1. Competencies
on Responding to Mass Casualty Incidents Released
2. AACN’s Annual Survey Now Underway
3. Second CampusRN/AACN Scholarship Recipient
Selected
4. Register Now for AACN’s Semiannual
Meeting in October
5. Senate Completes FY 2004 Appropriations
Bill
6. Results of 2003 Faculty Vacancy Survey Announced
7. Respond Now to the FASHP Student Diversity
Efforts Survey
8. AACN Leaders Named Among the Top 100 Most
Powerful
9. 2003 Baccalaureate Conference Coming in
November
10. Hartford Institute Offers Program Session
on Dementia
11. Executive Development Series Tailored
to Nurse Faculty
12. New ELNEC Training Offered for Oncology
Nurses
13. Call for Nominations Issued for AACN Board
14. Applications Available for AAN’s
MBA Scholars Programs
15. Schedule Announced for HRSA’s FY
2004 Grant Offerings
16. Deadline Approaches for NIH Loan Repayment
Programs
17. Review New Opportunity Alerts Online
18. HRSA Grant Writing Workshops Almost Full
19. “Geriatric Content in Nursing Programs:
A Wake-Up Call”
20. New Partnerships and Grant-Funded Initiatives
21. Member News, Announcements and Awards
22. AACN Outreach and Advocacy Update
23. Opportunities and Resources to Consider
1.
COMPETENCIES ON RESPONDING TO MASS CASUALTY INCIDENTS RELEASED
Coordinated
by the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, the International
Nursing Coalition for Mass Casualty Education (INCMCE) was
founded to assure a competent nurse workforce able to respond
to mass casualty incidents. The international coalition
consists of representatives of schools of nursing, nursing
accrediting bodies, nursing specialty organizations and
governmental agencies interested in promoting mass casualty
education for nurses. Earlier this month, the INCMCE released
a report titled “Educational Competencies for Registered
Nurses Responding to Mass Casualty Incidents,” which
outlines what all nurses must know to respond appropriately
to mass casualty incidents, including bioterrorism. This
report represents the work of an expert committee chaired
by Dr. Joan Stanley, AACN’s Director of Education Policy.
The coalition recommends that all entry-level nursing education
programs should integrate the competencies throughout the
curriculum, and that practicing nurses should receive additional
training to enhance their ability to respond when needed.
The report is available online at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Education/INCMCECompetencies.pdf.
2.
AACN’S ANNUAL SURVEY NOW UNDERWAY
AACN’s
Annual Survey of Nursing Programs is underway, and all member
institutions should have received the information needed
to access their survey by now. Participation in this survey
is vital to AACN's mission to advance professional nursing
education, research, and practice. Accurate data are crucial
to our lobbying efforts on behalf of nursing education and
to the visibility we give to all member institutions through
the media. For the fourth year, we offer the convenience
of secure, online reporting for all sections of the survey.
Because we appreciate the effort required to complete the
Annual Survey, 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. For assistance
logging on to or completing the survey, contact Janis Stennett
at surveysupport@aacn.nche.edu
or (202) 463-6930, extension 236.
3.
SECOND CAMPUSRN/AACN SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT SELECTED
In August,
AACN and CampusRN awarded the second scholarship through
a newly created program designed to support nursing education
at the baccalaureate and higher degree levels. Sarah Wheeler,
a graduate student at Marquette University in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, was chosen to receive scholarship monies to finish
an MSN program for non-nursing graduates. Her career goals
include becoming a geriatric nurse practitioner and ultimately
a nurse educator following completion of a doctoral program.
“I’ve always enjoyed being part of academia and
believe it is important to pass on knowledge to the next
generation of nurses,” said Ms. Wheeler. For details
on the scholarship program, see http://aacn.campusrn.com/scholarships/scholarship_rn.asp.
4.
REGISTER NOW FOR AACN’S SEMIANNUAL MEETING 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."
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 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 Dr. Donna E. Shalala, President of the University of
Miami and former Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. For details, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Conferences/FallSemiannual03.htm.
NOTE: Each dean/director is invited to bring one associate/assistant
dean to the fall meeting so that these senior academic leaders
will be better prepared to assist their deans and improve
education in their settings.
5.
SENATE COMPLETES FY 2004 APPROPRIATIONS BILL
On September
10, 2003 after seven days of debate and negotiations, the
Senate voted 94 to 0 for final passage of its version of
the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (L-HHS)
bill (H.R. 2660). Forty-five amendments passed the chamber,
including Senate Amendment #1552 sponsored by Sens. Barbara
Mikulski (D-MD) and Susan Collins (R-ME) that provides an
additional $50 million in funding for Nursing Workforce
Development, Title VIII programs at the Division of Nursing.
