1.
AACN’s President Addresses the Institute
of Medicine
2. AHC Releases New Nursing Shortage Report
3. Deans & Associate Deans Welcome at
AACN’s Semiannual Meeting
4. Consult with a Communications Specialist
at the Fall Meeting
5. Teacher and Nurse Support Act of 2002
Introduced
6. First Annual Excellence in ELNEC Award
Winners Named
7. AAC&U Hosts Forum on Quality Learning/Releases
New Report
8. Letter to Congress Supports Nurse Reinvestment
Act
9. AACN Begins Discussions with NCSBN on
Gerontology Content
10. New Opportunity Alerts Posted on the
Web
11. HHS Releases Final Rules on HIPAA
12. Annual Survey of Nursing Schools Underway
13. Next ELNEC Training Session Offered
in January 2003
14. Baccalaureate Conference Coming to Florida
in November
15. Join Us for Pre-Baccalaureate Conference
Events
16. New Partnerships and Grant-Funded Initiatives
17. Member News, Announcements and Awards
18. AACN Outreach and Advocacy Update
1.
AACN PRESIDENT ADDRESSES THE INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE
On
September 24, 2002, AACN President Kathleen Ann Long,
PhD, RNCS, FAAN, presented before the Institute of Medicine’s
Committee on Work Environment for Nurses and Patient Safety
in Washington, DC. In her remarks, Dr. Long stated: “AACN
is committed to improving the quality of our nation's
health care by preparing a well-educated nursing workforce.
AACN values education and believes that education - the
type and the amount - has an impact on the skills and
competencies of a nurse.” She added, “In today’s
increasingly complex and unpredictable health care environment,
education makes a difference. The quality of our nation’s
health care depends on a well-educated nursing workforce
where differentiation in practice is recognized and the
skills of every health care provider are utilized to their
optimal potential.” Dr. Long was joined on this panel
presentation by the presidents of the American Academy
of Nursing, American Nurses Association, American Organization
of Nurse Executives, and National League for Nursing.
For more information on the Institute of Medicine, see
http://www.iom.edu.
2.
AHC RELEASES NEW NURSING SHORTAGE REPORT
The
Association of Academic Health Centers (AHC) released
a new report on September 25, 2002 that called for academic
health centers to develop and implement new strategies
to address the nation's nursing shortage and to provide
a leadership role in finding long-term solutions to this
health care crisis. The report, commissioned by the AHC’s
Nursing Shortage Advisory Committee, urged centers to
strengthen nursing education programs; expand educational
resources for training to meet the need for new faculty;
expand nursing research; develop networks with non-university
based nursing programs; and develop and evaluate new models
of nursing care. More information on this report, titled
"Nursing Shortage and Academic Health Centers: Assessing
Options for Remedy in a Complex System," is online
at http://www.ahcnet.org.
3.
DEANS & ASSOCIATE DEANS WELCOME AT AACN’S SEMIANNUAL
MEETING
For
the first time, deans are invited to bring one associate/assistant
dean to AACN’s Semiannual Meeting to be held October
26-29, 2002 at the Washington Monarch Hotel in Washington,
DC. AACN extends this invitation to introduce these senior
academic leaders to the association and its issues. Supporting
the theme “Nursing in the National Spotlight,”
the meeting will address current national issues and recent
reports of interest to nursing and nursing education.
David M. Lawrence, MD, Chairman and CEO, Kaiser Foundation
Health Plan and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, will receive
the association’s prestigious John P. McGovern Award
and present the keynote address. NOTE: Rooms at the AACN
conference rate are no longer available, but rooms may
still be available at usual rates at the Washington Monarch,
the Westin Grand, and the Park Hyatt Hotels. Meeting registration
(with a late fee) is still in progress. For more information,
see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Conferences/semiannualfall02.htm.
4.
