Did you know that Advanced Trauma Care for Nurses (ATCN) has been initiated in 34 states and more than 30 countries on five continents? ATCN continues to grow with inaugural courses held almost every month. Inspired by the continual growth, the ATCN Committee sought opportunities to recognize sites who have committed to advanced trauma education for nurses. In this issue of "News and Notes," we highlight the newest ATCN sites, those organizations that held an inaugural course from January to August 2016. They are as follows:
Each of these institutions followed a similar process in initiating ATCN. A contact person completed and submitted a simple application, including a Memorandum of Understanding and a letter(s) of support. These documents can be found in the Start-Up Paperwork Packet found on the ATCN Web site (http://atcnnurses.org). We also offer a step-by-step guide as an appendix to the Policy and Procedure Manual, again available on the ATCN Web site. A planning period of 9-12 months is recommended for the inaugural course. An experienced course director and a regional director are assigned as resources to guide the process.
In addition to acknowledging the newest sites, the ATCN Committee plans to recognize programs who have sustained an ATCN program over a long time, by marking major milestones such as 10, 20, 30 years, and beyond. We may need some help to capture the rich history! In future Journal of Trauma Nursing issues, we will share examples of successful programs with tips for success. We plan to highlight innovative models of recruitment of participants, shared resources, development of faculty, and monitoring course quality.
ATCN is recognized across the globe as a quality continuing education offering for nurses. The current edition of Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient (American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, 2014) includes ATCN as an appropriate course for trauma nurses and cites the curriculum that parallels Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS), operated by the American College of Surgeons. The curriculum is carefully designed by nurses who understand and appreciate the contribution nurses make to the care of injured patients. Our continuing growth is evidence of meeting a recognized need. We invite you to join us!