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July 2007 News Watch 1. Register Now for Regional “Baccalaureate Essentials” Meetings 1. REGISTER NOW FOR REGIONAL "BACCALAUREATE ESSENTIALS" MEETINGS Led by Dr. Patricia Martin from Wright State University, the Baccalaureate Essentials Task Force has planned five regional meetings from September 2007- April 2008 to collect input on the revised standards for baccalaureate nursing programs. These meetings will give stakeholders the opportunity to review and provide feedback regarding the draft Baccalaureate Essentials document, including the end-of-program competencies. Deans and directors from AACN member institutions, faculty, practice partners, and representatives of other healthcare and education organizations are invited to attend. Meetings are scheduled as follows: September 27-28, 2007 San Diego, CA For more information, including details on how to register, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/BACEssentMtg.htm. 2. CCNE SEEKS COMMENTS ON NURSE RESIDENCY PROGRAM STANDARDS The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) is currently seeking comments on its Proposed Standards for Accreditation of Post-Baccalaureate Nurse Residency Programs. CCNE is the autonomous accrediting arm of AACN and is nationally recognized for the accreditation of baccalaureate and graduate degree programs in nursing education. This new accreditation process is the first national effort to create a quality assessment program for nurse residencies. This accreditation program is the result of a national partnership between AACN and the University HealthSystem Consortium to implement a standardized, year-long, post-baccalaureate nurse residency modeled on “The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice.” To review the proposed standards, see 3. PLAN NOW TO ATTEND AACN’S FALL SEMIANNUAL MEETING IN OCTOBER AACN’s Fall Semiannual Meeting will be held October 27-30, 2007 at The Fairmont Washington in Washington, DC. The theme Nursing Higher Education: Internal Impact-Teaching, Learning, and the Institution creates a framework to consider a variety of issues and topics. Program sessions include “The Impact of Good Teaching on Faculty, Students, and the Institution” by Dr. Lee S. Shulman, President, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching; “Shaping Health Policy Through Nursing Research” by Dr. Ada Sue Hinshaw, 2006 IOM/ANF/AAN Distinguished Nurse Scholar; “The Impact of Faculty Work and Work Lives” by Dr. Judith M. Gappa, Emerita Professor, Purdue University and first author of “Rethinking Faculty Work: Higher Education's Strategic Imperative;” and a Dialogue with the CCNE Standards Committee. The 2007 John P. McGovern Award will go to Paul Farmer, MD, PhD, Founding Director, Partners in Health, Boston, MA. To prepare for this award lecture, you may wish to read the book written about Dr. Farmer’s work, “Mountains Beyond Mountains” by Tracy Kidder. In addition to advancing the important business of the association, the Fall Meeting offers several opportunities for attendees to select topics of interest, and participate in like-schools discussions. Each member dean is invited to have one associate/assistant dean accompany them at a reduced rate. Deans must be registered in order for their associate/assistant to attend. Full program and registration information will be posted on the AACN Web site by August 1, and brochures will be mailed in early August.4. NCRR SEEKS INPUT ON STRATEGIC PLAN The National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) is currently seeking input on its new Strategic Plan for the years 2009–2013. As a $1 billion-a-year research center, NCRR enables NIH-funded researchers across the country to translate basic discoveries into improved patient care. To ensure that NCRR remains responsive to its various stakeholders, the agency is seeking input on six specific questions, which were published in the Federal Register on July 6, 2007. To review the strategic plan and provide input, see http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/strategicplan by August 24, 2007. AACN is preparing comments, but we also encourage individual member institutions to contribute feedback as well. Please direct questions to the NCRR Office of Science Policy and Public Liaison at 301-435-0866 or planeval@mail.nih.gov. 5. FREE WEBINARS OFFERED ON STUDENT BACKGROUND CHECKS AND DRUG TESTING CertifiedBackground.com is offering free educational Web seminars (Webinars) designed to take the confusion out of student background checks. These Webinars will walk you through the background check process as it relates to colleges and universities in compliance with state and regulatory