Circle of Excellence Award Recipients Will
Be Recognized at 2002 NTI in Atlanta:
Nominate Yourself or a Colleague for a 2003
Award
Each year,
individuals and groups who have made a
difference in critical care nursing practice
are honored as recipients of AACN’s Circle
of Excellence awards. Some of these awards
applaud exceptional practice in the most
intimate of settings. Others recognize
lengthy and far-reaching contributions that
are in step with AACN’s vision.
Tribute will
be paid to all of these 2002 Circle of
Excellence Award recipients at AACN’s 2002
National Teaching Institute and Critical
Care Exposition, May 4 through 9 in Atlanta,
Ga. Among them are the recipients of the
prestigious AACN-Marguerite Rodgers Kinney
Award for a Distinguished Career and the
Ross Products-AACN Pioneering Spirit Award.
Brief information about each of these
recipients follows.
Other
awards, many sponsored by AACN’s Partners
With Industry companies, focus on education,
leadership, clinical practice, community
service, mentoring, preceptorship,
innovation and multidisciplinary team
efforts. Honorary and lifetime membership
awards are also available each year.
Descriptions of each of the available awards
as well as a list of the recipients for 2002
appear below.
July 15,
2002, is the deadline to nominate yourself
or a colleague for the 2003 awards.
AACN-Marguerite
Rodgers Kinney Award for a Distinguished
Career
Named in
honor of AACN Past President Marguerite R.
Kinney, the AACN award recognizes
individuals who are completing or have
completed an extraordinary and distinguished
professional career that has enhanced the
care of acute and critically ill patients
and their families by furthering the mission
and vision of AACN. To recognize the
selfless contributions recipients of this
award have made throughout their careers, a
gift of $1,000 is made to a charitable cause
of their choice. Recipients are also given
lifetime membership in the association and a
replica of the crystal AACN presidential
Vision icon.
Receiving
this award for 2002 is Luther Christman, RN,
PhD, FAAN, who has worked tirelessly
throughout his career to improve the lives
of patients and families by developing
innovative models for care delivery and
interdisciplinary problem solving that were
ahead of their time. His varied and colorful
career portrays the evolution of American
nursing during the second half of the 20th
century.
As a
clinician, educator, researcher and
administrator, Christman is adamant that
patient care is a nurse’s primary role, and
that all the other roles primarily support
and enhance what clinicians do. He is
perhaps best known for developing the Rush
Unification Model, which embodies his vision
of nurses as knowledge workers and full
partners in care delivery. This model fully
integrated practice, education and research
at Chicago’s Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s
Medical Center, transforming patient care
and nursing. Because physicians and other
professionals sensed that something new and
different was happening, they supported
Christman and his innovative strategies.
Although
Christman retired in 1987, capping 48 years
of contributions to nursing, his voice
continues to challenge the profession. To
this day, hundreds of nurse leaders in the
United States and across the world credit
Luther Christman and the Rush model as
having the greatest influence on their
commitment to the care of critically ill
patients and families.
Timeless
concepts developed by Christman in 1982 are
featured in Critical Care Nurse. The first
are in an article titled “Christman’s
Survival Kit for Nurse Managers,” which
appears in the April 2002 issue.
Ross
Products-AACN Pioneering Spirit Award
Cosponsored
by the Ross Products Division of Abbott
Laboratories, this award recognizes timely
and far-reaching contributions that
exemplify a pioneering spirit and influence
the direction of acute and critical care
nursing. These contributions support the
mission, vision and values of AACN and have
a regional or national impact. Recipients
are presented a plaque and $500 honorarium
as well as complimentary registration,
airfare and hotel accommodations for the NTI.
Receiving
the Ross Products-AACN Pioneering Spirit
Award for 2002 are:
Diane M.
Billings
Diane M.
Billings, RN, BSN, EdD, FAAN, is
internationally applauded as a pioneer and
expert in using educational technology to
help nurses learn anytime, anywhere. She
describes her many volunteer roles as a
longtime member of AACN as “my anchor to the
realities of clinical practice, where the
nurses I teach will make their optimal
contribution to patient care.” This synergy
has led to far-reaching innovations that
make knowledge accessible for acute and
critical care nurses.
Always an
early adopter of new technologies, Billings
has fostered an atmosphere of creativity and
innovation in educational technology. She
guided AACN’s entry into computer-assisted
instruction and, between 1987 and 1995,
served on the education, competency and
essentials task forces. Last year alone with
her guidance, Indiana University originated
53 Web courses serving 844 students, nine
Web-enhanced courses serving 97 students and
12 telecourses serving 105 students. Her
vision led to a partnership among Indiana
University, Clarian Health and AACN that
secured $2.1 million in funding and that is
now developing a community of learning for
critical care nursing as a model of online
nursing education.
Hundreds of
nurse educators owe their knowledge of
educational technology to Billings and the
Center for Teaching and Lifelong Learning, a
renowned learning laboratory and an
innovative computer cluster for allied
health sciences at Indiana University. In
addition, she has coordinated national
conferences where educators learn to design
Web-based courses and twice cochaired Sigma
Theta Tau International’s InfoExpo, which
brought national visibility to the vast
potential of advances in educational
technology.
Bernice
Buresh and Suzanne Gordon
Bernice
Buresh’s and Suzanne Gordon’s tireless
commitment to ensuring a successful future
for nurses is driven by their profound
belief that, without the unique contribution
of its nurses, no country would be genuinely
healthy. As professional journalists, they
have dedicated a significant part of their
careers to helping nurses learn how to work
effectively with the media. At the same
time, they have helped their media
colleagues and the public learn about
nurses’ contributions to national health and
the appropriateness of using nurses as
content experts when preparing media
reports. They write about nursing,
healthcare and the need to make contemporary
nursing visible in the media and understood
by the general public.
