1. AACN
Board of Directors Welcomes Two New Members
2. Application Deadline Nears for Hartford
Awards Program
3. New IOM Report Calls for Overhaul of Nursing
Education
4. AACN Issues a Call for Nominations
5. New White Paper Focuses on Expanding the
Faculty Supply
6. Dr. Long Selected to Give the 2003 Epsilon
Lecture
7. Faculty and Dean Salary Reports Now Available
8. Applications for HRSA Grants Will Soon Be
Posted Online
9. Capitol Hill Forum Focuses on Nursing Faculty
Shortage
10. Dr. Bednash Appointed to Commission on
Diversity
11. AACN Summer Seminar Coming to San Diego
12. Highlights from AACN’s Annual Meeting
Posted on the Web
13. AACN Represented on Healthy People Curriculum
Task Force
14. Enrollment Closes this Month for EBI Surveys
15. Apply Now for ELNEC Pediatric Palliative
Care Program
16. Update on Nursing Loan Forgiveness and
Scholarship Legislation
17. New Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow Newsletter
Published
18. Bring Your Nursing Students to Washington
19. Breast Cancer Research Program Accepting
Applications
20. Opportunities and Resources to Consider
21. New Partnerships and Grant-Funded Initiatives
22. Member News, Announcements and Awards
23. AACN Outreach and Advocacy Update
1.
AACN BOARD OF DIRECTORS WELCOMES TWO NEW MEMBERS
At AACN’s
Annual Meeting held in March, the Board of Directors welcomed
two new members to the association’s governing body.
Earlier this year, Dr. Jane Kirschling from the University
of Southern Maine and Dr. Terry Misener from the University
of Portland were selected by members to serve on the Board.
Out-going members, whose terms expired in March 2003, were
Dr. Jeanette Lancaster from the University of Virginia and
Dr. Pamela Watson from the University of Texas Medical Branch.
Please join us in welcoming the new Board members and thanking
them for their willingness to serve the association.
2.
APPLICATION DEADLINE NEARS FOR HARTFORD AWARDS PROGRAM
Applications
will be accepted through May 1 for the 2003 Awards for Baccalaureate
Education in Geriatric Nursing, an initiative of The John
A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing in
partnership with AACN. This awards program was created to
recognize model baccalaureate programs with a strong focus
on gerontological nursing. Awards are presented to nursing
programs that exhibit exceptional, substantive, and innovative
baccalaureate curriculum in this subject area. Beyond innovation,
programs must also demonstrate relevance in the clinical
environment and have the ability to be replicated at schools
of nursing across the country. Besides the award for Infusing
Geriatrics into Nursing Curriculum, new award categories
include Geriatric Faculty Member, Stand Alone Geriatric
Course, and Clinical Settings in Geriatric Nursing. For
complete details, click
here.
3.
NEW IOM REPORT CALLS FOR OVERHAUL OF NURSING EDUCATION
According
to a new report released on April 8, 2003 by the Institute
of Medicine, an expert committee found that doctors, nurses,
and other health professionals are not being adequately
prepared to provide the highest quality and safest medical
care possible and that “education for the health professions
is in need of a major overhaul.” The report, titled
“Health Professions Education: A Bridge to Quality,”
calls for all programs that educate and train health professionals
to adopt five core competencies: the abilities to deliver
patient-centered care, work as a member of an interdisciplinary
team, engage in evidence-based practice, apply quality improvement
approaches, and use information technology. The report calls
on accreditation, licensing, and certification organizations
to ensure that students and working professionals develop
and maintain proficiency in these core areas. The report
can be viewed at http://www4.nationalacademies.org/news.nsf/isbn/0309087236?OpenDocument.
In response
to this report, AACN President Kathleen Ann Long stated
that ”As a profession, nursing cannot continue to produce
graduates that are under-prepared to meet the increasing
demands of the health care system. At the same time, reform
in nursing education will not have a meaningful impact on
patient care if the practice environment does not change
as well. Professional nurses must be allowed to practice
to their full scope and ability in a system that embraces
quality and rewards educational achievement and competency.”
