All Rehabilitation Nursing News

We can't wait to see everyone at ARN's 2023 Rehabilitation Nursing Conference! Are you looking to do more than just attend #REHAB2023? Volunteer as a Breakout Moderator! 

This Nurses Month (May 1-31), we are celebrating the incredible work our members, and all nurses, do to support patients and families. May is also Mental Health Awareness month. In line with the American Nurses Association's (ANA) first week of Nurses Month of self-care, ARN joins the conversation to support our rehab nurses in ways to improve your self-care and remind you to put yourself first. 

The Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN) joins the American Nurses Association (ANA) in celebrating Nurses Month this May. While nurses deserve to be recognized more than just one month or a week out of a year, ARN would like to take this time to acknowledge the impact that rehabilitation nurses make throughout the year.

We are pleased to present the April issue of the ARN Health Policy Digest. This member benefit provides updates on health policy and legislative and regulatory developments that may be of interest to rehabilitation nurses.

If you are an ARN member or a Rehabilitation Nursing Journal (RNJ) subscriber, you should soon receive your May/June issue in the mail. Check out a preview of the articles that will be gracing the pages of this issue or visit the journal online to read the full issue.

Rehabilitation is a healthcare service that can help people maximize their physical, cognitive, and emotional functions. A rehabilitation program can benefit patients diagnosed with severe cancer like mesothelioma, a rare form of respiratory cancer.  Meanwhile, you might ask: how can rehabilitation help during a patient's cancer treatment? What rehabilitation therapies exist for people with cancer? 

The Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN) would like to take this week (April 16-22) to recognize our hard working committees and volunteers who make a big difference in the organization and throughout the field of rehabilitation. Hear from President of ARN, Maria Radwanski MSN FARN RN CRRN CMGT-BC, as she pens a letter to our volunteers, and see the list of our committees who move this organization forward through their hard work and efforts. 

Are you passionate about making a positive impact in the rehabilitation field? Do you have the skills and experience to help guide the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN) towards success? If so, we invite you to consider applying for one of the five open positions on our Board of Directors and Nomination and Leadership Development Committee. Applications are open through April 15. 

Hear from Rehabilitation Nursing Journal (RNJ) Editor-in-Chief, Pamela Larsen's updates on renaming of the 'This n' That' article, and her encouragement for more clinical consultations to be submitted in a less formal format for the journal. 

On March 15, ARN is opening nominations for both the Board of Directors and Nominating and Leadership Development Committee (NLD) as well as the applications to become a Fellow of ARN (FARN). 

With the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN) Board of Directors elections currently open until April 15, we dive into one of our current members who has a unique background to pair with her leadership on the board. The current ARN Board of Directors Secretary-Treasurer, Grace Campbell, PhD MSW RN CNL CRRN FARN, shares a look into her day and proves that no two rehab nursing paths are the same.

We are pleased to present the February issue of the ARN Health Policy Digest. This member benefit provides updates on health policy and legislative and regulatory developments that may be of interest to rehabilitation nurses.

ARN is reimagining the SIG structure as we desire to offer more resources and tools that match the needs of our members. Take the survey, below, to tell us about your personal interests in rehabilitation.

On March 14, the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN) invited all members to attend "Coffee with the President," a casual chat where ARN Board of Directors President, Maria Radwanski, MSN RN CRRN CMGT-BC FARN, asked members questions, gave organization updates, and opened a safe space to share stories.

If you are an ARN member or a Rehabilitation Nursing Journal (RNJ) subscriber, you should soon receive your March/April issue in the mail. Check out a preview of the articles that will be gracing the pages of this issue or visit the journal online to read the full issue.

​Thanks to the generous member and nonmember donors who continue to support the mission of the Rehabilitation Nursing Foundation (RNF), the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses' (ARN) Advancing Science and Practice Committee (ASPC) will oversee three (3) new grant opportunities with funding up to $10,000 each! The deadline for all grants is June 1, 2023. 

On January 5, 2023, Congress passed the Dr. Joanne Smith Memorial Rehabilitation Innovation Centers Act of 2022, recognizing a leading class of pioneering rehabilitation research facilities across the country, including TIRR Memorial Hermann, which set the standard for ongoing study and patient care.

Members, join us for a fun, online chat with the current President of the ARN Board of Directors, Maria Radwanski, MSN RN CRRN CMGT-BC FARN! 

The Rehabilitation Nursing Certification Board (RNCB) develops, administers, and evaluates the certification program for rehabilitation nursing. The mission of the RNCB is to promote excellence in care by validating qualifications and specialized knowledge in the rehabilitation nursing specialty. Our RNCB directors are the shepherds of that mission, supporting the more than 13,000 CRRNs and bringing the program into the future so it can continue to serve the rehabilitation nursing community.

The Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN) and the Association Management Center (AMC) are regretful to announce the passing of ARN and AMC co-founder Dagny Engle, RN CAE, on January 2, 2023.  

While the winter season falls upon us with all the sparkle, glitter, and magic of the holidays and the promises that a new year brings, I know that you are hard at work bringing encouragement, empowerment, and hope to your patients and families. The Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN) is grateful to you for your mentorship, advocacy, and volunteerism as you provide support for your organization, peers, and work colleagues.

This award recognizes a rehabilitation nurse who has demonstrated leadership and collaboration while advocating for outstanding patient care. This award winner has demonstrated leadership and collaboration while advocating for outstanding patient care by improving patient resources, increasing access to care, providing education to elected officials or community members, and more. Congratulations to this year's winner, Denise Comeaux MSN RN CRRN NEA-BC! 

The CRRN Advocacy Award recognizes healthcare organizations that advocate for certification for rehabilitation nurses and provide support to and recognition of certified staff.

This year's winner showed incredible dedication to CRRN certification. Congratulations to Atrium Health Carolinas Rehabilitation!

This award recognizes a nurse who has contributed to the advancement of rehabilitation nursing care through an academic or educational role.

This honor goes to someone who demonstrates leadership ability and effectiveness in the educational development and mentoring of rehabilitation nurses or students and supports the advancement of rehabilitation nurses through continuing or formal education. Congratulations to this year's winner, Yvette Salas, MSN CRRN!

This award recognizes outstanding practice by a rehabilitation nurse in a direct patient care role. This award allows colleagues, family members, or a fellow rehab nurses to nominate someone who they see as going above and beyond in their every day profession. Congratulations to this year's winner, Tianna Fontanez, RN CRRN! 

"We celebrate Veterans Day and all the caregivers who provide rehabilitation programs to our veterans." – Tony Hilton, DrPH RN MSN FNP CRRN

This Veterans Day, the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN) would like to thank those who have served our country and shine a light on all our members and nurses who provide care to those who have served. 

In the January/February issue of Rehabilitation Nursing, there will be a new feature titled This n' That. This is an opportunity for you to share stories of your professional experiences. The editorial board and I are 'feeling our way' with this new feature. Sometimes the feature may offer short stories/vignettes from several contributors. Other times, the entire feature may be one story. For instance, in the January/February issue, there is one story on management of a patient with polypharmacy.

The Mary Ann Mikulic Scholarship covers one full hybrid registration fee for a first-time attendee to ARN's Rehabilitation Nursing Conference. Those who applied this year for the scholarship were able to attend the conference both in-person in San Diego and online, for free, to earn continuing education credits and connect with their rehab nursing community. Congratulations to this year's winner, Michelle Hepburn, RN MSN! 

The Rehabilitation Nursing Certification Board (RNCB) is applications for four open leadership positions beginning in January 2023 only until this Thursday, October 28. Hear from incoming chairperson, Tracey Connolly, MSN RN AGCNS-BC CRRN WCC, about her personal experience with being on the RNCB. 

The Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN) inducted its class of six Fellows of ARN at the 48th annual Rehabilitation Nursing Conference on Friday, September 23, at the in-person event in San Diego, California. 

The ARN President's Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the field of rehabilitation nursing and to ARN. The current president at the time may select a recipient for this award, which does not have to be given each year. The President's Award is given at the president's sole discretion, and immediate Past President, Jill Rye, DNP RN CRRN CNL FARN, made her selection during ARN's 2022 Rehab Nursing Conference. 

Congratulations to this year's winner,  Stephanie Vaughn, PhD RN FAHA FARN CRRN!

2022 Distinguished Service Award Winner Selected by the ARN Board of Directors, this award recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to rehabilitation nursing and to the organization. This award is given to a member who has demonstrated leadership by participation in ARN activities on a national, regional, and chapter level.

Congratulations to this year's winner, Karen Preston, PHN MS CRRN FIALCP FARN!

The Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN) membership voted to approve new members to their leadership board, who were installed during ARN's 2022 Rehabilitation Nursing Conference on September 23, 2022 in San Diego, CA.

Thank you to all our 2022 Abstract Reviewers who volunteered their time! Your hard work and dedication will help make ARN's 2022 Annual Rehabilitation Nursing Conference a success. Over 100 submissions were reviewed and scored by our incredible group of dedicated volunteer Abstract Reviewers.

The Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN) Board of Directors and Nominating and Leadership Development Committee position nominations are quickly ending next week on May 15. With the President-Elect position open for nominations, learn how the current president of the association found her way to the head of the table.