The hundreds
of articles that Buresh and Gordon have
written individually and together have
appeared in the New York Times, the Los
Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, the
Milwaukee Sentinel, the Philadelphia
Inquirer, Washington Post, Newsweek, Time,
the American Journal of Nursing, the
Canadian Nurse, Revolution, Image, Journal
of Nursing Scholarship and Nursing
Management.
A former
Washington, D.C., bureau chief for Newsweek
magazine, Buresh became interested in
nursing while covering stories about the
causes and effects of the
under-representation of women and their work
in the media. She believes that nurses must
have public support to continue to provide
high-quality care, especially in the face of
a global shortage of nurses. However, she
says that there must be a greater
understanding of the breadth and complexity
of nursing work and the resources that are
needed if nurses are to provide
knowledgeable care giving. Nurses are often
the last ones to explain what they do and
how their practice and research innovations
address the major health challenges of the
time, she says.
Gordon
writes about political culture, women’s
issues, nursing and healthcare. For the past
14 years, she has observed nurses and other
caregivers in hospitals and healthcare
institutions across the United States and
has written about care giving and healthcare
reform issues. She is the author of more
than 250 articles and five books and
coeditor of three other books. While writing
her best-selling book, Life Support: Three
Nurses on the Front Line, she followed three
nurses at the Beth Israel Hospital in
Boston, Mass., to provide a “nurse’s eye”
view of today’s healthcare system. Gordon is
a frequent speaker at the NTI and will
deliver the Tuesday keynote address at the
2002 NTI.
Buresh’s and
Gordon’s relationship with AACN began in the
early 1990s as media trainers working first
with the president of AACN and later with
all members of the AACN Board of Directors.
AACN provided them publishing and
distribution support when, through the Women
in Journalism Project, they developed a
comprehensive national resource directory of
expert nurses for journalists.
Their latest
book, From Silence to Voice: What Nurses
Know and Must Communicate to the Public, is
both a call to action and a how-to guide. In
addition to documenting the causes and
impacts of nursing’s lack of visibility, it
helps nurses learn how to take advantage of
opportunities to speak out in public to
reach the media on issues that are important
to patients and to the profession.
Steven
Finkler
Steven
Finkler is credited with making financial
management knowledge readily accessible and
understandable to nurses. He is one of the
first experts in business and finance to
invest talent and time into helping
professional nurses acquire knowledge and
skill about the business side of healthcare.
Because of the extraordinary financial
resources needed to care for critically ill
patients and their families, Finkler’s
contributions have had an especially
favorable impact on the success of nurse
managers and administrators in critical
care.
Budgeting
Concepts for Nurse Managers, published in
1984, is now in its third edition. Financial
Management for Nurse Managers and Nurse
Executives, coauthored with nurse Christine
Kovner and published in 1993, is now in its
second edition. Hundreds of nurse managers
and executives have attended his
twice-yearly seminars on budgeting at the
Wagner School of Public Service at New York
University, where he is professor of public
and health administration, accounting and
financial management. As a faculty mentor in
the Wharton-Johnson & Johnson program, he
has guided dozens of nurse executives over
the years.
Finkler’s
pioneering work with nurses also extends
into research, dating back 20 years when
interdisciplinary research teams in nursing
were uncommon. His name has appeared
alongside those of well-known critical care
nurse researchers, including Dorothy Brooten.
He has been a coinvestigator on numerous
studies, including the pioneering studies of
the impact of advanced practice nurses on
clinical outcomes of low-birth-weight
infants. For the past four years, Finkler
has served as a member of the National
Advisory Council for Nursing Research at the
National Institutes of Health’s National
Institute for Nursing Research.
Vee Rice
and Penny Vaughan
Vee Rice, RN, MSN, PhD, and Penny
Vaughan, RN, MSN, truly exemplify the
creative and entrepreneurial spirit of
critical care nurses. Working in tandem for
most of their careers, they are especially
recognized for two contributions that
continue to make clinical knowledge widely
accessible to critical care nurses. First,
they brought to sustained maturity the first
comprehensive critical care education
program in the world. Next, they served as
founding editors of the journal Critical
Care Nurse.
Rice and
Vaughan have each directed the
Tennessee-based Critical Care Program, which
continues to be the gold standard for
regional critical care nurse preparation in
not only Tennessee but also southern
Kentucky and northern Alabama. Developed in
1971 by AACN cofounder Norma Shepard, RN,
BS, the program has been used as a model for
many consortium-based orientation programs
across the United States. Vaughan, also an
AACN cofounder, credits Shepard not only for
the vision and commitment that inspired this
future-oriented program, but for the
charisma that attracted the best and
brightest clinicians to critical care.
Rice and
Vaughan have each contributed as program
developers, educational administrators,
clinicians and mentors to program
participants, successfully sustaining,
evolving and redesigning the program to
consistently present the best of critical
care practice. Today, more than 5,000 nurses
have completed the program, which is
approved for both continuing education and
academic credit. Rice and Vaughan are
recognized in many countries for their
expertise and have traveled extensively to
share their program development and teaching
knowledge with others. They have inspired
hundreds of these nurses to advance their
preparation, often seeking CCRN
certification and advanced clinical degrees.
In addition,
Rice and Vaughan are the founding coeditors
of Critical Care Nurse, one of the world’s
first specialty periodicals for nurses. They
recognized the need for a peer-reviewed
publication that focused on patient care
issues unique to the care of critically ill
patients and their families. Previously,
nurses seeking up-to-date knowledge to
support their practice were limited to
reading the occasional critical care article
in general nursing publications and adapting
content from journals for physicians.
