THE PLASTIC SURGICAL NURSE - NURSE SPECIALIST FOR THE 1990S

''A nurse is a nurse,'' is no longer an accurate description of Floren ce Nightingale and Clara Barton's modem-day colleagues. Today, nurses are becoming specialists, investing in advanced training, and seeking certification from more than 40 nursing certification boards. In the 1 970s, as the practice of plastic and reconstructive surgery became mor e defined, nurses working within the specialty came together and organ ized the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgical Nurse s (ASPRSN). During the decade that followed, they met nationally once a year, began publishing a refereed journal, Plastic Surgical Nursing, and in 1989 offered their members the opportunity to become specialty certified (Certified Plastic Surgical Nurse [CPSN]). As of July 1994, 237 of the 1170 members were certified, an impressive one out of ever y five members. The purpose of this article is to describe the typical plastic surgical nurse and his or her work environment, training requ irements, and commonly performed nursing tasks.