A registered nurse-licensed vocational nurse partnership model for critical care nursing.

The development, implementation, and evaluation of a program that incorporates a registered nurse and licensed vocational nurse partnership model into the critical care practice setting is described. This model can be used by nurse executives to alleviate some of the immediate consequences of the nursing shortage and potentially to achieve a longer-range solution by expanding the pool of registered nurses. Evaluation of the program revealed statistically significant increases in nurse job satisfaction; perceptions of reduced workload and stress; a perception by registered nurses and physicians of increased nursing care quality; decreased registered nurse turnover and sick time; and a positive perception of the role of the licensed vocational nurse in the critical care unit.