As the
editors, Rice and Vaughan continually
disseminated high-quality articles on
critical care nursing practice, standards
and innovations. This contribution to the
body of critical care knowledge is highly
regarded around the world as the essential
knowledge resource for clinical
practitioners in critical care. Rice and
Vaughan set a standard of consistent
editorial accuracy and excellence that was
confirmed by its popularity among
clinicians. This standard greatly influenced
AACN’s decision to acquire Critical Care
Nurse as an official publication for its
members in 1992.
Congratulations to Award Recipients for
2002: Nominate Yourself or a Colleague for a
2003 Award
The AACN
Circle of Excellence recognition program
honors individuals who have made a
difference in healthcare, and the lives of
patients and their families. Sponsored by
AACN and its Partners With Industry
companies, the awards applaud excellence,
honor leadership and show appreciation for
the dedication of nurses whose contributions
and achievements exemplify AACN’s mission
and vision.
The
recipients will be recognized at AACN’s
National Teaching Institute and Critical
Care Exposition, May 4 through 9, 2002, in
Atlanta, Ga.
July 15,
2002, is the deadline to nominate yourself
or a colleague for a 2003 Circle of
Excellence award. Following is information
about these awards, as well as the Circle of
Excellence award recipients for 2002.
AACN
Lifetime Member Award
This award
recognizes AACN members who have rendered
distinguished service to the association and
demonstrated potential for continuing
contributions to acute and critical care
nursing through AACN. In addition to
lifetime AACN membership, recipients are
presented a personalized plaque as well as
complimentary registration, airfare and
hotel accommodations for the NTI.
The AACN
Lifetime Member Award recipients for 2002
are:
Elizabeth
Nolan, RN, MS, CS
Ann Arbor,
Mich.
CardioVascular Center
University
of Michigan Hospital and Health System
Michael L.
Williams, RN, MSN, CCRN
Ypsilanti,
Mich.
Eastern
Michigan University
AACN
Mentoring Award
This award
recognizes individuals or groups who develop
and enhance another’s intellectual and
technical skills, acculturating them to the
professional community, and modeling a way
of life and professional achievement.
Recipients are presented a personalized
plaque.
Recipients
of the award for 2002 are:
Damon B.
Cottrell, RN, MS, CCNS, CCRN, CEN
Dallas,
Texas
Presbyterian
Hospital of Dallas
DaiWai
Olson, RN, BSN, CCRN
Durham, N.C.
Duke
University Hospital
Linda
Sullivan, RN
Albuquerque,
N.M.
University
of New Mexico Hospital
AACN
Excellence in Caring Practices Award
Presented in
honor of John Wilson Rodgers, this award
recognizes nurses whose caring practices
embody AACN’s vision of creating a
healthcare system driven by the needs of
patients and families. Successful applicants
empower patients and families by helping
them to understand and cope with illness;
offering them avenues or possibilities of
understanding; increasing their control and
acceptance of a difficult experience; and
demonstrating vigilance, persistence and
commitment to their well-being. They also
make the patient’s challenges approachable
and manageable through his or her own
ability to face and cope with the problem.
Recipients demonstrate how they have
encompassed the AACN Values and Ethic of
Care in their work. They receive
complimentary registration, airfare and
hotel accommodations for the NTI.
The
recipients for 2002 are:
Cindy
Damboise, RN, BSN, CCRN
Stevenson
Ranch, Calif.
Providence
Holy Cross Medical Center
Karen N.
Hamilton, RNC, CEN, CCRN, MICN, CFRN, NREMT-P,
CCEMT-P
Manassas,
Va.
Aeromedical
Transport Specialist
Megan
Rehwoldt, RN, BSN
Foothill
Ranch, Calif.
Mission
Hospital
Maureen A.
Seckel, RN, MSN, CCRN, CS
Newark, Del.
Christiana
Care Health Services
Michele J.
Young, RN
Richmond,
Va.
Health
Systems/MVC Hospitals and Physicians
Oridion-AACN Excellent Clinical Nurse
Specialist Award
Sponsored by
Oridion Medical, this award recognizes acute
and critical care nurses who function as
clinical nurse specialists. Applicants must
be CCNS certified. Recipients demonstrate
the key components of advanced practice
nursing, including: leadership, advanced
practice clinical skills, research
application, evidence-based practice,
outcome-focused practice, cost containment,
quality assurance, mentoring, problem
solving and communication with patients,
families, staff and systems. In addition,
they illustrate how they have been a
catalyst for successful change. Recipients
are provided complimentary registration,
airfare and hotel accommodations for the NTI.
The recipients for 2002 are:
Karen K.
Giuliano, RN, MSN, CCRN, CCNS
Atkinson,
N.H.
Philips
Medical Systems
and Boston
College School of Nursing
Roberta
Kaplow, RN, PhD, CCNS, CCRN
New York,
N.Y.
Memorial
Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
AACN
Excellent Nurse Practitioner Award
This award
recognizes acute and critical care nurses
who function as nurse practitioners. These
practitioners demonstrate the key components
of advanced practice nursing. including
leadership, advanced practice clinical
skills, research application, evidence-based
practice, outcome-focused practice, cost
containment, quality assurance, mentoring,
problem solving and communication with
patients, families, staff and systems. In
addition, they illustrate how they have
served as a catalyst for successful change.
Recipients receive complimentary
registration, airfare and hotel
accommodations for the NTI, which features
the API. Recipients for 2002 are:
Patricia
Long, RN, MSN, ACNP
Long Beach,
Calif.
Long Beach
Memorial Heart Institute
Tamara L.
Philpott, RN, MSN, CCNP-BS, CCRN
Josephine,
Texas
Presbyterian
Hospital of Dallas
Sophia Chu
Rodgers, RN, MSN, NP-C, ACNP
Albuquerque,
N.M.
