AACN - Media - News Watch

AACN applauds federal legislators for the swift passage of the Nurse Reinvestment Act which was adopted by both the House and Senate in late July and signed by the President on August 1, 2002. This legislation addresses the nursing shortage by providing scholarships to students, encouraging careers as nursing faculty, assisting nurses in furthering their education, and supporting career ladder partnerships between nursing schools and practice settings. Though the law has been enacted, Congress still needs to fund the bill through the appropriations process. AACN has joined with other leading health care associations to urge Congress to appropriate $250 million for the Act, in addition to continuing funding currently provided for nursing education. We encourage you to contact federal legislators in your district and urge them to appropriate monies in the FY 2003 fiscal year. To keep you updated on the Nurse Reinvestment Act, AACN has created a new Web resource that contains an analysis of the new law, pictures from the Oval Office signing ceremony, and details on how you can support efforts to secure funding.

The U.S. Department of Education has renewed its recognition of the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) as a nationally recognized accrediting agency. Citing no stipulations or compliance concerns, Secretary Rod Paige concurred with the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity's recommendation to continue recognition of CCNE as a national agency for the accreditation of baccalaureate and graduate nursing education programs. Secretary Paige stated that CCNE accreditation "is a required element in enabling accredited nursing education programs to be eligible to participate in programs administered by federal agencies." He also expressed his appreciation for CCNE's "continuing efforts to improve the quality of post-secondary education in the United States." Read the press release online.

The End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) is pleased to announce that the National Cancer Institute has awarded a $1.4 million grant to expand the reach of the consortium’s national nursing education initiative. Grant funding will be used to improve end-of-life nursing care through faculty development efforts that will reach all of the graduate nursing programs in the U.S. The grant was awarded to the City of Hope National Medical Center in partnership with the Northwest Memorial Hospital/Lurie Cancer Center and AACN. Watch for details on upcoming training courses to begin in 2003. **ELNEC has also developed a new fact sheet that highlights project milestones and accomplishments. The fact sheet is available here.

4. JCAHO RELEASES LANDMARK REPORT ON THE NURSING SHORTAGE

In a report released August 7, 2002, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) called for a collective response to the nursing shortage with recommendations to transform the workplace, bolster nursing education, and provide financial incentives to health care organizations that invest in high quality nursing care. The report, “Health Care at the Crossroads: Strategies for Addressing the Evolving Nursing Crisis,” showed that the nursing shortage is compromising patient safety and diminishing health care quality. Solutions forwarded by JCAHO’s expert panel include creating a nursing career ladder commensurate with education and experience; encouraging a culture that fosters nurse retention; establishing standardized post-graduation residencies; setting staffing levels based on competency and skill mix; limiting mandatory overtime; funding faculty positions and student scholarships; diversifying the workforce; and making federal monies available to health care organizations that employ best practices in nursing. Download the full report at http://www.jcaho.org.

In an effort to showcase the contributions of nurse researchers and influence the national agenda, the nation's top nursing organizations have joined together to host the 2002 State of the Science Congress in Washington, D.C. on September 26-28, 2002. Nurse researchers from around the country will join with recognized experts, funders of nursing research, policy makers, and academic leaders to explore emerging scientific discoveries related to nursing practice. Over 180 original abstracts and 100 poster presentations will be showcased. For complete details and a registration form, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Conferences/stateofscience.htm. Please note that a special $99 conference rate is available for high school students. Early registration is encouraged.

The Chronicle of Higher Education featured AACN in two recent articles on nursing education. The first article, “Nurses Needed, Stat” focused on efforts to expand student capacity and touched on the faculty shortage, outreach campaigns and state-funded initiatives: http://chronicle.com/free/v48/i47/47a03001.htm. The second article, “Bush Signs Law to Expand Access to Nursing Education,” covered the passage of the Nurse Reinvestment Act and its positive impact on nursing education and patient care: http://chronicle.com/free/2002/08/2002080603n.htm.

