926 Specialist Within a Specialty: Demystifying the Role of the Burn Nurse Specialist

TL;DR

This paper explores the evolving role of Burn Nurse Specialists in modern burn care, highlighting their responsibilities and challenges in improving patient outcomes.

Contribution

The paper provides a qualitative review of the Burn Nurse Specialist role, offering insights for healthcare centers considering its implementation.

Findings

The Burn Nurse Specialist role was created to address unmet needs in quality improvement and education.

Challenges included role development, training, and compensation due to lack of existing frameworks.

The role evolved to include quality improvement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and evidence-based care.

Abstract

The ever-changing landscape of modern burn care is associated with an ever-evolving role of nurses in the specialty. Nurses are integral to the advancement of healthcare as leaders, researchers, and educators. One role that has become increasingly prominent is the Burn Nurse Specialist (BNS). References to the BNS date back to 1987, yet published information is scarce. In 2019, it was recognized that there was an unmet need for both bedside quality improvement initiatives and real-time education in our center, leading to creation of the BNS position. This review aims to demystify the function of the burn nurse specialist and identify challenges in implementation.

This qualitative review of the BNS in our center examined job creation, responsibilities, challenges, and evolution of the role. Within the center, two nurses have been employed in the role. Personal accounts and perspectives of both were ascertained.

The BNS role was added without a foundation for duties, expectations, nor training resources. High level functions noted in the job description were expansive and included “clinical nursing practice, education, consultation, performance improvement, supervision of staff and staff development.” The BNS was to lead, serve as a resource for daily operations, and ensure alignment with organizational goals and leadership. Requirements included both clinical and supervisory experience, with a master’s degree or higher preferred. Challenges included role development, training, and compensation determination. Specifically, there was no foundation for daily operations and as the only BNS in the state, calculation of compensation was problematic. The role was retitled to an existing position, Clinical Nurse Support Specialist, for comparison. The role remained in the Burn cost center. The job has evolved to encompass quality improvement (QI), interdisciplinary program and protocol development, close collaboration with the nurse educator and research team, serving as a liaison between the bedside and support services. Data-driven recommendations are used to remediate institutional barriers and challenges. Action plans and resources developed through this role have been widely adopted throughout the organization.

By maintaining a finger on the pulse of patient care, the BNS informs strategies for optimizing outcomes, bringing evidence-based practice to the bedside. Daily responsibilities are variable as the BNS must readily adapt to address actual and anticipated center needs. The BNS is a valuable resource for patient care, protocolizing evidence-based care, and facilitating loop-closure for the team.

This review provides insight for other centers considering the BNS role.

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