No roll call vote was held on the Mikulski-Collins Amendment;
it was modified by unanimous consent and agreed to “en-bloc”
with four other amendments. Title VIII programs received
$112.76 million in FY 2003. If the additional $50 million
in the Senate-passed bill is negotiated and accepted in
the House-Senate Conference Committee, then FY 2004 Title
VIII nursing programs would receive $163 million. Thanks
to the many letters and calls made by AACN members, the
Senate was very aware of the nation’s need for increased
funding for nursing education. See
the press release from Sen. Mikulski for additional information.
6.
RESULTS OF THE 2003 FACULTY VACANCY SURVEY ANNOUNCED
AACN
would like to thank members for participating in the 2003
Faculty Vacancy Survey. Based on a 52.7 percent response
rate, some data highlights include the following:
*The
current faculty vacancy rate is 8.6 percent or 614 faculty
vacancies. By comparison, a 7.4 percent faculty vacancy
rate was measured by AACN in 2000.
*69
percent of institutions reported faculty vacancies, 28 percent
had no vacancies, and 3 percent reported no vacancies but
cited the need for more faculty.
*59.8
percent of the faculty vacancies require a doctoral degree
while another 30.1 percent require a master’s degree
but prefer a doctorate.
Survey
results will be posted in the Nursing Shortage Resource
section of AACN’s Web site by the end of the month.
See http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Media/shortageresource.htm.
7.
RESPOND NOW TO THE FASHP STUDENT DIVERSITY EFFORTS SURVEY
Through
our affiliation with the Federation of Associations of Schools
of the Health Professions (FASHP), AACN is participating
in a new initiative to increase diversity within the health
professions. FASHP is currently conducting a survey to identify
programs that effectively recruit and retain individuals
from underrepresented groups in nursing and other heath
professions programs. The results of the survey will be
used to evaluate the current status of diversity programs,
learn more about best practices in promoting diversity,
and aid in the development of future programs to promote
diversity. AACN members are encouraged to share information
about their diversity programs by completing the survey
found online at https://services.aamc.org/fashp.
It should take approximately 10 to 15 minutes to complete.
The deadline to complete the survey is October 31, 2003.
8.
AACN LEADERS NAMED AMONG THE TOP 100 MOST POWERFUL
AACN
is pleased to report that two of our leaders, President
Kathleen Ann Long (#67) and Executive Director Polly Bednash
(#48), are included on the list of the 100 Most Powerful
People in Healthcare, which is compiled each year by Modern
Healthcare Magazine. Eight nursing leaders were featured
on this list, including Pamela Thompson, CEO, American Organization
of Nurse Executives; Barbara Blakeney, President, American
Nurses Association; Mary Foley, Past President, American
Nurses Association; Linda Stierle, CEO, American Nurses
Association; Rose Ann DeMoro, Executive Director, California
Nurses Association; and Cheryl Johnson, President, United
American Nurses. Read more about Modern Healthcare's new
"Power" list online at http://www.modernhealthcare.com/page.cms?pageId=419.
9.
2003 BACCALAUREATE CONFERENCE COMING IN NOVEMBER
The
2003 Baccalaureate Education Conference will be held November
16-18, 2003 at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter (TX),
with the theme "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. Poster and abstract presentations will
showcase the many creative and successful initiatives of
baccalaureate programs across the country. Brochures have
been mailed. For conference details and registration information
see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Conferences/bacc03brochure.htm.
For questions, contact Kelly Piringer at kpiringe@aacn.nche.edu
or 202-463-6930, ext. 242.
10.
HARTFORD INSTITUTE OFFERS PROGRAM SESSION ON DEMENTIA
In response
to last year's popular session on "Gerontologizing
Your Curriculum", The John A. Hartford Foundation Institute
on Geriatric Nursing will offer another session in conjunction
with the Baccalaureate Education Conference on November
17, 2003 from 4:15-5:30pm. Open to all faculty seeking to
bolster courses or clinical experiences in care of older
adults, this session will explore evidence-based best practices
from nationally known experts in the area of dementia. All
participants will receive complimentary materials on CD-ROM
($100 value), including the most current information and
teaching strategies related to dementia. For registration
information, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Conferences/bacc03brochure.htm#registration.
11.
EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT SERIES TAILORED TO NURSE FACULTY
The
popular Executive Development Series (EDS) is designed for
faculty who aspire to leadership positions within the nursing
academic unit. For the first time, EDS is offered November
15-16, 2003 in conjunction with the Baccalaureate Education
Conference so that a larger group of faculty can take advantage
of this excellent leadership opportunity. The March 2003
Executive Development Series was so highly evaluated that
the program and speakers will be repeated in November. Within
the theme "Management Tips for Leaders of Schools of
Nursing," the program focuses on dealing effectively
with budget challenges, maintaining individual scholarship,
and managing faculty development. The combined Baccalaureate
Education Conference/Executive Development Series brochure
has been mailed. For details and registration information,
see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Conferences/eds03brochure.htm.
For questions, contact Kelly Piringer at kpiringe@aacn.nche.edu
or 202-463-6930, ext. 242.
12.
NEW ELNEC TRAINING OFFERED FOR ONCOLOGY NURSES
The
City of Hope Cancer Center has been awarded a $1,357,100
grant from the National Cancer Institute to offer special
training sessions through the End-of-Life Nursing Education
Consortium to oncology nurses. The primary purpose of the
grant is to improve end-of-life care for cancer patients
through a national network of oncology nurses belonging
to chapters of the Oncology Nursing Society, with support
from AACN. Applications are now being accepted for training
sessions to be held in February and September 2004. For
details, click
here.
13.
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS ISSUED FOR AACN BOARD
AACN’s
Nominating Committee has issued a Call for Nominations for
candidates to fill five Board of Directors’ 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 committee 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, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Membership/CallforNominations.htm.
14.
APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE FOR AAN’S MBA SCHOLARS PROGRAM
The
American Academy of Nursing, with support from The John
A. Hartford Foundation of New York City, seeks applicants
who wish to pursue a business degree at a highly ranked
school of business, anticipating a career focus on the management/leadership
of institutions serving the elderly. This $50,000 award
may be used over a one- or two-year period. Exceptions may
be considered to support MHA programs when the course of
study is well beyond that required for licensure as a nursing
home administrator. Applicants must be registered nurses,
hold degrees in nursing, and be U.S. citizens. For more
information, see http://www.geriatricnursing.org/applications.
15.
SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED FOR HRSA’S FY 2004 GRANT OFFERINGS
Earlier
this month, the Health Resources and Services Administration
(HRSA) released a preview of FY 2004 Funding Opportunities
that may be found online at http://www.hrsa.gov/grants/preview.
This preview includes a summary of each grant program as
well as applications if available. The following are among
the many grant programs available to nursing schools and
students:
*$15.46
million in the Nursing Education and Loan Repayment program
and $6 million in the Nursing Scholarship program for nursing
students who agree to work at least two years in a health
care facility with a critical shortage of nurses.
*$11.4
million in Nursing Workforce Diversity grants for institutions
to increase nursing education opportunities for underrepresented
minorities and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.
*$4.8
million in Advanced Education Nursing Traineeships for nursing
schools, academic health centers and others providing advanced
education nursing traineeships.
*$3.06
million in Nursing Education, Practice and Retention Grants
to nursing schools and other entities to expand enrollments
in baccalaureate nursing programs, enhance nursing practice,
and improve nurse retention.
*2.09
million in Advanced Education Nursing grants for institutions
that support the enhancement of advanced nursing education
and practice.
16.
DEADLINE APPROACHES FOR NIH LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAMS
The
National Institutes of Health is now accepting applications
to its five loan repayment programs (LRP) through December
31, 2003. These programs can repay up to $35,000 a year
of qualified educational debt for health professionals pursuing
careers in clinical, pediatric, contraception and infertility,
or health disparities research. The programs also provide
coverage for federal and state tax liabilities. Participants
must possess a doctoral-level degree, devote 50% or more
of their time to research funded by a nonprofit organization
or government entity (federal, state, or local), and have
educational loan debt equal to or exceeding 20% of their
institutional base salary. U.S. citizens, permanent residents,
or U.S. nationals may apply. The five NIH Loan Repayment
Programs are the Clinical Research LRP, Clinical Research
for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds LRP, Contraception
and Infertility Research LRP, Health Disparities Research
LRP, and Pediatric Research LRP. Apply online at http://www.lrp.nih.gov.
17.
REVIEW NEW OPPORTUNITY ALERTS 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. Below is a sampling of new alerts. For more details,
see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Government/opps.htm.
Some current opportunities include:
**The
Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and
the Association of American Colleges and Universities are
accepting applications from undergraduate institutions looking
to participate in a new project on “Integrative Learning:
Opportunities to Connect.”
**Federal
grants are now available under the Health Tomorrows Partnership
for Children Program for initiatives that support pediatric
oral health services; enhancement of behavioral and/or psychosocial
aspect of pediatric care; and developing and delivering
clinical pediatric telemedicine services.
