1. Fuld
Leadership Program Welcomes 2003 Fellows
2. Senate Amendments Pending on Nursing Education
and Research
3. HRSA Offers Free Grant-Writing Workshops
4. AACN’s Annual Survey Goes Online in
September
5. Join the Covering Kids & Families Campaign
6. AACN’s Semiannual Meeting Coming in
October
7. New IOM Report for Sale at a Discounted
Rate
8. Call for Abstracts Posted for 2003 Baccalaureate
Conference
9. ELNEC Pediatric Palliative Care Training
Debuts
10. Call for Nominations Issued for AACN Board
11. AACN Joins the National Quality Forum
12. Update on the Professional Nursing Network
13. Support World Food Day Coming October
16
14. New Partnerships and Grant-Funded Initiatives
15. Member News, Announcements and Awards
16. AACN Outreach and Advocacy Update
17. Opportunities and Resources to Consider
1.
FULD LEADERSHIP PROGRAM WELCOMES 2003 FELLOWS
AACN
is pleased to announce that a directory of the 60 Fellows
selected for the 2003 Leadership for Academic Nursing Program
in now online at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Education/FuldDirectory03.PDF.
Funded by the Helene Fuld Health Trust, this program is
designed to enhance the leadership capabilities of individuals
aspiring to lead academic nursing organizations and those
new to the role of chief academic administrator of a baccalaureate
or graduate nursing program. The 2003 Fellows represent
a wide cross-section of nurse faculty and administrators
from both large and small institutions. Congratulations
to all those chosen to participate in this competitive program.
2.
SENATE AMENDMENTS PENDING ON NURSING EDUCATION AND RESEARCH
The
Senate is slated to address their Health and Human Services
and Education (L-HHS) Appropriations bill (S. 1356) on September
2, the first priority for floor action after the August
Recess. It is anticipated that the Senate may take up to
two weeks to debate the L-HHS bill since a lengthy list
of amendments are up for consideration including several
that, if passed, will increase funding for nursing education
and research.
An early
August meeting with Senate staff, revealed that Sens. Barbara
Mikulski (D-MD) and Susan Collins (R-ME) would offer an
amendment to increase FY 2004 funding for Nursing Workforce
Development Programs (Title VIII, PHSA) to an overall $175
million. This is $62.24 million above the current FY 2003
of $112.76 or a 56% increase. S. 1356 offers level funding
for Title VIII nursing education programs. The amendment
will likely be introduced the first week of September and
will need 60 votes to pass the Senate.
AACN
has also been working with the Ad Hoc Group for Medical
Research Funding on an amendment to increase funding for
the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including the National
Institute of Nursing Research. Sens. Arlen Specter (R-PA)
and Tom Harkin D-IA) will offer the amendment to S. 1356
to increase NIH funding by $1.5 billion above the amount
recommended in S. 1356. The Specter-Harkin amendment provides
a 9.2% increase in funding above FY 2003 levels. AACN will
send more information out next week on these developments.
3.
HRSA OFFERS FREE GRANT-WRITING WORKSHOPS
The
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is offering
a free series of grant-writing workshops this fall for nurse
faculty and administrators wishing to pursue grant opportunities
through the federal Division of Nursing. Limited to the
first 100 registrants, these workshops will review Title
VIII grant programs with a special focus on the new programs
authorized by the Nurse Reinvestment Act of 2002. Workshops
are scheduled for September 16-17 in San Antonio; September
30-October 1 in Kansas City, MO; October 7-8 in Seattle;
October 15-16 in Atlanta; and October 29-30 in Washington,
DC. Workshops are free, but you must register in advance
by visiting http://www.psava.com/nursingworkshop/register_part0.asp.
There will be no on-site registration. Please note that
the Washington, DC workshop will begin the day after the
AACN Semiannual Meeting ends at the same hotel location
(The Fairmont Washington). Meeting attendees are encouraged
to add this event to their itinerary while visiting Washington.
4.
AACN’S ANNUAL SURVEY GOES ONLINE IN SEPTEMBER
AACN’s
Annual Survey of Nursing Programs will be available online
in early September. Participation in this survey is vital
to AACN's mission of fostering innovation in advancing professional
nursing education, research, and practice. For the fourth
year, we offer the convenience of secure, online reporting
for all sections of the survey. We appreciate the effort
required to complete the Annual Survey; therefore, all participating
schools will receive complimentary copies of the data reports
to which they contribute information. All nursing programs
affiliated with the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
(CCNE) are reminded to complete the survey to satisfy CCNE's
annual reporting requirement. Watch for information on how
to access and complete this important survey in the next
few weeks.
