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Witnessing History in the Making

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Although the conferences are always enjoyable and professionally stimulating, attending this year provided an opportunity to witness nursing history in the making. This year, Maurene Harvey, RN, MPH, CCRN, was officially installed as president of SCCM. Harvey is the first nurse to hold this esteemed position in the multidisciplinary critical care organization, which is composed of approximately 80% physicians. Harvey (oral communication, March 2002), who is currently an educator and consultant, relates:

I have devoted my life to 2 passions. First, I have had the privilege of teaching thousands of critical care nurses over the years—striving to arm them with knowledge and skills, which enable them to provide a higher level of excellent care. Second, I have had the pleasure of working with the members of SCCM.

Although she is the first nurse to hold the presidency position, Harvey is quick to point out that her years of work with SCCM brought her to the role. She has been a member of SCCM since 1976 and has served on numerous committees and task forces, including serving as chair of the Nursing Section. She was elected to the leadership Council in 1992, and served as treasurer and president-elect before assuming the presidency.¹ In a conversation with Harvey (oral communication, March 2002), she relates:

What has always impressed me about the society is that members leave their hats off and do not promote their own interests. It is all about the team taking care of patients. SCCM is a wonderful group.

Harvey also says that she "would like to make a mark as president of the society, and a principal strategic goal is to promote access of all critically ill patients to an intensivistled team." Recently, the LeapFrog group, a prominent group of several Fortune 500 companies, identified that hospitals with intensivistled intensive care unit (ICU) teams have the best outcomes for critically ill patients. Yet Harvey explains that currently, only about 20% of ICUs are led by intensivists. One of her goals as president is to stress the importance in achieving better outcomes of ICU care.

Harvey (oral communication, March 2002) also relates that ensuring an adequate workforce for critical care is another priority area.

The current demographic and workforce trends not only threaten the maintenance of the current level of intensive care, but quite likely will lead to a decrease in the quality of care we are able to deliver if the looming shortage of intensivists and nurses is not addressed. SCCM has partnered with AACN [American Association of Critical-Care Nurses] and other organizations to focus on that agenda as well.

Harvey sees much opportunity for nurses to participate in the society and have an influence. Her goal is to have at least 1 nurse serve on every committee: "The value of joining SCCM is the team approach. There are a number of ways that nurses can become involved in the organization, and SCCM values the interdisciplinary approach." (oral communication, March 2002)

Harvey, who has a background in critical care nursing and education, has been a member of AACN since 1976 and was honored with lifetime membership in 1999 for her contributions to critical care nursing education. She has taught more than 400 CCRN review courses in 47 states and 20 countries, including India, Russia, Taiwan, and Egypt, as well as several European countries. She is an active consultant to hospitals throughout the United States. It is truly an accomplishment and an honor that a nurse and a member of AACN is leading a critical care medicine society.

But as we witness history in the making, it becomes even more important that we take charge in shaping the future of interdisciplinary healthcare in critical care. The role of the critical care nurse is an essential one, and we must continue to highlight and promote our presence in critical care. Through affiliation and participation in multidisciplinary organizations nurses can ensure recognition of the key role of nurses in critical care. Maintaining membership in organizations is a component of professional nursing, and participation in multidisciplinary organizations as well as in nursing-related organizations is essential to influencing the future of critical care nursing. SCCM has worked with AACN and other professional organizations in sponsoring collaborative projects and critical care initiatives.

Reference

1. Harvey M. Invisible excellence. The Presidential Address from the 31st congress of the Society of Critical Care Medicine. Crit Care Med. 2002;30:729–732.[Medline]

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