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March 2009 News Watch 1. Baccalaureate Essentials Faculty Tool Kit Now Available
1. BACCALAUREATE ESSENTIALS FACULTY TOOL KIT NOW AVAILABLE AACN is pleased to announce that the Task Force on the Revision of the Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice has developed a new Web-based “tool kit” for nurse educators. This online resource was developed to help faculty integrate the new Essentials into baccalaureate curriculum. The tool kit contains integrative learning strategies for each of the nine Essentials, outlines opportunities for program enhancement, and provides helpful Web links to faculty resources. See http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Education/pdf/BacEssToolkit.pdf. Schools interested in ordering printed copies should visit http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Education/pdf/TookKitOrderFrm.pdf. 2. AACN ISSUES FINAL DATA REPORTS FROM LATEST ANNUAL SURVEY In December 2008, AACN released preliminary data from its Fall 2008 annual survey which showed that enrollment in entry-level baccalaureate nursing programs increased by only 2% from 2007 to 2008. When final data was released in late February 2009, the actual percentage growth was not much higher at 2.2%. Though this marks the eighth consecutive year of enrollment growth, the annual increase in student capacity in four-year nursing programs has declined sharply since 2003. Adding to this sobering news is the fact that enrollment growth in master’s nursing programs decreased, and the number of students entering research-focused doctorates was essentially the same. AACN’s survey also found that though interest in nursing careers remains high, 49,948 qualified applications to professional nursing programs were turned away in 2008, including nearly 7,000 applications to master’s and doctoral programs. For details on AACN’s data reports on enrollment and graduations, faculty salaries, and dean salaries, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/IDS. 3. HOT ISSUES CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON CLASSROOM/CLINICAL TECHNOLOGY The biennial Hot Issues Conference focuses on Technology: Transforming Nursing Education at the Salt Lake City Marriott City Center, Salt Lake City, UT, April 23-25, 2009. Nursing students and faculty increasingly are exposed to technology, both as a means to care for patients in the clinical setting and as a method to convey information in the classroom. Explore the use of patient care technology for which we must prepare students, including healthcare informatics, the electronic health record, and telenursing. Discuss what’s new in instructional technology, including the use of clinical simulation and the importance of information literacy. Join colleagues for stimulating discussions about the effects of technology on academic dishonesty and faculty resources. Posters and abstract presentations offer opportunities for participants to investigate topics of particular interest and applicability. Topics include Nursing and Healthcare Informatics; Information Literacy; Advancing Critical Thinking with the Electronic Health Record; Replicating Reality for Learners: Innovations in Teaching With Simulation; Clinical Simulation: How Much? Too Much?; Telehealth and Telenursing; and Emerging Perspectives on Technology for Teaching and Learning. Informal collegial discussions occur during breakfast, including Academic Dishonesty and the Use of Technology and Workload and Resource Issues in Using Technology. Full conference information is available online at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/conferences/09HotIssues.htm. 4. AACN CREATES NEW STIMULUS FUNDING FACT SHEET FOR NURSE EDCUATORS AACN is striving to keep members and stakeholders updated on the latest information related to new funding available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). In FY 2009, $50 million will be spent on the Nurse Education Loan Repayment program, creating 650 new awards. The Nurse Faculty Loan Program will receive an increase of $1.2 million, creating 22 new awards. To provide guidance to nurse educators and researchers looking for new sources of funding in the recently enacted stimulus legislation, AACN has developed a new fact sheet titled Funding Opportunities for Colleges of Nursing through the American Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The fact sheet provides a listing of key Web resources as well as specific funding opportunities related to the Healthcare Workforce, Nursing and Health Research, Higher Education, State Assistance, and Health Information Technology. AACN is developing a companion Web-based resource that will provide the latest information as new opportunities become available. AACN would like to thank our colleagues at the American Dental Education Association whose good work provided the foundation for this fact sheet. See http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Government/pdf/StimFund.pdf. 5. CNL STEERING COMMITTEE COMMENTS ON POST-MASTER’S CERTIFICATES In a statement released last month, the Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) Steering Committee reaffirmed the concept of post-master’s CNL programs for individuals who hold a master’s degree in nursing that has prepared them for practice in another advanced generalist role or in an advanced nursing specialty. Post-master’s students must successfully complete graduate didactic and clinical requirements of a master’s CNL program through a formal graduate-level certificate or master’s level CNL program. Post-master’s students are expected to acquire the same outcome competencies as master’s CNL students and must complete a minimum of 300 hours in a supervised clinical immersion practicum that provides the opportunity to practice in the CNL role. To read the complete statement online, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/CNL/pdf/PostMastersStmnt.pdf. 6. ASSESSING THE ECONOMY’S IMPACT ON THE NURSING SHORTAGE The current downturn in the U.S. economy has led to an easing of the nursing shortage in some parts of the country. Though the nursing workforce is showing signs of stabilizing, workforce analysts caution nurse educators, policymakers, employers, and other stakeholders from calling this the end of