Lovelace
Health Systems
Eli
Lilly-AACN Excellent Preceptor Award
Sponsored by
Eli Lilly & Company, this award recognizes
preceptors who demonstrate the key
components of the preceptor role including
teacher, clinical role model, consultant and
friend/advocate. Recipients are provided
complimentary registration, airfare and
hotel accommodations for the NTI.
Recipients
for 2002 are:
Carl L.
Deal, RN, BSN, CCRN
West
Salisbury, Pa.
West
Virginia University Hospital
Lisa Marie
Noe, RN
Philadelphia, Pa.
Hospital of
the University of Pennsylvania
Eugenia C.
Welch, RN, CCRN
Combine,
Texas
Presbyterian
Hospital of Dallas
3M Health
Care-AACN Excellence in Clinical Practice
Award
Sponsored by
3M Health Care, this award recognizes acute
and critical care nurses who embody,
exemplify and excel at the clinical skills
and principles that are required in their
practice. Recipients address how they have
successfully integrated standards of care;
patient advocacy; holistic care;
collaboration and coordination of care;
leadership; inquiry and critical thinking;
values; and ethics into their practice. The
recipients are provided complimentary
registration, airfare and hotel
accommodations for the NTI.
Recipients
for 2002 are:
Dea Ann L.
Martin, RN, BSN, CCRN
Allen, Texas
Presbyterian
Hospital of Dallas
Kate
McCarthy, RN, BSN, CCRN
Tallahassee,
Fla.
Tallahassee
Memorial Hospital
Debra
Pronitis-Ruotolo, RN, BSN, CCRN
Dallas,
Texas
Presbyterian
Hospital of Dallas
Steven
Savant, RN, BSN, CCRN
Lafayette,
La.
Lafayette,
General Medical Center
Capt. Erica
Spillane, RNC, CCRN, MHR
Landstuhl,
Germany
Landstuhl
Regional Medical Center
AACN
Excellence in Clinical
Practice—Non-Traditional Setting
This award
is designed to recognize excellence in the
care of critically ill patients in
environments outside of the traditional ICU/CCU
setting. These recipients demonstrate how
they have successfully integrated the
following into their practice: standards of
care; patient advocacy; holistic care;
collaboration and coordination of care;
leadership; inquiry and critical thinking;
ethics; and values values, as they care for
critically ill patients in settings outside
the walls of traditional critical care
units. Eligible applicants include, but are
not limited to nurses working in, home
healthcare, progressive care, telemetry,
step-down, catheterization labs and
emergency departments. Recipients are given
complimentary registration, airfare and
hotel accommodations for the NTI.
Recipients
for 2002 are:
John Kelly,
RN, BSN, CCRN, CFRN, CEN, EMT-P
Auburn.
Mass.
Hartford
Hospital
Nancy R.
Simpson, RN, MSN, CCRN, EMT
Loudon,
Tenn.
University
Of Tennessee Medical Center
Olinda Pando
Spitzer, RN, BSN, CCRN
McKinney,
Texas
North
Central Medical Center
Bard-AACN Excellence
in Education Award
Sponsored by Bard Medical
Division, this award recognizes nurse
educators who facilitate the acquisition and
advancement of the knowledge and skills
required for competent practice and positive
patient outcomes in the care of acute and
critically ill patients and their families.
Recipients are provided complimentary
registration, airfare and hotel
accommodations for the NTI.
Recipients for 2002 are:
Jenny Hamner, RN, DSN,
CCRN
Roanoke, Ala.
Auburn University School
of Nursing
Deanna L. Reising, RN,
PhD, CS
Bloomington, Ind.
Indiana University School
of Nursing
Jennifer Sandoval, RN,
MSN, PhD
Greensboro, N.C.
University of North
Carolina at
Greensboro
AACN InnoVision Award
This award recognizes
initiatives and programs that innovatively
and collaboratively meet the needs of
families of the acute and critically ill. Up
to three awards, with $2,500 earmarked to
fund projects, are granted to partnerships
that include an AACN member, a healthcare
provider organization and a community group.
In addition, individual recipients are given
public recognition and a personalized
plaque.
There are no recipients
of this award for 2002.
AACN Excellence in
Leadership Award
This award recognizes
nurses who demonstrate the leadership
competencies of empowerment, effective
communication and continuous learning, and
the effective management of change.
Recipients are provided complimentary
registration, airfare and hotel
accommodations for the NTI.
Recipients for 2002 are:
Elsie B. Croom, RN, BSN,
CCRN
Lafayette, La.
Lafayette General Medical
Center
Elizabeth Shaw, RN, MSN
Scott AFB, Ill.
Maria Shirey, RN, MS,
MBA, CHE, CNAA
Evansville, Ind.
Deaconess Hospital
AACN Excellent Student
Nurse Award
This award recognizes
nursing students whose activities during
nursing school have promoted the value of
nursing and reflect the AACN vision of
creating a healthcare system driven by the
needs of patients and families, where
critical care nurses can make their optimal
contribution. Recipients show how their
leadership has transformed thinking,
structures or process to address
opportunities and challenges, as well as how
they collaborated with key stakeholders to
create synergistic relationships to promote
common interests and shared values.
Individual students or groups of students
are eligible to apply. Recipients receive a
complimentary three-year AACN membership.
The recipient for 2002
is:
Paul T. Ladwig, RN, BSN,
EMT-P
Livermore, Calif.
California State
University, Hayward
AACN Multidisciplinary
Team Award
This award recognizes a
multidisciplinary team that clearly
practices key principles of collaboration
and multidisciplinary practice. Up to three
awards are given to multidisciplinary teams,
with $2,500 earmarked to fund projects. In
addition, individual recipients are given
public recognition and a personalized
plaque.
Recipients for 2002 are:
5LM Cardiovascular
Surgical Telemetry Unit
Milwaukee, Wisc.