bodies. Topics include Joint Commission compliance issues, choosing a background check, and implementing a drug testing program. Seminars include: Background Checks 101, an introduction to background checks, on July 31 at 3pm EST and August 22 at 11am EST; Background Checks 202 on August 14 at 3pm EST; Drug Testing Your Students on August 2 at 11am EST; and a new seminar on Student Housing Background Checks and Campus Safety on August 8 at 11am EST and August 28 at 11am EST. For information on program content or to register, contact Katie Donovan at kadonov@castlebranch.com or 888-723-4263 x7155.6. AACN ANNOUNCES THE SUMMER 2007 CNL CERTIFICATION EXAM The Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) Certification ExaminationTM is currently underway through August 24, 2007. The summer 2007 exam is open to all CNL program graduates, current CNL faculty with a master's degree, and master's-prepared candidates who have been practicing in the CNL role for at least 6 consecutive months. The exam promotes high quality patient care through the certification of qualified individuals. This web-based examination will be administered on-site at registered schools of nursing. All faculty and CNL candidates should read the CNL Certification Examination Handbook in advance: http://www.aacn.nche.edu/CNL/pdf/CertExamHndbk.pdf. If you plan to sit for the exam but did not graduate from a CNL Program, please contact AACN immediately at cnl@aacn.nche.edu to ensure that AACN is able to find a testing site for you in a timely fashion. For more details, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/CNL/certification.htm. 7. NEW REPORT ON FACULTY SHORTAGES RELEASED BY THE AAHC Worsening faculty shortages in academic health centers are threatening the nation’s health professions educational infrastructure, according to the latest report by the Association of Academic Health Centers (AAHC). Based on a questionnaire of AAHC members – the CEOs of academic health centers nationwide – the report found that 94 percent of CEOs think faculty shortages are a problem in at least one health professions school, and 69 percent think that these shortages are a problem for the entire institution. The majority of CEOs identified the shortage of nurse faculty as the most severe followed by allied health, pharmacy and medicine. To download the report, see http://www.aahcdc.org/policy/reports/AAHC_Faculty_Shortages.pdf. 8. LATEST AFTERCOLLEGE-AACN SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS ANNOUNCED AACN is pleased to announce the latest four recipients of the AfterCollege-AACN Scholarship, which was created to support students seeking baccalaureate, master’s or doctoral degrees in nursing. Special consideration is given to students in a graduate program with the goal of becoming a nurse educator; students completing an RN to BSN or MSN program; and those enrolled in an accelerated nursing program. The latest recipients are Rebecca Taylor Carter who is currently pursuing a Doctor of Nursing degree at the University of Texas Health Science Center–Houston; Deborah Leggett Hunt who is enrolled in a Clinical Nurse Leader program at Spring Hill College (AL); Christopher Sean Lee who is working on his PhD at the University of Pennsylvania; and Jamie Leah Rosenthal who is enrolled in the accelerated BSN program at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. For more details on this scholarship, see http://go.aftercollege.com/events/AACN/2006/index.cfm. 9. NCEMNA ISSUES A CALL FOR ABSTRACTS The National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurse Associations (NCEMNA), a coalition of five national associations, invites ethnic minority nurse researchers and students to submit abstracts for poster and paper presentation during its third annual conference coming in March 2008. Abstracts of completed research will be considered for podium presentations. Research or work in progress will be considered for poster presentations. Abstracts focusing on expanding the knowledge base to alleviate health disparities of ethnic minority populations will be considered. Program objectives include developing an awareness of the state of the science with racial and ethnic minority populations and achieving excellence in research. Abstracts must be submitted by November 19, 2007. For more information, see http://www.ncemna.org/singlenews.asp?item_ID=1124. 