|
AACN
Supports the Nurse of Tomorrow Act
Targeted at Resolving the Nation's Nursing Shortage
WASHINGTON,
DC, August 22, 2001 - Today, the American Association of Colleges
of Nursing (AACN) announced its support for the Nurse of
Tomorrow Act (H.R. 1897) introduced in the House of Representatives
by Eliot Engel (D-NY) and Mary Bono (R-CA). With bipartisan
support from 54 representatives, the bill directly targets
some of the complex issues contributing to the nation's growing
nursing shortage.
"Nurses
in the U.S. are the backbone of the world's best health care
system," explained Rep. Engel in a recent press release.
"But, as their numbers begin to decline dramatically
across the nation, we are facing a crisis. My legislation
will provide real economic and educational incentives for
people who are currently practicing nurses and for those who
are considering entering the field."
"The
Nurse of Tomorrow Act strengthens the ability of our
nation's nursing schools to identify students gifted in science
at an early age and encourage them to pursue nursing education,"
stated Dr. Carolyn A. Williams, president of AACN and dean
of the University of Kentucky's School of Nursing. "The
legislation would help create technologically modern classrooms
and specialty residencies necessary to educate nursing students
to successfully provide complex nursing care to meet the needs
of today's patients."
The Nurse
of Tomorrow Act is designed to recruit students into nursing
programs as well as retain nurses in the profession. Specifically,
the legislation would:
- Create
grants for schools of nursing to expand their student enrollments;
- Create
grants for schools of nursing and other entities to work
with local school districts to encourage secondary school
students to enter nursing;
- Create
a diverse student body in nursing programs through outreach
to potential students;
- Provide
remedial education to students to enable them to master
the language, reading, and math skills necessary to attain
a nursing license;
- Build
technologically modern classrooms and labs for schools of
nursing to prepare students for practice in today's health
care settings;
- Authorize
$5 million in funding for the Nurse Education Loan Repayment
Program (NELRP) to recruit nurses to work in areas experiencing
a nursing shortage;
- Create
incentives to attract new nurses and provide clinical education
to meet the needs for specific types of nurses in health
care settings that are experiencing nursing shortages;
- Support
student nurse externships and internships;
- Provide
tuition reimbursement for nurses working in certain health
care facilities to study towards a baccalaureate- or graduate-level
nursing degree;
- Provide
tax credits of up to $2,000 annually for practicing nurses;
and
- Permanently
exclude NELRPs from gross income beginning with taxable
year 2002.
"AACN
appreciates the efforts of Reps. Engel and Bono to enact legislation
that paves the way for a new stream of well-educated nurses
to enter the workforce," Williams added.
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
# # #
CONTACT:
Robert Rosseter
(202) 463-6930, x231
rrosseter@aacn.nche.edu
|