St. Luke’s Medical Center
Milwaukee
Acute Coronary Syndrome
Team
New York, N.Y.
New York-Presbyterian
Hospital,
Columbia Presbyterian
Medical Center
MICU Hanavirus Care Team
Albuquerque, N.M.
University of New Mexico
Hospital
Marsh-AACN Community
Service Award
Cosponsored by Marsh,
this award recognizes significant service by
acute and critical care nurses, as
individuals or in groups, who make a
contribution to their community. Individuals
or groups selected receive a complimentary
registration to the NTI, or they may choose
up to $500 toward speaker fees for an
educational symposium.
Recipients for 2002 are:
Elizabeth A. Hupp, RN, MA
Morgantown, W. Va.
WVU Department of Surgery
ICU Education Team
Portsmouth, Ohio
Southern Ohio Medical
Center
Mark R. Kurland, RN, BSN,
CCRN
Dallas, Texas
Medical City Dallas
AACN Excellent Nurse
Manager Award
This award recognizes
nurse managers who demonstrate excellence in
coordination of available resources to
efficiently and effectively care for acute
or critically ill patients and families.
Recipients address how they promote an
environment of professional involvement,
development and accountability;
collaborative problem solving; empowerment;
leadership to transform thinking; structures
and processes to address opportunities and
challenges; and communication, as well as
how they serve as a catalyst for successful
change. Recipients are provided
complimentary registration, airfare and
hotel accommodations for the NTI.
Recipients for 2002 are:
Carol Fevurly Cleek, RN,
MSN, CCRN, CS
Olathe, Kan.
Olathe Medical Center
Kay Clevenger, RN, MSN
Indianapolis, Ind.
Clarian Health
Ray Quintero, RN, MSN,
CCRN
Yorktown, Va.
Virginia Commonwealth
University
Health System
Media Award
This award recognizes
print, broadcast and Web-based media
excellence in the portrayal of healthcare
providers, especially acute and critical
care nurses contributing to a healthcare
system driven by the needs of patients and
families. Successful entries present
relevant nursing and healthcare topics to
large audiences of consumers, including the
general public, patients and families.
Accuracy, realism and technical qualities
are important factors in the selection of
entries.
AACN members and
chapters, as well as editors, publishers,
producers, marketing and public relations
specialists, universities and institutional
communications departments are eligible to
apply. Entries must have been published or
broadcast between Nov. 1 of the previous
year and the time of submission. Entries
must include documentation verifying the
publication/broadcast and size of audience.
A personalized plaque is
presented to winning entries. Awards are
announced in AACN publications and at the
NTI. The deadline to submit Media Award
materials is Nov. 1, 2002.
Recipients for 2002 are:
Southern New Hampshire
Chapter of AACN
Manchester, N.H.
Jon Tevlin
Star Tribune
Minneapolis, Minn.
AACN Distinguished
Research Lecturer Award
This award honors a
nationally known researcher, who presents
the annual Distinguished Research Lecture at
the NTI. The lecturer receives an honorarium
of $1,000, as well as $1,000 toward NTI
expenses.
The recipient of the
award for 2002, who is presenting the
lecture at the 2002 NTI in Atlanta, Ga., is:
Barbara Drew, RN, PhD,
FAAN
San Francisco, Calif.
University of California,
San Francisco
School of Nursing
Department of
Physiological Nursing
AACN Excellence in
Research Award
This award recognizes
nurse researchers who are furthering the
mission, vision and research priorities of
AACN through their research. Successful
applicants will describe their studies and
how the results will influence the practice
of critical care nursing, specifically its
impact on patients and families. Research
projects must have been completed within the
year that the application is submitted.
Recipients of AACN research grants or NTI
research abstract award recipients are not
eligible for this award. Recipients receive
complimentary registration, airfare and
hotel accommodations for the NTI.
There were no recipients
of this award for 2002.
To obtain an awards
guide, call (800) 899-2226 (request Item
#1011), or visit the AACN Web site.
AACN
Seeks Leaders to Step Into National Roles:
Postmark Nominations by June 14
AACN is
seeking nominations of individuals to serve
on the national AACN Board of Directors and
the AACN Nominating Committee for terms that
begin July 1, 2003. Available positions are
for the office of president-elect and for
four director positions on the AACN board,
as well as for three positions on the AACN
Nominating Committee. In addition,
nominations for chair-elect and for three
director positions on the AACN Certification
Corporation board are invited. (See page 11
for additional information about the AACN
Certification Corporation positions.)
Nominations
must be received or postmarked by June 14,
2002. Nomination forms can be obtained by
calling (800) 394-5995, ext. 307, or via the
AACN Web site at
http://www.aacn.org
> Call for Nominations.
Individuals
selected to serve in these important
positions have the opportunity to share the
talent and knowledge they have developed as
leaders in the association, in their
professions and in their communities, and to
help shape the future of critical care
nursing practice.
Nominees for
AACN positions must be AACN national
members. Time commitments and support
services for each position may differ.
Travel and other expenses are reimbursed for
all of these national volunteer positions.
Following
are brief descriptions of these positions:
AACN
Board of Directors
President-elect (one, 1-Year Term)—Nominees
must have served at least two years on the
AACN Board of Directors. During the term,
the president-elect works to become familiar
with the duties of the president and
consults with the president to prepare for
continuity and a smooth transition of
leadership.
The
president-elect also assumes presidential
accountability in the absence or inability
of the president to act. From the
nominations submitted, the Board of
Directors selects the candidate who is
placed on the ballot.
Directors
(four, 3-Year Terms)—In
addition to representing the needs of the
members, board directors establish
priorities for AACN, based on its mission
and vision. They help to ensure general and
financial viability and growth of the
association, and the maintenance of
successful relationships between AACN and
AACN Certification Corporation. The position
also affords numerous opportunities to
network with professional colleagues,
consumers and healthcare policymakers.
