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June 2008 News Watch 1. Deadline Approaches for New Careers in Nursing Scholarship
1. DEADLINE APPROACHES FOR NEW CAREERS IN NURSING SCHOLARSHIP The deadline is fast approaching for nursing schools wishing to apply for funding through the New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program launched by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and AACN. 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 1,500 entry-level nursing students over the next three years. Preference will be given to students from groups underrepresented in nursing or from a disadvantaged background. AACN serves as the National Program Office for this RWJF-funded initiative and will oversee the grant application submission and review processes. A Call for Applications has been issued with a deadline of June 26, 2008. Read more online at http://www.aacn.nche.edu. 2. JOIN AACN IN SAN FRANCISCO FOR THE SUMMER SEMINAR Coming July 20-23, 2008 to the Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, the 2008 Summer Seminar offers guidance on Building and Leading High-Performing Teams: Essential Skills for Nursing Academic Leader. Although nurse educators typically have much experience working with groups, they may lack specific insights and skills that are pivotal to full success as team leaders. This year's Summer Seminar focuses on the personal development of academic leaders as skilled team leaders who can garner support from team members to accomplish the increasingly complex work of nursing education. Join a nationally recognized executive consultant, Lisa K. Nabors, MEd, PCC, in three interactive, practical morning sessions designed to increase your ability to build, lead, evaluate, and guide teams. Learn specific approaches to maximize your effectiveness as a leader. Share successful strategies with colleagues and take away ready-to-use tools. The early registration deadline for the conference is June 27. For complete details, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/conferences/08SumSem.htm. 3. REGISTER NOW FOR THE CNL CERTIFICATION EXAM The application deadline for the summer 2008 Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) Certification Examination is around the corner! All applications and supporting materials must be received at AACN's Commission on Nurse Certification by June 27 to sit for exams scheduled July 21-August 9. The deadline to register to sit for exams scheduled August 10-August 22 is July 18. Required forms include: CNL Certification Examination Application; CNL Standards of Conduct; CNL Education Documentation Form; Institution/ School of Nursing CNL Education Program Verification Form; and CNL Eligibility Documentation Form. Individuals retesting must submit the Application Form and the Standards of Conduct along with the appropriate application fee. For program information, go to http://www.aacn.nche.edu/CNC. 4. CCNE CONSTITUENTS ELECT NEW BOARD MEMBERS The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) has successfully completed its 2008 election process. CCNE distributed ballots to 501 institutions – all with baccalaureate and/or master’s degree programs holding accreditation by CCNE – to be cast in the elections for the CCNE Board of Commissioners and the CCNE Nominating Committee. Valid ballots were returned by 274 institutions, resulting in a 55% response rate. Elected to the CCNE Board were Dr. Jeanne Novotny (incumbent), Dean and Professor at Fairfield University (CT), as the representative for deans; Dr. Mary Jo Clark (incumbent), Professor at University of San Diego (CA), as the representative for faculty; Dr. Elizabeth Fuselier Ellis, Chief of Advanced Practice and Assistant Professor at Memorial Hermann Hospital (TX) and Mr. Daniel O’Neal, III, Evidence-Based Practice Specialist at James A. Haley Veterans Administration Hospital (FL), as representatives for practicing nurses; Ms. Cynthia Richardson, Interim Director of Nursing Development and Education at the University of Pennsylvania Health System (PA), as the representative for professional consumers; and Mr. Rubin King-Shaw, Chairman and CEO of Mansa Equity Partners (MA) and Ms. Jane Voglewede, Attorney at MeritCare Health System (ND), representatives of Public Consumers. CCNE Nominating Committee members for 2009 include Dr. Patricia Burns (chair), University of South Florida; Dr. Chandice Covington, University of North Dakota; Dr. Lori Schumacher, Medical College of Georgia; Dr. Joanne Singleton, Pace University (NY); and Dr. Douglas Turner, Touro University Nevada. More information about the election results will be available at www.aacn.nche.edu/accreditation. 5. AACN COUNTERS RESOLUTIONS ADVANCED BY THE AMA On June 11, 2008, AACN sent a letter to the American Medical Association (AMA) in response to two potentially damaging resolutions coming forward to the AMA House of Delegates this week. AACN is concerned that Resolution 214 (Doctor of Nursing Practice) and Resolution 303 (Protection of the Titles "Doctor," "Resident" and "Residency") may stall the national movement underway to prepare a strong cadre of doctorally prepared nurses and to enhance the transition and retention of new nurses in the workforce. AACN also is distressed by the tone of these resolutions, which may weaken the good working relationships established between many physicians and nurses. In the letter to the AMA, AACN requested that the resolutions be withdrawn if possible or voted down by the House of Delegates. Read the letter online at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/response.pdf. 6. NATIONAL LAUNCH OF UHC-AACN NURSE RESIDENCY UNDERWAY Developed in collaboration with the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC), the UHC/AACN Nurse Residency Program is designed to effectively support new nurses as they transition into their first professional roles as caregivers. The program is built on an evidence-based curriculum using the AACN Baccalaureate Essentials and meets national residency accreditation standards. Graduates of this one-year program can expect to develop effective decision-making abilities related to clinical judgment and performance; gain clinical autonomy at the point of patient care; be able to incorporate research-based evidence into their practices to advance safe, high-quality nursing; formulate individual development plans for career progression; and strengthen their commitment to nursing as a career choice. To date, more than 7,500 nurses have completed this program, and residency sites have seen positive outcomes, including increased competence and leadership skills among first-year RNs, and dramatic higher nurse retention rates. To find out more about introducing this program to your practice partners, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Education/pdf/NRFlyer.pdf. 7. CCNE'S DIRECTORY OF ACCREDITED NURSING PROGRAMS AVAILABLE SOON CCNE is preparing to update its annual Directory of Accredited Nursing Programs. The Directory contains basic information about every CCNE-accredited nursing program. If there is (or will be by June 30, 2008) a new chief nurse administrator (e.g., dean, director, chair) at your institution, please notify CCNE no later than June 23, 2008, to ensure an accurate listing for your institution in the upcoming Directory. Please email the following information to Libby Cooperman, CCNE Executive Administrative Assistant, at lcooperm@aacn.nche.edu: the chief nurse administrator's name, credentials, title, mailing address, phone number, fax number, and email address. 