To evaluate the effectiveness of its public service campaign, Johnson & Johnson is looking for feedback from nursing schools. The company’s “Campaign for Nursing’s Future” was launched in February 2002 to inspire a new generation to pursue nursing careers. In addition to a series of television commercials and a Web site (http://www.discovernursing.com), Johnson & Johnson produced a recruitment video, brochures, and posters that were distributed for free to schools across the country. Please send any feedback to rrosseter@aacn.nche.edu on how these materials are being used, if they are valuable to your recruitment efforts, and if they have had any measurable impact on increasing interest and/or applications at your school.

The fifth annual Baccalaureate Education Conference will be held November 14-16, 2002 at the Wyndham Palace Resort & Spa, part of Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Congruent with the theme The Changing Face of Baccalaureate Education, the conference will highlight changes in the characteristics of today’s undergraduate students, issues pertinent to teaching this audience, and various approaches teachers and schools can take to maximize educational success in today’s health care environment. As an added bonus, two free pre-conferences will be offered on November 14: “Gerontologizing Your Curriculum”, sponsored by the John A. Hartford Foundation Institute of Geriatric Nursing for the first 100 registrants, and "Toolkit for Nursing Excellence in End-of-Life Transitions (TNEEL)” for the first 60 registrants. This conference is open to deans, nursing faculty, administrators, employers, and doctoral nursing students, particularly those who have selected teaching as a career focus. Teams of faculty are encouraged to attend. More information and the Call for Abstracts is available online.

Four-year colleges and universities around the country are being challenged by health care facilities and legislators to produce more nurses now. In response to this call, many institutions now offer accelerated nursing programs designed to produce registered nurses at a much faster pace, without compromising the standards and depth of professional nursing programs. AACN has prepared a new Issue Bulletin on “Accelerated Programs: The Fast Track to Careers in Nursing” to highlight this trend in nursing education. Now offered in 35 states, accelerated programs provide the fastest route to the RN for individuals with a prior four-year degree. Read the Issue Bulletin online at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Publications/issues/Aug02.htm.

In a new report released by the Department of Health and Human Services in late July, the nation's nursing shortage is projected to intensify over the next two decades if current trends continue. The report, "Projected Supply, Demand, and Shortages of Registered Nurses: 2000-2020" listed nursing shortage data by state in five-year intervals from 2000 to 2020. Though 30 states are currently experiencing RN shortages, this number is expected to grow to 44 states and the District of Columbia by the year 2020. The report may be accessed at http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/rnproject.

11. APPROPRIATIONS UPDATE FOR TITLE VIII PROGRAMS

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved the FY2003 Labor, HHS, and Education appropriations bill on July 19, 2002. The bill includes $103 million for Title VIII programs including $15 million for the Nurse Education Loan Repayment program. The Senate appropriations committee funding level is approximately $4 million above President Bush’s budget. The full Senate is not expected to bring the bill to the floor until the House has acted on its bill. According to Rep. Ralph Regula (R-OH), Chairman of the House Labor, HHS, and Education subcommittee, the subcommittee will act on the bill when the House returns from recess in the first week of September. However, the House is expected to use budget numbers that are identical to the President’s budget. The difference between the Senate and House appropriations funding levels, election year politics, and a tight budget year make the possibility of a “lameduck Congress” almost a certainty. Further, it is likely that battles over large spending bills such as the Labor, HHS, and Education appropriations bill will come down to late winter conferences and a large final omnibus appropriations bill.

**Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO) has been selected for the Daily Points of Light Award, an honor given to an organization or individual who has made an extraordinary commitment to service and to making a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. The award will be presented to HVO’s dedicated corps of volunteer health professionals who provide training and education to health care providers in the least developed nations of the world. Since 1986, over 3,800 doctors, dentists, nurses and physical therapists have volunteered at HVO program sites in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe. See http://www.hvousa.org for details.

**HVO is currently looking for an orthopaedic nurse or orthopaedic technician for a three-month position in sub-Saharan Africa to train personnel at three different hospitals in the maintenance of equipment. Successful candidates will be licensed orthopaedic nurses or technicians, have significant experience working with orthopaedic instruments and implants, be self-organized and patient, and have lived and worked in the developing world. Round-trip airfare and a small stipend provided. Interested applicants should submit a CV and letter to Nancy Kelly at n.kelly@hvousa.org.

