September
2001 News Watch
1.
Register Now for AACN's Fall Semiannual Meeting
2. The Hartford Foundation Awards New Grant
to AACN
3. Take Action Now: Write to Congress!
4. Call for AACN Nominations Issued
5. AACN Deans Testify on Nursing Shortage
at House Hearing
6. Deadline Nears for Pre-Conference Workshop
7. Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow Launches
Media Campaign
8. American Cancer Society Funds Opportunities
in Nursing
9. Deadline Approaches for Geriatric Curriculum
Grants
10. FY 2000 Financial Benchmarking Report
Now Available
11. Academic Partner Needed for Nursing
College in Ethiopia
12. ELNEC Holds Next Faculty Development
Course in January
13. AACN's Annual Survey Now Available
14. Focus on Nursing During "Exploring
Behavior Week"
15. Advocacy Update and Conference Announcements
16. Member News, Appointments & Awards
1. Register Now for AACN's Fall Semiannual
Meeting
AACN
is moving forward with plans to host the Fall
Semiannual Meeting in Washington, DC in October
20-23 at the Washington Monarch Hotel. Built around the
theme, "Invigorating Nursing: Building a Strong Future,"
sessions will focus on issues impacting nursing education
today and the leadership role of the dean. Designed for
faculty in leadership roles within schools of nursing, AACN's
Executive Development
Series will be held just prior to the fall meeting
on October 19-20. This year's theme is "Creating a
Culture of Productivity and Satisfaction: Managing Human
Resources."
Please
note that the cut-off date for hotel reservations is approaching
quickly. Registrations are very strong with 80% of the room
block at the Washington Monarch Hotel filled. Though Ronald
Reagan National Airport remains closed at this time, both
Dulles International Airport and Baltimore/Washington International
Airport are convenient to downtown Washington. Super Shuttle
transportation to the hotel is available for a fee from
both airports. See www.supershuttle.com
for more information. If you need further assistance, contact
Jamie Martin at jmartin@aacn.nche.edu.
2.
The Hartford Foundation Awards New Grant to AACN
AACN
has received a $2 million grant from The John A. Hartford
Foundation of New York to provide scholarship monies to
schools of nursing to expand opportunities for nursing students
to choose a career in geriatric advanced practice nursing.
This generous award further amplifies the Hartford Foundation's
unique and visionary commitment to "Building Academic
Geriatric Nursing Capacity" through innovations in
nursing education, practice, and research. Competitive scholarship
funds will be available to schools with geriatric advanced
practice nursing programs who commit to providing matching
funds. Scholarships will support geriatric APN students
in an effort to enhance the capacity of nurses to provide
high quality care for older adults. More details about the
scope of this grant and the criteria for application will
be available following the advisory committee's meeting
next month.
3.
Take Action Now: Write To Congress!
Congress
is currently struggling to fund existing programs at a time
when it must find resources to fight terrorism. Prior to
September 11, Congress was poised to move forward in addressing
the nursing shortage with a scheduled House hearing and
a pending Senate markup of the Hutchinson and Kerry bills.
It is now unclear what Congress will accomplish this year
regarding the nursing shortage. AACN needs your help in
respectfully keeping the momentum going. We have added a
new feature to our Web site to assist members in sending
letters and e-mails to Congress to rally support for nursing
shortage legislation introduced in both the House and Senate.
Help us move the nursing shortage bills forward by accessing
Write
to Congress.
4.
Call For AACN Nominations Issued
AACN's
Board member Nominating Committee is seeking candidates
for the following positions: President-elect, Secretary,
Board member-at-large (3 vacancies) and Nominating Committee
(3 vacancies). The Nominating Committee will choose the
slate of candidates at the Fall Semiannual Meeting based
on your submissions and their deliberations. Three forms
need to be completed to submit a nomination: Nomination
Form, Consent Statement, and Biographical Data Form. Forms
were mailed to member schools in August. To request additional
forms, contact Mona Frole at mfrole@aacn.nche.edu.
5.
AACN Deans Testify On Nursing Shortage At House Hearing
On September
25, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce held
its first nursing shortage hearing, "The Nursing Shortage:
Causes, Impact, and Innovation." AACN members Jean
Bartels, PhD, RN, Chair of the School of Nursing at Georgia
Southern University, and Catherine Garner, PhD, RN, FAAN,
Dean at the College of Nursing at the University of Phoenix,
focused their remarks on academic solutions to the nursing
shortage. Read the testimony
presented. See the Webcast of the hearing at http://edworkforce.house.gov/schedule.htm.
6.
Deadline Nears For Pre-Conference Workshop
Those
wishing to register for the Pre-Conference
Workshop on "Moving to the Next Level: Building
on Success in Community-Based Education" must submit
their application by October 1. Presented in Washington,
DC on December 5-6, the pre-conference will focus on the
innovative use of community-based education and transitioning
faculty to this educational approach. Details on the Baccalaureate
Conference scheduled for December 6-8 are also available
on the Web.
7.
Nurses For A Healthier Tomorrow Launches Media Campaign
AACN
is an active member of Nurses
for a Healthier Tomorrow (NHT), a coalition of 32
nursing and health care organizations working together to
address the nursing shortage and boost the attractiveness
of nursing as a profession. NHT has just launched a national
media campaign that includes a 30-second public service
announcement (PSA) distributed to 200 television stations
across the country and seven print ads that schools may
download and place in publications as paid or non-paid advertising.
AACN members are encouraged to visit the "Campaign
News" section of NHT's newly redesigned Web site at
www.nursesource.org to find out how they can support this
effort. Click here to read the Fall
2001 NHT Newsletter.
8.
