1. Ballots
for AACN Officers Due Today, February 14
2. AACN Issues Statement on University of Michigan
Case
3. Update on FY 2003 Appropriations for Nursing
Education & Research
4. AACN Reacts to the President’s FY 2004
Budget Proposal
5. Register Now for the Annual Meeting in March
6. New Categories Established for Geriatric
Nursing Awards Program
7. IOM Testimony Presented in Support of Diversifying
Nursing
8. NEETF Outlines New Pesticide Competencies
and Practice Skills
9. Join us for the Nursing Advancement Professionals
Conference
10. Master’s Preconference Focuses on
Geriatrics and APN Curriculum
11. Register Now for Master’s Conference
Coming to Florida
12. Identify Faculty to Attend the First Hot
Issues Conference
13. Applications Now Available for 2003 Secretary’s
Award
14. Executive Development Series Returns in
March
15. HRSA Implementation Meetings on the Nurse
Reinvestment Act
16. Deadline for Graduate ELNEC Training Extended
to March 1
17. Join us for the BONUS Annual Meeting in
San Antonio
18. Opportunities and Resources to Consider
19. New Partnerships and Grant-Funded Initiatives
20. Member News, Announcements and Awards
21. AACN Outreach and Advocacy Update
1.
BALLOTS FOR AACN OFFICERS DUE TODAY, FEBRUARY 14TH
This
is a final reminder that ballots for AACN’s 2003 election
must be postmarked by today, February 14, 2003, in order
to be counted. Be sure to cast your vote for the positions
of Treasurer, Board Member-at-Large and Nominating Committee
members. Ballots were distributed to all AACN member deans
in early January.
2.
AACN ISSUES STATEMENT ON UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN CASE
AACN
has joined with our colleagues at the Association of American
Medical Colleges as a friend of the court in support of
the University of Michigan in the Grutter v. Bollinger case.
This case is challenging the university's practice of taking
race and ethnicity into account when making admissions decisions.
AACN and the larger higher education community support race-conscious
admissions practices and actively seek to diversify student
populations. AACN opposes any restrictions on admissions
policies that would hinder diversity and deny equal opportunity
to students from minority populations. See http://www.aacn.nche.edu/MichiganCase.htm.
3.
UPDATE ON FY 2003 APPROPRIATIONS FOR NURSING EDUCATION &
RESEARCH
Over
the past several months Congress has been working on the
FY 2003 Appropriations bills which include funding for over
11 cabinet-level departments and agencies, including the
Department of Health and Human Services. This legislation
should have been completed by October 2002, but was stalled
due to political constraints. In January, both chambers
of Congress introduced FY 2003 Omnibus Appropriations bills
which combined the remaining 11 bills into a single legislative
vehicle. The House bill was introduced on January 9 and
was approved by unanimous consent. The Senate bill was introduced
on January 15 and during its debate, Senator Barbara Mikulski
(D-MD) introduced an amendment (SA.136) to fund the Nurse
Reinvestment Act at a $20 million level. On January 24,
the Senate agreed to the FY 2003 Omnibus Appropriations
bill which included the Mikulski amendment. The bill was
then moved to a House-Senate conference committee that negotiated
the final bill. AACN is happy to report that the FY 2003
Omnibus Appropriations bill was passed by both houses of
Congress on February 13 and funding for the Nurse Reinvestment
Act has been included. Click here for more information on
the final FY 2003 appropriations for key health and nursing
programs: http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Government/FY2003CHART.pdf
4.
AACN REACTS TO THE PRESIDENT’S FY 2004 BUDGET PROPOSAL
While
Congress worked to complete FY 2003 Omnibus Appropriations,
President Bush introduced his FY 2004 Budget proposal on
February 3, 2003. Overall funding for nursing programs were
level funded when compared with the President's FY 2003
recommendation. When contrasted with the actual FY 2003
appropriation of $113 million, the President's recommendation
is now a cut of $15 million. The allocation of funds among
the nursing programs remains non-specific. AACN staff has
started meeting with the Senate and House Budget Committees
to discuss the funding proposed in the President’s
FY 2004 budget. In these meetings, AACN is emphasizing the
importance of increased funding for nursing education, health
professions, and research. Below are links to AACN’s
press release on the president’s budget and the official
White House budget document:
http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Media/NewsReleases/2003feb7Budget.htm
and
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2004.
5.
REGISTER NOW FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING IN MARCH
Deans
and directors are urged to make plans to attend AACN’s
Spring Annual Meeting coming March 22-25, 2003 to The Fairmont
Washington hotel (formerly the Washington Monarch). Under
the theme "Nursing in the National Spotlight: Taking
Action,” this meeting continues the discussion of national
nursing reports begun at the Fall Semiannual Meeting. Dr.