CONSULT WITH A COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST AT THE FALL MEETING
The
Fall Meeting closing speaker will be Jack Franchetti,
representing his own communications consulting firm. For
years, Mr. Franchetti has assisted AACN leaders in preparing
for speaking engagements and talking with the press. He
will advise the group on how to communicate nursing education's
messages to the media, legislators, constituents, and
the public. In addition, he will be available for individual
appointments with AACN members who wish to meet with him
on Tuesday, October 29 after the Fall Meeting adjourns.
To arrange an appointment and discuss fees, contact Barbara
Zelinsky at jack@jfci.com.
5.
TEACHER AND NURSE SUPPORT ACT OF 2002 INTRODUCED
On
September 26, Sens. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Ted Stevens
(R-AK) introduced the Teacher and Nurse Support Act of
2002 (S. 3008). This legislation amends the Higher Education
Act to provide loan forgiveness and cancellation programs
for teachers and nurses, two professions experiencing
workforce shortages. Nurses eligible for the programs
must have been employed for five consecutive years in
practice in a clinical setting or as a faculty of an accredited
school of nursing. For the text of the bill, click on
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas2.html
and enter S. 3008 in the box labeled “Bill Number”.
6.
FIRST ANNUAL EXCELLENCE IN ELNEC AWARD WINNERS NAMED
The
First Annual Excellence in End-of-Life Nursing Education
Consortium (ELNEC) Awards will be presented on November
14, 2002 at AACN’s Baccalaureate Education Conference.
The following nursing school faculty members will be recognized
for their innovative implementation of the ELNEC curriculum:
*Ruth
Ann Britnall, Grand Valley State University (Allendale,
MI)
*Vicky Bowden, Azusa Pacific University (Azusa, CA)
*Kathy Czekanski, Thomas Jefferson University (Philadelphia,
PA)
*Barbara Daniel, Cecil Community College (North East,
MD)
*Elizabeth Freeth, University of Texas (Brownsville, TX)
*Maureen Goode, Washtenaw Community College and University
of Michigan Health System (Ann Arbor, MI)
*Ann Pinner, Georgia Perimeter College (Clarkston, GA)
*Linda Rodebaugh, University of Indianapolis (Indianapolis,
IN)
*Roberta Stoops, Oklahoma State University (Oklahoma City,
OK)
*Sandra Walsh, University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL)
*Shirley Woolf, Indiana University (Indianapolis, IN)
*Melinda Zimmer-Rankin, St. Joseph’s College (Standish,
ME)
See
http://www.aacn.nche.edu/elnec/elnecawards.htm
for details. Congratulations to all.
7.
AAC&U HOSTS FORUM ON QUALITY EDUCATION/RELEASES NEW
REPORT
On
September 30, 2002, the Association of American Colleges
and Universities (AAC&U) hosted a special Forum on
the Quality of College Learning in Washington, DC to announce
the release of a new publication titled “Greater
Expectations: A New Vision for Learning as a Nation Goes
to College.” This report calls for an end to the
traditional, artificial distinction between liberal and
practical education. It recommends a commitment from educators
at all levels – across all fields – to give
every student a liberal education that is rigorous, inclusive,
and pragmatic. The entire report is available online at
http://www.greaterexpectations.org.
8.
LETTER TO CONGRESS SUPPORTS NURSE REINVESTMENT ACT
On
October 8, 2002, AACN joined with 50 other health and
industry groups in preparing a letter to Congress urging
them to fully fund the Nurse Reinvestment Act (P.L. 107-205).
The letter was faxed to each member of the House and Senate
at a time in the budget/appropriations cycle when legislators
need to be reminded of the nation's critical shortage
of nurses. In addition to the working group of industry
organizations consisting of AACN, American Hospital Association,
American Health Care Association, and the American Nurses
Association, other groups that signed on to the letter
are the American Council on Education, U.S. Chamber of
Commerce, Service Employees International Union, and the
American Medical Association. Click here to see a copy
of the letter: http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Media/NRAletter.htm.
9.