5.
JOIN THE COVERING KIDS & FAMILIES CAMPAIGN
AACN
encourages members to get involved with the fourth annual
Covering Kids & Families outreach campaign to inform
parents about the availability of low cost and free health
coverage. More than 8.5 million children in America do not
have health insurance. Most are eligible for Medicaid or
the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), but
their parents may not realize they qualify. This campaign,
which is funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is
designed to raise awareness of state-based and federal initiatives
to cover the uninsured. To facilitate member involvement,
AACN has created a Web page dedicated to this campaign with
a list of big and small ways you can help connect our nation's
kids to low-cost and free health care coverage. See http://www.aacn.nche.edu/CoveringKidsandFamilies.htm.
6.
AACN’S SEMIANNUAL MEETING COMING IN OCTOBER
The
Fall Semiannual Meeting will be held October 25-28, 2003
at The Fairmont Washington in Washington, DC. The theme
is "Critical Resources: Investing in Nursing Education."
Program session topics include implications for nursing
education embedded in several recent national reports on
health care and nursing; an overview of the new IOM report
"Health Professions Education: A Bridge to Quality”;
the complex issues surrounding advanced practice preparation
and certification; case building in order to persuade others
about the importance of investing in nursing education;
and the changing nature of support for nursing education
by state legislatures. The John P. McGovern Award lectureship
will be delivered by Donna E. Shalala, President of the
University of Miami and former U.S. Secretary of Health
and Human Services. For details, click
here. NOTE: Each dean/director is invited to bring one
associate/assistant dean to the Fall Meeting to expose these
senior academic leaders to content and issues that will
help them as they assist deans and improve education in
their settings.
7.
NEW IOM REPORT FOR SALE AT A DISCOUNTED RATE
According
to a report released in April 2003 by the Institute of Medicine
(IOM), 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. AACN has negotiated
a special members-only rate for institutions wishing to
purchase this report. Copies may be purchased for $17.50
a copy (regularly $35) plus shipping. Details may be found
at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Publications/IOMReport.htm.
Only a limited number of reports are available at the discounted
rate.
8.
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS POSTED FOR 2003 BACCALAUREATE CONFERENCE
The
Call for Abstracts for the 2003 Baccalaureate Education
Conference, coming November 16-18 to the San Antonio Marriott
Rivercenter, has been posted to AACN's Web site: http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Conferences/BACC03.pdf.
The 2003 conference theme is "Leadership in Baccalaureate
Education: Focusing on Students, Faculty and the Curriculum".
Topics include legal myths and facts for faculty; encouraging
student leadership opportunities; faculty leadership roles
and responsibilities; and curriculum design to maximize
leader development. Nurse educators are invited to submit
an abstract that illustrates leadership or leader development
in baccalaureate education in one of three categories: students,
faculty, or curriculum. Please forward this call to colleagues
who may be interested in submitting an abstract. Conference
details and registration information will be posted online
later this month. For questions, contact Kelly Piringer
at kpiringe@aacn.nche.edu
or 202-463-6930, ext. 242.
9.
ELNEC PEDATRIC PALLIATIVE CARE TRAINING DEBUTS
The
first ELNEC Pediatric Palliative Care Training will take
place August 14-16, 2003 in Pasadena, CA. Over 100 pediatric
nurses, representing nursing faculty, nurse practitioners,
clinical nurse specialists, staff development/educators
and staff nurses, will attend this program offered through
the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC). Participating
nurses come from 34 different states plus the District of
Columbia. Upon completion of this course, these pediatric
nurses will return to their university, children’s
hospital, extended care facility or hospice and disseminate
training content to their colleagues so that excellent end-of-life
care may be implemented on a broader scale.
10.
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS ISSUED FOR AACN BOARD
AACN’s
Nominating Committee has 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 5pm on October 25, 2003. For more information,
click
here.
11.
AACN JOINS THE NATIONAL QUALITY FORUM
The
National Forum for Health Care Quality Measurement and Reporting
(National Quality Forum or NQF) is a not-for-profit membership
organization created to develop and implement a national
strategy for health care quality measurement and reporting.
A shared sense of urgency about the impact of health care
quality on patient outcomes, workforce productivity, and
health care costs prompted leaders in the public and private
sectors to create the NQF as a mechanism to bring about
national change. AACN recently joined this distinguished
organization and will monitor an initiative already underway
to identify the core measures of nursing care performance.
