Rapid response teams (RRTs) are intended to improve timely identification and management of clinically deteriorating patients, such as in-hospital cardiac arrests.

This article describes the expansion of the RRT to include a critical care resource nurse team (CCRNT). The CCRNT role is aligned with the American Association of Critical Care Nursing (AACN) Synergy Model for Patient Care, which includes nursing competencies driven by patient and family needs. The CCRNT staff are members of the emergency teams (e.g., code blue, RRT, stroke team) and serve as an expert resource to other nurses when faced with emergent or complicated clinical scenarios.

At one Level I Trauma Center, CCRNT implementation was associated with improved timeliness of interventions for patients flagged by early warning systems for being at-risk for clinical deterioration and decreased mortality, as well as timelier response to evolving stroke patients.