AACN BEGINS DISCUSSIONS WITH NCSBN ON GERONTOLOGY CONTENT
On
September 23, 2002, AACN staff attended the NCLEX Invitational
2002 presented by the National Council of State Boards
of Nursing (NCSBN) Testing Services Department. The conference
covered such topics as the examination process and curriculum
mapping. Recognizing that the majority of patients new
nurses care for are older adults (over age 65), AACN is
beginning discussions with the NCSBN to assess the gerontology
content in the current NCLEX exam. The NCLEX test plan
is based on a practice analysis or job survey of a sample
of recently licensed RNs, and the expert opinion of the
examination committee. NCSBN is looking for item writers
and reviewers who are licensed RNs with at least a master’s
degree and who are currently practicing with newly graduated
RNs and/or those who are entry-level RN educators. For
more information, go to www.ncsbn.org.
10.
NEW OPPORTUNITY ALERTS POSTED ON THE WEB
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. Below is a sampling of new alerts. For more details,
see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Government/opps.htm.
**The
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is seeking proposals
from established palliative care programs to provide technical
assistance and support to clinicians and managers from
other health care institutions who wish to develop palliative
care programs. RWJF has authorized $4.5 million for this
initiative, to be led by the Center to Advance Palliative
Care. Up to six Leadership Centers may receive three-year
grants of up to $750,000 each. Visit http://www.rwjf.org/applyForGrant/openAbstract.jsp?cfpCode=HBP.
**The
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is also accepting applications
for the following programs: Scholars in Health Policy
Research Program and the 2003 Robert Wood Johnson Health
Policy Fellowships. Application deadlines are October
25, 2002 and November 15, 2002, respectively. For more
information on these and other funding opportunities,
see http://www.rwjf.org/applyForGrant/openCalls.jsp.
**The
American Cancer Society offers a variety of funding opportunities
for nursing training, research and careers. Current opportunities
include master’s and doctoral degree scholarships
in cancer nursing; postdoctoral fellowships to support
careers in cancer research; clinical research training
grants for junior faculty; research scholar grants for
beginning and senior investigators; and grants to support
psychosocial and behavioral research and health policy
and outcomes research. For more information, including
applications see http://www.cancer.org
or contact grants@cancer.org.
**International
Health Services is seeking nurses and other health care
providers to help provide free services during a two-week
mission in Honduras. The project will involve over 100
volunteers who will travel next February to Honduras to
provide a range of services to people who do not have
access to health care. Applications are now being accepted.
For an application and complete details, see http://www.ihsofmn.org.
11.
HHS RELEASES FINAL RULES ON HIPAA
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
(HIPAA) of 1996 included provisions mandating confidentiality
of medical records, administrative simplification and
insurance portability. The final privacy rule under HIPAA
was published on August 14, 2002 indicating that ‘covered
entities’ which include health plans, health care
clearinghouses, and health care providers who engage in
the transmission of health information are expected to
comply with the regulation by April 13, 2003. The implementation
of HIPAA regulations has turned out to be a complex and
multifaceted issue. To complicate efforts to comply, more
stringent state privacy laws supercede these federal HIPAA
regulations. Many schools of nursing affiliated with major
medical centers that deal with research and patient care
are considered covered entities. Small schools of nursing
without nurse managed health centers or research operations
may choose to be considered a ‘hybrid entity.’
Schools must verify that they are addressing the minimal
necessary requirements to comply with these new regulations.
Most universities and hospitals have compliance officers
and teams of information specialists working on compliance
with HIPAA. In addition, the American Council on Education
is giving guidance to institutions of higher education;
see http://www.acenet.edu.
For more information on the final rule, go to the HHS
website at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa.
12.
ANNUAL SURVEY OF NURSING SCHOOLS UNDERWAY
AACN’s
2002 Annual Survey of Nursing Programs is now underway.
All nursing programs at four-year colleges and universities
are encouraged to complete the Internet-based survey.
Your school’s participation is vital to AACN’s
mission of fostering innovation to advance professional
nursing education, research, and practice. For assistance
logging on to the survey, contact Janis Stennett at surveysupport@aacn.nche.edu
or call 202-463-6930, ext. 236.
