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AACN
Applauds the Swift Passage of the Nurse Reinvestment Act
in Both the House and the Senate
Legislation
Includes a Provision to Ease the Nursing Faculty Shortage
WASHINGTON,
D.C., July 23, 2002 - The American Association of Colleges
of Nursing (AACN) applauds federal legislators for the swift
passage of the Nurse Reinvestment Act which was adopted by
both the House and Senate yesterday. This new legislation
addresses the nursing shortage by providing scholarships to
nursing students, encouraging careers as nursing faculty,
assisting nurses in furthering their education, and supporting
career ladder partnerships between nursing schools and practice
settings. The Nurse Reinvestment Act was introduced by Rep.
Lois Capps (D-CA) and Rep. Michael Bilirakis (R-FL) in the
House of Representatives and by Sen. Tim Hutchinson (R-AR)
and Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) in the Senate in December
2001.
"We
commend federal legislators for acting decisively to insure
access to quality nursing care at a time when the shortage
of nurses continues to grow," said AACN's President Kathleen
Ann Long, PhD, RN, FAAN. "AACN would like to thank the
bill sponsors and all of the nursing champions in Congress
for supporting this legislation and for their keen understanding
of the pivotal role nurses play in health care delivery."
"As
a registered nurse, I am proud to be able to give my colleagues
in the nursing field the help they need to continue providing
the highest quality care to patients," said Rep. Lois
Capps (D-CA), a lead sponsor of the legislation. "The
Nurse Reinvestment Act will encourage more people to enter
the nursing profession and offer important initiatives to
keep nurses in the field for longer periods of time. This
will result in a healthier, more productive workforce and,
more importantly, in better care for patients."
The Nurse
Reinvestment Act addresses the nursing shortage on several
fronts. Among the provisions are scholarships for students
who agree to work in critical nursing shortage areas after
graduation; grants to health care facilities to develop best
practices in nursing administration and retain experienced
nurses; grants to enhance education in geriatric nursing care;
career ladder grants to encourage nurses to further their
education; and public service announcements that promote the
rewards of professional nursing.
AACN and
its colleagues in the nursing community worked actively to
include a provision in the Nurse Reinvestment Act that addressed
the nursing faculty shortage, a growing crisis that is limiting
student enrollment levels nationwide. The Faculty Loan Cancellation
Program offers financial incentives to full-time students
who agree to serve in a faculty position at a nursing school
following graduation. "Legislators understand the direct
connection between the supply of nursing faculty and the supply
of practicing nurses," added Dr. Long. "We are pleased
to see the provision for the Faculty Loan Cancellation Program
which will remove financial barriers and encourage rapid advancement
into faculty roles."
The Nurse Reinvestment Act has been forwarded to the President
for his signature and, if signed, will be returned to Congress
for funding. "We encourage Congress to move quickly and
appropriate the funding needed to make the Nurse Reinvestment
Act a reality," said Dr. Long. AACN will concentrate
its advocacy efforts on securing federal funding for this
legislation in the FY 2003 fiscal year.
The American Association of
Colleges of Nursing is the national voice for university and
four-year-college education programs in nursing. Representing
more than 580 member schools of nursing at public and private
institutions nationwide, AACN's educational, research, governmental
advocacy, data collection, publications, and other programs
work to establish quality standards for bachelor's- and graduate-degree
nursing education, assist deans and directors to implement
those standards, influence the nursing profession to improve
health care, and promote public support of baccalaureate and
graduate nursing education, research, and practice. Web site:
http://www.aacn.nche.edu
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CONTACT:
Robert Rosseter
(202) 463-6930, x231
rrosseter@aacn.nche.edu
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