The Fall Semiannual Meeting will be held October 26-29, 2002 at the Washington Monarch Hotel in Washington, DC. Supporting the theme “Nursing in the National Spotlight,” the meeting will address current national issues and reports of interest to nursing and nursing education. Colleagues from the community college sector will provide their perspective on how we can collaborate to enhance the nursing profession. National reports to be addressed include those from the American Hospital Association, NurseWeek/AONE, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc., and the Institute of Medicine. Executives from a large health care system will envision the nurse of the future and the preparation that professional will require. A communications consultant will offer guidance to participants in speaking more clearly and confidently about issues of concern to our profession. SPECIAL NOTE: For the first time, deans/directors are invited to bring one associate/assistant dean to the Fall Meeting as a way to introduce these senior academic leaders to the association and its issues. For information about the meeting and registration, click here.

Opportunity Alerts are announcements of grants, fellowships, scholarships, and other funding sources for nursing programs, students, and research that are routinely updated on AACN's Web site. Found at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Government/opps.htm, new Alerts include:

**Pfizer, Inc. is looking for applicants for its Postdoctoral Fellowship for Nurse Researchers: Innovations in Health Outcomes. Pfizer will select two awardees in 2003 for this grant to support outstanding nurse scholars and health outcomes research at schools of nursing. The fellows will receive a two-year grant beginning July 2003 at $65,000 per year. Applicants must be professional registered nurses with a doctoral degree, and research must be conducted through a U.S. school of nursing with a primary (and in some cases, a secondary) mentor. Applications are due by December 2, 2002. For more information, click here.

**Press Ganey Associates, Inc., a leading health care satisfaction measurement and improvement firm, is currently sponsoring several research grants to increase the study of patient satisfaction. Funding will be provided to identify best practices that can be adopted throughout the health care industry. The program is intended for academic or professional researchers, including those who are currently seeking doctoral degrees and are interested in identifying practices that improve patient satisfaction. Possible topics include Physician/Patient Communication, Wait Time, Patient Education, Pain Control, and the Collection and Dissemination of Information, but proposals may focus on other related issues. For more information, contact Kelly Leddy at kleddy@pressganey.com.

**The Partnerships For Training (PFT) Web site - www.pftweb.org - features a searchable database of resources to support academic, interdisciplinary and community-based healthcare initiatives and a toolkit to assist practitioners in starting and operating a healthcare practice in underserved areas. The success of these programs has led to nearly 1,000 graduates who are currently working in underserved areas. PFT is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded initiative administered by the Association of Academic Health Centers.

**The Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Foundation is currently offering grants in the following categories: Health Outcomes (deadline is October 1, 2002) and
Informatics (deadline is September 1, 2002). These grants include a predoctoral fellowship (Health Outcomes only), postdoctoral fellowship, sabbatical fellowship, and research starter fellowship. Additional areas of fellowship include Pharmacology/Toxicology, Pharmacology/Morphology, Clinical Pharmacology, and Pharmaceutics. Complete the application online at http://www.pharmafoundation.org.

**The Paul Newman Foundation awards grants annually to a wide range of organizations including those focused on children and youth, health, education, elderly, the environment, the arts, literacy, substance abuse education, and programs for individuals in need. To be eligible, charities must be U.S.-based 501(c)(3) organizations. Schools, hospitals, and other public-benefit institutions are eligible for grants. Proposal deadline for this year is September 1, 2002. Grant Request Guidelines and Grant Summary Forms are available at http://www.newmansown.com/5b1_grants.html.

**International Distance Learning, Inc. (IDL) seeks to establish a joint venture to supply the curriculum of an accredited nursing college to foreign universities, colleges or schools in Eastern Europe, the Far East, Africa, the Caribbean and South America. IDL is looking for consultants interested in assisting with this new enterprise. Those interested are encouraged to contact Dr. Robert Ross at ntmorse@aol.com.

