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October 2008 News Watch 1. AACN's Fall Semiannual Meeting Commences This
Weekend
1. AACN'S FALL SEMIANNUAL MEETING COMMENCES THIS WEEKEND Commencing this weekend, the AACN Fall Semiannual Meeting has attracted
an all-time high number of registrations with more than 500 deans
and associate deans scheduled to attend the meeting on October 18-21
in Washington, DC. With presentations reflecting the theme "Building
Nursing Faculty for the Future: Creating the Environment,"
the meeting will also feature the presentation of the John P. McGovern
Award to Dr. Susan Hassmiller with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,
a vote by the membership on the revised Essentials of Baccalaureate
Education for Professional Nursing Practice, and a discussion of
the healthcare platforms of the presidential candidates with representatives
from the McCain and Obama campaigns. Full program details are posted
at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/conferences/08FallMtg.htm. 2. TOP NURSE SCIENTISTS JOIN AACN'S TASK FORCE ON THE RESEARCH DOCTORATE At its July meeting, the AACN Board of Directors moved to create
a new task force to look at the future of the research-focused doctorate
in nursing and academic careers as nursing scientists. A subgroup
of the Board agreed to work on a charge which was finalized via
conference call in September. This task force will develop a vision
of the preferred future for the research-focused doctorate in nursing
and for program graduates. AACN would like to announce that a group
of the nation's leading nurse scientists have joined the Task Force
on the Future of the Research-Focused Doctorate in Nursing, including
Jackie Dunbar-Jacob, University of Pittsburgh (Chair); Carole Anderson,
The Ohio State University; Chandice Covington, University of North
Dakota; Kathleen Dracup, University of California-San Francisco;
Elaine Larson, Columbia University; Elizabeth Lenz, The Ohio State
University; Kathleen Ann Long, University of Florida; Marita Titler,
University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics; and Antonia Villarruel,
University of Michigan. Read the full charge online at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/ContactUs/researchdoctf.htm.
Also view the complete list of Board actions from the July 2008
meeting in the Members Only section of the Web site at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/MembersOnly/pdf/BODactions7-08.pdf. 3. HARTFORD AWARDS FUNDING TO ADVANCE APRN CONSENSUS MODEL The John A. Hartford Foundation of New York awarded new funding
to AACN to advance the recommendations in the new Consensus Model
for APRN Regulation, specifically those calling for a combined adult-gerontology
population focus for both nurse practitioners (NP) and clinical
nurse specialists (CNS). The project will include the development
of two sets of national consensus-based set of competencies for
the new adult/gerontology NP and CNS roles. This initiative will
be coordinated by Dr. Joan Stanley, AACN's Senior Director of Education
Policy, in collaboration with the Hartford Institute for Geriatric
Nursing at New York University under the leadership of Dr. Mathy
Mezey. 4. MACY FOUNDATION FUNDS STUDY OF CONTINUING EDUCATION AACN and the Association of American Medical Colleges received
a one-year grant from the Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation to study continuing
education in the health professions. Funding will be used to host
an invitational, interprofessional meeting in February 2009. Attendees
will be asked to develop recommendations focused on preparing graduates
for lifelong learning; innovative formats for continuing education
and interactive learning strategies; and interprofessional learning
opportunities and strategies in practice. More details about this
project will be posted on the AACN Web site within the next few
weeks. 5. CCNE ISSUES A CALL FOR COMMENTS The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) invites your
comments about proposed revisions to the CCNE Procedures for Accreditation
of Baccalaureate and Graduate Degree Nursing Programs.CCNE periodically
reviews its core documents and provides opportunity for constituents
to suggest revisions. The proposed Procedures document, found online
at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Accreditation/call08.htm,
includes new language related to the accreditation of Doctor of
Nursing Practice (DNP) programs. Other changes include clarification
of the process used to review continuous improvement progress reports;
the addition of a show cause directive, which will give programs
fair warning and an opportunity to respond to CCNE before any adverse
action is taken by the Board; and clarification as to when a substantive
change notification should be submitted to CCNE. In addition, the
specific documentation that a program should include in the self-study
document or the on-site resource room has been struck from the procedures
because this information is now published in the amended Standards
for Accreditation of Baccalaureate and Graduate Degree Nursing Programs.