AACN
Nominating Committee
(Three,
1-Year Terms)—In
collaboration with appointed members from
the AACN Board of Directors and
representatives of AACN Certification
Corporation, Nominating Committee members
develop and submit the slate of AACN
candidates for election by the AACN
membership at large. A process based on the
AACN Leadership Framework is used to assess
the nominees’ competencies before submitting
the slate of candidates to a vote by the
membership.
Mission, Vision and Values Evident in
Choosing Future Leaders
By Sandra
Cunningham, RN, MS, CCNS, CCRN, CS
Michael
Day, RN, MSN, CCRN
Mary Lou
Warren, RN, MSN, CCRN, CS, CNS
AACN
Nominating Committee
The
continued success of AACN as a leader in
critical care nursing is imbedded in the
annual nomination process and the
willingness of qualified member leaders to
step forward to fill positions on the AACN
Board of Directors and AACN Certification
Corporation Board of Directors, as well as
on the AACN Nominating Committee.
As members
of the AACN Nominating Committee for
2001-02, we had the opportunity to review
first-hand the impressive caliber of
individuals nominated for these positions
and to observe how the mission, vision and
values of AACN are supported in the
nominating process.
Have you had
an interest in seeking one of these
national-level offices, but were unsure
about the process you would face? By sharing
our experiences, we hope to provide you
insight of what can be expected.
The
Nominating Committee is accountable for
recommending the slate of candidates to be
placed on the ballot for the AACN Board Of
Directors and for the AACN Nominating
Committee. Through a separate but parallel
process, the committee also develops the
candidate slate for the AACN Certification
Corporation Board of Directors, which is
approved by the AACN Board of Directors.
Chaired by
immediate Past President Denise Thornby, RN,
MS, the Nominating Committee is comprised of
three members who are elected by the
association’s general membership and
representatives of both the AACN board and
the AACN Certification Corporation board.
Two additional members were appointed to
participate in the AACN Certification
Corporation nominating process. The
composition of the committee provides for a
unique balance and insight during the
candidate selection process.
The
nominating process itself exemplifies the
mission, vision and values of AACN. For us,
understanding the mission, vision and values
and how they relate to the work of the
association was essential. In addition,
AACN’s Leadership Framework was important in
identifying the essential characteristics
needed to provide optimal support of AACN:
• Ambassador
skills encompass the characteristics and
behaviors that sustain collegial
relationships, generate commitment, resolve
conflicts and facilitate collaboration.
Leaders with strong ambassador skills
connect with others in a meaningful way and
inspire others in achieving personal and
collective goals.
•
Intellectual skills are demonstrated through
prioritization and translation of
information to others. Leaders with strong
intellectual skills synthesize complex
information and have the ability to set a
context or framework of the work that needs
to be done.
Our
committee was faced with an early challenge
when travel to our first meeting, scheduled
for October, was cancelled following the
Sept. 11 tragedy. However, through
creativity and perseverance, the Nominating
Committee was able to accomplish the
necessary work via a series of telephone
conference calls.
Prior to the
telephone conference, each member of the
Nominating Committee reviewed the written
materials submitted by the nominees. These
materials allow each nominee to present the
attributes and experiences he or she could
bring to the position sought. This process
involves significant self-assessment. In
addition, each nominee writes a brief
statement regarding an issue and its
implications for critical care nursing.
Telephone
interviews, using a standardized list of
questions, gave each nominee the chance to
elaborate on points that would demonstrate
the essential ambassador and intellectual
skills. Recording and transcribing these
interviews allowed all members of the
committee to review all nominees’ responses
to interview questions in an objective way.
Names of
individuals to provide letters of reference
were requested from the nominees. In
addition, letters of reference are solicited
from individuals who have had the
opportunity to work with a nominee on AACN
activities. Again, this feedback is
requested as it relates to the Leadership
Framework. The reference information is used
as a third component in the evaluation
process.
At a weekend
meeting in January, all the nominees were
evaluated. At this point, the
representatives of AACN and AACN
Certification Corporation met together to
evaluate the nominees with respect to the
positions that were available. The two
groups then met separately to further
evaluate the pool of prospective candidates
and select the most qualified candidates for
each organization’s respective slate.
The
committee also was asked to review the
current nominating process and make
recommendations that would make it more
reflective of the mission and values of AACN
and supportive of nominees. The committee
members noted that the process was
member-driven and supported the application
of the ambassador and intellectual
leadership skills sets. In addition, the
process demonstrated the value of consensus
building within the organization.
We were
fortunate to experience the integrity of the
organization and the nominating process.
Most importantly, the breadth and depth of
the nominees’ qualifications inspired the
Nominating Committee.
We encourage
all members to participate in the nominating
process. Nominate yourself or a colleague
for the 2003-04 ballot for the AACN Board of
Directors, AACN Nominating Committee or AACN
Certification Board of Directors. We are
sure that you know colleagues who
demonstrate the skill sets required and who
would be honored to be nominated. Don’t be
reluctant to nominate yourself.
Nominations
may be submitted online at
http://www.aacn.org.
Is There
Value in the Experience?
What value
did the members of the Nominating Committee
feel the experience had for them? As they
completed their work, committee members
shared the accomplishments and learning that
occur from serving on the committee.
Following are some of the benefits they
cited:
• Learning
about leadership competencies, the process,
and integrity of the process.
• An
understanding of the depth and breadth of
the skills of nominees and what things help
members develop
• An
understanding of what leadership looks like
from multiple perspectives
• Interview
tips
• An
understanding of the value of consensus
building
• Witnessing
demonstration of the ideal process led by
experienced past leaders.
