AACN Just Released Its First-Ever Progressive Care Guidelines—Here’s What’s Inside
Image Source: Amy Hemmer via LinkedIn
On March 11, 2025, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) published its first-ever “AACN Scope and Standards for Progressive Care Nursing Practice.”By establishing these practice standards, the AACN reinforces the importance of specialized care for acutely ill patients who require a high intensity of care and vigilance. These publications reflect the growing importance of progressive care nursing, which was ranked as the ninth most in-demand healthcare job according to LinkedIn in early 2024.
“The number of patients who require highly skilled nursing care but are not quite critically ill continues to increase, and the growing patient population has contributed to progressive care maturing into a distinct practice area on the critical care continuum. As the understanding and recognition of progressive care in hospitals and other healthcare facilities has expanded, so has the need for clinical and educational resources specific to progressive care nursing,” said Anna Alder, Taskforce Chair.
Defining Progressive Care Nursing
Progressive care nursing fills the gap between medical-surgical units and intensive care units (ICUs). The AACN introduced the term “progressive care” more than 20 years ago to describe the care of acutely ill patients who are moderately stable but at high risk of instability. These patients require frequent monitoring and timely intervention but may not need full ICU-level support.
Progressive care nurses work in various settings, including:
- Progressive care units
- Telemetry units
- Step-down units
- Intermediate care units
- Adaptable acuity units
- Emergency departments
- Long-term acute care hospitals
The newly released standards aim to define the scope of progressive care practice more clearly, offering a framework that reflects the increasing acuity of hospitalized patients and the demand for specialized nursing care outside the ICU.
Key Features of the New Standards
The “AACN Scope and Standards for Progressive Care Nursing Practice” resource provides:
- Detailed examples and practical applications for progressive care nursing
- Role-specific insights for nurses in this specialty
- An outline of the expected level of practice and professional performance for progressive care registered nurses
- Coverage of neonatal, pediatric, adult, and geriatric populations
- Competencies required to meet each standard
Impact on Nursing Education, Certification, and Practice
The new standards are expected to guide nursing education programs, hospital policies, and professional development. For nurses preparing for certification, particularly those pursuing the PCCN® (Progressive Care Certified Nurse) credential—AACN's fastest-growing certification—the standards serve as a critical resource.
Future Initiatives
The AACN has announced plans to publish additional resources:
- "Standards for Appropriate Staffing in Adult Progressive Care" in spring 2025
- A separate "AACN Scope and Standards for Critical Care Nursing Practice" in 2026
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