
The CTRN is BCEN’s fastest-growing certification program, increasing by 19% in 2020, 29% in 2021, and 24% in 2022 as well as in 2023 year-to-date. According to a peer-reviewed January/February 2023 Air Medical Journal article, the top three perceived benefits of holding the CTRN are critical thinking in the ground transport environment (88%), confidence as a ground transport nurse (88%), and a sense of accomplishment and pride (95%). Over half (51%) of survey respondents reported doing more ground transports since the start of the pandemic, and nearly two-thirds (62%) said being a CTRN “contributed to their ability to deliver the best possible care” to patients with COVID-19.
“To earn initial accreditation, a certification body must provide detailed data that demonstrates a particular certification program adheres to ABSNC’s 18 accreditation standards, including organizational autonomy, basis in a body of research-based knowledge, nondiscrimination, test development, validity, reliability, test administration, test security, fairness of passing score, recertification, and confidentiality,” said BCEN Director of Certification and Accreditation Amy Grand, MSN, RN, ICE-CCP. “We are proud to say that all five of BCEN’s currently available certification programs are now accredited.” BCEN’s new burn nursing credential will launch in Q4 2023.
A few facts about the CTRN:
The CTRN has been ANCC Magnet-accepted since 2009.
The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) has recognized the CTRN since 2006 and now requires that RNs hold transport-specific credentials.
While the number of CTRNs has grown steadily since the credential was introduced in 2006, the number of CTRNs has doubled in just the past three years. Today, over 500 nurses hold the CTRN.
Click here for more information about CTRN and ground transport nursing.
The devastation caused by the Lahaina wildfires on Maui has wiped away a historic tourist town, broken homes, taken lives taken, and people like Barbara Stanley are springing into action to do their part to help in the recovery efforts.
Stanley, a registered nurse and a disaster health services volunteer for the American Red Cross, flew to Hawaii to aid the residents affected by one of the worst wildfires in Hawaii’s history.
Daily Nurse honors Barbara Stanley as the Nurse of the Week for stepping up on the front lines in an emergency to provide care and treatment to victims.
With the American Red Cross currently providing more than 2,100 overnight shelters and extensive relief supplies in the form of food, water, and physical and emotional support, Stanley says the desire to help people is all the motivation she needs.
“Well, I know from previous experience, because I’ve been to a lot of disasters, that people are just lost. They’re just devastated. They need help,” says Stanley.
Stanley notes that one of her goals is to help people who have lost necessary items to live from the fires get that back. This includes making sure people have their prescriptions and medical devices.
If you want to step up like Stanley and help residents impacted by the Lahaina wildfires on Maui, here are some ways the American Red Cross says you can assist:
Donate to Hawaii Wildfires here. (Select Hawaii Wildfires from the drop-down, or donate to Red Cross Disaster Relief by texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation)
Nominate a Nurse of the Week! Every Wednesday, DailyNurse.com features a nurse making a difference in the lives of their patients, students, and colleagues. We encourage you to nominate a nurse who has impacted your life as the next Nurse of the Week, and we’ll feature them online and in our weekly newsletter.
Whether in a mass shooting, urban violence, self-harm, or intimate partner violence, the damage caused by firearms is something emergency nurses know firsthand – they see it and experience their trauma every day while simply trying to save the lives of those injured by a firearm.
As the leading voice for emergency nurses, the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) has a vested interest in the impact of firearms violence because of its direct relationship to injury prevention, patient care, and the health and well-being of the nurses who repeatedly experience trauma while caring for victims of gun violence.
ENA released its strongest firearms safety-related position statement in the association’s 53-year history. It calls for, among other things:
A ban on assault weapons, as defined by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms
Raising the minimum purchase age to 21 for all firearms.
Establishing a federal prohibition on ghost guns and their components.
Implementation of emergency department screening tools to help identify individuals at high risk of death or injury from a firearm.
Measures to support more consistent firearms research and data collection.
Providing healthcare workers with resources to educate patients about firearm safety and injury prevention.
Collaboration with and support of evidence-based school or community programs focused on firearm injury prevention.
“The true toll of the gun violence epidemic in this country goes deeper than the headlines we see on a weekly, sometimes daily, basis,” says ENA President Terry Foster, MSN, RN, CEN, CPEN, CCRN, TCRN, FAEN. “Mass shootings and frequent gun violence in many cities across the country get more attention, but emergency nurses understand firearm injuries and deaths attributed to domestic violence, suicides, and accidental discharges are also a devastating part of this public health crisis.”
A 2022 Pew Research Report indicates the rate of gun deaths among Americans reached its highest level – 10.6 per 100,000 people – in 2020. Further, the Kaiser Family Foundation reported in 2022 that firearms are the leading cause of death for U.S. children.
