Newswise — The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) honors Beth Ulrich, EdD, RN, FACHE, FAAN, with the 2018 Marguerite Rodgers Kinney Award for a Distinguished Career.
Ulrich will receive the award for her exceptional contributions that enhance the care of critically ill patients and their families, and further AACN’s mission and vision. The presentation will occur during the 2018 National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition in Boston, May 21-24.
For more than 30 years, Ulrich has served as a healthcare executive for hospitals, large healthcare systems and other healthcare organizations as the senior partner with Innovative Health Resources, providing consulting services to healthcare organizations and associations.
In 2014, Ulrich rejoined the faculty at the University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHSC) at Houston Cizik School of Nursing, where she is a professor in the doctor of nursing practice program. She has also held faculty positions in UTHSC’s School of Medicine and the School of Nursing at UT Medical Branch at Galveston.
Ulrich is known for her research on nursing work environments and the experiences of new graduate nurses as they transition from nursing school to the workforce. She is also highly regarded for her leadership in developing the role of nephrology nurses and improving the care of nephrology patients.
Her research includes several national studies related to the nursing workforce and work environment. During NTI, she will present preliminary results from the most recent national survey of critical care nurses about their work environments, conducted for AACN. She has worked with AACN on these studies since 2006, following the release of “AACN Standards for Establishing and Sustaining Healthy Work Environments.”
“Beth’s work has provided valuable insights about the state of the health of the critical care nurse work environment,” said AACN board president Christine S. Schulman, MS, RN, CNS, CCRN-K. “She has played an important role in our efforts to identify best practices related to healthy work environments and uncover workplace issues that need attention and care.”
Ulrich began her clinical experience in nephrology nursing in 1972 and served as director of one of the nation’s leading renal centers. A longtime member of the American Nephrology Nurses Association (ANNA), she served as national president in 1985-86. Since 2002, she has been editor of Nephrology Nursing Journal, ANNA’s official journal. She recently served as the primary investigator on ANNA’s study “Assessing the Patient Safety Culture in Nephrology Nurse Practice Settings.”
She has numerous publications and presentations to her credit on topics including nephrology nursing, nurses’ work environments and how new graduate nurses transition to become professional nurses. Her book “Mastering Precepting: A Nurse’s Handbook for Success” was named a 2012 Book of the Year by the American Journal of Nursing. Her most recent book is “Mastering Simulation,” a comprehensive how-to book on the use of simulation to assess and validate competency and to improve patient care outcomes.
Among her numerous honors, she has been named a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing.
Ulrich received her bachelor’s degree from Medical University of South Carolina, her master’s degree from the UTHSC School of Nursing, and her doctorate from the University of Houston in a collaborative program with Baylor College of Medicine.
About the Marguerite Rodgers Kinney Award: Established in 1997 and named for a past AACN president, the Marguerite Rodgers Kinney Award for a Distinguished Career recognizes extraordinary and distinguished professional contributions that further AACN’s mission and vision of a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and families where acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. Recipients of this Visionary Leadership Award receive a $1,000 gift to the charity of their choice, lifetime membership in AACN and a crystal replica of the presidential “Vision” icon. Other Visionary Leadership Awards, AACN’s highest honor, include Lifetime Member Award and the AACN Pioneering Spirit Award.
About the National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition: Established in 1974, AACN’s National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI) represents the world’s largest educational conference and trade show for nurses who care for acutely and critically ill patients and their families. Bedside nurses, nurse educators, nurse managers, clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners attend NTI.
About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses: Founded in 1969 and based in Aliso Viejo, California, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) is the largest specialty nursing organization in the world. AACN represents the interests of more than half a million acute and critical care nurses and has more than 200 chapters throughout the United States. The organization’s vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution.
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 101 Columbia, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656-4109; 949-362-2000; www.aacn.org; facebook.com/aacnface; twitter.com/aacnme
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