Please submit comments by November 3, 2008 to Benjamin Murray, CCNE
Assistant Director, via email at bmurray@aacn.nche.edu,
fax to 202-887-8476, or mail to One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 530,
Washington, DC 20036. 6. NCIN PROGRAM ISSUES SECOND CALL FOR PROPOSALS On November 3, 2008, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)
and AACN will issue the second Call for Proposals to nursing schools
seeking funding through the RWJF New Careers in Nursing Scholarship
Program. This groundbreaking program is designed to alleviate the
nation's nursing shortage by dramatically expanding the pipeline
of students in accelerated nursing programs. Scholarships in the
amount of $10,000 each will be awarded to at least 500 entry-level
nursing students during the second round of funding. Preference
will be given to students from groups underrepresented in nursing
or from a disadvantaged background. AACN serves as the National
Program Office for the NCIN initiative and will oversee the grant
application submission and review processes. The deadline to submit
a proposal is January 21, 2009. Watch for more details to be posted
online at http://newcareersinnursing.org.
Read more about the NCIN program at http://www.rwjf.org/pr/product.jsp?id=34828&c=EMC-CA137. 7. AACN AND NLN PRESIDENTS CO-AUTHOR ARTICLE ON CAREER PATHWAYS AACN President Fay Raines has collaborated with NLN President Elaine
Tagliareni on a new article for the Online Journal of Issues in
Nursing titled "Career Pathways in Nursing: Entry Points and
Academic Progression." This article discusses the traditional
entry points into Registered Nursing, specifically Baccalaureate
Degree Programs, Associate Degree Programs, and Diploma Programs,
as well as emerging routes, which include entry-level master's programs,
community college-based baccalaureate programs, and degree completion
programs for LPNs and other allied health providers. With multiple
opportunities for progression to advanced nursing degrees, the authors
also touch on graduate education options including online programs,
baccalaureate to doctoral programs, the Clinical Nurse Leader, and
the Doctor of Nursing Practice. Members of the American Nurses Association
may access this article at http://www.nursingworld.org/OJIN.
To obtain a copy, send an email request to rrosseter@aacn.nche.edu. 8. FEEDBACK NEEDED ON HEALTHY PEOPLE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK The Healthy People Curriculum Task Force, convened by the Association
for Prevention Teaching and Research (APTR), recently revised the
Clinical Prevention and Population Health Curriculum Framework.
This work represents the first structured and comprehensive curriculum
agenda for integrating clinical prevention and population health
into the education of students in all the health professions disciplines.
To ensure broad stakeholder input, AACN as a member of the Task
Force invites you and your colleagues to thoughtfully review the
revised Framework and provide feedback. To share your suggested
changes to this work, see http://www.aptrweb.org/CPPH_Framework.
The deadline for input is November 12, 2008. 9. AACN PARTNERS WITH CDC ON NATIONAL SURVEY EFFORT AACN, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) and the National Vaccine Program Office, will soon
conduct a survey of baccalaureate nursing programs to gather information
about student immunization practices and policies. Although a number
of vaccines are specifically recommended for healthcare personnel
(HCP), immunization rates in many settings are suboptimal. Improving
vaccination rates in HCP can help reduce nosocomial infections (including
those associated with outbreaks) and absenteeism. One step in improving
immunization rates for HCP is to understand the immunization policies
and practices of institutions that educate health professionals
as the basis for future action. AACN members are encouraged to complete
this brief survey, which launches on November 1, 2008. 10. TRI-COUNCIL FOR NURSING INITIATES STUDY OF APRN OUTCOMES The Tri-Council for Nursing (AACN, ANA, AONE and NLN) is collaborating
with 23 national nursing organizations to commission a study of
the impact Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) have on healthcare
quality and patient outcomes. The first comprehensive study of its
kind in 20 years, researchers will examine the evidence connected
to care provided by nurses in the four APRN roles. This new research
effort, titled An Assessment of the Safety, Quality, and Effectiveness
of Care Provided by Advanced Practice Nurses, will culminate in
an expansive final report that will summarize the latest data on
APRNs as well as an article for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
Led by Dr. Robin Newhouse at the University of Maryland along with
her colleagues at the Johns Hopkins University, this work is expected
to be completed by January 2009. See http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Media/NewsReleases/2008/TriCouncil.html. 11.
CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS PARTNER TO ADVANCE BACCALAUREATE NURSING EDUCATION
12. NEW STUDY LINKS BACCALAUREATE EDUCATION TO POSITIVE OUTCOMES In an article published in Health Services Research in August 2008
that examined the effect of nursing practice environments on outcomes
of hospitalized cancer patients undergoing surgery, Dr. Christopher
Friese and colleagues found that nursing education level was significantly
associated with patient outcomes. Nurses prepared at the baccalaureate-level
were linked with lower mortality and failure-to-rescue rates. The
authors conclude that "moving to a nurse workforce in which
a higher proportion of staff nurses have at least a baccalaureate-level
education would result in substantially fewer adverse outcomes for
patients." This same finding has been confirmed in at least
four other major studies since 2003. For a summary of the research
linking nursing education level to patient outcomes, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Media/FactSheets/NursingWrkf.htm. 13. AACN ISSUES STATEMENT ON CIVIL RIGHTS AMENDMENTS On September 19, 2008, AACN issued a statement opposing "civil
rights" amendments or ballot initiatives that ban race and
gender-conscious programming for all public, state-funded programs,
including school admissions and employee recruitment practices.
In the statement: "AACN opposes any legislative efforts that
would deny opportunities to students from minority populations and
prevent schools from actively reaching out to groups under-represented
in nursing, including men," said AACN President Fay Raines.
"We are pleased to join with our colleagues at the Association
of American Medical Colleges in urging residents of Colorado and
Nebraska to vote against these ballot initiatives that may hamper
efforts to provide opportunities to students and reverse the progress
being made to enhance diversity within the health professions."
Read the statement online at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Media/pdf/civilrights.pdf. 14. GANES HOLDS INAUGURAL CONFERENCE IN TORONTO More than 160 nurse educators and healthcare leaders from around
the world converged in Toronto, Canada on October 1-3, 2008 for
the inaugural conference of the Global Alliance for Nursing Education
and Scholarship (GANES). With attendees representing more than 17
countries worldwide, this groundbreaking event provided a forum
for nursing colleagues to share their insights and perspectives
on meeting the global challenge of increasing capacity and ensuring
sustainability in the nursing workforce. In addition to the plenary
sessions, more than 80 concurrent sessions gave attendees the chance
to explore a variety of themes, including educating students for
evolving nursing and health professional roles; the changing skill
mix in health care; innovative learning approaches; developing faculty
capacity; leadership development; education for interprofessional
health care; and preparing for ethical and cross cultural collaboration.
Conference presentations soon will be posted on the Web at http://www.ganes.info. 15. REGISTER NOW FOR THE CNL CERTIFICATION EXAM The Commission on Nurse Certification (CNC), the agency responsible for administering the Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) certification exam, has announced the next cycle of testing dates and deadlines:
CNL Program Directors are responsible for setting a testing date
within the testing window and notifying Applied Measurement Professionals,
Inc. (wta@goamp.com) and the
CNC (cnl@aacn.nche.edu).