“This updated, evidence-based position statement reflects ENA’s evolving perspectives on the multi-faceted issue of firearms, and it sends a clear message that more must be done to reduce the frequency and severity of firearm injuries and deaths,” Foster adds.
Emergency departments (EDs) have made progress but still need to fully meet national guidelines for pediatric emergency care, despite the association with improved survival, found a study in JAMA Network Open.
The findings are based on a 2021 reassessment of EDs by the National Pediatric Readiness Project, a partnership of the Emergency Nurses Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American College of Emergency Physicians, led by the Emergency Medical Services for Children Program, part of the federal Health Resources and Services Administration.
“To treat children accurately in the ED takes not only specialized equipment but appropriate knowledge and policies,” says ENA President Terry Foster, MSN, RN, CEN, CPEN, CCRN, TCRN, FAEN. “It’s imperative that everyone in the ED is committed to improving pediatric care, especially with the ongoing pediatric mental health crisis and boarding issues.”
The assessment evaluates EDs on a 100-point scale. In 2021, 5,150 EDs were surveyed, with 3,647 responding and 3,557 available for full analysis. The median score was 69.5, which increased with annual pediatric patient volume.
The results largely indicate the progress from the last assessment in 2013, which was based on earlier guidelines.
“Comparing commonalities between the two assessments, we see improvement in five of six categories,” says Kate Remick, MD, the study’s lead author and co-director of the NPRP. “This is especially positive given EDs were navigating the pandemic at the time of the survey.”
But researchers say COVID-19 did contribute to a decline in one pivotal category: designating a nurse and physician – ideally both – as pediatric emergency care coordinators. EDs reporting physician and nurse PECCs decreased to 28.5% in 2021, a 13.5% drop.
“PECCs are a key driver of pediatric readiness,” says Hilary Hewes, MD, study co-author. “Unfortunately, the pandemic worsened widespread workforce shortages. Many EDs didn’t have resources to sustain the PECC role.”
As a result of the decline in this heavily weighted category, when comparing common data points, researchers say there was a slight decrease – 1.6 points – in adjusted median scores.
“The decrease is minor given the unique circumstances of COVID-19,” notes Marianne Gausche-Hill, MD, study co-author and NPRP co-director, who is considered a pioneer in pediatric readiness work. “The improvement in five of six categories despite these circumstances is most notable, reflecting high engagement of providers over the last eight years.”
Still, researchers point out the median falls below 88, the minimum score associated with marked improvements in survival. A 2019 study tied higher pediatric readiness to four-fold lower mortality in critically ill children.
To improve readiness, researchers emphasize the importance of designating PECCs. Implementing pediatric-specific quality improvement plans and staffing with board-certified emergency medicine physicians are also associated with score increases.
“We hope all EDs, regardless of volume, will prioritize these three components of pediatric readiness,” says Gausche-Hill. “The association of pediatric readiness with improved survival makes it a health care imperative.”
The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN), the benchmark for certification across the emergency spectrum, is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN) certification program. Held by over 5,800 RNs worldwide, the CFRN is one of the longest-running, most complex, multifaceted national nursing specialty certifications.
CFRN certification independently validates an RN’s mastery of flight nursing clinical knowledge and professional issues as well as safety, survival, disaster preparedness, scene operations management, communications, and equipment and aircraft knowledge—all of which are essential to safe, evidence-based, advanced nursing practice in the highly complex, dynamic and autonomous flight nursing environment.
“Since 1993, the CFRN has stood as the hallmark of exceptional flight nursing patient care and safety,” says BCEN CEO Janie Schumaker, MBA, BSN, RN, CEN, CENP, CPHQ, FABC.“BCEN salutes the thousands of CFRN-certified RNs, past and present, for their commitment to their patients, flight nursing excellence, and advancing flight care worldwide.”
CFRN 30-Year Pin
Flight nurses and their partners, often paramedics, are the air medical clinical duo who provide clinical care for critically ill and injured patients during scene responses and interfacility transports.
The top perceived benefits of CFRN certification include flight physiology and flight nursing clinical knowledge, confidence and critical thinking in the flight environment, and a sense of pride and accomplishment, according to The 2022 Certified Flight Registered Nurse Pulse Survey. Nearly 1,000 CFRNs participated in this first value of certification research focused on flight nursing.
Throughout July, CFRN’s 30th-anniversary celebrations will include the following:
A CFRN 30th Anniversary special edition of BCEN’s InformED newsletter
#ThrowbackThursday and #CFRNTributeFriday social posts celebrating the #CFRN30th
CFRN Turns 30 commemoration on July 24, the day RNs sat for the first CFRN exam
Read more about the history of flight nursing and the CFRN credential in the 30th-anniversary edition of “Excellence in the Air: The CFRN,” from BCEN’s Commitment to ExcellenceSeries. The series chronicles the origin and impacts of BCEN’s emergency, trauma, and transport specialty certifications.