Dr. Long added that “nursing education and the health
care delivery system must collaborate to design and test
a model for education and practice that brings about much
improved outcomes and is cost-effective. AACN, together
with our practice partners, is taking steps to define the
role of today’s professional nurse and identify the
core competencies and knowledge needed to provide high quality
patient-centered care.”
4.
AACN ISSUES A CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
On April
7, 2003, AACN’s Nominating Committee issued a Call
for Nominations for candidates to fill five Board seats
and two committee vacancies. Chaired by Dr. Andrea Lindell
from the University of Cincinnati, the committee will choose
the slate of candidates at the 2003 Fall Semiannual Meeting
based on nominations and the committee’s deliberations.
The positions under consideration are President-Elect, Secretary,
Board Member-at-Large (3 vacancies), and Nominating Committee
(2 vacancies). Nominations must be received by 5:00pm on
October 25, 2003. For more information, click
here. Since AACN’s bylaws related to nominations
changed at the Spring Annual Meeting last month, all members
are encouraged to review
this section online.
5.
NEW WHITE PAPER FOCUSES ON EXPANDING THE FACULTY SUPPLY
AACN
has just released its latest white paper titled “Faculty
Shortages in Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing Programs:
Scope of the Problem and Strategies for Expanding the Supply.”
Over the past several years, the deficit of faculty has
reached critical proportions as the current faculty workforce
rapidly advances toward retirement and the pool of younger
replacement faculty decreases. The purpose of this white
paper is to summarize the scope of the problem, discuss
issues contributing to the shortage of faculty, and put
forth strategies for expanding the capacity of the current
and future pool of nursing faculty. Read this publication
online at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Publications/WhitePapers/FacultyShortages.htm.
6.
DR. LONG SELECTED TO GIVE THE 2003 EPSILON LECTURE
AACN
President Kathleen Ann Long has been invited by The John
A. Hartford Institute to present the 2003 Epsilon Lecture
on July 7, 2003. A highlight of the Institute’s Geriatric
Research Scholars and Fellows Program, this keynote address
will focus on career development within an academic environment.
To find out more about this program based at New York University’s
Division of Nursing, see http://www.hartfordign.org/programs/research_fellows.
7.
FACULTY AND DEAN SALARY REPORTS NOW AVAILABLE
AACN's
Research and Data Services staff are pleased to announce
that the following data reports are now available: “2002-2003
Salaries of Instructional and Administrative Faculty in
Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing” and
“2002-2003 Salaries of Deans in Baccalaureate and Graduate
Programs in Nursing.” Staff would like to thank the
555 schools who supplied data for the faculty report, and
the 573 schools that contributed to the deans' report. All
participating schools were sent copies of the reports. To
order additional copies, visit AACN’s online Publication
Catalog.
8.
APPLICATIONS FOR HRSA GRANTS WILL SOON BE POSTED ONLINE
The
Bureau of Health Professions has tentatively announced when
information will be available about the new grant programs
authorized through the Nurse Reinvestment Act (P.L. 107-205).
Applications are expected to be available April 2003 for
Nursing Scholarships, Career Ladder Grants, Internship and
Residency Grants, and Enhancing Patient Care/Best Practices
Grants. The projected application deadline is mid-May 2003
for the three grant programs and June 2003 for the scholarship
program. The Comprehensive Geriatric Education Grants applications
are expected to be available in May 2003 with an application
deadline of mid-June 2003. Information on the Nurse Faculty
Loan Program is to be announced. The Division of Nursing
(DoN) does not have applications ready yet, but anticipates
that they will be available by the end of April. DoN staff
recommend monitoring their Web page, http://www.bhpr.hrsa.gov/nursing/reinvestmentact.htm,
for the latest information. AACN will also send out announcements
when new information becomes available. The Division also
needs peer reviewers to serve as evaluators for the new
grant programs authorized under the Nurse Reinvestment Act.
Those interested should contact Wjohnson@HRSA.gov
or Drausch@HRSA.gov.
9.