Dennis O'Leary, President of JCAHO, will highlight the recent
report "Health Care at the Crossroads: Strategies for
Addressing the Evolving Nursing Crisis." National speaker
and author Dr. Tim Porter-O'Grady will offer his views about
nursing education's priorities for the future. A special
Capitol Hill roundtable will be sponsored by Friends of
the Division of Nursing and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,
offering an opportunity for networking and discussion of
legislative priorities. Other program sessions include dealing
with troubled and disruptive students, and multigenerational
perspectives of the nursing workforce. The hotel is expected
to fill quickly, so you are encouraged to make reservations
as soon as possible. Don't wait for the February 26 deadline.
For more information, click
here.
6.
NEW CATEGORIES ESTABLISHED FOR THE GERIATRIC NURSING AWARDS
Applications
are now being accepted for the 2003 Awards for Baccalaureate
Education in Geriatric Nursing, an annual program administered
by The John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric
Nursing in partnership with AACN. This national awards program
was created to recognize model baccalaureate programs in
nursing 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. Applications are due May
1, 2003. See http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Education/Hartford/index.htm.
7.
IOM TESTIMONY PRESENTED IN SUPPORT OF DIVERSIFYING NURSING
On February
5, 2003, AACN Executive Director Polly Bednash, PhD, RN,
FAAN, presented testimony before the Institute of Medicine
Committee on Institutional and Policy-Level Strategies for
Increasing Diversity of the U.S. Health Care Workforce.
In her remarks which touched on the importance of diversifying
the nursing workforce and the nursing faculty population,
Dr. Bednash said: “Nursing leaders understand the connection
between a culturally diverse nursing workforce and the ability
to provide quality patient care. Though nursing has made
great strides in recruiting and graduating nurses that closely
mirror the patient population, we realize that more must
be done before adequate representation becomes a reality.”
Hilda Richards, EdD, RN, FAAN, President of the National
Black Nurses Association, also addressed the Committee and
called for a greater number of African American nurses to
be educated at the baccalaureate and master’s level
in the interest of preparing future faculty. “If we
achieve the increase of nurses at the BSN and MSN levels,
they will feed the pipeline of nurses prepared at the doctoral
level,” Dr. Richards stated.
8.
NEETF OUTLINES NEW PESTICIDE COMPETENCIES AND PRACTICE SKILLS
The
National Environmental Education & Training Foundation
has released national pesticide competency and practice
skills guidelines for nurses and physicians, part of a 10-year
initiative to prepare the nation's primary care providers
to recognize and effectively treat pesticide toxicity. The
guideline documents, "National Pesticide Competency
Guidelines for Medical & Nursing Education" and
"National Pesticide Practice Skills Guidelines for
Medical & Nursing Practice," were developed specifically
for front-line health care professionals. Andrea R. Lindell,
DNSc, RN, Dean of the College of Nursing at the University
of Cincinnati, is AACN’s representative on the national
panel. Both documents are available online at http://www.neetf.org/health/providers/index.shtm.
9.
JOIN US FOR THE NURSING ADVANCEMENT PROFESSIONALS CONFERENCE
AACN’s
Nursing Advancement Professionals Conference (formerly the
Development Officers Conference) will be held March 21-22,
2003 immediately preceding the Spring Annual Meeting at
the Fairmont Washington in Washington, DC. The theme “Staying
Focused in Changing Times” offers opportunities for
development officers and anyone interested in nursing philanthropy
to address such topics as promoting nursing and nurses,
raising money during times of transition and other fundraising
issues. The deadline for conference registration is February
28. For details and to register for the conference, click
here.
10.
MASTER’S PRECONFERENCE FOCUSES ON GERIATRICS AND APN
CURRICULUM
The
John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing,
in collaboration with AACN, is pleased to offer a special
opportunity for APN faculty attending the Master's Education
Conference (see below). A free pre-conference session on
“Geriatrics and the Advanced Practice Curriculum”
will highlight APN competencies and the latest resources
for integrating geriatrics into APN curriculum. This exciting
opportunity is limited to the first 100 registrants. For
conference information and registration details, click
here. To learn more about the Hartford Institute initiatives,
see www.hartfordign.org.
11.
REGISTER NOW FOR MASTER’S CONFERENCE COMING TO FLORIDA
AACN’s
2003 Master’s Education Conference will be held February
27–March 1, 2003 at the Amelia Island Plantation, Amelia
Island, Florida. The theme is “Focusing the Kaleidoscope
of Master’s Education in Nursing: Valuing the Variety
of Patterns and Colors.” Nationally recognized speaker
and author Dr. Tim Porter-O'Grady will discuss controversial
recommendations for re-thinking master's education. Other
topics include learner-centered program development, online
strategies, teaching cultural competence, and the realities
of preparing and using faculty at the master's level. Attendees
may join special interest groups that will encourage dialogue
on topics such as building a new program, the clinical doctorate,
innovative partnerships, second-degree students, new AACN/CCNE
standards for nurse practitioner education, and how best
to incorporate mental health content. The hotel deadline
has passed, but space may be available. To register, visit
this page.
