1. Apply
Now through July 31 for Faculty Loan Program Grants
2. AACN’s Semiannual Meeting Coming in
October
3. New IOM Report for Sale at a Discounted
Rate
4. FY 2004 Appropriations Update
5. Call for Abstracts Posted for 2003 Baccalaureate
Conference
6. Executive Development Series Moved to November
7. Call for Nominations Issued for AACN Board
8. Resources Available though the AACN-CampusRN
Partnership
9. IOM Releases Report on Academic Health Centers
10. ELNEC Pediatric Palliative Care Training
Debuts in August
11. Opportunity Alerts Now Posted Online
12. New Partnerships and Grant-Funded Initiatives
13. Member News, Announcements and Awards
14. AACN Outreach and Advocacy Update
15. Opportunities and Resources to Consider
1.
APPLY NOW THROUGH JULY 31 FOR FACULTY LOAN PROGRAM GRANTS
The
federal Division of Nursing is now accepting applications
for the Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP), a new program
created by the Nurse Reinvestment Act to increase the number
of qualified nurse faculty. This program awards grant funding
to schools of nursing to provide loans to students enrolled
full-time in an advanced degree nursing program. Following
graduation, the borrower can cancel up to 85 percent of
the NFLP loan in exchange for serving as nursing faculty
at a school of nursing. Schools of nursing must create a
loan fund and contribute equal to one-ninth of the federal
contribution to participate. Accredited schools of nursing
that offer full-time advanced degree nursing programs and
are located in the United States or its territories are
eligible. Approximately $3 million is available in FY 2003
to make 100 awards between $15,000 and $60,000 each. The
application deadline is July 31, 2003. Applications may
not be submitted electronically at this time, though HRSA
anticipates accepting grant applications online in the future.
For an application, see http://www.bhpr.hrsa.gov/grants/applications/03nrsfaculty.htm.
Please direct questions to Denise Thompson at 301-443-6333
or dthompson@hrsa.gov.
2.
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 as
a way to expose these senior academic leaders to content
and issues they will find helpful as they assist deans and
improve education in their settings.
3.
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 here. Only a limited number of reports
are available at the discounted rate.
4.
FY 2004 APPROPRIATIONS UPDATE
The
FY 2004 appropriations process is on a fast track toward
completion with level funding for Nursing Workforce Development
(Title VIII) programs and substantial cuts in Title VII
programs. The political pressure on Republican leaders to
complete all of the appropriations bills on time forced
House and Senate appropriators to move quickly to address
the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS)
appropriations bills.
On June
19, the House LHHS Subcommittee marked up its bill, providing
level funding for Title VIII programs at $112.76 million
and giving $278.44 to Title VII programs, a cut of $30 million
from the FY 2003 level. The bill was approved by the full
House on July 11. The Senate LHHS Subcommittee marked up
its bill on June 25 and provides level funding for Title
VIII nursing programs but gives only $20.9 million to Title
VII, a cut of almost $290 million from FY 2003. The Senate
bill contains a significant funding increase of $1 billion
for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) over the FY
2003 level. However, the NIH increase comes at the expense
of Title VII programs, such as Scholarships for Disadvantaged
Students. The LHHS bill was approved by the Senate Appropriations
Committee and will be considered on the Senate floor in
the near future.
AACN is working with congressional nursing advocates to
pursue a Senate floor amendment strategy to increase funding
for nursing education. Following passage in the Senate which
is likely to occur in September, both versions will move
to a conference committee. During the conference, legislators
will be forced to make difficult decisions to reconcile
conflicting funding levels offered by the House and Senate
bills. To view an updated appropriations chart, visit http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Government/FY2004CHART.pdf.
5.
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 on the
Web in early August and brochures will be mailed in mid
August. For questions, contact Kelly Piringer at kpiringe@aacn.nche.edu
or 202-463-6930, ext. 242.
6.
EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT SERIES MOVED TO NOVEMBER
The
Executive Development Series (EDS) is scheduled for November
15-16, 2003 in conjunction with the Baccalaureate Education
Conference in San Antonio, Texas. In the past, EDS has been
held before the AACN Fall Semiannual Meeting in Washington,
DC. Because EDS seeks to further develop leaders among faculty,
this change will allow faculty to more conveniently attend
both EDS and the Baccalaureate Conference, and take advantage
of a discount for attending both. Program and registration
details will be available in mid August.
7.
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. Click
here for more information.
8.
RESOURCES AVAILABLE THROUGH THE AACN-CAMPUSRN PARTNERSHIP
AACN
encourages nursing faculty and administrators to alert their
students to a new scholarship opportunity and an online
career center now available through the association’s
partnership with CampusRN. A leading online service for
entry-level and practicing nurses, CampusRN is dedicated
to serving the career planning needs of nursing students
and potential employers nationwide. The AACN-CampusRN partnership
involves two components: a Scholarship Program, http://aacn.campusrn.com/scholarships/scholarship_rn.asp,
for currently enrolled nursing students; and an online Career
Center for new graduates looking to transition into the
professional practice environment, http://aacn.campusrn.com/students/jobsearch.asp.
9.
IOM RELEASES NEW REPORT ON ACADEMIC HEALTH CENTERS
Earlier
this month, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a new
report on “Academic Health Centers: Leading Change
in the 21st Century.” The report calls for academic
health centers (AHCs) to take the lead in transforming the
content, methods, approaches, and settings used in health
professions education in the interest of providing higher
levels of quality health care and patient safety. The report
also calls on Congress to support innovations in clinical
education through changes in the financing of clinical education.
To download the Report Brief, see http://www.iom.edu.
Copies of the full report are also available by calling
(800) 624-6242 or visiting http://www.nap.edu.
10.
ELNEC PEDIATRIC PALLIATIVE CARE TRAINING DEBUTS IN AUGUST
The
very 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). These
nurses will 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
this information to their colleagues so that excellent end-of-life
care can be implemented on a broader scale to children and
their families.
11.
OPPORTUNITY ALERTS NOW POSTED ONLINE
Opportunity
Alerts are announcements of grants, fellowships, scholarships,
and other funding sources for nursing programs, students,
and researchers that are routinely updated on AACN's Web
site. The American Cancer Society offers multiple funding
opportunities including master’s and doctoral degree
scholarships in cancer nursing, post-doctoral fellowships,
and several research scholar grants. Other new opportunities
are now available through the Cancer, Culture and Literacy
Institute, the Office of Population Affairs, the Environmental
Leadership Program, and the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. For details, click
here.
12.
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
School of Nursing at the Catholic University of America
(DC) was awarded a 3-year, $868,900 grant from the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services for a new academic
program aimed at recruiting more Hispanic nursing students.
The school’s initiative, the Latino Nursing Career
Opportunity Program, is designed to spur interest in the
nursing profession among students in grades 7-12.
**To
better meet the demand for nurses with professional level
education, Robert Morris University (PA) will begin offering
both a BSN and MSN program this fall. Students interested
in these nursing programs are now eligible to enroll with
classes beginning in August 2003. The university will partner
with West Penn/Allegheny Health Systems for clinical experiences.
For more details, see http://www.pghhospitalnews.com/060307RMU.htm.
13.
MEMBER NEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND AWARDS
**Dr.
Eileen T. Breslin, AACN Board Member and dean of the School
of Nursing at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, was
inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners
(FAANP) on June 29, 2003. Also inducted was Dr. Deanna Gray-Miceli,
associate professor of nursing at Seton Hall University
in South Orange, NJ. The FAANP program was established in
2000 to recognize nurse practitioner leaders who have made
outstanding contributions to health care through nurse practitioner
clinical practice, research, education, or policy. For details,
see http://www.aanp.org.
