Austin, Texas – The National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS) today presented its prestigious Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) of the Year Award to Kathleen Vollman, MSN, RN, CCNS, FCCM, FAAN, Acute and Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist, President of ADVANCING NURSING LLC and adjunct faculty member for Michigan State University’s Clinical Nurse Specialist Graduate Program.
The CNS of the Year Award recognizes an NACNS member for outstanding professional achievement in all aspects of CNS practice. It is presented each year to a nurse who demonstrates CNS competencies and exemplary practice in patient care, nursing and health care delivery systems.
“It is our great honor to present the CNS of the Year Award to Kathleen Vollman,” said NACNS 2017 Board President Vince Holly, MSN, RN, CCRN, CCNS, ACNS-BC. “Kathleen’s passion for the CNS role is well established. She was a founding member of NACNS, helped write the bylaws and served on the initial board of directors. Her commitment to the national and international presence of the CNS role has not waivered.”
Vollman is the president of the Michigan Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists and the affiliate’s work has resulted in title protection and scope of practice for clinical nurse specialists in Michigan.
Vollman has shaped the creation of academic clinical nurse specialist programs at California State University in Long Beach, Wayne State University and Michigan State University. She has conducted more than five hospital CNS redesigns to fit the NACNS model of the three spheres of influence. Vollman’s company, ADVANCING NURSING LLC, is focused on creating empowered work environments for nurses through the acquisition of greater skills and knowledge. She has published and lectured nationally and internationally on a variety of pulmonary, critical care, health acquired injuries prevention, sepsis recognition and management, CNS role and work culture. The Michigan Hospital Association and the Health Research Education Trust of the American Hospital Association considers Vollman a subject matter expert on the prevention of CAUTI, CLABSI, C-Diff and HAPI, sepsis recognition and management, and the culture of safety.
During her graduate studies she designed the “Vollman Prone Positioner”, a device used on mechanical ventilated critically ill patients that enabled patients to be safely positioned prone. The device was available in the health care market from 1997 to 2011. This intervention made the task of moving critical patients manageable for bedside nurses and saved countless lives. From 1989 to 2003, Vollman was the clinical nurse specialist for the medical intensive care units at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan where she focused on redesigning nursing work cultures with an emphasis on advocacy and preventing harm through implementation of evidence based fundamental nursing care practices.
Vollman earned her BSN from Wayne State University and her MSN from California State University, Long Beach’s Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist Program. She is also the President of Sepsis Solutions International, LLC. She currently serves on the Eastern Michigan’s Graduate Advisory Board. She previously served on the University of Michigan Graduate Advisory Board and the Task Force for Nursing Practice with the Michigan Department of Community Health in East Lansing. In 2012, she was appointed to serve as an honorary ambassador to the World Federation of Critical Care Nurses and is currently the financial director for the association. She was inducted into College of Critical Care Medicine in 2004 and the American Academy of Nurses in 2009. In addition to NACNS, she is a member of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, American College of Chest Physicians, Society of Critical Care Medicine and International Learning Collaborative and is an international media expert in critical care and advanced practice nursing for Sigma Theta Tau.
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Founded in 1995, The National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists is the only association representing the clinical nurse specialist (CNS). CNSs are advanced practice registered nurses who work in a variety of specialties to ensure high-quality, evidence-based, patient-centered care. As leaders in health care settings, CNSs provide direct patient care and lead initiatives to improve care and clinical outcomes, and reduce costs. NACNS is dedicated to advancing CNS practice and education, removing certification and regulatory barriers, and assuring the public access to quality CNS services.