12.
IDENTIFY FACULTY TO ATTEND THE FIRST "HOT ISSUES"
CONFERENCE
The
first Hot Issues Conference will be held April 24-26, 2003
at the Marriott San Antonio Rivercenter. The theme of the
conference is "Building Faculty Leadership During the
Shortage: Solutions from a Faculty Perspective." The
target audience is faculty members rather than senior leadership,
although all nurse educators are welcome. Faculty are directly
affected by the current and growing faculty shortage, and
have a significant role in identifying and implementing
solutions to the crisis. This conference offers faculty
an opportunity to hear the views of experienced nursing
academic leaders and, in extensive discussion among participants,
clarify current issues and share strategies for success.
The conference is scheduled during Fiesta Week (see #17
below). For details, see
here.
13.
APPLICATIONS NOW AVAILABLE FOR 2003 SECRETARY’S AWARD
The
Secretary’s Award for Innovations in Health Promotion
and Disease Prevention competition is an opportunity for
nursing and other health professions students to enter papers
describing innovative health promotion or disease prevention
projects for consideration for cash awards. The U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services
Administration (HRSA) sponsors this annual competition in
collaboration with the Federation of Associations of Schools
of the Health Professions. AACN serves as the coordinator
of the awards program. Nursing school faculty and other
health educators are encouraged to share details about this
program with their students. Please note the following deadlines:
Students must submit entries to their schools by March 21,
2003; schools must submit entries to AACN by April 11, 2003.
The HHS Secretary will announce the award winners in June
2003. For details, see
here.
14.
EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT SERIES RETURNS IN MARCH
Programmed
around the theme “Management Tips for Leaders of Schools
of Nursing,” AACN’s 2003 Executive Development
Series will take place March 21-22, 2003 at the Fairmont
Washington hotel in Washington, DC. The series enables participants
to examine issues from various perspectives and apply them
to their own environments by providing a forum to network
and discuss individual concerns in small groups. Sessions
provide administrative skill building opportunities to new
deans, interim and acting deans, directors, associate/assistant
deans, administrative faculty, mid-level managers, and coordinators.
Sessions will also present pragmatic approaches to financial
management, faculty development, and maintaining scholarship.
For more details, see
here.
15.
HRSA IMPLEMENTATION MEETINGS ON THE NURSE REINVESTMENT ACT
Over
the last several months, AACN and other members of the nursing
community have met with staff at the Health Resources and
Services Administration (HRSA) in the Department of Health
and Human Services to discuss the implementation of the
Nurse Reinvestment Act (PL 107-205). This is part of the
regulatory process where the designated federal agency collects
information, recommendations, and the perspectives of key
constituencies to help write the implementing instructions.
To date, HRSA has collected input on the Nurse Scholarship,
Career Ladders, Best Practices, and Internship and Residency
Programs. With Congress appropriating funds to programs
in the Nurse Reinvestment Act in FY 2003, HRSA must expedite
this process. AACN will keep you up to date with progress
on the regulatory process in future issues of NewsWatch.
In addition, please check the HRSA and Division of Nursing
websites for updates: http://www.hrsa.gov.
16.
DEADLINE FOR GRADUATE ELNEC TRAINING EXTENDED TO MARCH 1
With
funding provided by the National Cancer Institute, the End-of-Life
Nursing Education Consortium will offer the first training
for faculty in graduate nursing programs on June 19-21,
2003 in Pasadena, CA. Training is available to full- or
part-time graduate faculty interested in end-of-life care
and integrating end-of-life care knowledge and skills within
graduate degree nursing education. The application deadline
to participate in this training has been extended to March
1, 2003. For complete details, see
here.
17.
JOIN US FOR THE BONUS ANNUAL MEETING IN SAN ANTONIO
The
2003 Business Officers of Nursing Schools Annual Meeting
will be held at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter on
April 23-25, 2003. The theme is “BONUS and Fiesta 2003:
A Celebration of Ideas and Knowledge.” San Antonio
is famous for this annual Fiesta celebration marked by parades,
food-fests, sporting events, concerts, and art shows. Program
sessions will address financial management issues and tools
to achieve success in the workplace. Breakout sessions will
provide forums for attendees to share ideas and practices
regarding team building, human resources and budgeting.
Assistants to the dean, fiscal managers, business officers
and any personnel involved in the operational management
of a school of nursing will benefit from attending this
conference. The deadline for conference registration is
April 3, 2003. For additional information and to register,
click
here.
18.
OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES TO CONSIDER
**Eleven
new Opportunity Alerts have been posted on the AACN Web
site including announcements of HRSA Teleheath Network Grants,
Investigator Awards for Health Policy Research from the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and several announcements
from the Centers for Disease Control. For details, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Government/opps.htm.
**Tox
Town, an interactive guide to commonly encountered toxic
substances, your health, and the environment, is now available
on the National Library of Medicine's Web site. See http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov.
**"Window
To My Environment" is a new Web-based tool that provides
a wide range of federal, state, and local information about
environmental conditions and features in an area of your
choice. This application is provided by U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency in partnership with federal, state and
local government and other organizations. Visit http://www.epa.gov/enviro/wme.
**The
health policy journal Health Affairs (www.healthaffairs.org)
has a personal story section called "Narrative Matters"
that will sponsor an invitation-only nurse writing conference
in fall 2003. The goal of the conference is to cultivate
nurses who already write narratively, but who may not be
writing for broad audiences on policy-relevant issues. The
conference will explore ways to get more nurses to write
and publish personal stories that carry a policy punch and
will be read by policymakers. "Narrative Matters"
editors are seeking suggestions for nurses who might be
in a strong position to contribute to or benefit from attending
the conference, either as speakers or as audience members.
If you have suggestions of nurse writers, please contact
Kyna Rubin, Associate Editor, at krubin@projecthope.org
or 301-656-7401.
**The
Seventh Annual Community-Campus Partnerships for Health
Conference will be held on April 26-29, 2003 at the Westin
Horton Plaza Hotel in San Diego. This year’s event
will focus on “Taking Partnerships to a New Level:
Achieving Outcomes, Sustaining Change.” For details,
see http://futurehealth.ucsf.edu/ccph.html.
**The
Association of American Colleges and Universities is seeking
applications for presenters to be featured at the 3rd Annual
Greater Expectations Institute on June 25-29, 2003 in Denver.
The program’s theme this year is “Campus Leadership
for Student Engagement, Inclusion, and Achievement.”
Applications are due March 7, 2003. For more details, see
http://www.aacu-edu.org/meetings/gxinstitute2003.cfm.
19.
NEW PARTNERSHIPS AND GRANT-FUNDED INITIATIVES
In this
section of the newsletter, 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.
**Palm
Beach Atlantic University announced this month that it is
establishing a nursing school with $1.2 million in donations
from Tenet Healthcare Corp. and the Palm Healthcare Foundation.
The nursing program, slated to receive its first students
in fall 2003, will be the fourth four-year nursing program
in Palm Beach County.
20.
MEMBER NEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND AWARDS
**AACN
Board Secretary Dorothy Powell, EdD, RN, FAAN, has been
named the 2003 Black Nurse of the year by the Black Nurses’
Association of the Greater Washington, D.C. Area. Dr. Powell
will be honored at a scholarship luncheon planned for March
15, 2003 at the Greenbelt Marriott Grand Ballroom in Greenbelt,
MD.
21.
AACN OUTREACH AND ADVOCACY UPDATE
**On
February 5, AACN staff attended a congressional briefing
titled, “The Future of the Public’s Health in
the 21st Century.” The briefing was sponsored by the
Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the Coalition for Health
Funding. The speakers included: Louis W. Sullivan, MD, former
Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Kaye W. Bender,
PhD, RN, FAAN, Deputy State Health Officer, Mississippi
State Department of Health. The briefing focused on how
to address the strains placed on the public health system
by increased responsibilities and state and federal budget
cuts. Click on the link below for information about the
Coalition for Health Funding: http://www.aamc.org/advocacy/healthfunding/start.htm.
**On
February 6, AACN staff attended the 15th Annual National
Black Nurses Day on Capitol Hill. The event was titled “Nursing
Education, Practice and Research: Essential Elements for
Positive Health Outcomes” and featured speakers from
the Congressional Black Caucus and Eli Lilly and Company.
For more information about the National Black Nurses Association
please click on the following link: http://www.nbna.org.
**On
February 7, AACN joined the Health Professions and Nursing
Education Coalition (HPNEC) in sponsoring a press briefing
to highlight the severe cuts to the Title VII and VIII programs
proposed in the President's FY 2004 budget. The briefing
featured Carolyn Harris, MSN, RN, JD, FNP, Project Director
of the Socialization to Success in Nursing, (SOS) Project,
and Adjunct Professor at the Howard University Division
of Nursing. She highlighted the nursing shortage and the
need for bringing diverse populations into the nursing profession.
Other speakers included: Richard Weaver, DDS, Associate
Director of the Center for Educational Policy and Research
at the American Dental Education Association; and Gabriela
Henriquez, third year medical student at George Washington
University School of Medicine. For more information about
HPNEC, see http://www.aamc.org/advocacy/hpnec.