**The
American Academy of Nursing (AAN) has nominated 82 new Fellows
for induction this year at AAN’s 30th annual conference
in November. Recognized by their peers as outstanding contributors
to nursing, the 2003 nominees represent a variety of nursing
disciplines. Deans of member institutions who were nominated
include Dr. Sandra R. Edwardson, University of Minnesota;
Dr. Jeri A. Milstead, Medical College of Ohio; Dr. Elizabeth
C. Poster, University of Texas-Arlington; and Dr. Judy Wright
Lott, Baylor University (TX). Associate deans who received
nominations include Dr. Rose Margaret Mays, Indiana University;
and Dr. Carolyn W. Mosley, Louisiana State University Health
Sciences Center. Dr. Ellen F. Olshansky, professor at the
University of Pittsburgh and editor of the Journal of Professional
Nursing, was also nominated. Congratulations to all!
14.
AACN OUTREACH AND ADVOCACY UPDATE
**On
June 10-11, 2003, Dr. Andrea Lindell, dean of the University
of Cincinnati College of Nursing, and Dr. Patricia Butterfield,
professor at Montana State University College of Nursing,
spoke on behalf of AACN at the forum on “National Strategies
for Health Care Providers: Pesticide Exposure” in Washington,
DC. The forum was sponsored by the National Environmental
Education and Training Foundation (NEETF), USDA, EPA, Department
of Labor, and CDC. Dr. Lindell has served as AACN's representative
to the CDC Project on National Strategies for Health Care
Providers: Pesticide Initiative and as one of the committee
co-chairs since 1999.
**On
June 26, 2003, AACN President-Elect Jean Bartels presented
testimony at a field hearing convened by the Sullivan Commission
on Diversity in the Healthcare Workforce, a group chaired
by former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr.
Louis W. Sullivan. Administered by Duke University School
of Medicine and funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation,
the 15-member commission was formed to generate workable
solutions to improve access to care for all Americans and
dismantle barriers to education and quality health care.
AACN Executive Director Dr. Polly Bednash represents nursing
education on the commission.
**On
July 14, 2003, Dr. Jeanette Lancaster, dean of the School
of Nursing at the University of Virginia, represented nursing
and AACN as a speaker at the Health Professions and Nursing
Education (HPNEC) Capitol Hill luncheon. The luncheon, titled
“Who will Care for Us? How the Title VII and VIII Programs
Address the Health Professions and Nursing Shortages,”
was held to educate Hill staff about the importance of funding
Title VII and Title VIII programs. Dr. Lancaster discussed
how Title VIII funds help educate nursing students, alleviate
shortages, and provide quality care to underserved populations.
For information about HPNEC, visit http://www.aamc.org/advocacy/hpnec/.
**AACN
staff attended a reception on July 14, 2003, to honor Dr.
Michael H. Trujillo, former Director of the Indian Health
Service (IHS). The Friends of Indian Health sponsored the
event to thank Dr. Trujillo for his dedicated service as
Director of IHS. For more information about the Friends
of Indian Health, click here: http://www.nihb.org/res_friends_indianhealth.htm.
15.
OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES TO CONSIDER
**The
Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), a nationally
recognized leader in medication safety initiatives, would
like to offer deans of nursing programs a free 1996-2002
“ISMP Medication Safety Alert!” CD-ROM. This CD
is a compilation of the bi-monthly newsletter that is distributed
to nearly every acute-care facility in the U.S. This resource
is easy to use, completely searchable, and offers valuable
and extremely practical information on medication errors,
their causes, and prevention strategies. If you are interested
in receiving this free CD-ROM, please send your name and
mailing address to Hedy Cohen at hcohen@ismp.org.
**Jacqueline
Roemmele, the Executive Director of the National Necrotizing
Fasciitis Foundation, has released a new book titled "Surviving
the Flesh-Eating Bacteria: Understanding, Preventing, Treating
and Living with the Effects of Necrotizing Fasciitis.”
For details on the book or to contact the author who is
available to speak with nursing staff about the symptoms,
diagnosis, treatment, recovery, and emerging treatments
for this misunderstood disease, contact 973-777-7666 or
http://www.nnff.com.