For more details, visit http://www.qualityforum.org.
12.
UPDATE ON THE PROFESSIONAL NURSING NETWORK
The
Professional Nursing Network (PNN) is the only Web resource
dedicated to matching graduates of baccalaureate and graduate
degree programs in nursing with employers that value their
education. This online directory, available at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/pnn,
features employers nationwide who are looking to recruit
nurses with baccalaureate, master's and doctoral degrees.
These employers acknowledge that nurses with higher levels
of education bring unique skills to the practice setting.
Hundreds of nurse employers from 40 states are now included
in the PNN,including 15 Magnet Hospitals and 25 members
of the University HealthSystem Consortium. Recently added
employers include Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia,
PA; Harris County Hospital District in Houston, TX; Sharp
Healthcare in San Diego, CA; and the Naval Reserve Nurse
Corps in Iowa and Minnesota. AACN members should encourage
their practice partners to join the PNN by completing the
survey
found here.
13.
SUPPORT WORLD FOOD DAY COMING OCTOBER 16
World
Food Day is a global event designed to increase awareness,
understanding, and informed, year-around action to alleviate
hunger. Sponsored by 450 voluntary organizations, this day
is observed each October 16th in recognition of the founding
of the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) in 1945. To support this effort, organizers are looking
for nursing students and faculty to participate in regional
events, incorporate World Food Day into the curriculum,
and spread the word about this important initiative. To
find out how you can get involved, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/WorldFoodDay.htm.
14.
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.
**The
Duke Endowment made a gift of $350,000 to the Medical University
of South Carolina (MUSC) College of Nursing enabling the
institution to create new online nursing programs. MUSC
developed the online education program in response to the
nursing shortage facing South Carolina and the nation. Beginning
in fall 2003, the college will offer an online curriculum
to enable registered nurses to earn their four-year bachelor's
degrees without leaving their current nursing positions.
Also in fall 2003 the College will have all of the core
master degree courses online and the neonatal nurse practitioner
program entirely online. In 2004, the college plans to introduce
other online classes that will allow working nurses to pursue
their master's degrees in preparation for careers in nursing
administration and nursing education.
**The
Vanderbilt University School of Nursing (VUSN) has signed
an agreement with Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia
(MTSA) to offer graduates of Vanderbilt’s Acute Care
Nurse Practitioner Program an early interview and potential
acceptance in MTSA’s highly competitive Certified Registered
Nurse Anesthetist program. “VUSN and MTSA are establishing
a one of a kind relationship,” said Dr. Colleen Conway-Welch,
dean of VUSN. “It is a cost-effective and cost-efficient
way to enhance the educational offerings of both schools
without duplicating efforts between the two schools, and
will result in increased access for patients needing quality
anesthesia care.” Read more at http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/nursing/media/releases.html.
**The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded
$739,467 in funding to support the new PhD in Nursing program
at The University of Texas at Arlington. This grant will
be used to recruit faculty, including those from diverse
backgrounds who bring differing perspectives to the classroom.
Faculty will assist in developing online courses to increase
access to the PhD program for nurses in rural areas and
other states. Grant monies will also be used to develop
a recruitment, retention and mentoring plan for doctoral
students. For more information, see http://www.uta.edu/nursing.
15.
MEMBER NEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND AWARDS
**Pamala
Larsen, PhD, RN, has been named associate dean and director
of the School of Nursing in the College of Health and Human
Services at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Prior to this appointment, Dr. Larsen served a year as interim
director and three years as the associate dean for academic
affairs in the former College of Nursing and Health Professions
at UNC Charlotte.
**The
William F. Connell School of Nursing at Boston College will
offer a new Post-Master’s Teaching Certificate program
in January 2004 which focuses on the development of the
nurse educator role. Courses will be available to nurses
with master’s degrees in nursing seeking academic preparation
in teaching in the clinical practice settings or as faculty
in schools of nursing. This program was developed in response
to a growing need for nurses prepared at the master’s
and doctoral levels with teaching and learning expertise.
For more information, see http://www.bc.edu/schools/son.
**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,
see http://www.amersa.org.
16.
