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May 2007 News Watch 1. AACN Joins National "Your Congress-Your Health" Initiative 1. AACN JOINS NATIONAL "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. PARADEmagazine launched the initiative in its March 11 issue, asking readers what they would like to ask Congress about health. The response was overwhelming, and the article received more online comments than any PARADE story to date. This feedback shaped a questionnaire recently sent to all members of Congress to get their positions on record about a range of health related issues. Visit http://www.yourcongressyourhealth.org now to see what questions we are asking Congress. To find out where your legislators stand on important health care issues, please send them a message or call their DC office requesting that they complete the "Your Congress–Your Health" questionnaire.2. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AWARDS FULL RECOGNITION TO CCNE The U.S. Department of Education has renewed its recognition of the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) as a nationally recognized accrediting agency. Citing no stipulations or compliance concerns, Secretary Margaret Spellings concurred with the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity's recommendation to continue recognition of CCNE as a national agency for the accreditation of baccalaureate and graduate degree nursing programs, including distance education programs. With this decision, CCNE is now the only national accrediting body for nursing education that is officially recognized by the Secretary of Education for the accreditation of nursing programs with distance education offerings. Read the Secretary’s letter online at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/accreditation.3. CCNE CALLS FOR COMMENTS ON ACCREDITATION STANDARDS The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) invites comments on its Standards for Accreditation of Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing Programs (October 2003). All are invited to suggest changes, including university and program administrators; faculty; practitioners; representatives of regulatory, certification, accreditation, state and federal agencies; students; alumni; employers of nurses; and others with an interest in the preparation of competent nurses. The entire standards document is available for review at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Accreditation/PDF/Procedures.pdf. This document is used by CCNE to evaluate baccalaureate and master’s degree nursing programs for accreditation. A revision to the standards is needed to accommodate the review of Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs as well as baccalaureate and master’s degree nursing programs. Comments must be received by July 13, 2007. Comments may be directed at the standards in their entirety or at any individual standard or key element. Please be specific in offering your comments, including specific language you would like to see incorporated, deleted, or amended in the standards. Send comments via e-mail to lcooperm@aacn.nche.edu or fax to 202-887-8476. Alternatively, mail comments to: Libby Cooperman, CCNE Executive Administrative Assistant, One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 530, Washington, DC 20036. CCNE values constituent input and will consider all written comments in which name, affiliation and contact information are identified. All comments will be shared with the CCNE Standards Committee.4. APPLICATION DEADLINE NEARS FOR MINORITY NURSE FACULTY SCHOLARSHIPS Applications are now available for the California Endowment-AACN Minority Nurse Faculty Scholarship. This program provides up to $18,000 in financial support to students pursuing a graduate degree in nursing as well as student mentoring and leadership development components to facilitate academic success. Though students receiving support may attend classes at any school of nursing, students must return to their home state of California after graduation to assume a teaching role at a California institution. The schools where scholarship recipients will be attending classes are required to offer a match of some portion of the student's tuition. Applications are now available for students seeking funding for the 2007-2008 academic year. See http://www.aacn.nche.edu/CAEawardApp.pdf. Applications must be submitted by June 1, 2007. For more information, contact Project Coordinator Annie Alesandrini at anniea@aacn.nche.edu.5. AACN LAUCNHES THREE STRATEGIC DATA INITIATIVES
6. APPLY NOW FOR ONE OF THE NEW GERONTOLOGICAL NURSING EDUCATION AWARDS AACN, in collaboration with The John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing, is pleased to announce that applications for the 2007 Awards for Excellence in Gerontological Nursing Education are now available. Currently in its tenth year, this awards competition recognizes schools of nursing that model strong and innovative gerontological curricular enhancement and provide relevant clinical experiences. For the first time ever, the program is open to both baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs. This year’s program features four NEW award categories: Baccalaureate-Level Curricular Innovation; Advanced Practice-Level Curricular Innovation; Geriatric Nursing Faculty Champion; and Outstanding School of Nursing Communications. Winners will receive $500 awards at the AACN’s Fall Semiannual Meeting in Washington, DC in October. Applications must be postmarked by July 15, 2007. Applications available at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Education/Hartford/pdf/AwardApp07.pdf.7. SUMMER SEMINAR INVITES ALL WHO WORK WITH A "DIFFICULT PERSON" The 2007 Summer Seminar will focus on the theme “Managing Difficult People: Practical Approaches for Nursing Academic Leaders” at the Marriott Portland City Center, Portland, OR on July 22-25, 2007. The challenge of difficult people and difficult situations is not unique to nursing education. However, the intense pace and serious nature of the nursing academic enterprise can make difficult people even more problematic for co-workers, the organization, and the academic mission. This year's summer session focuses on increasing your ability to deal positively with difficult people, difficult situations, and difficult messages, led by Dr. Virginia Bianco-Mathis, a consultant in organizational behavior and professor of human resources. The hotel cutoff for the group rate is June 27, 2007 and the deadline for early conference registration is June 29, 2007. For more conference details, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Conferences/07SumSem.htm.8. DEDICATED EDUCATION UNIT SYMPOSIUM PLANNED FOR JULY The University of Portland School of Nursing is sponsoring a half-day symposium designed to provide theoretical and practical information on the Dedicated Education Unit (DEU), an innovative clinical teaching model. The symposium will be held on Sunday, July 22, 2007, in Portland, OR, just prior to the AACN Summer Seminar. The DEU, developed in collaboration with the University of Portland, Providence Health System and the Portland VA Medical Center, is a patient care unit that provides quality care to patients and offers a supportive learning environment for students. Read more about the DEU in Moscato et al. (2007) Nursing Outlook, 55: 31-37. More information is posted at http://nursing.up.edu. Sign up soon and bring your practice partners! 