CAPITOL HILL FORUM FOCUSES ON NURSING FACULTY SHORTAGE
On March
24, 2003, the Friends of the Division of Nursing hosted
a Capitol Hill Roundtable titled “Safeguarding the
Public's Health: Educating the Nation's Nurses.” Designed
to highlight the new House Nursing Caucus and showcase nursing
education issues, the program featured presentations on
the nursing faculty shortage, including promising models
that improve faculty availability. This event, which was
supported by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, featured
presentations by Dr. Patricia Burns from the University
of South Florida, Dr. Linda Hodges from the University of
Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and Dr. Linda Berlin, AACN’s
Director of Research and Data Services. The forum was moderated
by AACN Board Secretary Dorothy Powell who serves as the
association’s representative to the Friends. View
the presentations online.
10.
DR. BEDNASH APPOINTED TO COMMISSION ON DIVERSITY
AACN
Executive Director Polly Bednash has been invited to serve
on the newly formed Commission on Diversity in the Healthcare
Workforce. Organized by Duke University School of Medicine
and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, the commission will make
recommendations to bring about systematic improvements in
America’s medical, dental and nursing schools. Health
care leaders from across disciplines will generate workable
solutions to improve access to care for all Americans and
dismantle barriers to education and quality health care.
The first meeting of the commission will be held April 29-30,
2003.
11. AACN SUMMER SEMINAR COMING TO SAN DIEGO
AACN’s
2003 Summer Seminar will be held July 20-23, 2003 at the
Marriott Coronado Island Resort in San Diego. The theme
“Connections, Colleagueship, and Collaboration”
characterizes the conference, held in conjunction with a
meeting of the University HealthSystem Consortium Chief
Nursing Officers Council. Join colleagues from the practice
sector to discuss issues of mutual concern, including expanding
capacity through developing and maintaining effective education-service
partnerships, and the AACN/UHC nurse residency program.
Each day will have a different theme: Linking Education
and Practice, Developing Clinical Nurse Leaders, and Establishing
and Strengthening Strategic Partnerships. All interested
nursing faculty and clinical nurse executives are invited
to register. Better yet, bring an education-service team
of leaders from affiliated agencies in your own community.
Conference details and registration information is available
online.
12.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM AACN’S ANNUAL MEETING POSTED ON THE
WEB
AACN’s
Spring Annual Meeting attracted hundreds of deans and directors
from across the country to Washington, DC last month. Participants
enjoyed stimulating program sessions, including a thought-provoking
presentation by Dr. Tim Porter O'Grady on the future of
nursing education and a packed Capitol Hill forum on the
need to alleviate the nursing faculty shortage (see #9).
The committee reports and presentation materials distributed
at the meeting are now posted on the AACN Web site in the
Members
Only section. An index to past conference presentations
has also been posted. You will need your school code to
access this information. If you need help locating your
code, contact Helen Johnson at hjohnson@aacn.nche.edu.
13.
AACN REPRESENTED ON THE HEALTHY PEOPLE CURRICULUM TASK FORCE
AACN
is actively engaged with colleagues from pharmacy, dentistry
and medicine in the work of the national Healthy People
Curriculum Task Force. Convened by the Association of Teachers
of Preventive Medicine and the Association of Academic Health
Centers in January 2003, the task force objective is to
increase the proportion of schools of medicine, schools
of nursing and health professional training schools whose
basic curriculum for health care providers includes the
core competencies in health promotion and disease prevention
outlined in the Healthy People 2010 report. Healthy People
2010 is a comprehensive set of disease prevention and health
promotion objectives for the nation created by scientists
working with the Office of Disease Prevention and Health
Promotion within the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Service. Dr. Janet D. Allan, dean from the University of
Maryland, represents AACN on the task force. For more information
on the task force, see http://futurehealth.ucsf.edu/ccph/healthypeople.html.
14.
ENROLLMENT CLOSES THIS MONTH FOR EBI SURVEYS
Educational
Benchmarking, Inc (EBI), in partnership with AACN, is now
enrolling schools in the annual Nursing Student Exit Study
and Nursing Alumni Study. These services are designed to
provide nursing schools with continuous, credible, comprehensive,
comparative, and confidential feedback needed to assess
and enhance program performance. The Exit Study measures
student satisfaction upon graduation from a baccalaureate
nursing program. The Alumni Survey measures graduate satisfaction
with how well the program prepared them to practice. The
enrollment period closes April 25, 2003. For more information,
see http://www.webebi.com/Nursing/Index.htm.