13.
NEXT ELNEC TRAINING SESSION OFFERED IN JANUARY 2003
The
End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) is a
national education program to improve end-of-life care
by nurses which is administered through a partnership
between AACN and the City of Hope. To date, over 1,000
nurse educators have been trained in the ELNEC curriculum,
and are implementing ELNEC educational programs across
the country. The next ELNEC course, designed specifically
for continuing education/staff development educators,
will be held January 16-18, 2003 in Pasadena, CA. Participants
will receive extensive materials, two meals a day during
the course, and a $100 stipend to help defray travel and
lodging costs. Space is limited, early applications are
encouraged. More details may be found at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/elnec.
14.
BACCALAUREATE CONFERENCE COMING TO FLORIDA IN NOVEMBER
AACN’s
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. The Baccalaureate 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. Visit http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Conferences/bacc02brochure.htm.
15.
JOIN
US FOR PRE-BACCALAUREATE CONFERENCE EVENTS
As
a special bonus, two free pre-conference events will be
offered on November 14, 2002 from 8-11:30am, immediately
preceding the start of the Baccalaureate Conference. “Gerontologizing
Your Curriculum" will be presented by The John A.
Hartford Institute of Geriatric Nursing to the first 100
registrants. This session offers practical approaches
for integrating geriatrics into nursing curriculum and
features the Partners Program materials. Current Partners
and Curriculum Award Winners will share their own successful
methods to infuse geriatric content. Participants will
become Partners and receive complimentary materials. Also
offered will be a session on the “Toolkit for Nursing
Excellence in End-of-Life Transitions (TNEEL)” which
is open to the first 60 registrants. Dr. Diana J. Wilkie
will introduce this interactive CD-ROM that can be used
when teaching end-of-life care. Enjoy a hands-on examination
of this innovative product and discover the many ways
it can serve you and your students. For more information,
see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Conferences/bacc02brochure.htm.
16.
NEW PARTNERSHIPS AND GRANT-FUNDED INITIATIVES
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.
**Alaska’s
five largest health care providers - Providence Health
System of Alaska, Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, Yukon-Kuskokwim
Health Corp., Alaska Regional Hospital and the Alaska
Native Trible Health Consortium/ANMC - have committed
$1.8 million over the next three years to share the cost
of expanding the University of Alaska’s nursing education
programs. The university is matching that commitment through
capital and other resources. The donations and legislative
appropriations will enable the school to implement its
plan to double the number of nursing graduates by 2006.
See http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/index.cfm?fuseAction=newsItem&news_id=254.
**The
Hampton University School of Nursing (HU) was recently
awarded a $1.1 million grant from the National Institute
of Nursing Research and the National Center for Minority
Health and Health Disparities to develop the Hampton Penn
Center for Reducing Health Disparities. Funding will be
used to narrow the gap in health disparities by extending
an existing partnership between HU and the University
of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. HU was also awarded
$1.2 million grant from the federal Division of Nursing
to fund a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Distance Education
Program. The HU School of Nursing will significantly expand
its existing pediatric nurse practitioner specialty program
by creating and implementing an Internet-based distance
education program that student can access nationwide.
For information, see http://www.hamptonu.edu/News_Publications.
**Congressman
Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD) recently announced that federal
funding would be allocated for the first year of a three-year
initiative to expand Coppin State College's Bachelor of
Science Nursing Program from 170 to 273 students. The
expanded nursing program will increase the number of qualified
nurses working to improve the health of Baltimore's medically-underserved
residents. The project is consistent with the Healthy
People 2010 goal of eliminating health disparities between
minority and non minorities, and will increase access
to primary health care particularly in high poverty areas
in Baltimore City, where 80 percent of Coppin nursing
graduates practice. See http://www.coppin.edu/newsdesk/current.asp.
17.
MEMBER NEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS AND AWARDS
**Undergraduate
enrollment has increased by more than 10 percent at Barnes
College of Nursing and Health Studies at the University
of Missouri-St. Louis. A total of 432 undergraduate students
are currently enrolled, up from 388 students last fall.
