Conference Highlights
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The 2005 Master's Education Conference will examine a variety of topics of interest to faculty and administrators of master's programs in nursing. Two free pre-conferences highlight the importance of geriatrics in the advanced practice curriculum and application of the new professional nursing standards for accreditation of master's programs. Conference topics include innovative initiatives that will have direct impact on the future of master's education; creative approaches to capstone projects that demonstrate academic excellence and provide a link to practice; and science-based advice for improving teaching practice. Concurrent sessions will allow participants to select two topics of particular interest to pursue in smaller groups with expert speakers. Poster and abstract presentations will showcase successful approaches by graduate programs in nursing. Deans, program directors, and faculty are encouraged to join colleagues in this beautiful setting to address issues unique to master's education in nursing.

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Geriatrics and the Advanced Practice Curriculum
Sponsored by The John A. Hartford Foundation (JAHF) Institute for Geriatric Nursing at New York University
Limited to the first 100 registrants. Pre-registration required.
Gain creative strategies and resources for integrating geriatrics into the advanced practice nursing curriculum. With the aging population as the core business of health care, it is essential to prepare all advanced practice nurses to care for older adults. Speakers share innovative strategies for developing geriatric expertise among future APNs. The topic is appropriate for faculty teaching in all adult NP/CNS specialty master's programs including acute care, family, nursing administration, and nursing education.
Speakers: Beth E. Barba, PhD, RN-C, Hartford Institute Senior Advisor and Associate Professor, School of Nursing, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a panel of JAHF/AACN geriatric nursing education project grantees.

Incorporating Professional Nursing Standards in CCNE Accreditation: Faculty Perspectives
Sponsored by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
Learn how selected master's programs are incorporating AACN's The Essentials of Master's Education for Advanced Practice Nursing and the National Task Force on Quality Nurse Practitioner Education's Criteria for Evaluation of Nurse Practitioner Programs. Special attention is given to strategies for demonstrating use of these required professional nursing standards as part of the CCNE accreditation process, including tips for presenting evidence of compliance in the self-study document. Take advantage of the opportunity to exchange ideas with your colleagues and learn more about the CCNE accreditation standards that take effect January 1, 2005.
Speakers: Selected CCNE representatives and staff

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Conference Schedule

Thursday, February 17

12:00-4:00 p.m.
Registration

1:00-3:00 p.m.
Pre-Conferences

3:30-5:00 p.m.
Welcome, Introductions
Graduate End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) Awards

Opening Program Session: Practice
What do the CNL and DNP Mean for Master's Education?
The Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) are two particularly
forward-thinking initiatives of AACN. How will these new roles and credentials be used? How
will they impact the future of master's education? Learn more about the evolution and current
status of these new designations and how nurse educators can proactively chart the course for
the future of master's education in nursing.
Speakers: Jean Bartels, PhD, RN, Chair, School of Nursing, Georgia Southern University,
Statesboro, GA and President, American Association of Colleges of Nursing; Judith Fitzgerald
Miller, PhD, RN, FAAN, Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and Research, College of
Nursing, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI and Member, CNL Implementation Task Force; Juliann G. Sebastian, PhD, ARNP, FAAN, Assistant Dean for Advanced Practice Nursing, College of Nursing, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY and Member, Task Force on the Professional Clinical Doctorate; Joan Stanley, PhD, RN, Director of Education Policy, American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Washington, DC

5:00-6:30 p.m.
Reception with Poster Presentations

Friday, February 18

8:00-8:30 a.m.
Light Continental Breakfast

8:30-10:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
(10:00-10:30 a.m. Break)
Concurrent Sessions
Each 90-minute session repeats after the break. Participants may attend two sessions.

12:00-1:30 pm
Lunch and Informal Networking (on your own)

1:30-4:15 pm
Abstract Presentations
See www.aacn.nche.edu/conferences for the Call for Abstracts

Saturday February 19

8:00-8:30 a.m.
Light Continental Breakfast

8:30-10:00 a.m.
Program Session: Research
Research in Master's Education: Curriculum, Capstones, and Links to Practice
Now that emphasis on the master's thesis in nursing is decreasing, how do we best involve
students in research and hone their investigative and critical thinking skills? What activities
prepare them for research in their new roles in practice settings? What types of capstone projects
work well? What is the indicator of academic, not just clinical, mastery? Hear about several
master's capstone projects and how they demonstrate academic accountability, meet guidelines
of AACN's The Essentials of Master's Education for Advanced Practice Nursing, and directly
link to graduates' future practice.
Speakers: Janet Noles, PhD, RN, Dean, Patty Hanks Shelton School of Nursing, Abilene, TX; Mary Williams, RN, PhD, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs, Brigham Young University, College of Nursing, Provo, UT; Valerie Hart, EdD, APRN, CS, Associate Professor, College of Nursing and Health Professions, University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME; Janet Fraser Hale PhD, RN, CS, FNP, Professor, Graduate School of Nursing, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, MA.

10:00-10:30 a.m.
Break

10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Closing Program Session: Teaching
Making the Paradigm Shift From Teaching to Learning
The science of nursing education probably is weaker than we would prefer, given nursing's legitimate emphasis on clinical research. Yet nurse academics practice in the world of teaching and learning, and nurse educators are increasingly active in the national movement to take teaching more seriously than ever before. What is the scholarship of teaching? What can we gain from the distinct area of science that should inform our practice as teachers? How can we become better academics and university citizens? Join a nationally known nurse academic and explore how we must change our perspective from what we teach to how and what learners learn.
Speaker: Christine A. Tanner, PhD, RN, FAAN, Youmans-Spaulding Distinguished Professor, School of Nursing, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR

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