May Marks National Critical Care Awareness and Recognition Month
Critical Care Practitioners to Celebrate Legislation Addressing Workforce Shortage
DES PLAINES, Ill. (April 24, 2007) – The Patient-Focused Critical Care Enhancement Act authorizes $9 million in appropriations for research and projects that would begin to address the current and future burden imposed by the critical care workforce shortage. With this propsed legislation introduced in the US Senate, critical care practitioners have more to celebrate during National Critical Care Awareness and Recognition Month this May.
National Critical Care Awareness and Recognition Month allows critical care team members to exemplify their dedication to patient care while helping to further awareness of this demanding, life-saving practice. The Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) recognizes the efforts of these devoted professionals and encourages everyone to applaud and celebrate each member of critical care team by showing their support and wearing blue on Friday, May 18.
Hospitals that hold celebrations during National Critical Care Awareness and Recognition Month see tremendous payout in terms of camaraderie and pride. No matter how much or how little preparation went into the project, critical care team members who have planned events agree that it is worth the effort.
In 2006, the surgical ICU at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia observed National Critical Care Awareness and Recognition Month. A poster proclaiming national critical care awareness month and listing the professional organizations involved was displayed in the main lobby. Events were held throughout the month, including lectures, lunches, breakfasts and a raffle, which included SCCM and American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) memberships. A “wear-blue” day was observed.
“Our critical care awareness and recognition program was well received in our hospital,” says SCCM member John Gallagher, MSN, RN, CCNS, CCRN, RRT, clinical nurse specialist for surgical critical care at Rhoades 5 surgical ICU at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. “We got great comments on the poster, which was front and center in the lobby. It provided a good sense of the critical care team approach.”
Many ICUs start small in their initial efforts, some by wearing blue for a day or by observing a week’s worth of activities. But these efforts generally grow over the years, and many organizations work towards dedicating an entire month to national critical care awareness. “We are going to celebrate again in 2007,” Mr. Gallagher concludes. “Plans are being made to recreate some of this year’s activities, but we also plan to incorporate new ideas.”
To learn how you can show your support of critical care during National Critical Care Awareness and Recognition Month, please visit www.sccm.org. For more information, contact Amanda Mannina at +1 847 827-7095 or amannina@sccm.org or Tom Joseph at +1 847 827-7282 or tjoseph@sccm.org.
Background
At some point in their lives, nearly 80% of all Americans will suffer, or know someone who is suffering, from a life-threatening illness or injury. From heart attack and stroke, to burns and gunshot wounds, every day thousands of people suffer from critical conditions that place their lives in jeopardy.
In the rapid pace of the intensive care unit (ICU), each critical care practitioner must quickly obtain information, effectively convert it into knowledge, and then apply it to the needs of the patients at the bedside. There are many ways to organize care within the ICU, but data show that optimal care is provided when an integrated team of dedicated experts is present to assess, initiate and adjust treatment to ensure that the best possible care is delivered to all critically ill or injured patients the moment it’s needed.
The core of this multiprofessional team consists of intensivists (physicians credentialed in critical care medicine), critical care nurses, pharmacists, respiratory therapists. Primary care physicians, physician assistants, social workers, dietitians, ethicists, consultant medical specialists, and other professionals are also often part of the team.
The Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) has partnered with the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), American Thoracic Society (ATS), and the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) in recognition of National Critical Care Awareness and Recognition Month.
The Society of Critical Care Medicine is the leading professional organization dedicated to ensuring excellence and consistency in the practice of critical care medicine. With 13,000 members worldwide, the Society is the only professional organization devoted exclusively to the advancement of multi-professional intensive care through excellence in patient care, professional education, public education, research and advocacy. Members of the Society include intensivists, critical care nurses, critical care pharmacists, clinical pharmacologists, respiratory care practitioners and other professionals with an interest in critical care, including physician assistants, social workers and dietitians.
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