8. DEADLINE EXTENDED FOR MINORITY FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM AACN is pleased to announce that the deadline to submit applications for the California Endowment-AACN Minority Nurse Faculty Scholarship for the 2008-2009 academic year has been extended to June 30, 2008. This program provides $18,000 in financial support to students pursuing a doctoral or master's degree in nursing as well as student mentoring and leadership development activities. 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 available at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/CAEawardApp.pdf. For more information or to ask questions, please contact AACN Project Manager Debbie Latimer at dlatimer@aacn.nche.edu or 202-463-6930. 9. VOTE NOW FOR MODERN HEALTHCARE’S 100 MOST POWERFUL LIST Voting is now open for Modern Healthcare Magazine's annual ranking of the 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare. A dozen nurse educators and leaders are in the running for the 2008 power list, including AACN President Fay Raines and Executive Director Polly Bednash. Those wishing to cast a vote must visit http://www.modernhealthcare.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080526/FREE/59562444 and click the link that says "Cast your votes now!" Voting will be open through Friday, June 27, and the power list will be published in late August. Please join us in supporting nursing education by casting a vote.10. RESPONSES NEEDED FOR CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK SURVEY CertifiedBackground.com is conducting a survey to examine student background check policies and procedures of AACN member schools. The survey is an opportunity for you to help your colleagues evaluate their own policies and procedures. Regardless of whether or not your institution currently requires student background checks, your answers will help others to evaluate their own practices. You must complete this survey by June 20, 2008 to obtain the final summary of results from all participating schools. The survey may be completed online at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=CTZy3dskx8C6BPyT4kBOow_3d_3d. This survey will provide college and university leaders with insight as to how their colleagues are coping with the recent need for student background checks. Please direct any questions to 888-666-7788, ext. 7116. 11. AFTERCOLLEGE-AACN SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS ANNOUNCED AACN is pleased to announce the latest recipients of the AfterCollege-AACN Scholarship, which was created to support students seeking baccalaureate, master’s or doctoral degrees in nursing. Enrolled in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Terri Jean McKown currently teaches in the baccalaureate program at Arkansas Tech University and plans to teach at the master’s level after graduation. Kelly Ann Wittenbrook, an RN-to-BSN student at Daemon College in New York, plans to pursue an MSN in Geriatrics and serve as a nurse educator dedicated to educating new nurses on how to care for older adults. Please join us in congratulating these outstanding students! For more details on this scholarship, see http://go.aftercollege.com/events/AACN/2006/index.cfm. 12. ELNEC CELEBRATES ITS 50th NATIONAL COURSE The End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) is pleased to announce that nurse educators from around the country will gather in Chicago on June 28, 2008 to celebrate the 50th national ELNEC course. Now in its 8th year, the ELNEC project is a groundbreaking initiative developed to enhance end-of-life nursing care. The upcoming reunion will provide an opportunity for nurse educators to receive palliative care updates, network with other trainers, and honor those who have made exceptional contributions to this vital work. At the 50th celebration gala, six distinguished ELNEC trainers will be honored for their efforts in implementing and disseminating the ELNEC curriculum. Over 20 trainers will provide posters of their work in disseminating and implementing ELNEC. The cadre of ELNEC core, graduate, oncology, pediatric, critical care, and geriatric faculty will also be honored for their commitment in providing lectures at these 50 national courses. See http://www.aacn.nche.edu/ELNEC/pdf/ENEC50RegFrm.pdf. 13. FACULTY DEVELOPMENT: ENHANCING GERONTOLOGY CONTENT IN BSN COURSES AACN believes that educating students with significant course content and clinical experiences in gerontology is the key to improving the quality of nursing care for our aging population. In an effort to enhance faculty development in geriatrics, AACN invites faculty to attend a Geriatric Nursing Education Consortium (GNEC) Institute. GNEC is an innovative national initiative to enhance geriatric content in senior-level baccalaureate courses. Institutes provide 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 new nurses. Using a train-the-trainer approach, 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. Upcoming institutes are scheduled for October 14-16, 2008 in St. Louis; April 1-3, 2009 in San Diego; and June 24-26, 2009 in Philadelphia. The application deadline for the St. Louis Institute has been extended to July 15, 2008. Thanks to the generous funding by the Hartford Foundation, there is no registration fee or tuition. Up to two applicants from a baccalaureate school of nursing are eligible for a stipend to help defer travel expenses. See http://www.aacn.nche.edu/gnec.htm. 14. DVDs AVAILABLE ON THE CNL AND BACCALAUREATE ESSENTIALS
15. NEW FACT SHEET ON DIVERSITY IN NURSING PUBLISHED Nursing’s academic leaders recognize a strong connection between a culturally diverse nursing workforce and the ability to provide quality, culturally competent patient care. Though nursing has made great strides in recruiting and graduating nurses that mirror the patient population, more must be done before adequate representation becomes a reality. To help clarify the data related to diversity in the nursing workforce as well as student and faculty populations, AACN has created a new fact sheet titled Enhancing Diversity in the Nursing Workforce. This new resource includes the latest data on men and racial/ethnic groups underrepresented in nursing as well as efforts underway to diversity the nursing profession. See http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Media/FactSheets/diversity.htm. 16. 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. 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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