Anyone heard you are going to need ACNP to work in hospitals?? Help!

Editorial Team / Admin · Mar 3, 2007

make sure your physicians are behind you. If push comes to shove they are the only ones that the hospital cares about. If they are willing to go to bat and make a stink then you will probably be OK. If they aren't they will probably take the path of least resistance. This is also a good time to dust off any calculations you have on how much you bring to the practice and how much you impact thier quality of life.

Well said.

Trauma Columnist · Mar 3, 2007

14gaugeIV - thanks too. When I do hospital rounds, I write a note (on patients that my MDs in my practice have admitted) and then I do consults too - I gather all the info, get a general game plan and call the MD that I'm on call with and together we do what is necessary. I do write orders under my own name and they do eventually need to be signed off by an MD, there is no 24 hour limit that I am aware of. Like you, I've only been licensed since July 06 and I'm pretty cautious.

Thanks again everyone...

gauge14iv, MSN, APRN, NP · Mar 3, 2007

core0 - what you stated is not controversial - it is TRUE!

How wonderful when "outsiders" observations of our profession substantiate what many of us say all the time.

It all boils down to the fact that nursing as a profession as a whole can't agree on anything - there is no cohesion/agreement anywhere within it it and that doesn't really change at the NP level. If we ever agreed on anything, we would truly be the 20 ton political gorilla. It's a true shame honestly.

Trauma Columnist · Mar 3, 2007

I agree with you too gauge14IV - if we as nurses could stand together, we would be a major force.

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Mar 4, 2007

hi everyone. currently i'm an adult health cns working in a large nephrology practice with three fnps. part of our job is to spend the weekends doing hospital call where we do consults, h&ps, discharged summaries and generally seeing patients. i am now hearing that in order to work in the hospitals, you will need an acnp versus the fnp that my peers have. has anyone else heard this and can you please refer me to a source? also, i live in il and is this going to be state specific? thanks in advance for any assistance - i really appreciate it.

interesting! haven't heard of this in my neck of the woods but if this ends up to be true in michigan, our hospitals will be in big trouble. with only 2 existing acnp programs in the state and little interest in the acnp field, many of our hospital-based np's are not even acnp-trained. can't see this happening here. lots of physicians who love their np's will protest!

Trauma Columnist · Mar 5, 2007

Thanks everyone. I'm beginning to think this is some weird urban legend. Thanks again for the info.

maikranz · Mar 7, 2007

Greetings, all. I have heard that completion of a course such as this will be required for practice in an acute care facility.

the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), the Fundamental Critical Care Support Course (FCCS) is designed for both instructors and providers. FCCS is a standardized course, providing an approach to initial management (first 24 hours) of the critically ill patient for the non-intensivist. The course offers both classroom and "hands on " interactive instruction, especially care related to mechanical ventilation, hemodynamic monitoring, organ hypoperfusion and neurological support.

Course Purpose

To better prepare the non-intensivist for the first 24 hours of management of the critically ill patient until transfer or appropriate critical care consultation can be arranged.

To assist the non-intensivist in dealing with sudden deterioration of the critically ill patient.

To prepare house staff for ICU coverage.

To prepare nurses and other critical care practitioners to deal with acute deterioration in the critically ill patient.

Course Objectives

Prioritize assessment needs for the critically ill patient.

Select appropriate diagnostic tests.

Identify and respond to significant changes in the unstable patient.

Recognize and initiate management of acute life-threatening conditions.

Determine the need for expert consultation and/or patient transfer and prepare the practitioner for optimally accomplishing transfer.

Specific topics include:

Airway management

Cardiopulmonary/ cerebral resuscitation

Acute respiratory failure

Mechanical ventilation

Basic hemodynamic monitoring

Diagnosis and management of shock

Additional content includes:

Neurologic support

Trauma and burn management

Acute coronary syndromes

Life-threatening infections

Electrolyte and metabolic disturbances

Skills stations include:

Airway management

Vascular access

Mechanical ventilation

Trauma

Defibrillation/transcutaneous pacing/pericardiocentesis

Trauma Columnist · Mar 8, 2007

Hi there and thanks for the info - where is this course offered and how long is it??? What's it called too? Thanks again.

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Mar 8, 2007

Maikranz, I am not aware of a requirement for completion of the FCCS course pior to working in an acute care setting. Can you explain this further? Is this something required of NP's somewhere that you are aware of? I personally have an FCCS certificate but I took the course after I was hired in an ICU setting as an NP. The course was paid for by my employer and is actually offered at the hospital I work in. The course would be of benefit to NP's who work primarily in adult ICU settings (there is limited pediatric content in the course). It is also a course in basic ICU patient management so it can not be used in place of formal training in ICU management similar to a critical care NP program, for instance. I also do not see a need to require it for EVERY NP that works in an acute care setting.

core0 · Mar 8, 2007

Greetings, all. I have heard that completion of a course such as this will be required for practice in an acute care facility.

Where did you here that this will be required? Looks like overkill for most inpatient specialties.

David Carpenter, PA-C

gauge14iv, MSN, APRN, NP · Mar 8, 2007

See - even the things I do in the hospital - don't include ANY of that stuff. All that stuff would definately be outside my scope of practice as an FNP without training in those things.

Frankly - I probably wouldn't bother because I wouldn't use any of it anyway.

I work for a family physician who admits his own hospital patients, but who also does not do these things in the hospital - if a patient requires ICU care, he goes to the ICU and the intensivist or specialist manages the patient. The specialist then generally stays on the case until discharge.

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Mar 8, 2007

Hi there and thanks for the info - where is this course offered and how long is it??? What's it called too? Thanks again.

TraumaRUs, it is very similar in format to TNCC and ENPC if you remember that from our staff ER nurse days. It is a 2-day course. If you are interested in it, check the Society of Critical Care Medicine website for course locations and schedules.