Join CACCN

Mission, Vision, Values

Vision Statement

Critical care nurses provide the highest standard of care to patients and families through a respectful, engaging, vibrant, educated and research-driven specialized community.

Mission Statement

We engage  critical care nurses in Canada and internationally through scholarship, education, and networking.


Values and Beliefs Statement

  • Leadership:   Lead collaborative teams in critical care interprofessional initiatives; Develop, revise and evaluate CACCN Standards of Care and Position Statements; and Develop a political advocacy plan
  • Education:  Provision of excellence in education and Advocate for critical care certification
  • Communication and Partnership:  Networking with our critical care colleagues and Enhancement and expansion of communication with our members
  • Research:  Encouraging, supporting, facilitating to advance the field of critical care
  • Membership:  Strive for a steady and continued increase in CACCN membership

Philosophy Statement

Critical care nursing is a specialty which exists to care for patients who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing life-threatening health crises within a patient/family-centred model of care. Nursing the critically ill patient is continuous and intensive, aided by technology. Critical care nurses require advanced problem-solving abilities using specialized knowledge regarding the human response to critical illness.
The critical care nurse works collaboratively within the inter-professional team and is responsible for coordinating patient care using each member’s unique talents and scope of practice to meet patient and family needs. Each patient has the right to receive care based on their personal preferences. The critically ill patient must be cared for with an appreciation of their wholeness, integrity, and relation to family and environment. Critical care nurses plan, coordinate and implement care with the health care team to meet the physical, psychosocial, cultural, and spiritual needs of the patient and family. Th e critical care nurse must balance the need for the highly technological environment with the need for safety, privacy, dignity, and comfort.
Critical care nurses are at the forefront of critical care science and technology. Lifelong learning and the spirit of enquiry are essential for the critical care nurse to enhance professional competencies and to advance nursing practice. The critical care nurse’s ability to make sound clinical nursing judgments is based on a solid foundation of knowledge and experience.

Vision, Mission and Philosophy revised April 2023