Evaluating the Collaborative Critical Care Nursing Program

Abstract

Most Canadian hospitals have problems staffing their critical care areas, partly because of the complexity of the work. This complexity means that hospitals often provide extensive orientations for newly hired ICU nurses and expect them to participate, regardless of their critical care background. A nurse inexperienced in critical care may need six to twelve months after orientation to become comfortable and competent. The orientation and long adaptation period can leave the unit understaffed, in effect, for up to a year even if vacancies are filled quickly. A provincially-supported demonstration project to address some of these difficulties was set up in 1984. It combined a post-secondary academic component with clinical experience at a tertiary care teaching hospital. It offered credits toward a baccalaureate degree and was designed to prepare nurses who could quickly become effective in clinical practice. Designers felt that graduates with acknowledged competence would only need a brief orientation before beginning to work for a new hospital.