AACN OUTREACH AND ADVOCACY UPDATE
**Dr.
Joan Stanley, AACN’s Director of Education Policy,
and Dr. M. Katherine Crabtree, former Chair of the Educational
Standards and Guidelines Committee for the National Organization
of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, made two presentations
on the “2002 Criteria for Evaluation of Nurse Practitioner
Programs.” Presentations were made at the American
Academy of Nurse Practitioners meeting on June 30, 2003
in Anaheim, CA, and at the Keystone Nurse Practitioner Conference,
sponsored by the University of Colorado Health Science Center
School of Nursing, on July 12, 2003 in Keystone, CO. Download
the criteria here.
**On
July 21 and 22, 2003, Dr. Pamela Watson, dean of the University
of Texas Medical Branch School of Nursing, represented AACN
at a meeting of the International Nursing Coalition for
Mass Casualty Education held in Nashville, TN.
**On
July, 29, 2003, AACN Executive Director Polly Bednash attended
a meeting of the Health Professionals for Diversity Coalition
in Washington, DC. Prominent leaders from professional,
civil rights, and education organizations met to discuss
the need for racial and ethnic diversity in the health professions
and begin forming strategies and next steps to achieve this
common goal.
**On
July 29, 2003, a committee formed to study operations at
the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released a report
calling for a consolidation of NIH functions and a stronger
focus on more interdisciplinary work. Among its findings,
the committee recommended that the National Institute on
Drug Abuse be combined with the National Institute on Alcohol
Abuse and Alcoholism, and that the National Institute of
General Medical Sciences merge with the National Human Genome
Research Institute. The report, titled “Enhancing Vitality
of the National Institutes of Health,” was prepared
by the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine
at the request of Congress. Read more online at http://www.iom.edu/reports.asp.
**On
August 6-8, 2003, Dr. Polly Bednash represented AACN at
the National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s 2003
Delegates Assembly held in Alexandria, VA. This meeting
was held in conjunction with NCSBN’s 25th anniversary
celebration.
17.
OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES TO CONSIDER
**Sponsored
by the Nursing Organizations Alliance, the Nurse in Washington
Internship Program (NIWI) will be presented February 29-March
3, 2004 at the Hyatt Regency Washington hotel. The NIWI
program provides nurses the
opportunity to learn how to influence health care through
the legislative process. Participants learn from a distinguished
faculty of health policy experts and government officials,
many of whom are nurses. NIWI highlights include opportunities
to network with other nurses, an executive branch briefing,
and visits to members of Congress. For more details and
to register, see http://www.nursing-alliance.org/niwi.htm.
**The
recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court in the University
of Michigan's admission cases, Gratz v. Bollinger and Grutter
v. Bollinger, have raised many questions about how institutions
should appropriately respond to an essentially positive
outcome. In an effort to assist college and university officials,
the American Council on Education (ACE) will hold four regional
seminars in September to address the many issues raised
by this new legal situation. Seminars are planned for September
19 in San Francisco; September 24 in Atlanta; September
29 in Boston; and September 30 in Chicago. For more details
and to register, see http://www.acenet.edu/seminars.
**More
than 1.1 million people sustain mild traumatic brain injuries
(MTBIs) each year. Health care providers play a key role
in helping to prevent MTBI and improve patient outcomes
when it does occur. The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), working with a number of partners, has
developed a new tool kit to improve clinical diagnosis and
management of MTBI. "Heads Up: Brain Injury in Your
Practice" is now available free of charge. The kit
contains practical clinical information, patient information
in English and Spanish, scientific literature, and a CD-ROM.
To order your free kit, see http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/pub-res/tbi_toolkit/toolkit.htm.
**The
American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) has launched
a new Web-based feature, the Environmental Health Resource
Center that may be accessed at http://www.acpm.org/education/environmentalhealth.htm.
This site provides a portal for environmental health professionals
to access CME offerings in environmental health; updates
on conferences, workshops, and events; and links to publications,
organizations, and other environmental health education
and training resources.
**The
Pan American Health Organization, a branch of the World
Health Organization, has recently produced several publications
of interest to nurses and information systems professionals
working in health care. These publications include “Building
Standard-Based Nursing Information Systems,” “Building
Better Health: A Handbook of Behavioral Change,” and
“Setting Up Healthcare Services Information Systems.”
For more information, see http://publications.paho.org.
**The
National Library of Medicine (NLM) staff have created a
new resource designed to support environmental health assessments
and education. The NLM's Division of Specialized Information
Services (SIS) launched the Toxicology and Environmental
Health listserv to broadcast updates on SIS's resources,
services, and outreach in toxicology and environmental health.
You can join the list and search its archives via
http://list.nih.gov/archives/nlm-tox-enviro-health-l.html.
