Critical care nursing in baccalaureate programs.

Abstract

There is a need to resolve several issues related to inclusion of CCN in the baccalaureate curriculum. These include: (1) the nature of specialist versus generalist preparation; (2) the goals for inclusion of CCN, (as well as content related to any other area of practice which may be considered specialized); (3) the relationship between education and practice, and the responsibilities of each in educating competent practitioners to provide safe care to critically ill patients.