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September 2008 News Watch 1. Make Plans Now to Attend the Fall Semiannual
Meeting
1. MAKE PLANS NOW TO ATTEND THE FALL SEMIANNUAL MEETING Join your colleagues at AACN's Fall Semiannual Meeting October 18-21 in Washington, DC and enjoy a dynamic conference reflecting the theme "Building Nursing Faculty for the Future: Creating the Environment." On Saturday, pre-conference sessions will offer attendees the chance to work in large and like-school groups to grapple with pragmatic faculty workload issues. Sunday afternoon commences with "Sustaining a Positive Environment for Nursing Faculty" with observations from Dr. Mary Burgan, former Secretary General of the American Association of University Professors and author of Whatever Happened to the Faculty?: Drift and Decision in Higher Education. On Sunday evening, attendees will honor John P. McGovern Award winner Dr. Susan Hassmiller, Senior Program Officer with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Monday business meeting again will run until 1:00pm to allow attendees to make visits to Congressional offices in the afternoon. During the business meeting, members will vote on the revised Baccalaureate Essentials. On Tuesday morning, a panel of respected academic leaders addresses challenges and successes in "Developing Faculty and Leaders," and Dr. Joanne Disch describes her research on "Nursing Faculty Workplace Satisfaction". Each Dean/Director may bring one Associate/Assistant Dean, who may be interested in the Organizational Leadership Network program on Sunday. Full program details are posted at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/conferences/08FallMtg.htm. 2. TELECONFERENCES PLANNED ON THE REVISED BACCALAUREATE ESSENTIALS Following a national consensus-building process, the AACN Board of Directors approved the final draft of the revised Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice in July. This document, which is posted on the Web at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Education/pdf/BEdraft.pdf, will come forward for a vote by the AACN membership on October 20 at the Fall Semiannual Meeting. To give members an opportunity to hear about the work of the Baccalaureate Essentials Task Force and ask questions about the Essentials, AACN will host two additional teleconferences on the following dates: September 18 from 4:00-5:30pm EDT; and September 23 from 1:30-3:00pm EDT. Each teleconference will begin with an overview by Task Force Chair Patricia Martin, followed by a question and answer session. Dr. Martin's presentation is posted at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Education/teleconf.htm. Please direct any questions to kmcguinn@aacn.nche.edu. 3. 58 SCHOOLS RECEIVE SCHOLARSHIP FUNDING THROUGH NCIN PROGRAM On September 4, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and AACN announced that 58 schools of nursing were awarded funding through the RWJF New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program. This new program was launched to strengthen the nation's pipeline of new nurses by providing financial aid to students enrolled in fast-track nursing programs. Schools receiving funding will award $10,000 scholarships to 706 nursing students in accelerated programs during the 2008-2009 academic year. For the complete list of schools receiving funding, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Media/NewsReleases/2008/RWJawards.html. 4. ELEVEN NEW MINORITY FACULTY SCHOLARS SELECTED AACN is pleased to announce that eleven new Minority Nurse Faculty
Scholars have been selected through two separate programs funded
by The California Endowment and the Johnson & Johnson Campaign
for Nursing's Future. Launched to address the faculty shortage and
enhance diversity among nurse educators, these programs provide
$18,000 in financial support along with professional development
to graduate students who agree to teach in a nursing school after
graduation. With 17 Scholars already receiving support, 6 new students
were awarded funding through The California Endowment-AACN program,
including students from California State University-Dominguez Hills,
University of California-San Francisco, and the University of San
Diego. Joining the 5 scholars receiving funding through the J&J
Campaign-AACN program are 5 new students from Hampton University,
the Medical University of South Carolina, University of New Mexico,
and University of North Carolina Greensboro. See http://www.aacn.nche.edu. 5. CCNE ISSUES A CALL FOR COMMENTS ON RESIDENCY ACCREDITATION The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) is preparing
to launch accreditation of post-baccalaureate nurse residency programs
located in acute-care settings. CCNE invites comments on its proposed
Procedures for Accreditation of Post-Baccalaureate Nurse Residency
Programs, which describes the policies and procedures that will
be used in the residency accreditation process. You may view the
proposed Procedures on the CCNE web site at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Accreditation/pdf/resprocedures.pdf.
