All Rehabilitation Nursing News

ARN is committed to creating a safe and healthy environment for all 2021 Rehabilitation Nursing Conference attendees, exhibitors, vendors, staff, and community. It is in this spirit that ARN has elected to require masks as well as proof of vaccination for anyone who wishes to participate in the in-person components of the conference taking place November 9-12, 2021, in Providence, RI. A negative COVID-19 test will not be accepted in place of proof of vaccination to attend. 

In her September President's Message, ARN President Dr. Patricia Quigley examines a recent, first-of-its-kind study that quantifies the impact of visitation restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic on patient experience and safety outcomes. The article is a must-read for rehab nurses as they continue to face ongoing challenges of limited and eliminated visitation privileges for their patients in the midst of the pandemic.

In her August President's Message, ARN President Dr. Patricia Quigley revisits past months' calls for ARN member participation and introduces a new opportunity for rehab nurses to contribute: Reimagining the rehabilitation nursing specialty by "disrupting—for the better—long-standing practices that leave nurses under-developed, under-utilized, and under-appreciated."

Gabrielle P. Abelard, DNP PMHNP PMHCNS-BC RN and Terrie Black, DNP MBA CRRN FAHA FAAN recently published an editorial in Rehabilitation Nursing, the official journal of ARN, about self-care and gratitude in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The editorial, which is accessible to all ARN members, is published in the May/June 2021 issue of RNJ. Access the full article >

Most people who have had COVID-19 recover completely within a few weeks. But too many people continue to experience symptoms and negative impact after their initial recovery. These people have been called "long haulers." This includes a variety of possible symptoms, including cognitive impairment, fatigue, headaches, shortness of breath, and kidney dysfunction and many others.  

In her June President's Message, ARN President, Dr. Patricia Quigley, shares a personal reflection on how far we have come to face the COVID-19 pandemic. She also shares ideas to help nurses celebrate and enjoy the start of the summer season!

This final week of May and Nurses Month, ARN encourages all members to engage with their local chapters as we celebrate the theme community engagement. More than two thirds of ARN members belong to a chapter. Thank you to the many hardworking chapter leaders and members whose work provides needed community and resources to rehab nurses at the local level.

ARN Board Member Mary Ellen Hatch explores long-term COVID-19 implications in new article​ 

Last year began with plans to celebrate nurses as the World Health Organization designated 2020 as The Year of the Nurse and the Midwife. Then just a few months into the new year, the COVID-19 pandemic created a massive challenge that nurses and healthcare providers worldwide stepped up to handle. Now as these same nurses and healthcare providers begin reflecting on the past year to both continue fighting COVID-19 as well as to begin assessing how to take steps into a post-pandemic future, leaders like Mary Ellen Hatch, MSN RN CRRN, are beginning to publish their insights and experiences.  

Don't miss an important webinar focusing on certain patients hit especially hard by the COVID-19 virus. Sally Strong, RN APRN CNRN CRRN, will shed light on how this coronavirus can spark an overreaction in some individuals' immune systems. Strong will discuss the adverse effects that can take place in the cardiopulmonary, hematologic, and neurologic systems. This webinar will explore techniques to meet the needs of COVID-19 patients in a rehab setting and include a discussion about the long-term consequences of COVID that rehab nurses will encounter in their patients in the coming decades.

ARN President, Dr. Patricia Quigley, issued the following message via Member Circle on February 22, 2021, to memorialize the grim milestone passed in the U.S. on this day when the country exceeded more than half a million lives lost to COVID-19. Members may login to view responses to Pat's original message and leave their own comments here.

Mark your calendar for March 31, 2021, from noon–1:15 pm CT, when ARN will host the webinar Re-engineering Fall Prevention During COVID-19: Observations from the Field. 

This complimentary webinar will feature presenters Dr. Amy Hester, PhD, RN, BC and Dr. Patricia Quigley, PhD, MPH, APRN, FAAN, FAANP, FARN, who will discuss the changing demands in inpatient rehabilitation units caused by the COVID-19 crisis. Participants can earn up to 1.25 CEs for their participation.

In her first President's Message of 2021, Dr. Patricia Quigley calls on rehabilitation nurses to fill in gaps within existing COVID-19 research literature by publishing their stories, and, in doing so, assert the vital role of rehabilitation nurses in the care of COVID patients, their families, and their caregivers.

ARN is committed to providing rehabilitation professionals the resources they need to safely practice through the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Next month, in partnership with MedBridge, ARN will present two free webinars focused the mental health and psychosocial challenges of patients, family, and caregivers who are dealing with COVID-19 related illness.

The Certified Registered Rehabilitation Nurse (CRRN^®) exam is offered twice a year, in June and December, and offers rehab nurses on the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and commitment to the field through specialty certification. Due to COVID-19, nurses who sit for the December 2020 exam will have the opportunity to test from their home or office through remote proctoring.

The Rehabilitation Nursing Certification Board (RNCB) administers the Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse (CRRN^®) certification program for nurses who assist individuals with disabilities and chronic illness to restore, maintain, and promote optimal health. With more than 13,000 current certificants, the CRRN has been widely recognized and respected by employers in all post-acute care settings for more than 30 years.

RNCB announces grace period and waived late fees for CRRNs due to renew in 2020 as well as remote testing for those seeking certification​

The Rehabilitation Nursing Certification Board (RNCB) recognizes the undue burden and stress that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on the nursing community. In order to support rehabilitation nurses seeking to maintain or earn their Certified Registered Rehabilitation Nurse (CRRN®)  credential during these challenging times, RNCB has temporarily adjusted CRRN deadlines, fees, and testing site options.

ARN will host a virtual Q & A with rehabilitation nursing expert Michele Cournan, DNP RN ANP-BC FNP CRRN, to answer questions from ARN members and the rehab nursing community about the COVID-19 healthcare crisis. This may include discussion on various topics such as caregiver training, guidelines for COVID-19 testing, team management strategies, etc.

When registering, you also will have the chance to suggest questions you would like to hear addressed during the live event.

We're recording! If you miss the live event, you can catch up on demand. 

On July 15, the Coalition to Preserve Rehabilitation (CPR, of which ARN is a member) submitted a letter to Congress requesting that the next COVID legislative package include a "reset" of the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act. The IMPACT Act, enacted in 2014, requires that CMS work to implement a unified payment system for all four settings of post-acute care (SNFs, IRFs, HHAs, and LTCHs). Due to the recent implementation of new individual payment systems and policies in PAC settings and the ongoing impact of the COVID pandemic, CPR and other stakeholders have requested that Congress reset the timeline of the IMPACT Act and reevaluate whether a unified PAC payment system is appropriate for beneficiaries in need of post-acute care. Read the full letter.