Despite the increasing enrollment, the school maintains
a student-to-teacher ratio of about 8:1 for clinical courses.
For details, see http://www.umsl.edu/services/ur/comm/newsrel/oct3nurse.htm.
**The
Washington State University College of Nursing has joined
the ranks of a select few national colleges having admitted
its first group of United States Army Cadet Command and
ROTC students through the Partnership in Nursing Education
(PNE) Program. This semester, seven nurse cadets, each
holding full ROTC scholarships, were admitted to the incoming
junior class as part of the PNE program. The ROTC units
of the four consortium institutions: Eastern Washington
University, Gonzaga University, Washington State University
and Whitworth College, are part of the new endeavor. See
http://www.nursing.wsu.edu/news.asp.
**East
Tennessee State University College of Nursing will host
an Internet-based seminar on November 6, 2002 from 1:00-2:30pm
EST on “The Interface of Physical and Behavioral
Disorders: Emerging Treatment and Psychopharmacological
Issues.” Dr. Mary Ann Boyd, a nationally recognized
expert in the field of psychiatric disorders, will lead
the presentation followed by thirty minutes of question
and answer. CEUs will be available.
For more information, click to http://www.etsu.edu/etsucon/bhconference.htm.
18.
AACN OUTREACH AND ADVOCACY UPDATE
**On
September 4, AACN staff joined with several other nursing,
health, and education organizations in a meeting with
the new Administrator of the Bureau of Health Professions,
Kerry P. Nesseler, RN. The focus of the meeting was to
discuss how the Bureau and the nursing community can work
together to implement the Nurse Reinvestment Act.
**On
September 13, AACN staff attended a meeting of the Medicare
Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). The primary session
was titled “Payment for New Technology” and
was presented by Penny Mohr of Project HOPE. Click here
for information about the meeting: http://www.medpac.gov.
**On
September 17, AACN staff participated in a meeting with
Tom Reilly, head of the Public Health Branch of the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB). Participants discussed
the current budget and appropriations, the upcoming FY
2004 budget, and the new OMB “Program Assessment
Rating Tool” (PART). To review OMB’s budgeting
process, see http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb.
**On September 19, AACN staff attended a briefing on “Primary
Care Leadership.” The presenter was Sue Hassmiller,
PhD, RN, FAAN, and was sponsored by the Society of Primary
Care Policy Fellows (SPCPF). Click here to read more about
SPCPF: http://www.primarycaresociety.org.
**On September 20, AACN staff attended a briefing hosted
by the Academy Health and Friends of AHRQ entitled “Saving
Lives and Improving Health Care Quality: AHRQ Research
at Work.” For information about the impact that AHRQ
has on people’s lives, visit http://www.chsr.org/friends.htm.
**AACN
participated in two separate breakfast briefings with
Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) sponsored by the Ad Hoc Group
For Medical Research Funding and the Coalition for Health
Funding. Rep. Granger discussed the latest information
about the budget and appropriations process. Further,
she shared her personal health-related experiences and
those of her constituents in Texas.
**On
September 30-October 1, AACN staff attended The John A.
Hartford Geriatric Nursing Stakeholders’ Meeting
in Chicago. The meeting was held to leverage the collective
strengths of Hartford Foundation stakeholders to improve
the education of nurses who care for older adults. Attendees
included representatives from AACN, AAN, The John A. Hartford
Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing, The John A.
Hartford Foundation, The Centers for Geriatric Nursing
Excellence, and The Measurement Group. The forum provided
an opportunity to share information, develop specific
program connections, and design methods for ongoing collaboration
to strengthen individual grantees’ initiatives and
overall impact on the care of older adults.
**On
September 30, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy
G. Thompson announced that 34 grants worth more than $8.4
million were awarded to expand the nation's nursing workforce
and increase diversity in the nursing profession. The
grants are designed to improve the education of the basic
nursing workforce and increase nursing opportunities for
individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. For more information,
see http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2002pres/20020930b.html.
