Along with the evolution in clinical research and technical advances that have brought about today's vast array of treatment options for cardiovascular diseases and improved heart health since the founding of the ACC, there has been another transformation: a true team-based approach to the delivery of care to patients. Early in this care transformation, the College embraced the value of extending membership to the cardiovascular care team (CV Team), thereby including all professions and clinicians caring for cardiovascular patients in one professional home.

CV Team members have become integral across the care continuum for many cardiovascular specialties, and the ACC has staunchly supported this evolution. Since the inception of CV Team membership in 2003, there has been exceptional growth with approximately 8,500 CV Team members calling the College home. Additionally, the CV Team Leadership Council has become an integral advisory group, representing the needs of CV Team members and helping to inform the College's advocacy, education, research, career and leadership development efforts.

Professional Distinction For CV Team Members

Over the last 20+ years, the ACC has also found additional ways to recognize the professional contributions of CV Team members. To date, more than 600 members are recognized with the Associate of the American College of Cardiology (AACC) designation. Additionally, a growing number of CV Team Members have fulfilled the stringent requirements to become a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC).

Most recently, in 2022, the CV Team Section spearheaded the establishment of the Health Care Quality Professional Award of Excellence, awarded annually during the ACC's annual Quality Summit to an individual demonstrating outstanding leadership as part of the College's NCDR and/or Accreditation Services programs.

The ACC has also supported a variety of endeavors to enhance practice and professionalism for CV Team members. CV Team participation in cardiovascular guideline and expert consensus writing groups taps into the collective wisdom and expertise of the broader care team.

The CV Team Section Advocacy Work Group is another example, hosting a networking and educational session just before the College's annual Legislative Conference in Washington, DC. The session provides important advocacy skills to CV Team members that can be used in grassroots activities back in their states.

Most recently, the College established the Certified Cardiovascular Knowledge Examination (CCKE) for nurse practitioners (NPs) and PAs. The CCKE offers NPs and PAs an avenue to demonstrate their clinical knowledge and commitment to cardiovascular excellence.

The CV Team Section is the home for all CV Team members. Through the leadership of the Council, focused Section work groups aim to identify clinical needs, create educational content and provide ongoing resources to serve as the trusted professional home for cardiovascular clinicians and care team members.

On the education front, content is provided in a variety of modalities for each type of learner, such as podcasts, webinars and poster sessions. For example, the CV Team Pharmacist Work Group established a poster session for pharmacy residents during ACC's Annual Scientific Session to fulfill a training requirement for future CV Team pharmacist members.

ACC.24 in Atlanta was also host to a number of CV Team Section firsts, including a poster session in the CV Team Lounge that expanded beyond the historical APRN, PA and Structural Heart poster session in previous years. The Section also launched an Allied Health Work Group to support the needs of sonographer and technologist members.

Within the Communication Work Group, there is a robust social group that shares Section events and updates using #ACCCVTeam. Micro-volunteering opportunities also allow CV Team members to participate as their schedules allow while maintaining engagement with the College.

All of these efforts illustrate a vested interest in the professional development of CV Team members and the importance of multidisciplinary collaborative care.

What's Ahead?

The CV Team Section has established a strong foothold in the College through the early recognition of the ACC of the critical contributions of CV Team members to the transformation of cardiovascular care.

Looking to the future, the ACC CV Team will continue to impact direct patient care and invest in the professional growth of its members performing in all aspects of cardiovascular care.

Today's CV Team members stand on the shoulders of the CV Team "giants" who paved a path forward for them within the College. We continue that work to pave the way for the CV Team giants of the future who will carry the torch forward for our professions.

Keywords: Cardiology Magazine, ACC Publications, Clinical Competence, Cardiovascular Diseases, Patient Care Team, Accreditation, Leadership

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