Background With telemedicine technology, off-site expert clinicians can consult in real time with bedside nurses and providers. The success of telemedicine may depend on its acceptance by bedside nurses and providers. Objectives To compare nurses’ perceptions of telemedicine in 2 intensive care units (ICUs) at Emory University Hospital, an academic medical center, and to determine the relation between nurses’ years of ICU experience and their perceptions of telemedicine in the hospital’s ICUs (Emory e-ICU Center). Methods This study used a descriptive correlational design. Nurses in the 2 units completed a demographic form and a questionnaire about their perceptions of the Emory e-ICU Center. Results A total of 60 participants completed the study (30 nurses from each unit). Among the entire sample, the perception scores ranged from 2.4 to 5.0, with a mean score of 3.8 (SD, 0.6). Perception scores were significantly higher for nurses in the acute respiratory ICU than for those in the cardiovascular ICU; nurses in the acute respiratory ICU had spent less time working in an ICU. No statistically significant correlation was found between nurses’ years of experience in an ICU and their perception scores. This correlation was also not significant within each unit. Nurses’ experience with telemedicine in the ICU also did not correlate significantly with perception scores. Conclusions Despite differences in nurses’ years of experience, the perceptions of the Emory e-ICU Center did not differ significantly among nurses.

• Background Accreditation standards for certification programs require use of a testing mechanism that is job-related and based on the knowledge and skills needed to function in the discipline. • Objectives To describe critical care advanced practice by revising descriptors to encompass the work of both acute care nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists and to explore differences in the practice of clinical nurse specialists and acute care nurse practitioners. • Methods A national task force of subject matter experts was appointed to create a comprehensive delineation of the work of critical care nurses. A survey was designed to collect validation data on 65 advanced practice activities, organized by the 8 nurse competencies of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Synergy Model for Patient Care, and an experience inventory. Activities were rated on how critical they were to optimizing patients’ outcomes, how often they were performed, and toward which sphere of influence they were directed. How much time nurses devoted to specific care problems was analyzed. Frequency ratings were compared between clinical nurse specialists and acute care nurse practitioners. • Results Both groups of nurses encountered all items on the experience inventory. Clinical nurse specialists were more experienced than acute care nurse practitioners. The largest difference was that clinical nurse specialists rated as more critical activities involving clinical judgment and clinical inquiry whereas acute care nurse practitioners focused primarily on clinical judgment. • Conclusions Certification initiatives should reflect differences between clinical nurse specialists and acute care nurse practitioners.