the nursing shortage. AACN has developed a set of talking points to help explain how the ailing economy is impacting the supply of registered nurses, share the latest projections on the need for nurses, and offer advice that can be shared with new nursing graduates seeking positions during this time. This document, titled the Impact of the Economy on the Nursing Shortage, may be accessed at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Media/pdf/TalkingPoints.pdf. 7. COMMENT ON PROPOSED CHANGES TO CCNE ACCREDITATION PROCEDURES The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) invites your comments on proposed revisions to the CCNE Procedures for Accreditation of Baccalaureate and Graduate Degree Nursing Programs. CCNE periodically undertakes a review of its core documents and provides opportunity for constituents to suggest revisions. The proposed Procedures document, found online at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Accreditation/call.htm, contains changes that are related to the effective date of CCNE accreditation and the review of adverse actions. The proposed language makes the effective date of the accreditation retroactive to the first day of the program’s most recent CCNE on-site evaluation. Previously, the effective date was the date of the CCNE Board’s vote to accredit the program. CCNE believes that this change will benefit new programs, in particular, affording the first class of students the opportunity to graduate from an accredited program. In addition, the proposed language provides an all encompassing process for the review of adverse actions made by the CCNE Board against an institution; this process provides for appeals based on factual evidence and procedural matters. Previously, these were handled using two separate processes. CCNE believes that combining these into one policy will result in a fair process that will allow for a comprehensive review of adverse actions while providing a more user-friendly format and experience for institutions. The proposed changes also assure that CCNE conforms to the 2008 Higher Education Opportunities Act (HEOA). Please submit comments by April 6, 2009 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. 8. CCNE MOVES TO ACCREDIT POST-BACCALAUREATE NURSE RESIDENCIES After several years of intensive review and preparation, CCNE has announced the launch of an initiative accrediting post-baccalaureate nurse residency programs in acute care settings. This new accreditation will foster improvement in post-baccalaureate nurse residency programs nationwide and increase public recognition of the value of these transition-into- practice programs. CCNE accreditation will be based on the Standards for Accreditation of Post-Baccalaureate Nurse Residency Programs, available on CCNE’s Web site at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Accreditation/pdf/resstandards08.pdf. “Post-baccalaureate nurse residency programs are at the forefront in supporting new nurses as they transition into their first professional role,” said Dr. Harriet R. Feldman, Chair of the CCNE Board of Commissioners. “Following completion of a residency, program alumni are better prepared to be effective decision-makers and to use research-based evidence in their practice.” 9. 2009 CCNE BOARD OFFICER ELECTION RESULTS At its meeting in October 2008, the CCNE Board of Commissioners re-elected its officers for 2009. The election results are: Chair-Dr. Harriet Feldman (Pace University), Vice Chair-Dr. Mary Jo Clark (University of San Diego), Treasurer-Mr. William Michael Scott (Duke University), and Secretary-Dr. Mary Ann McGinley (Thomas Jefferson University Hospital). The officers comprise the CCNE Executive Committee. Congratulations to all of these nurse leaders on their continued commitment to CCNE! 10. AACN ISSUES STATEMENT ON COMPREHENSIVE CARE EXAMINATION On March 6, 2009, AACN issued a statement to update members and colleagues about our view of the new Comprehensive Care certification examination and our engagement with the Council for the Advancement of Comprehensive Care (CACC) that formed at Columbia University. In this new set of talking points, AACN clarified its view of the certification examination and reaffirmed its support for the APRN Regulation Consensus Model. AACN recognizes the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) as a degree that prepares graduates for many roles, and that DNP graduates may choose from many specialties in which to be certified. Comprehensive Care certification is one option available to DNP graduates who wish to pursue this additional certification, but it is not appropriate or required for all DNP graduates. To review the talking points, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/DNP/pdf/CCExamStatement.pdf. 11. SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI INVITES AACN’S CEO TO ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION AACN CEO and Executive Director Polly Bednash was invited by Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic Women’s Working Group to participate in a roundtable discussion on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s (ARRA’s) impact on women and children. Held March 24, 2009 in the U.S. Capitol, the discussion focused on some of the key elements of the stimulus package, including jobs, health care, education, and child care. Attendees offered suggestions on how to educate women about the ARRA provisions and how to access benefits. For more information on federal efforts to jump start the economy, see http://www.recovery.gov. 12. ADVERTISE FACULTY VACANCIES FOR FREE IN MAY In honor of the upcoming National Nurses Week (May 6-12), AACN is offering member schools an opportunity to post free faculty vacancy announcements on our Web-based Faculty Career Link resource in May 2009. In addition to position announcements, Faculty Career Link features information for nurses considering teaching careers, including a nurse educator career profile, listings of academic programs that prepare faculty, financial aid opportunities, and links to faculty development programs. To take advantage of this offer, email the text of your announcement to Communications Coordinator Laura Guetter at lguetter@aacn.nche.edu by Tuesday, April 28. You may send the ad copy in the body of an email or as an attachment in Word. In addition to the text, announcements may include a graphic image (such as your school logo), a link to your institution's Web site, and email links for more information. For more information, contact lguetter@aacn.nche.edu. 13. GNAP AND BONUS NETWORKS HOST ANNUAL MEETINGS IN APRIL Mark your calendars! Two of AACN’s Leadership Networks will host their annual meetings in April including:
For more information on these Networks and others offered for faculty and staff at schools of nursing, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Networks. 14. ACP RECOGNIZES NURSE PRACTITIONERS AS PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS In February, the American College of Physicians released a policy paper titled Nurse Practitioners in Primary Care which recognizes the critical roles of physicians and nurse practitioners in improving access to care. The 18-page monograph’s executive summary notes that “anticipated and actual shortages of primary care physicians have led policymakers to consider the roles of nurse practitioners in improving access to primary healthcare services.” Physicians and nurse practitioners not only share a commitment to providing high quality care, the paper says, but also face similar challenges regarding reimbursement and workforce outlook. Recognizing and building on the common ground between the two professions is vital to improving collaboration to meet the complex healthcare needs of the population. See http://www.acponline.org/advocacy/where_we_stand/policy/np_pc.pdf. 15. NINR ANNOUNCES NEW COLLABORATIVE FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITY The Bravewell Collaborative, the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), and the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (BNC) have come together to sponsor the joint BNC Fellowship for research in integrative medicine. This postdoctoral fellowship provides a unique opportunity that combines the academic environment of a university with the breadth and depth of the intramural research program at the NIH. The full-time, two-year program includes participation in clinical and research experiences with a clinical integrative medicine focus, and encourages interdisciplinary collaboration to optimize health and healing for individuals, families, and communities. Fellows will attend the University of Arizona’s program in Integrative Medicine, as well as participate in special interest conferences with clinicians and researchers. Under the mentorship of an NINR Intramural Program investigator and an NIH Clinical Center investigator, each fellow will conduct a biobehavioral research study at the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland, on a topic relevant to integrative medicine. Open to doctorally-prepared nurses, applications are due June 9, 2009. See http://www.ninr.nih.gov/Training/TrainingOpportunitiesIntramural. 16. TEACHING WITH AJN ENHANCES FACULTY RESOURCES The American Journal of Nursing (AJN) has launched Teaching with AJN to provide students and faculty with a quality resource for augmenting teaching and learning. Through this new partnership program, nurse educators will enjoy many benefits, which includes having a uniquely helpful tool for teaching key initiatives across the curriculum, whether in courses on fundamentals, medical-surgical nursing, women’s health, pediatrics, nursing research, nursing management and leadership, issues and trends, or community nursing. This program also offers students and faculty cutting-edge, evidence-basedinformation on a wide spectrum of clinical topics and stimulates students to engage in discussions to increase awareness of the emerging and controversial issues in nursing and health care. To sign up for this program, see 17. ELNEC PROJECT ANNOUNCES 2009 TRAINING DATES Mark your calendars! Several national ELNEC train-the-trainer courses will be held in 2009 in different cities across the US. Nurse faculty are invited to attend one of the four sub-specialty courses: Core, Pediatric Palliative Care, Critical Care, and Geriatric. For California nurses, there are two courses that will be fully grant funded, providing free registration (Critical Care and Geriatric). For more information and/or to register for any of these courses, visit http://www.aacn.nche.edu/ELNEC. 18. NOMINATIONS NEEDED FOR CHEROKEE INSPIRED COMFORT AWARDS Cherokee Uniforms is now accepting nominations for its annual Inspired Comfort Awards program that celebrates nurses for their tireless work and dedication. “The nominations for the Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award tell the remarkable stories of healthcare professionals who go far above and beyond to deliver the best possible care to people in need,” said Michael Singer, president and CEO of Cherokee Uniforms. “We are proud to honor those who demonstrate the most commendable qualities of healthcare professionals every day.” Nominations may be submitted for practicing APRNs, RNs, and LPNs; students enrolled in schools of nursing; and other healthcare professionals. A panel of nurse leaders, Cherokee professionals, and former award recipients will choose winners who best meet the program’s criteria: exceptional service, sacrifice and innovation. Nominations are due May 31, 2009, and winners will be announced in September. See http://www.CherokeeUniforms.com. 19. EXPLORE THE AIR FORCE HEALTH PROFESSIONS SCHOLARSHIP Each year the U.S. Air Force awards scholarships to nursing students through the Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP), which covers the cost of tuition, books and most fees. HPSP also gives students a monthly stipend for living expenses while they attend the school of their choice. Each student is commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Medical Service Corps and placed on inactive, obligated Reserve status during the course of their studies. Through the Air Force, these scholarships are offered for one-, two-, three-, and four-year terms. In exchange for the scholarship, students must commit to serving in the Air Force as an active-duty member with a year-for-year repayment (minimum obligation is three years). See http://www.airforce.com/pdf/hpsp_scholarship.pdf. 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
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