• Learning
that everyone comes to the table with
accomplishments in leadership skills
• Learning
the discipline of staying focused and not
procrastinating
• A good
understanding of leadership succession
• A
reinforcement that AACN is truly member
driven
Members of
the AACN Nominating Committee for 2001-02
were Denise Thornby, RN, MS (chair), Sandra
Cunningham, RN, MS, CCNS, CCRN, CS, Michael
Day, RN, MSN, CCRN, and Mary Holtschneider,
RN, BSN, MPA. Debbie Brinker, RN, MSN, CCNS,
CCRN, Dave Hanson, RN, BSN, CCRN, EMT-P, and
Lori D. Hendrickx, RN, EdD, CCRN. Brinker,
Hanson and Hedrickx represent the AACN Board
of Directors.
Representing
the AACN Certification Corporation Board of
Directors are immediate past Chair Patricia
A. McGaffigan, RN, MS, current Director Beth
Glassford, RN, MSHA, and appointed members
Lillian V. Ananian, RN, MSN, and MaryLou
Warren, RN, MSN, CCRN.
NTI
Events to Benefit AACN Scholarship Endowment
Fund
Shhh!
Although this event may be “silent,” we
certainly don’t want to keep it quiet. In
fact, the Silent Auction created quite a
buzz when it debuted at the 2001 National
Teaching Institute and Critical Care
Exposition in Anaheim, Calif.
Again at the
2002 NTI, May 4 through 9 in Atlanta, Ga.,
the Silent Auction is one of two special
attractions to raise funds for the AACN
Scholarship Endowment Fund. And, you will
want to enter a contest to win a new Santa
Fe SUV, provided by Hyundai Motor America.
Fees to enter the contest will benefit the
AACN Scholarship Endowment Fund.
NurseZone.com, is supporting the fund-raiser
by providing materials for the contest.
Silent
auction items will be on display in the NTI
Resource and Registration area through
Wednesday, May 8. Bidding is done by writing
offers on a sheet that is maintained
alongside each item.
Everyone
attending the NTI, including participants,
speakers, exhibitors, staff, family and
friends, may bid, unless otherwise stated,
for a particular auction item.
An auction
catalog will describe the more than 200
gifts that have been donated by members,
companies and individuals in a variety of
categories, including art; educational
products; personal electronics; books;
entertainment; retail gift certificates;
restaurant gift certificates; travel; and
jewelry.
If you would
like to donate a gift to the silent auction
or have questions, contact Darval Bonelli at
(800) 394-5995, ext. 531; e-mail,
darval.bonelli@aacn.org.
AACN awards
$150,000 in academic and continuing
education scholarships each year. These
include the BSN and Graduate Completion
Educational Advancement Scholarships. AACN
also supports scholarships awarded through
the National Student Nurses Association to
beginning nursing students.
At NTI 2002,
20 AACN Vision Partners and three Dale
Medical Products scholars are benefitting
from donations to the Scholarship Endowment
Fund.
The
Janus View
Editor’s
note: All that we do is rooted in our past,
and we have much to learn from the leaders
who have gone before us, paved the way and
laid the foundation. To strengthen this
connection, current members of the AACN
Board of Directors are interviewing some of
our past leaders. For this month, board
member Bertie Chuong, RN, MS, CCRN,
interviewed Beth Eagleton, RN, MN, PhD, a
past member of the AACN Board of Directors.
Since July
1999, Eagleton has been vice president of
Patient Care Services and chief nursing
officer at Saint John’s Medical Center,
Joplin, Mo. Her experience in critical care
began in a combined medical coronary care
unit at Mount Carmel Medical Center,
Pittsburg, Kan. She later served as
divisional director of Continuum of Care at
Columbia Healthcare Corporation Midwest
Division, Wichita, Kan.; in multiple
positions within the Wesley Medical Center,
Wichita; and as corporate vice president and
chief nursing executive of Baptist Health
System in San Antonio, Texas;
Eagleton was
elected to the AACN Board of Directors in
1992. Her volunteer activities range from
chapter involvement to national
appointments. In addition, Eagleton has been
a contributing editor to Critical Care Nurse
and has made more than 200 presentations
throughout the world on clinical, leadership
and performance improvement topics.
The
Interview
Chuong: What
are some of the lessons you learned as a
member of the AACN Board of Directors?
Eagleton:
The most important thing that I learned was
that dialogue is needed to find out what is
at the heart of an issue. Truly listening
can make the difference in the solutions
that are derived. The natural tendency is to
think about your response as someone is
talking to you about an issue, which may
prevent you from really hearing what the
other person is saying. During my tenure on
the AACN Board, I learned to take in and
base my questions on the information I
heard. It really helped me to learn about
what was being said. This has helped me to
identify issues and solutions in all aspects
of my professional and personal life.
Chuong: What
were the greatest accomplishments of the
AACN Board during your tenure?
Eagleton:
The development of the Synergy Model stands
out for me. It has been the framework for so
much of the important work that continues
even now. I also remember the time we
devoted to addressing the critical care
content considered essential in a nursing
curriculum. The resulting “essentials
document” continues to influence not only
AACN’s work but also my current practice
setting.
Chuong: What
was the most exciting aspect of serving in
your role as a member of the AACN Board of
Directors?
Eagleton:
All of the learning opportunities! It was so
exciting to learn from others throughout the
world what was going on in their practice
settings. It also gave me a chance to think
outside the everyday setting!
I also
enjoyed being an ambassador for AACN, a
commitment that I didn’t take lightly. I
love mentoring new leaders and guiding those
seeking to run for the board. New leaders
must have a sincere commitment and take
pride in their roles. Being an ambassador
was important, and I believe I continue to
be an ambassador for AACN.
Chuong: What
was the most rewarding aspect of serving on
the Board?
Eagleton:
Truly, it was the experience of a lifetime.