15.
APPLY NOW FOR ELNEC PEDIATRIC PALLIATIVE CARE PROGRAM
Applications
are now being accepted for the first ELNEC Pediatric Palliative
Care training program which will take place on August 14
-16, 2003 in Pasadena, CA. This new offering in end-of-life
nursing care is offered for clinical staff development educators,
nursing continuing education providers, representatives
from national nursing organizations, and others who will
educate nurses in pediatric settings. Participation is free,
but applications must be received by June 1, 2003. Space
is limited to 100 participants; early registration is encouraged.
For more information including an application form, click
here.
16.
UPDATE ON NURSING LOAN FORGIVENESS AND SCHOLARSHIP LEGISLATION
AACN
actively supports and encourages legislation that creates
scholarship and loan forgiveness programs targeted toward
nursing faculty and students. Three nursing loan forgiveness
bills are currently before Congress including the Teacher
and Nurse Support Act of 2003 (H.R. 934) introduced by Rep.
Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY); the Nurse Loan Forgiveness Act
of 2003 (H.R. 501) introduced by Reps. Tom Tancredo (R-CO)
and Loretta Sanchez (D-CA); and Recruitment and Diversity
in Nursing Act of 2003 (H.R. 920), introduced by Rep. Joe
Baca (D-CA)which would provide scholarships to nontraditional
students. Though AACN prefers the McCarthy bill because
it provides loan forgiveness for nursing faculty, the association
supports all three bills. For a synopsis of the bills and
to download AACN's letters of support, see
here.
17. NEW NURSES FOR A HEALTHIER TOMORROW
NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED
Nurses
for a Healthier Tomorrow (NHT) is a coalition of 42 national
nursing and health care organizations working together to
wage a communications campaign to attract new audiences
into the nursing profession. NHT’s latest newsletter,
which may be viewed at http://www.nursesource.org/NHTNewsletter,
includes a cover story on AACN’s recent enrollment
survey. If you would prefer a PDF version of this newsletter,
please send an email request to rrosseter@aacn.nche.edu.
To find out more about NHT’s mission and objectives,
see http://www.nursesource.org.
18.
BRING YOUR NURSING STUDENTS TO WASHINGTON
In late
April, nursing students from Bloomsburg University (PA)
and Lycoming College (PA) will visit AACN’s headquarters
for a federal government affairs update. Students will also
meet Daniel J. O’Neal III, chief of the Office of Science
Policy and Public Liaison with the National Institute of
Nursing Research. Schools interested in planning a similar
trip to introduce students to health policy and what Congress
is doing to address the nursing shortage are encouraged
to contact Gene Throwe at gthrowe@aacn.nche.edu
or 202-463-6930, ext. 237. This is a valuable membership
benefit and a great way to involve students in government
advocacy efforts.
19. BREAST CANCER RESEARCH PROGRAM ACCEPTING
APPLICATIONS
For
the second year, the Department of Defense’s Breast
Cancer Research Program (BCRP) is accepting applications
from registered nurses with baccalaureate, master's, or
doctoral degrees interested in further education in breast
cancer clinical research. This Clinical Nurse Research Award
grants up to $100,000 per year for direct and indirect costs
for a maximum of two years. Collaborations providing training
and/or research experiences at multiple organizations are
acceptable. Notification of awards is planned for January
2004. Applications are due May 14, 2003. For complete details,
see http://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/02bcrp2.htm.
For other funding opportunities, see AACN's Opportunity
Alerts.
20.
OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES TO CONSIDER
**The
National Institute of Nursing Research released part two
of “Making a Difference,” a profile of 16 research
projects that have had a significant impact on nursing practice.
This publication, along with part one, may be downloaded
at http://www.nih.gov/ninr/news-info/publications.html.