**The
TriService Nursing Research Program has released its FY
2004 Call for Proposals for active duty, reserve, National
Guard and retired Nurse Corps officers looking to fund research
projects in the area of deployment health, developing and
sustaining competencies, recruitment and retention of the
work force, clinical resource management, and military clinical
practice and outcomes management.
18.
HRSA GRANT WRITING WORKSHOPS ALMOST FULL
The
response to HRSA’s free series of grant-writing workshops
this fall has been overwhelming and most seats have now
been taken. Workshops scheduled for Kansas City (September
30-October 1), Atlanta (October 15-16) and Washington, DC
(October 29-30) are now full, but seats are still available
for the Seattle workshop offered October 7-8, 2003. To register,
visit http://www.psava.com/nursingworkshop/register_part0.asp.
NOTE: If you would like to sign up on the waiting list for
any of the three full workshops, including the one offered
at the close of AACN’s Semiannual Meeting in Washington,
DC, please contact Amanda Gammish at 703-234-1704 or A_gammish@psava.com.
19.
“GERIATRIC CONTENT IN NURSING PROGRAMS: A WAKE-UP CALL”
In the
July/August 2003 issue of Nursing Outlook, Dr Anne Wendt,
NCLEX Content Manager of the National Council of State Boards
of Nursing, maps the AACN / Hartford Institute Baccalaureate
Geriatric Nursing Competencies to the NCLEX-RN Test Plan.
Wendt's article is a signal to nursing education that the
NCSBN takes seriously its commitment to ensure adequate
geriatric content on the NCLEX examination. For a copy of
the AACN / Hartford Institute Baccalaureate Geriatric Nursing
Competencies, please visit our Web site http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Education/gercomp.htm
For a link to the July/August issue of Nursing Outlook,
see
here.
20.
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
Rural Health Outreach Program (RHOP) at The University of
Texas at Arlington School of Nursing received grant funding
of $50,668 from the Office of Rural Community Affairs (ORCA)
to provide educational programs for nurses and other providers
in rural communities. RHOP has been providing more than
4000 contact hours of continuing education programs annually
in rural communities since 1975. This grant will result
in at least 20 new continuing education courses that are
designed to enhance patient care in Critical Access hospitals.
ORCA's objective is to increase the satisfaction and professional
knowledge of the health care workforce in rural areas by
providing supplemental educational opportunities.
21.
MEMBER NEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND AWARDS
**Gail
W. Stuart, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean of the college of nursing
at the Medical University of South Carolina, was elected
President of the American College of Mental Health Administration.
This interdisciplinary organization was founded to advance
the field of mental health and substance abuse administration
and to promote the continuing education of clinical professionals
in the areas of administration and policy. Dr. Stuart will
serve a two-year term followed by an additional year on
the board as past-president.
22.
AACN OUTREACH AND ADVOCACY UPDATE
**On
September 5, 2003, AACN Executive Director Polly Bednash
attended a regional hearing in Denver sponsored 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.
Dr. Bednash represents nursing education on the commission
along with leaders from the other health professions.
**On
September 8, 2003, AACN staff attended a meeting of the
Coalition for Health Funding. Dr. Michael F. Hogan, Chairman
of President Bush’s New Freedom Commission on Mental
Health and Director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health,
was the featured speaker. Dr. Hogan presented the findings
and recommendations contained in the recently released commission
report. For more information, see http://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov.
**On
September 10, 2003, AACN staff attended the Friends of the
National Institute of Nursing Research (FNINR) Annual NightinGala
and Awards Ceremony. The event celebrated the many achievements
in nursing research and promoted the benefits of research
to patients, families, and the community. AACN member Dr.
Nancy Fugate Woods, Dean of the University of Washington
School of Nursing, and Dr. Elaine Larson of Columbia University,
received Pathfinder Distinguished Researcher Awards for
excellence in science and scholarship. FNINR was founded
in 1993 and promotes public awareness of the role of nursing
research in advancing health care practices in the United
States. For more details, visit http://www.nih.gov/ninr.
23.
OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES TO CONSIDER
**The
Michigan Academic Consortium has released a new report that
identifies issues and strategies that will advance nurse
managed health centers as an option for primary care in
America's communities. This publication, titled "Report
of the National Nursing Summit Addressing Nurse-Managed
Health Centers" was sponsored by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
For more information, see http://www.minursingcenters.org.
**The
Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
and the American Association for Higher Education have issued
a Call for Proposals for the 2004 Colloquium on the Scholarship
of Teaching and Learning. Supporting the theme “Building
Knowledge, Improving Learning,” the colloquium will
take place March 31-April 1, 2004 in San Diego. For details,
contact colloquium@carnegiefoundation.org.
**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.
