Background
The change project relates to the prevention of respiratory complications on patients undergoing interventional radiological procedures under conscious sedation at Kendall Regional Hospital. In interventional radiology contexts, nursing professionals are required to have core competencies and skills in pre-procedure patient evaluation and the management of post-procedure side effects (Perez-Rojas, 2012). Additionally, interventional radiology is a specialty area that requires unique skills and specialized knowledge, hence the importance of certification for nursing (Laukhuf, Myrthil, & Cramer, 2015).
Accrediting Organization
The organization selected is the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC). Available literature demonstrates that “the ABSNC, formerly known as the American Board of Nursing Specialties Accreditation Council (ABNS), is the peer review body in nursing that oversees the development of national professional certification processes” (Stanley, 2012, p. 154). The ABSNC is charged with the responsibility of bringing uniformity to professional certification in nursing practice and ensuring that nursing certification is used as a means to ensure the delivery of quality patient care.
Summary of how Organization best Fits with the Clinical Project
The ABSNC fits with the clinical project by virtue of its clarion call of expanding nursing knowledge and ensuring expert competence in a specific area or practice specialty, such as is the case in radiologic nursing and interventional radiological procedures. The accrediting organization reviews and validates the capabilities of several certifying agencies, including the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the National Board on Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA), and the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation (Stanley, 2012). Most nursing professionals undertake examinations from these agencies to develop specialized competencies and skills that will enhance patient care and ensure optimal performance in job-related settings (Morris, 2012; Williams & Counts, 2013). Receiving accreditation from the ABSNC will ensure that such nurses are able to maintain consistently high standards in caring for patients undergoing interventional radiological procedures under conscious sedation (Teng et al., 2012).
The ABSNC also fits with the clinical project due to its rigorous standards that must be met for a certification program to achieve recognition from the Board. The standard on definition and scope of nursing specialty, for example, ensures that “the certification examination program is based on a distinct and well-defined field of nursing practice that subscribes to the overall purpose and functions of nursing” (Accreditation Standards, 2015, para. 1). Nurses who devote most of their practice to interventional radiology specialty are hence recognized under this standard and can benefit from specialty certification programs offered by certifying agencies for onward recognition by the ABSNC as “board certified” (Stanley, 2012). Other ABSNC standards align well with the clinical project as they enable nursing professionals to demonstrate compliance with the highest quality standards in the industry, which in turn serves to enhance patient care outcomes (Williams & Counts, 2013).
Justifications for Choosing the Organization
This organization was selected based on its main aims, which include (1) providing an avenue for nursing certification collaboration, (2) promoting the value of nursing certification to various publics, and (3) providing a mechanism for accreditation and recognition of quality nursing specialty certification accreditation (Stanley, 2012). These aims relate to the clinical project in question by virtue of providing a forum to validate a nurse’s knowledge, skills, competencies, and abilities in a distinct role and clinical area of specialty known as interventional radiology (ABSNC Accreditation, 2015). The recognition obtained from the ABSNC accreditation also serves to demonstrate the standard by which the public recognizes quality nursing care and expertise in efforts aimed at preventing respiratory complications in patients undergoing interventional radiological procedures.
References
ABSNC accreditation. (2015). Web.
Accreditation standards. (2015). Web.
Laukhuf, G., Myrthil, M., & Cramer, S.J. (2015). Joint association for radiologic and imaging nursing, radiologic nursing certification board, and radiologic nursing certification task force position paper: The value of certification in radiologic nursing. Journal of Radiology Nursing, 34(3), 157-159.
Morris, F. (2012). Assessment and accreditation system improves patient safety. Nursing Management, 19(7), 29-33.
Perez-Rojas, E. (2012). Interventional radiology in oncology: Clinical management of patients undergoing transarterial chemoembolization for hepatic malignancies. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, 16(1), 83-85.
Stanley, J.M. (2012). Advanced practice nursing: Emphasizing common roles. Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis Company.
Teng, C.I., Shyu, Y.I., Dai, Y.T., Wong, M.K., Chu, T.L., & Chou, T.A. (2012). Nursing accreditation system and patient safety. Journal of Nursing Management, 20(3), 311-318.
Williams, H.F., & Counts, C.S. (2013). Certification 101: The pathway to excellence. Nephrology Nursing Journal, 40(3), 197-208.