CCNE intends to finalize the procedures this fall. An open invitation
to provide input is extended to all interested parties. Comments
may be directed at the procedures in their entirety or at any individual
process or statement. Please be specific in offering your comments
by identifying any gaps that exist or language you would like to
see incorporated, deleted, or otherwise modified in the proposed
Procedures. Send comments via e-mail to bmurray@aacn.nche.edu
no later than October 3, 2008. CCNE values constituent input and
will consider all written comments in which name, affiliation, and
contact information are identified. The final Standards for Accreditation
of Post-Baccalaureate Nurse Residency Programs, approved by the
CCNE Board in April 2008, is available at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Accreditation/pdf/resstandards08.pdf.
Please direct questions to CCNE Assistant Director Benjamin Murray
at 202-887-6791 x275 or bmurray@aacn.nche.edu.
6. GANES HOLDS INAUGURAL CONFERENCE IN TORONTO ON OCTOBER 1-3 The Global Alliance on Nursing Education and Scholarship (GANES)
is pleased to announce that the group's inaugural conference will
be held October 1-3, 2008 in Toronto, Ontario. This convening of
nurse educators from around the world will bring together leaders
in education and policy to debate the global challenge of increasing
capacity and ensuring sustainability in the nursing workforce. The
program will feature plenary presentations from noted international
speakers as well as interactive sessions focusing on 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; and preparing
for ethical and cross-cultural collaboration. For details, see http://www.ganes.info.
7. 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. 8. CODE ON THE ETHICAL RECRUITMENT OF FOREIGN NURSES RELEASED On September 4, a national task force convened by AcademyHealth
released the Voluntary Code of Ethical Conduct for the Recruitment
of Foreign-Educated Nurses to the United States at a press conference
held in Washington, DC. Funded by the the John D. and Catherine
T. MacArthur Foundation, this effort was launched to ensure that
the growing practice of recruiting foreign-educated nurses to the
United States is done in a responsible manner. The code aims to
increase transparency and accountability in international recruitment
and ensure adequate orientation programs for foreign-educated nurses.
The voluntary code also provides guidance on ways to ensure recruitment
is not harmful to the nurses' home countries. Health care organizations
and recruiters that follow the code will adopt a series of practical
standards and emulate best practices. At the request of AcademyHealth,
AACN's CEO and Executive Director Polly Bednash served on the Task
Force on the Ethical Recruitment of Foreign-Educated Nurses. Download
the voluntary code and other resources at a new Web site created
to highlight this initiative found at http://www.fairinternationalrecruitment.org. 9. EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT SERIES EMPHASIZES LEADERSHIP COMMUNICATION Join colleagues for the Executive Development Series (EDS) December
3-4, 2008 at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter, San Antonio,
Texas. This popular professional development event is designed for
new and aspiring deans as well as for faculty members who want to
improve their leadership skills for a variety of positions within
the nursing academic unit. This year's theme Leveraging Resources
Through Powerful Leadership Communication, emphasizes effective
interactions with faculty and various community stakeholders. Topics
include examining the shared governance model; improving communication
between the sexes; countering the disturbing phenomenon of incivility;
developing and communicating a business plan using the input from
and responding to various constituencies; and seeking resources
based on important strategic relationships. The EDS and Baccalaureate
Education Conference are held consecutively to enable educators
to participate in both events. The hotel cutoff and early conference
registration dates are November 2 and November 7, respectively.
For full program and registration information, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/conferences/08bec.htm#EDS.
10. JOIN US AT THE BACCALAUREATE CONFERENCE ON THE SAN ANTONIO RIVERWALK The 10th Anniversary Baccalaureate Education Conference will be
held December 4-6, 2008 at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter,
San Antonio, Texas, 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 document; 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. The deadline for
abstract submissions is September 26. Everyone is invited to register
for the special Instructional Leadership Network Program session.
The hotel cut-off and early conference registration dates are November
2 and November 7, respectively. For full program, registration,
and abstract information, go to http://www.aacn.nche.edu/conferences/08bec.htm.
11. FACULTY TRAINING TO ENHANCE GERONTOLOGY CONTENT 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) training 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.