10. FOUR NATIONAL ELNEC COURSES REMAINING IN 2007 The End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) is offering a variety of train-the-trainer courses in 2007 for nurse educators across settings. An ELNEC-Super Core Course (Washington, DC), an ELNEC-Pediatric Palliative Care Course (Anaheim, CA), an ELNEC-Geriatric Course (Pasadena, CA) and an ELNEC-Critical Care Course (Pasadena, CA) remain for 2007. At each course, participants will receive materials including Powerpoint slides, "talking points" for each slide, supplemental teaching materials, case studies, updated reference list, and the 2006 edition of Textbook of Palliative Nursing among other resources. Seating is limited for each of these courses, so early registration is encouraged. For more information and/or to register, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/ELNEC or contact ELNEC Project Director Pam Malloy at pmalloy@aacn.nche.edu or 202-463-6930, x238. 11. APPLY NOW FOR A GERONTOLOGY-FOCUSED FACULTY DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE AACN is accepting online applications for the upcoming Faculty Development Institutes offered through the Geriatric Nursing Education Consortium (GNEC). GNEC is an innovative national initiative to enhance geriatric content in senior-level baccalaureate courses. Administered by AACN, this program provides nursing educators with the skills, knowledge and resources needed to ensure that the "best geriatric practices" are imbedded in baccalaureate curricula and subsequently in the clinical care provided by newly educated nurses. Using a "train-the-trainer" approach, nurse faculty attending the GNEC institutes are expected to serve as leaders and mentors by sharing their new expertise with colleagues. This program is generously funded by The John A. Hartford Foundation. Institutes are scheduled for February 27-29, 2008 in San Antonio, TX; and October 8-10, 2008 in St. Louis, MO. The application deadline for the San Antonio institute is October 15, 2007. For more information or to apply, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/gnec.htm. 12. AACN ISSUES A CALL FOR NOMINATIONS AACN's Nominating Committee has issued a Call for Nominations for candidates to fill five Board seats and two committee vacancies. Chaired by Mary Mundt from Michigan State University, the committee will choose the slate of candidates at the 2007 Fall 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 October 27, 2007. See http://www.aacn.nche.edu/MemberServices/pdf/NOMPACK07.pdf. 13. AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY OFFERS SCHOLARSHIPS TO DOCTORAL STUDENTS The American Cancer Society, the largest not-for-profit funding source for cancer research and training, is pleased to invite applications from master's and doctoral students for support of graduate study. They are offering scholarships ranging from $10,000 to $15,000. Please note that the doctoral scholarship application deadline is October 15, 2007, and the master’s scholarship deadline is February 1, 2008. The Society offers several other research and training grants in addition to the ones described above. For a full description of all American Cancer Society grants, including applications, instructions, and policies, see http://www.cancer.org/research. 14. SEE THE RESULTS OF THE YOUR CONGRESS-YOUR HEALTH INITIATIVE AACN has partnered with Research!America and the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation on Your Congress-Your Health, an important new initiative creating a dialogue on health and research between Congress and the public. Over the last few months, Members of Congress have been responding to the survey which seeks their opinion on many important health care issues. To date one-quarter of the U.S. Congress has completed the Your Congress–Your Health survey and many more are in the process of doing so. Out of the Members of Congress who responded to the survey, 67% said that it is "very important" that policy makers create more incentive to encourage individuals to pursue careers as nurses. For more results see http://www.researchamerica.org/americaspeaks07.pdf15. NOMINATE AACN GRASSROOTS STARS FOR OCTOBER MEETING The AACN Government Affairs Committee will recognize the winners of the Grassroots Stars awards at the upcoming Fall Semiannual Meeting. The Stars awards were created in 2001 to honor AACN members who have gone above and beyond in their grassroots efforts for nursing education at the federal and state levels. If you would like to nominate yourself or an AACN member for this award, contact Gene Throwe at gthrowe@aacn.nche.edu or by fax at 202-785-8320. Simply forward a brief description of your nominee’s grassroots activities from the past year. For information and a list of past winners, see 16. 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.
17. MEMBER NEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND AWARDS
18. AACN OUTREACH AND ADVOCACY UPDATE
19. OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES TO CONSIDER
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