DEVELOP YOURSELF, DEVELOP YOUR FACULTY
"For a dean in a small private school, AACN is the support system I need to most effectively do my job. I could not imagine being as effective without the AACN publications, benchmarking and colleagues. The semiannual meetings offer me a place to interact with my peers to discuss common problems and solutions. The membership money is well spent."

AACN conferences and seminars are an opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with other nursing deans and directors nationwide. Even more importantly, Association meetings provide members personal contact with key decision makers in health care, higher education, and government.

AACN's semiannual meetings in Washington, D.C., provide deans and directors like you an exclusive forum to discuss critical issues facing nursing schools in universities and four-year colleges and to guide policymaking for the Association.

In addition, you'll find AACN conferences a stimulating source of continuing education and skill-building to enhance your leadership and administrative abilities. You can enjoy at least ten conferences a year with a wide array of program offerings. For example:

 

AACN's Executive Development Series helps deans, as well as faculty and staff who aspire to the deanship, to develop the needed skills for managing a school of nursing at a time of rapid and complex change in health care.

 

AACN's annual Baccalaureate Education Conference provides new insights into the undergraduate learning experience and changing roles in teaching. AACN's annual Master's Education Conference explores academia's role in preparing advanced nurse clinicians, while the Association's annual Doctoral Education Conference provides deans, graduate program directors, faculty, and students with strategies for moving into leadership positions as well as advice on planning and implementing research designs.

 

Also each year, AACN's Faculty Practice Conference guides nurse educators and business officers of nursing schools in developing faculty practice programs tailored to the changing health system. Another annual event, the AACN Summer Seminar, allows deans and other nursing leaders to explore critical concerns in nursing education in a resort setting away from the pressures of daily administration.

 

As a new AACN member, you will be invited to participate in AACN's program which matches new deans with experienced mentors. Through this guidance, new deans not only learn how to better orient to the chief administrator's role, but build leadership skills in academic, financial, and student affairs. In addition, AACN members have access to publications, policy statements, legislative testimony, issue briefings, and other AACN resources on AACN's Website.

TOOLS FOR SUCCESS
"AACN data reports have been an asset in grant proposal development, whether to justify the need for a program or project or to verify appropriate salary levels."

Harriet Feldman, PhD, Dean
Lienhard School of Nursing, Pace University (NY)

Your AACN membership will furnish you with the latest information on conditions and trends in baccalaureate and graduate nursing education, to help you chart a course for your nursing program and your career.

These invaluable AACN materials are targeted specifically to meet your needs as a nursing program dean or director, providing you with news and background often not available from any other source:

Annually, AACN's Institutional Data Systems and Research Center (IDS) reports the findings of the Association's comprehensive surveys of national student enrollment, graduations, and faculty and staff salaries. Moreover, AACN reports this vital information early in the academic year when deans and other educators need it most. Make your case to the university or college president or evaluate your program at a local level using IDS customized reports -- data summaries tailor-made by AACN's research staff to meet your school's individual needs. As an added benefit, customized reports can compare specific aspects of your school's program to those of similar institutions.

AACN's benchmarking service will assist individual schools in assessing its standing among peer or aspirant institutions on specific measures of financial performance.

AACN's curriculum standards, including the Baccalaureate and Master's Essential Clinical Resources for Nursing's Academic Mission, will help shape baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs.

In addition, your membership will include subscriptions to AACN's periodicals including: The Journal of Professional Nursing, a bimonthly scholarly presentation of observations by nursing leaders on clinical, legislative, regulatory, and ethical concerns of interest to nurse educators like you, and Syllabus, AACN's bimonthly newsletter featuring Association and member news, updates on key legislation affecting you, and interviews with leading policymakers in nursing, health care, and higher education. AACN members will also receive monthly e-mail additions on funding opportunities, new initiatives, and the latest news on professional nursing education.

LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY
"I received invaluable consultation and support from AACN's legislative team...My school received a large federal grant for nurse practitioner education with the assistance of technical advice I received at the AACN meetings in Washington, D.C."

Connie Vance, EdD, Former Dean
College of New Rochelle School of Nursing

Since its founding in 1969, AACN has been a vigorous and effective voice for nursing education and research on the federal and congressional front lines, successfully securing financial and regulatory support for nursing programs and students.

AACN's Government Affairs staff work directly with Congress on behalf of member schools to implement and evaluate funding programs, guarantee sufficient appropriations, and develop regulatory policies to support your school's operations.

As an AACN member, you'll better understand legislative issues and funding options not only through newsletter updates and email updates, but also through direct contact with Congressional staff and federal agency officials in the Nation's Capital. As an important part of AACN's semiannual membership meetings in Washington, D.C., special program sessions teach you how to lobby your legislators, provide technical assistance on securing federal grants, and allow you to discuss your concerns directly with national policymakers in on-site forums.

Once you join AACN, your school immediately will be linked to AACN's grassroots network -- a service that will alert you to pending legislation and other key issues being considered by your senators and representative. To aid your communications with Congress, AACN will mail background information and recommendations for action directly to you as issues arise.

AACN's Government Affairs staff offers members even more individual attention, too. Personalized tips about how to contact your senators, representatives, and other Washington officials -- and how to get your message heard effectively -- always are just a phone call away.


INSIDER ACCESS
"I have found AACN to be an important asset for my own professional development, as well as the source of proactive strategies for addressing the nation's most significant nursing issues."

Kathleen Ann Long, PhD, APRN, FAAN
Dean, College of Nursing, University of Florida

By joining AACN, you will stay "in the loop" on changing issues shaping nursing education, research, and practice. As a supplement to AACN conferences, legislative updates at semiannual meetings, data reports, and other publications, AACN's staff research and synthesize information from numerous sources to produce easy-to-use reference materials that will save you time.

AACN factsheets and media backgrounders will arm you with the latest statistics, facts, and trends to keep you and your faculty on top of current nursing developments, and provide you with instant talking points to make your case powerfully and persuasively to local and national news media.

With AACN position statements, you will be prepared with blueprints for success for addressing administrative, academic, and practice concerns that affect your school. In recent years, AACN has helped members meet the demands of rapid changes in health care and higher education with policy statements outlining a vision of baccalaureate and graduate nursing education for the next decade, indicators of quality in doctoral programs in nursing, and guidelines for building successful collaborations between nursing education and practice, among other issues.


SAVINGS AND SATISFACTION
"AACN is the only nursing professional organization that I consistently count upon to keep me current on what is happening in nursing education...I am never disappointed...In my book, membership in AACN offers a great return on investment."

Kathleen G. Andreoli, DSN, Dean
Rush University College of Nursing (IL)

Your AACN membership also affords you substantial discounts on conference registration fees and publications, for yourself and your faculty. You can save hundreds of dollars on meeting attendance in one year alone and up to 65 percent on reports, directories, and monographs.

Every year, at least 99 percent of AACN members renew their memberships for another year of exceptional value. This figure attests to the satisfaction of deans and directors like you in AACN's commitment to furthering the quality of not only nursing education, but member services.

At AACN, we value our members. Member requests and transactions are treated with the personal attention and speed they deserve by a courteous, professional staff. We pride ourselves on offering nursing educators a growing range of services, both individual and institutional, that are not available from any other source.

ACT NOW
Act now and you can attend one semiannual membership meeting free of charge before you join -- AACN invites you to observe as a prospective member with no conference registration fee. You'll have an opportunity to meet member deans from across the nation; sit in on program sessions, issues forums, and interest group meetings; and visit the offices of your senators and representative. (This offer is valid only for deans or directors who never have been members and who have not previously used this complimentary offer). For more information about AACN membership or to take advantage of this special offer, please contact Joni Chang, Program Assistant, jchang@aacn.nche.edu, (202) 463-6930 ext. 232.