As the peak organisation, representing the professional interests of anaesthetic and post-anaesthetic nurses, The Australian College of PeriAnaesthesia Nurses (ACPAN) aims to promote the highest standards of perianaesthesia care, based on available evidence, consultation, and expert consensus. These documents have been developed in consultation with ANZCA and form the basis for credentialing perianaesthesia nurses in Australia.
ACPAN is the first Australian specialty nursing college to offer a Clinical Fellowship program based on attainment of a standard of education, training and experience to provide expertise in anaesthetic and post anaesthetic nursing care.
ACPAN credentialed nurses have skill and knowledge levels which promote safe anaesthesia care for all patients. They comply with ACPAN Practice Standards and Monitoring standards and ACPAN Statements about training requirements for anaesthesia and PACU nurses. The program is designed to exceed the need of the Statement on the Assistant for the Anaesthetist (PS08) 2016 and the Statement on the Post-Anaesthesia CareUnit (PS04) 2018, developed by the Australian New Zealand College of Anaesthetists.
In line with this, it is envisaged that ACPAN credentialing will be highly recommended when working within the anaesthesia domain. ACPAN will encourage these positions through lobbying health departments in each jurisdiction with the objective to set a distinction between the ACPAN credentialed nurses and those working in the specialty without having
completed an anaesthesia specialty-based program.
It is important to note that ACPAN will maintain focus towards being a credentialing body through the development and release of training curricula. ACPAN acknowledges that individuals working in perianaesthesia across Australia may undertake various education
and training activities in the workplace, through varying continuing professional development opportunities and through the attainment of qualifications and these may be delivered in many different formats at many different locations. Furthermore, ACPAN may accredit and
support education providers and as such, these will be listed on the ACPAN website as information becomes available.
- ACPAN Guide Level 1 Anaesthesia Nurses July 2019
- ACPAN Guide Level 1 PACU Nurses
- ACPAN Guide Clinical Fellowship April 2019
Additionally, the education standards and education schedule comply with ANZCA PS08 and PS04 and are benchmarked against ANZCA and IFNA.
ACPAN PRACTICE AND EDUCATION STANDARDS.
ACPAN EDUCATION SCHEDULE – LEVELS AND FELLOWSHIP