ACNP intensivist: A new ICU care delivery model and its supporting educational programs

Abstract

The purposes of this article are to describe a physician (MD)/acute care nurse practitioner (ACNP) intensivist model for delivery of critical care services in a tertiary academic medical center and to describe an innovative nurse practitioner educational program developed to support the model. In an effort to address the current shortage of intensivists, Vanderbilt Medical Center has developed and refined a multidisciplinary intensivist MD/ACNP teams to provide expanded critical care services. The ACNPs, in collaboration with intensivist MDs, function as intensivist teams and are responsible for developing and executing the daily medical plan, bedside procedures, and emergency response. These teams provide 24-h a day coverage of tertiary level ICUs, and provide several unique benefits over traditional resident ICU staffing models. As the concept of the MD/ACNP intensivist team has developed, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing ACNP Program has expanded its curriculum to provide graduates with the knowledge, skills, and experiences to safely manage unstable critically ill patients. Multidisciplinary critical care teams of MD intensivists who work in collaboration with ACNP intensivists address the current shortfall of intensivists and represent a cost-effective means for expanding ICU coverage and increasing ICU bed availability while maintaining Leap Frog ICU staffing compliance.