A Legacy Is a Gift

Dr. Frank Cole (deceased 2006), a visionary in the field of advanced practice emergency care, cofounded the first master’s emergency nurse practitioner (ENP) program in the nation. Frank taught many highly impactful clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) and ENPs in his phenomenal career. A product of his teachings included gifting us with the knowledge that everything has a process. This process included formation and implementation of the role of the ENP via scope, standards, curriculum, and extraction of competencies specific to the role by utilizing evidence-based research.

Dr. Cole left us with the legacy of continuing the process he initiated of establishing and realizing the ENP. In the years that followed his death, those of us who were his pupils had many obstacles to circumvent. The Consensus Model (CM; 2008) placed us in a precarious position strategically since the role, scope, and other defining characteristics of the ENP had not been taken into consideration. Key concepts of the CM—such as the effects of segregating the indivisible concepts of primary and acute care, which obstructs practice, and the lack of evolutional scope appropriations—have damaged the provision of emergency care by nurse practitioners across the country. Action had to be taken to set the ENPs apart to protect them and their patients and give them the recognition they worked for and deserved. A core curriculum was a must to solidify knowledge, skills, and abilities and to accompany our certification, scope, competencies, and practice standards.

The American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners (AAENP) was established in 2013 to support ENPs in academic, clinical, and policy paradigms. The American Academy of Nurse Practitioner Certifying Board developed the ENP certification exam (2017) and now, in collaboration with Springer Publishing Company, the AAENP introduces Emergency Nurse Practitioner Core Curriculum.

This publication is a monumental step in the process Dr. Cole began, and is truly the pinnacle of success! The ENP is now acknowledged with a published core curriculum for the world to obtain. Dear Dr. Cole, your legacy has been realized.

AAENP Definition of Emergency Care

Emergency care encompasses the evaluation, management, and treatment of patients across the lifespan with unforeseen illness or injury of varying complexity. Emergency care is delivered by clinicians who are educated and trained to comprehensively address a wide variety of illnesses and injuries, ranging from resuscitation and stabilization of life-threatening health problems to management of minor injuries and illnesses. Emergency care is not defined by a practice setting, and takes place within urban, suburban, rural, and frontier/remote settings.

This publication specifically addresses and outlines ENP role and practice and is also the first core curriculum written specifically for ENPs.

Editors Reneé S. Holleran, FNP-BC, RN-BC, PhD, CEN, CFRN, CTRN (retired), CCRN (Alumnus), FAEN and Theresa M. Campo, DNP, FNP-C, ENP-BC, FAANP have masterfully put forth the AAENP’s most authoritative one-of-a-kind Emergency Nurse Practitioner Core Curriculum. This core is an evidence-based practice book for the ENP, which offers a holistic approach throughout. This core also serves as a comprehensive review guide for the ENP studying for the emergency nurse practitioner certification (ENP-C). The book can also be utilized for instruction by faculty in academia.

Two editors, two consulting editors, 57 authors, and 15 reviewers have worked to ensure content is up to date for AAENP’s Emergency Nurse Practitioner Core Curriculum. Each chapter in the table of contents is organized in the following way:

Section I, Foundations of Practice, includes the history of the development of the ENP, fundamental clinical skills (neonatal, pediatric, and adult), airway and ventilation management, anesthesia and acute pain management, ultrasound, cultural competency in the emergency care setting, patient and staff safety, postexposure prophylaxis, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, evidence-based research and publication, clinical decision-making, emergency resuscitation and stabilization, pain management, leadership, team dynamics, and communication, ethics, bioethics, and legal aspects of emergency care, organ donation, and complementary and alternative modalities in the ED.

Section II, Medical Emergencies, comprises head, eyes, ears, nose, and throat; the neurologic patient; thoracic/respiratory, cardiovascular medical emergencies; vascular medical emergencies; esophagus, stomach, duodenum, renal, genitourinary, and reproductive conditions; metabolic and endocrinology; immunologic and inflammatory; hematology/oncology, infectious diseases, and psychiatric and mental health emergencies.

Section III, Shock and Trauma, consists of shock: septic, cardiogenic, toxic, neurogenic, and hypovolemic; multiple trauma, head trauma, and brain injuries; spinal injuries; neck injuries; abdominal trauma; genitourinary trauma; peripheral vascular injuries; orthopedic injuries; and soft tissue injuries.

Section IV, Environmental Emergencies, reviews frostbite and nonfreezing cold injuries, heat illness, lightning and electrical injuries, scuba diving and dysbarism, high-altitude medicine, drowning injuries, and radiation injuries.

Section V, Toxicology, covers overdose management, substance use disorder, approach to the poisoned patient, toxicology, and other toxins.

Section VI, Emergency Medical Services and Disaster Preparedness, encompasses emergency medical services (EMS), patient transfer and transport, crisis and disaster management, chemical and biological weapons.

Section VII, Special Patient Populations, involves the pregnant patient, pediatric patient, geriatric patient, rural/austere patient population, LGBT patients in the ED, vulnerable populations in the emergency setting, and victims of violence.

The AAENP’s Emergency Nurse Practitioner Core Curriculum provides a new approach to emergency medical care from the advanced nursing practice perspective, ensuring an all-inclusive approach to care in the emergency and urgent care setting. We hope you enjoy the read!

Consulting Editors