9. 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. 10. SUMMARY OF RECENT AACN BOARD ACTIONS POSTED ONLINE AACN's Board of Directors meets four times a year to conduct the business of the association and advance the mission of professional nursing education. To keep members updated on the work of the Board, AACN will post a summary of their discussions and decisions after every meeting in the Members Only section of the Web site. For a summary of March 2007 Board actions, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/MembersOnly/index.asp beginning May 25, 2007.11. BLS RELEASED NEW REPORT ON RN WORKFORCE AND SALARIES On May 17, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released a new report on Occupational Employment and Wages for 2006 which found that Registered Nurses (RNs) comprise one of the largest segments of the workforce as a whole and are among the highest paying large occupations. Nearly 57% of RNs worked in general medical and surgical hospitals, where RN salaries averaged $60,970 per year. With 2.4 million nurses in the workforce last year, RNs also comprised the largest segment of professionals (28%) working in the healthcare industry. The report also lists the five highest and lowest paying states and metropolitan areas for RNs. For more details, see http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ocwage.pdf.12. HEALTH VOLUNTEERS OVERSEAS SEEKS NURSE EDUCATORS Health Volunteers Overseas, a non-profit organization sponsored by AACN, is seeking nurse educators to volunteer at Angkor Hospital for Children in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Volunteers will provide lectures, presentations, and hands-on instruction to improve the quality of nursing care by educating clinician-educators. The objective is to provide instruction to senior-level nurses to allow them to become expert teachers to the remainder of the nursing staff. Subjects include teaching methods, surgical nursing, curriculum development, normal newborn care, and assessment skills, as well as other topics. Volunteers should be registered nurses, have at least a master's degree in nursing, and at least two years teaching experience in pediatric nursing. Nurses with a BS and extensive teaching experience may also be considered. Assignments are a minimum of two weeks and volunteers are needed throughout 2007 and 2008. Nurse educators are also being sought for volunteer assignments in Uganda, Tanzania, India, and Cambodia. For more information, visit the HVO Web site at http://www.hvousa.org or contact Michelle Dea at m.dea@hvousa.org.13. 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 embedded 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 October 3-5, 2007 in Atlanta, GA; February 27-29, 2008 in San Antonio, TX; and October 8-10, 2008 in St. Louis, MO. The application deadline for the Atlanta institute is June 15, 2007. To apply for an upcoming institute, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Education/Hartford/gnec.htm.14. JOHNSON & JOHNSON MARKS 5TH ANNIVERSARY OF NURSING CAMPAIGN On May 9, the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future celebrated its 5th anniversary with a celebratory luncheon in New York City. AACN Executive Director Polly Bednash represented the association at this event. Since its inception, the campaign has helped to generate interest in nursing careers with an extensive television advertising campaign and the distribution of more than 15 million pieces of nursing career materials to schools, health centers, and every high school career center in the country. Additionally, nearly 30 Promise of Nursing fundraising galas — sponsored by Johnson & Johnson and hosted in cooperation with local and regional hospitals and health care organizations - have raised in excess of $12 million. These funds have been used to provide 800 renewable student scholarships, 250 renewable faculty fellowships, and 150 nursing school grants. The anniversary event also marked the launch of a new promotional campaign which includes television spots about the nurse educator role and a new Website found online at http://www.campaignfornursing.com. To view the new television ads, see http://www.discovernursing.com/newsletter_view.aspx?id=52.15. CHEROKEE INSPIRED COMFORT AWARD SEEKS NOMINATIONS Cherokee Uniforms is currently seeking nominations for the 2007 Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award. These annual awards recognize nurses for exceptional service, sacrifice and innovation in practice. Candidates may be nominated in two of the following categories but can only win in one: student nurse, registered nurse, advanced practice nurse, and other non-physician healthcare professional. Winners will receive an all-expenses paid Caribbean cruise for two; an all-expenses paid trip to a nursing conference; association membership; or other valuable prizes. Cherokee Uniforms will make a donation for every person nominated for an award to three national charities: the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association and the Alzheimer’s Association. Nominations must be made by May 31, 2007. For more details, see http://www.cherokeeuniforms.com. 16. 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, x238.17. 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.
18. MEMBER NEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND AWARDS
19. AACN OUTREACH AND ADVOCACY UPDATE
20. OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES TO CONSIDER
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