12. RWJF AWARDS FUNDING TO 15 JUNIOR NURSE FACULTY The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has awarded the first
round of grants to 15 junior faculty nurses from around the country
to develop the next generation of academic nurse leaders. The RWJF
Nurse Faculty Scholars program will provide $28 million over the
next five years to outstanding junior nurse faculty to promote academic
careers and thereby address the nursing faculty shortage. The Nurse
Faculty Scholars program is working to strengthen the link between
institutional reputation and faculty success by providing research
funds and career development opportunities for junior faculty. Each
of the 15 nursing faculty selected for this inaugural round for
the program will receive a three-year grant of up to $350,000 to
help them advance as educators and scholars in their field by providing
mentorship, leadership training, salary and research support. This
program is directed by Dr. Jacquelyn Campbell, Anna D. Wolf Chair
and a Professor in the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing.
For complete details, see http://www.rwjfnursefacultyscholars.org.
13. REGISTER NOW FOR ELNEC COURSES IN WASHINGTON, DC The End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) offers a full
menu of train-the-trainer courses for nurse educators across settings.
On October 9-11, ELNEC will offer both Core and Super Core programs
in the Washington, DC area at the Marriott Washington-Dulles Airport
Hotel. These programs are open to a wide variety of nurse educators
who are seeking to increase their knowledge about end-of-life and
palliative care nursing issues. For complete details, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/ELNEC/CourseSchedule.htm.
Please direct question to ELNEC Project Director Pam Malloy at pmalloy@aacn.nche.edu. 14. NCEMNA ANNOUNCES ANNUAL CONFERENCE; SEEKS MENTORS AND MENTEES The National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurse Associations (NCEMNA)
is pleased to announce its fifth annual conference, Creating Research
Careers: Leading The Way, will be held in Albuquerque, NM on March
13-15, 2009. The conference is designed to stimulate and inform
minority nurses to growing opportunities in research. NCEMNA is
currently seeking applications from mentors and mentees for its
Research Training and Mentoring (RTM) program. The 50 mentees and
25 mentors selected through this program will receive funding to
attend the annual conference. This opportunity is available only
to those belonging to NCEMNA member organizations. Past mentees
are not eligible to reapply. The application deadline is October
1. For more details and to submit an application, see http://www.ncemna.org/conference. 15. HEALTH VOLUNTEERS OVERSEAS SEEKS NURSE EDUCATORS FOR ASSIGNMENTS Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO), a non-profit organization dedicated
to improving the availability and quality of health care in developing
countries through the training and education of local health care
providers, is currently seeking nurse educators for volunteer assignments.
Educators are needed to provide curriculum consultation and clinical
mentorship for nurses in Vellore, India; clinical instruction to
Cambodian nurses at the Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE; clinical
instruction and supervision to the nursing students at the Makerere
University Department of Nursing in Uganda; and other assignments.
Most opportunities require at minimum two to four weeks. For complete
details, see https://www.hvousa.org/pcntry.cfm?ProCode=NO. 16. AACN'S 2008 ANNUAL SURVEY COMMENCES 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 new Research and Data Coordinator, at
ctracy@aacn.nche.edu. 17. 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 Dr. Judy Beal from Simmons College, the committee will
choose the slate of candidates at the 2008 Fall Semiannual Meeting
based on nominations and the committee's deliberations. The positions
under consideration are Treasurer, Board Member-at-Large (4 vacancies),
and Nominating Committee (2 vacancies). Nominations must be received
by October 18, 2008. For complete details, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/MemberServices/CallforNominations.htm. 18. 2008 STATE OF SCIENCE CONFERENCE COMING IN OCTOBER The Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science is hosting the
2008 National State of the Science Congress on Nursing Research
in Washington, DC on October 2-4. This biannual event creates a
national forum for dialogue on advances in nursing science related
to healthcare practice; disseminates research findings that can
influence healthcare practice, education, research, and policy;
and influences the nursing research agenda of the future. A preliminary
conference agenda has been posted online at http://www.nursingscience.org/files/public/Preliminary%20Program.pdf.
The early bird registration with a discounted fee ends September
5. For complete details, see http://www.nursingscience.org. 19. 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. Education and practice partners engaged in the Clinical
Nurse Leader (CNL) initiative will come together to share success
stories and best practices related to integrating this emerging
nursing role into the healthcare system. 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 will
be posted on the AACN Web site by next week. See http://www.aacn.nche.edu/CNL. 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.
21. MEMBER NEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND AWARDS
22. AACN OUTREACH AND ADVOCACY UPDATE
23. OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES TO CONSIDER
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