HYPERBARIC NURSING: Specialty, Qualifications, and Training

Choosing Hyperbaric Nursing as a speciality.
The specialty of hyperbaric nursing was formally recognized with the founding and incorporation of the Baromedical Nurses Association (BNA) in 1985. The BNA was established with 35 founding RN members at the joint meeting of the UMS Annual Scientific Meeting and the Long Beach Clinical Hyperbaric Conference. The BNA, which is international in scope, maintains a membership of 250 registered nurses from approximately five countries. Functions of the BNA include promoting professional activities that enhance the effectiveness of hyper-baric nursing in the health-care system and promoting educational opportunities and networking for nurses practicing in the specialty. Educational activities of the BNA can now be accessed online and focus on chamber and patient safety, patient compliance, evidence-based best practices, and quality improvement programs.The BNA develops and maintains standards-of-care guidelines in hyperbaric nurs-ing and supports nursing research efforts.(1,2)   

All hyperbaric personnel involved in patient care and chamber operations are trained in hyperbaric medicine theory and clinical practice, including technical procedures and patient safety.

Hyperbaric nurses may now achieve specialty certification as a certified or advanced-certified hyperbaric nurse or as a hyperbaric nurse clinician. Since its inception, the face of the BNA has aged, but its mission to serve nurses practicing in the field of clinical hyperbaric nursing is essentially unchanged. Information and an application for membership can be obtained from the Baromedical Nurses Association through Internet access at www.hyperbaricnurses.org. In hyperbaric medicine, a collegial role between the nurse and the physician exists – roles both independent and interdependent.(3) This collegial role has been described throughout the evolution of hyperbaric nursing, and it continues as the BNA joins the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) for their annual scientific meetings, providing a forum for sharing scientific knowledge between the members of the hyperbaric health-care team. The BNA is also represented on the UHMS Committees by the UHMS Associate Liaison. 

What are the Qualifications & Training for Hyperbaric Nurses?
QUALIFICATIONS & TRAINING FOR HYPERBARIC NURSES

Staffing for a hyperbaric department is dictated by the state and country laws
in which the facility operates. The Joint Commission (TJC) and Joint Commission
International guidelines influence the staffing and the practice of nursing in hyperbaric units. (4,5) Accountability to these legislative and organizational guidelines is paramount to a department’s success. All hyperbaric personnel involved in patient care and chamber operations are trained in hyperbaric medicine theory and clinical practice, including technical procedures and patient safety.

HYPERBARIC MEDICINE TRAINING
For more details on Hyperbaric medicine training visit Wound Care Education Partners. Introduction to Hyperbaric Medicine will provide you with basic training or continuing education in hyperbaric medicine. This course meets the CMS requirements for physician supervision and billing; and is a precursor to getting the UHMS PATH or either the NBDHMT certification of added qualification or the ABWH certificate of added qualification.

TEXTBOOK: The previous excerpt is from Hyperbaric Medical Practice, 5th Edition, Chapter 6: Hyperbaric Nursing, by Valerie Messina. This publication is found at Best Publishing Company.

REFERENCES:
1: Baromedical Nurses Association. Rules, Article 1, Section 1. 1985.
2: Baromedical Nurses Association [Internet]. Baromedical Nurses Association.
Guidelines for: standards of care for the patient receiving hyperbaric oxygen
therapy; 2007 [cited 2017 Mar 27]. Available from:
http://hyperbaricnurses.org/
about-us/standards-of-care/.
3: Gaul A. Keynote address to: 1st Annual Baromedical Nurses Association Meeting;
1986 Apr; Key Biscayne, FL.
4. Joint Commission. 2015 comprehensive accreditation and certification manual.
Oak Brook(IL): Joint Commission Edition; 2017.
5. Joint Commission International. 2014 accreditation standards for hospitals. 5th ed.
Oakbrook (IL): Joint Commission International; 2013.