For more information about the CNL Certification Program, registration
requirements, and new sample simulation exam question, visit http://www.aacn.nche.edu/CNC
or contact CNC Director Tracy Lofty at tlofty@aacn.nche.edu. 16. CNL PARTNERSHIP CONFERENCE COMING IN JANUARY 2009 Building on the success of last year's event, AACN is planning
a second CNL Partnership Conference on January 29-31, 2009 in New
Orleans. All deans, faculty, healthcare executives, chief nursing
officers, CNLs and students engaged in or interested in the Clinical
Nurse Leader (CNL) initiative are invited. Jointly sponsored by
AACN and the Veteran's Health Administration Office of Nursing Services,
the focus of the conference will be on the impact of the CNL on
quality and safety at the microsystem level. In addition to plenary
sessions, concurrent, abstract, and poster presentations will be
featured. Special forums will be held for CNL students and graduates,
CNL faculty, and nursing/healthcare executives. More details are
posted online at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/CNL/09cnlsummit.htm. 17. JOIN US AT THE BACCALAUREATE CONFERENCE IN SAN ANTONIO The 10th Anniversary Baccalaureate Education Conference will be
held December 4-6, 2008 at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter,
San Antonio, TX with the theme Keeping Pace With Rapid Change in
Baccalaureate Nursing Education. This annual conference offers undergraduate
faculty a forum to explore issues of particular interest and share
ideas and successful strategies with colleagues. Topics include
using technology and simulation; implementing the revised Baccalaureate
Essentials; preparing students for innovations in patient care;
and redesigning clinical teaching-learning to better prepare baccalaureate
nursing graduates for the complexities of practice. Concurrent,
abstract, and poster presentations allow participants to choose
topics of interest in a smaller forum. Everyone is invited to register
for the special Instructional Leadership Network Program session.
The hotel cutoff and early conference registration dates are November
2 and November 7, respectively. For more details, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/conferences/08bec.htm. 18. DEADLINE NEARS TO COMPLETE AACN'S 2008 ANNUAL SURVEY The 2008 AACN Annual Survey of institutions with baccalaureate
and higher degree nursing programs is currently underway and will
close October 31. Information collected will be incorporated into
the nation's premier database on trends in nursing school enrollments
and graduations; student and faculty demographics; and faculty and
deans' salaries. Participation in this survey is vital to AACN's
mission to advance professional nursing education, research, and
practice. We appreciate the effort required to complete the Annual
Survey, and we will provide participating schools with free copies
of the data reports to which they contribute information. All nursing
programs affiliated with the CCNE are reminded to complete the survey
to satisfy annual reporting requirements. Please direct questions
to Christine Tracy, AACN's Research and Data Coordinator, at ctracy@aacn.nche.edu. 19. AFTERCOLLEGE AND LYDIA'S SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS ANNOUNCED
20. FACULTY TRAINING TO ENHANCE GERONTOLOGY IN BSN COURSES In recognition of the need for faculty development in geriatrics,
AACN invites faculty to attend one of the upcoming Geriatric Nursing
Education Consortium (GNEC) institutes. GNEC is an innovative national
initiative to enhance geriatric content in senior-level baccalaureate
courses. GNEC focuses on faculty development as a necessary precursor
to successfully implementing and sustaining enhancements in nursing
education programs. This institute 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, nursing faculty are prepared
to lead their colleagues in "gerontologizing" senior-level
curricula as well as teaching and mentoring students in the care
of older adults. Two upcoming institutes are scheduled: April 1-3,
2009, in San Diego and June 24-26, 2009, in Philadelphia. There
is no registration fee or tuition for these institutes. Up to two
applicants per baccalaureate school of nursing are eligible for
a stipend to help defer travel expenses. For more details, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/gnec.htm.
On October 24, 2008, the Emmy Award-winning newsmagazine NOW on PBS will examine the root causes of the nursing shortage and innovative efforts to reverse the trend. "A nursing shortage paints a frightening scenario for the recipients of their care - all of us," says Executive Producer John Siceloff. "It's vitally important to understand the depth of this problem, but also to recognize models of success that can help us avert a serious disaster." Hosted by award-winning veteran journalist David Brancaccio, The Nursing Shortage and the Crisis in Healthcare is supported in part by a grant from the Barbara & Donald Jonas Family Fund and the Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence. For details, see http://www.jonascenter.org. 22. APPLY NOW FOR BAGNC SCHOLARSHIPS AND FELLOWSHIPS The American Academy of Nursing, with support from the John A. Hartford Foundation and the Atlantic Philanthropies, seeks applicants for:
The Mayday Fund provides an additional $5,000 award to selected
scholar and fellow candidates whose research includes the study
of pain in the elderly. For complete details, see http://www.geriatricnursing.org/applications.
Applications for the 2009-2011 cohort are due January 14, 2009.
Please direct questions to Pamela Dudzik at 202-777-1171. 23. 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.
25. AACN OUTREACH AND ADVOCACY UPDATE
26. OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES TO CONSIDER
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