Over 125 teens from around the country attended the inaugural Health Careers Exploring Exposition held August 1-3, 2002 at the Uniformed Services University and the National Institutes of Health. Participants were exposed to a variety of health care career options, focusing on nursing, allied health, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, podiatry, medicine, dentistry, and chiropractics. AACN, represented by Executive Director Polly Bednash and Deputy Director Anne Rhome, was the nursing presence on the coordinating committee. Thanks go to the following AACN members and exhibitors for their generous contributions to making the exposition a success: Boston College; Health Education Systems, Inc.; Nursing Spectrum; University of Florida; University of Pittsburgh; University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio; and Vanderbilt University. AACN will continue to work on the committee to plan next year's event. For additional information, see http://www.learning-for-life.org.

AACN’s Annual Survey of Nursing Programs will be available on the Internet beginning September 5, 2002. This year a new streamlined survey design will enhance your institution’s ability to report accurate and important information regarding enrollment and graduation trends; faculty and deans’ salaries; and student and faculty demographics. Schools completing the survey enjoy additional national exposure and will be featured in reports and bulletins disseminated by AACN throughout the year.

Below are new partnerships and initiatives launched by members and corporate citizens that effectively increase student capacity, add new nursing faculty, increase student diversity, address the nursing shortage, and enhance the way education is delivered.

**Two local hospitals have pledged a total of $2.6 million over 10 years to create scholarships for nursing students at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Penrose-St. Francis Hospital and Memorial Hospital will each provide about 384 scholarships to nursing students who agree to work for one of the hospitals for two years after graduation. Read more online at http://web.uccs.edu/ur/pr.htm.

**North Carolina Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem is contributing
$750,000 a year to a new accelerated baccalaureate program in nursing at
Winston-Salem State University. The hospital will pay for all program costs,
including the students' tuition, books and other fees as well as provide space for clinical experiences. In exchange, students agree to work at the hospital for three years after graduation. With the first class beginning in January 2003, the 13-month BSN program will graduate 35-40 students each year. See http://www.wfubmc.edu/news_sys/fullstory.php?articleid=2521.

**The Intercollegiate College of Nursing/Washington State University College of Nursing was awarded a $1.8 million federal grant to bring health care outreach services to thousands of families throughout Spokane County. The Health Resources and Services Administration grant is the largest grant awarded to the College of Nursing in its 34-year history and will fund the expansion of academic nursing for disadvantaged areas over the next five years. Read more online at http://www.nursing.wsu.edu/marcom/71602a.htm.

**Elaine Larson, PhD, RN, Professor of Pharmaceutical and Therapeutic Research at Columbia University, was recently appointed to the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research Funding. Dr. Larsen is the only nurse on this advisory body, and she brings a patient-centered perspective to her involvement on the committee. The group's mission is to increase medical research funding at the National Institutes of Health. AACN is a member of the Executive Committee for the Ad Hoc Group and was elected to serve a two-year term. See http://www.aamc.org/research/adhocgp.

**Rep. Ted Strickland (D-OH) hosted a meeting on July 11, 2002 in his Washington office to discuss the problems facing nursing and strategies for addressing these issues. AACN staff joined with numerous nursing organizations to present the education, recruitment, and retention problems that face the nursing profession. The meeting was an opportunity for Rep. Strickland to learn more about nursing issues and for the nursing community to understand his commitment to exploring solutions.

**On July 15, 2002, AACN participated in the Health Professions and Nursing Education Coalition briefing for Capitol Hill staff. The briefing was titled “Filling the Gap: Health Professions and Quality Health Care for the Underserved.” The briefing was held to educate members of Congress and their staff on the purpose of Title VII and VIII programs and to encourage continued funding. Dr. Fitzhugh Mullan, MD, former Director, Bureau of Health Professions; Charles Huntington, MPH, PA, President, National Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Organization; and Melissa Brouder, BSN, RN, graduate of the University of Maryland at Baltimore School of Nursing were the featured speakers at the event.