**The
“Council Connector,” the monthly newsletter of
the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, is available
completely online. To read current or back issues, see http://www.ncsbn.org/public/news/news_index.asp.
**George
Mason University’s Center for Health Policy, Research
and Ethics will hold the 11th Washington Health Policy Institute
in Arlington, Virginia on June 2-6, 2003. Built around the
theme “The Nation's Health: Action Through Public Policy,”
the Institute will explore all facets of the health policymaking
process and provide participants with the language and knowledge
needed to make a difference in the U.S. health system. This
program is intended for health care professionals, health
organization and association staff, health and policy scholars
and educators, policy analysts, congressional staff, interest
group members, and others involved in health policy activities.
For more information, see http://hpi.gmu.edu.
**The American Assembly for Men in Nursing has issued a
Call for Abstracts for the group’s 2003 Convention
coming to Cleveland on December 4-6, 2003. Abstracts must
reflect the theme “Does Nursing Support Men’s
Health” and are due May 15, 2003. For details, see
http://www.aamn.org or
call 614-247-6466.
**The
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is offering
regional programs in “Third Party Reimbursement Training
& Technical Assistance.” The training is designed
to help improve third party revenues for organizations that
receive grant funds directly from HRSA and organizations
receiving funds through state and local agencies that are
supplemented with HRSA grant dollars. Upcoming sessions
will be held in Philadelphia on April 28-29, Pittsburgh
on May 1-2, New York City on May 12-13, Syracuse, NY on
May 15-16, and in Newton, MA on June 2-3. The training is
free. For details, go to http://www.hrsa.gov/tpr.
**The
Association of Academic Health Centers just released the
proceedings from the 9th Congress of Health Professions
Educators held last June. This publication, titled “Faculty
Shortages Across the Health Professions: Implications for
Teaching and Workforce,” contains a chapter on the
nursing faculty shortage written by Dr. Linda Berlin, AACN’s
Director of Research and Data Services. See http://shop.store.yahoo.com/ahcnetpubs/conofhealpro.html.
**The
American Journal of Nursing (AJN), the official journal
of the American Nurses Association, published the latest
article in its bimonthly continuing education series on
palliative nursing care. The March issue featured the article
“Cultural Considerations in End-of-Life Care”
by nurse practitioners Polly Mazanec and Mary Kay Tyler.
See the article online at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/elnec/ajn.htm.
**Reflecting
the theme “The Changing Rural Landscape,” The
National Rural Health Association will host its 26th Annual
Conference on May 12-16, 2003 in Salt Lake City. The 9th
Annual Rural Minority Health Conference will be held in
conjunction with this event. For details, see http://www.NRHArural.org.
21.
NEW PARTNERSHIPS AND GRANT-FUNDED INITIATIVES
In this
section, AACN spotlights new partnerships and initiatives
launched by members, corporate citizens, philanthropies,
and government sponsors that effectively increase student
capacity, add new nursing faculty, increase student diversity,
address the nursing shortage, and enhance the way education
is delivered.
**Providence
Health System in Oregon has partnered with the University
of Portland to provide 75 of the university's juniors with
full-tuition scholarships for the final five semesters of
their BSN program in exchange for a three-year work commitment.
Providence has committed $2.5 million to each new crop of
students over the next six years.
**To
bring more nurses into the health system, University of
Missouri Health Care (UMHC) has joined with the Sinclair
School of Nursing to develop an accelerated BSN for students
with bachelor’s degrees in other fields. Through this
partnership, UMHC will provide students with scholarships
in exchange for a three-year work commitment. This 15-month
program will welcome its first class in May 2003.
**The
Missouri Hospital Association (MHA) will offer $500,000
in scholarships for the second consecutive year in an effort
to attract new recruits to nursing and other health professions.
MHA launched the scholarship program in 2002 with $1 million
in funding from Missouri hospitals. The program awarded
91 scholarships totaling $500,000 last year and plans to
award 83 scholarships totaling the same amount this year.
Recipients do not have to be Missouri residents or attend
school in Missouri, but must agree to work for one or two
years in an MHA-member hospital after graduation. See http://web.mhanet.com.
22.
