Background: Rehabilitation nursing is practiced in various settings along the healthcare continuum. No framework is noted in the literature that defines the necessary competencies of the rehabilitation nurse. Purpose: To develop a Competency Model for Professional Rehabilitation Nursing and its application to clinical and educational practice. Method/design: A seven-member Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN) task force was convened; conducted a literature review, reviewed current and historical ARN documents, including the Strategic Plan, and developed a Competency Model for Professional Rehabilitation Nursing practice. Findings: The Competency Model for Professional Rehabilitation Nursing delineates four domains of rehabilitation nursing practice and essential role competencies. Conclusion: The Competency Model for Professional Rehabilitation Nursing addresses this diverse specialty practice in the current healthcare arena. This framework can be used to guide nurses practicing at different levels of proficiency in various settings. Clinical Relevance: The Competency Model can be used as a structure for staff orientation, evaluation tools, clinical ladder components, role descriptions and rehabilitation nursing courses.

The purpose of this study was to describe the effects of motivating factors and characteristics of the nursing profession on students selecting nursing as a career. Students from three types of programs in North Carolina (N = 495) were asked to complete a survey during the first month of their nursing program. Motivating factors influencing the decision to become a nurse were past experience with a loved one or self being ill and/or hospitalized, past health care work experience, and having a family member or friend who was a nurse. Characteristics about the nursing profession influencing career decisions were care and concern for others, job security, and variety of work settings. None of the motivating factors nor characteristics of the nursing profession differed among students from each program type. Data from this survey can be used to developed appropriate recruitment strategies for each program type.

Medication therapy in elderly patients is difficult to manage and always has the potential of being hazardous. With the age-related changes that affect the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of a medication, prescribing medications is further complicated. Similarly, assessment of a medication's efficacy is difficult. The situation becomes more complicated when the patient is taking multiple medications. Nurses in the perioperative area need to be cognizant of a patient's preoperative medication regime and the medications that have been prescribed in the perioperative setting. As medication interactions increase substantially with the number of medications taken, the most pertinent nursing intervention is accurate assessment of the patient. Early recognition of potentially harmful medication effects is critical.

The history and trajectory of the Rehabilitation Nursing Foundation (RNF), the research arm of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses, is presented in this article. From 1988 through 2008, 52 RNF research grants have been awarded to 49 researchers. Since 1995, this research award program has been guided by the Rehabilitation Nursing Research Agenda. Funded studies have varied in focus from pediatrics to geriatrics, to specific chronic conditions, and to administrative and management issues, providing a basis for the development of rehabilitation nursing science. Strategies for successful RNF grant writing are also included in this article.

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