American Cancer Society Funds Opportunities In Nursing Research
The
American Cancer Society (ACS) invites applications for a
number of grants that support training, research, and career
development in areas of interest to nurses. Included among
the opportunities are:
**Master's
Degree Scholarships in Cancer Nursing: Awarded to graduate
students pursuing master's degrees with a major focus
in cancer nursing in the following fields: clinical practice,
education, and administration.
**Doctoral
Degree Scholarships in Cancer Nursing: Awarded to graduate
students pursuing doctoral study with a research focus
in cancer nursing.
For
a complete listing of ACS grant opportunities, consult www.cancer.org
or contact grants@cancer.org.
AACN
strives to keep our members informed about new sources of
grant funding, scholarships, and fellowships. Find out more
about New Opportunity
Alerts on the Web.
9.
Deadline Approaches For Geriatric Curriculum Grants
Schools
interested in applying for grant funding available through
the Geriatric
Nursing Education Project must submit a proposal
by October 5. Funded by The John A. Hartford Foundation
of New York, grant monies are available to all baccalaureate
and graduate schools of nursing to develop geriatric curriculum
and clinical innovations to improve nursing care to older
adults.
10.
FY 2000 Financial Benchmarking Report Now Available
The
data from the FY 2000 Financial Benchmarking Survey are
now available for custom reporting. A Benchmarking Report
provides an institution with a systematic way to identify
best financial practices and set goals by comparing an institution's
practices with those of others. A report will assist a school
in assessing its standing among peer or aspirant institutions
on specific measures of financial performance. Click
here for more information on ordering a Benchmarking
Report or contact Linda Berlin at lberlin@aacn.nche.edu.
11.
Academic Partner Needed For Nursing College In Ethiopia
Based
in Addis Ababa, Gateway International is a newly established
enterprise interested in opening a nursing college in Ethiopia
that meets U.S. academic standards. With full cooperation
from the Ethiopian Ministries of Education and Health, Gateway
is looking for academic partner(s) interested in joining
this effort by assisting with curriculum development and
placement of nursing school graduates within the American
health care system. Those interested may contact Amir Zaidy
at gateway_Int50@hotmail.com.
12.
ELNEC Holds Next Faculty Development Course In January
Space
is still available in the next faculty development course
offered by the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium
(ELNEC) project on January 10-12, 2002 in Pasadena, CA.
This course for baccalaureate and associate degree faculty
will assist participants in teaching and integrating end-of-life
care into nursing education programs. The application deadline
has been extended to October 4. Please alert your faculty
to this opportunity. Click
here for more details.
13.
AACN'S Annual Survey Now Available
The
2001 Annual Survey Packets were mailed to survey coordinators
in the beginning of September. We urge you to complete this
survey which is vital in developing the nation's premier
database on trends in enrollments and graduations; student
and faculty demographics; and faculty and deans' salaries.
The survey is also available on the Web, and we encourage
online reporting. If your institution has not yet received
a survey packet or if you need technical assistance, contact
Janis Stennett at jstennet@aacn.nche.edu.
14.
Focus On Nursing During "Exploring Behavior Week"
Endorsed
by AACN, the "Decade of Behavior" initiative announces
its newest program, "Exploring Behavior Week"
coming October 15-19. Through this outreach program, college
faculty, students and professionals from different disciplines
are encouraged to share the excitement and opportunities
found in their work with high school students in an effort
to influence future career choices. The "Decade of
Behavior" office invites your collaboration in developing
a lesson plan in nursing and presenting it in your local
school system. Colleges and universities interested in participating
in this project may visit www.decadeofbehavior.org
for more information.
15.
Advocacy Update And Conference Announcements
**On
September 6-11, President Carolyn A. Williams, Executive
Director Polly Bednash, and Deputy Executive Director Anne
Rhome represented AACN at the Call to the Profession, a
collaborative meeting among the nation's top nursing organizations
to address the nursing shortage. An action plan is due from
that group by the end of the year.
**The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would like
to provide nursing faculty and students with its latest
recommendations, reports, and guidelines. Contact tdv@cdc.gov
to receive this information. We encourage members to subscribe
to CDC's listserv (www.cdc.gov/subscribe.html)
to receive regular updates on a variety of health topics
and concerns.
**Expert
clinicians, nurse practitioners, residency program faculty,
researchers, and policy makers are invited to attend a conference
on "Meeting the Challenge of Medicaid Managed Care:
Best Practices in Clinical Care and Teaching" on November
1-3 in Chantilly, VA. The conference is organized by Partnerships
for Quality Education (PQE), a national program of the Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Tufts Managed Care Institute.
AACN is a conference collaborator along with HRSA's Center
for Health Financing and Managed Care. For details, visit
www.tmci.org
or call (617) 636-0471.
**The
Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance
Abuse (AMERSA) will hold their 25th annual conference on
November 8-10 in Old Town Alexandria, VA (just outside Washington,
DC). The meeting will reflect AMERSA's interdisciplinary
strengths and its commitment to disseminate the latest developments
in substance abuse education, prevention, treatment, and
research. AACN is a supporting organization. For more information,
contact (401) 349-0000 or Isabel@amersa.org.
16.
Member News, Appointments & Awards
**Afaf
I. Meleis, PhD, RN, FAAN, was named dean of the School of
Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Meleis is
an internationally acclaimed nurse and medical sociologist
who recently chaired the International Congress on Women's
Health Issues.
**Kathryn
L. Vigen, EdD, RN, joined North Park University in Chicago
in September as director of the School of Nursing and professor
of nursing. She brings 40 years of experience in nursing,
higher education, and administration to North Park.