MEMBER NEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND AWARDS
**Dr.
Harriet Feldman, dean of the Lienhard School of Nursing
at Pace University (NY), has been asked to serve on an Advisory
Committee to Representative Nita M. Lowey (D-NY) and to
join the Board of Directors at Nyack Hospital.
**On
March 24, Dr. Elizabeth Poster, dean of the University of
Texas at Arlington, was honored at the 2003 YWCA Tribute
to Women in Business. This awards program celebrates the
accomplishments of professional women in leadership roles.
See http://www.uta.edu/nursing/press.
**AACN
has signed on as a supporting organization for the 27th
national conference of the Association for Medical Education
and Research in Substance Abuse. Programmed around the theme
“Promoting Partnerships for Change,” the 2003
conference will take place on November 6-8, 2003 at the
Wyndham Inner Harbor Hotel in Baltimore. For more details
including the Call for Abstracts, see http://www.amersa.org.
23.
AACN OUTREACH AND ADVOCACY UPDATE
**AACN
has signed on to a letter from the American Council on Education
(ACE) that will go to Rep. Howard P. (Buck) McKeon (R-CA),
expressing concern about his proposal to create a college
affordability index. Read Rep. McKeon's statement at http://www.house.gov/mckeon/pr.collegeaffordability2003.doc.
**On
April 29 from 11 am-2 pm, a Congressional Health Care Access
Rally will be held in Washington, DC at the Upper Senate
Park on Capitol Hill. Sponsored by the Congressional Black
Caucus, Hispanic Caucus, Native American Caucus, and Asian/Pacific
Islander Caucus, the rally will raise awareness of the critical
need to increase health care access and eliminate health
care disparities in communities of color. Dr. Dorothy Powell,
AACN’s Board Secretary, will give remarks and focus
on the issues related to nursing education. Nursing faculty,
students and other stakeholders are welcome to attend.
**On
April 14, AACN staff attended a meeting of 23 organizations
from the nursing community to begin a dialog on the appropriations
process. Groups came to consensus on a request for Title
VIII programs and other funding sources for FY 2004 and
are investigating a funding strategy for the future.
**On
April 10, Dr. Polly Bednash presented at the 36th Annual
Communicating Nursing Research Conference sponsored by the
Western Institute of Nursing.
Her presentation, titled “Rediscovering Nursing: The
Societal Imperative to Evolve,” may be viewed online
at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/WINSHOW.PPT.
**On
April 9, AACN staff addressed members of The Robert Wood
Johnson (RWJ) Executive Nurse Fellows program. This event
gave AACN and other nursing organizations an opportunity
to highlight their federal legislative priorities for the
year. The RWJ Nurse Executive Fellows program is an advanced
leadership program for nurses in senior executive roles
who are aspiring to lead and shape the U.S. health care
system. For more information, see http://www.futurehealth.ucsf.edu/rwj.html.
**On
April 9 and 10, AACN staff attended a meeting of the National
Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice (NACNEP),
the advisory body for the Division of Nursing. Discussions
centered on the work environment and diversity of the nursing
workforce. Attendees received a progress report on the Institute
of Medicine's Committee on Work Environment for Nurse and
Patient Safety. For information on NACNEP, see http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/nursing/nacnep/default.htm.
**On
April 2, Dr. Polly Bednash presented testimony before the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Capital Assets Realignment
for Enhanced Services (CARES) Commission where she stressed
the importance of the education mission to the VA health
care system. Read more at http://www.aamc.org/advocacy/library/washhigh/2003/040403/_2.htm.
**On
March 26, Dr. Polly Bednash attended the first meeting of
the Nursing Advisory Council created by the Joint Commission
on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). JCAHO
is committed to working with leaders in nursing practice
and education to advance solutions for addressing critical
issues in health care such as the nursing shortage.
**In
March, AACN staff conducted over 22 meetings with key congressional
staff about increased appropriations funding for the Nurse
Workforce Development programs (Title VIII) and the National
Institute of Nursing Research (NINR). Staff will continue
to meet with congressional leaders and Hill staff over the
next several months to ensure these programs are fully funded
in FY 2004.
