Spain begins process to create nursing specialty in critical care and emergencies

The Spanish Ministry of Health has announced the start of the administrative process to create a new nursing specialty in Critical Care, Urgencies and Emergencies, following an agreement by the Human Resources Commission of the National Health System (SNS). The specialty will focus on patients in life-threatening situations and high clinical complexity, both in and out of hospital. Source: infobae

What the specialty covers

The proposal, jointly presented by the Spanish Society of Intensive Care and Coronary Unit Nursing (SEEIUC) and the Spanish Society of Emergency Nursing (SEEUE), integrates three areas into a single specialty: intensive care, hospital emergency services, and mobile emergency units. This unified approach aims to ensure continuity of care from first response and transport through to admission in a critical care unit. Source: El Español

Training and competencies

The training plan outlines a two-year residency (EIR) with supervised clinical rotations in intensive care, hospital emergency departments, mobile units, and coordination centers. The program combines clinical practice, theoretical training, clinical simulation, and continuous competency evaluation. Source: El Confidencial

Key competencies include:

• Patient triage based on care priority, clinical assessment, and detection of life-threatening signs.
• Application of life support measures and care related to assisted ventilation and other advanced support techniques.
• Coordination of medical transports and response to mass casualty incidents and disasters. Source: infobae

Broader context

The creation of this nursing specialty comes just two years after the equivalent specialty was established in medicine. The Ministry emphasizes that the initiative will improve the quality and safety of care and strengthen the SNS's capacity to respond to critical situations. Source: El Español