The friendships, both personal and
professional, have been sustaining and
incredibly rewarding. I feel that I can
reach out and touch base with the many
people I met while on the Board. I treasure
my board experience as a gift.
Chuong:
Describe your current role.
Eagleton: In
my role as the VP for Patient Care Services
and chief nursing officer, every day is
different. As the chief executive, I try to
spend time with patients every day. Patients
have always been my focus, and they really
energize me. Some days, I spend all day in
strategic planning meetings or state visits,
but others I assist in facilitating patient
care at the unit level. Enjoying what I do
is important to me, and I try to incorporate
fun in my life at work.
Chuong: How
do you balance your volunteer and leadership
activities with the rest of your life?
Eagleton: I
don’t. I just continuously try to help
others. In my current role, I have less
time, but I still make the time to help
others! Once a week, I volunteer through the
Catholic Health Initiatives to deliver Meals
on Wheels to the needy in my town. I also
sometimes take blood pressures or stop to
see the infirm.
Chuong: In
these unsettled times in healthcare, do you
still think it is important for nurses to
belong to professional organizations, such
as AACN?
Eagleton:
Absolutely! Through association
participation, every nurse can share ideas
and learn new things. AACN, in particular,
has many resources, both human and
materials. If you have a question, you can
instantly get references by calling the
national office or linking into the AACN Web
site. You can literally have your finger on
the pulse of an issue in a heartbeat. My
affiliation with AACN has been invaluable. I
can always learn what the trends are through
these special resources.
Scene
and Heard
AACN
continues to seek visibility for our
profession and the organization. Following
is an update on recent outreach efforts:
Media
Highlights
• Wendy J.
Berke, RN, BSN, MHA, director of
professional practice at AACN, and AACN
Certification Corporation board member
Margaret Ecklund, RN, MS, CCRN, CS, wrote an
article titled “Keep Pace With Step-Down
Care,” which appeared in and is featured on
the cover of the February 2002 issue of
Nursing Management. The article is the first
in a six-part series the magazine is
publishing on keeping pace with progressive
care. The authors focused on how the number
of progressive care units continues to
increase as the patient acuity gap between
critical care and medical-surgical care
narrows.
• The
“Career Focus” section of the February 2002
issue of Nursing2002 included AACN
membership and nursing demographics
information. This “spotlight on critical
care nursing” focused on the definition of
critical care nursing, the higher earnings
of nurses certified through AACN
Certification Corporation, based on the 2000
salary survey, and CCRN certification
requirements. In addition, the article
quoted AACN background information on the
nursing shortage.
• The
February 2002 issue of RN magazine included
excerpts from the AACN News “President’s
Note” column by Michael Williams, RN, MSN,
CCRN, and information about NTI
scholarships, national volunteer
opportunities and the new Alumnus CCRN
designation. In her “Editor’s Memo,” Marya
Ostrowski cited Williams’ suggestion in a
recent column to create a “done” list
instead of a “to do” list to highlight
accomplishments.
Our Voice
at the Table
• AACN board
members and national staff executives
attended meetings and chapter symposiums all
across the country. In February,
President-elect Connie Barden, RN, MSN, CCNS,
CCRN, spoke at the Tallahassee Memorial
Heart & Vascular Institute Symposium. Her
topics were “Nursing in La Vida Loca” and
“Families: Who Do They Think They Are?” Also
in February, Williams spoke at the Cleveland
Clinic Foundation Cardiac Symposium on
“Celebrating Nursing’s Greatness Today and
Every Day” and “Challenges and Opportunities
for Nursing in the 21st Century.”
• Ramon
Lavandero, RN, MSN, MA, AACN’s director of
development and strategic alliances,
represented AACN at the semiannual meeting
of the Medical Society Fundraising Network
in February. AACN is the only nursing
organization that participates in this
network of fundraising and corporate
relations directors from major medical
associations.
If you or
your chapter is planning to reach out to the
media or other groups to promote critical
care nursing, we’d like to know so that we
can highlight your efforts in future
columns. Please write to us at
aacnnews@aacn.org.
May Is
National Critical Care Awareness and
Recognition Month
Shine the
spotlight on the critical difference you
make every day during National Critical Care
Awareness & Recognition Month in May 2002.
“Critical
Care—Partners in Healing” is the theme of
the annual celebration.
Please join
AACN, in partnership with the Society of
Critical Care Medicine and the American
College of Chest Physicians, in celebrating
the contributions of nurses, doctors and
other vital members of the healthcare team.
The National
Critical Care Awareness & Recognition Month
logo has been incorporated into an array of
products that can be used to enhance the
visibility of critical care and to highlight
the profession. These products can also be
customized with your institution or chapter
logo. Ranging from balloons and buttons to
posters, pens, t-shirts and travel mugs,
they are priced to fit almost any budget.
Critical
care nurses continue to develop innovative
ways to increase awareness of critical
illness and recognize the healing that
interdisciplinary partnerships bring to
their communities. Unit displays and
daylong, hospital-wide health fairs are only
a few of the celebration activities.
Appreciation gifts bearing the year’s logo
are an affordable way to recognize each
member of the healthcare team.
If you are
looking for ways to celebrate with your
staff, here are a few suggestions:
• Give a
small gift to each member of your team—maybe
a cup with a “Partners in Healing” logo.
Fill the cup with treats of your choice.
• Generate
extra excitement by raffling off a few
larger prizes, such as AACN memberships,
pocket radios or tote bags.
• Add
“Partners in Healing” posters, balloons and
pins to your hospital’s Nurse Week or
Hospital Week celebration.
To request
the 2002 National Critical Care Awareness &
Recognition Month product guide, call (800)
822-1923. Request Item #0001.
On the
Agenda
Following is
a report by AACN board member Debbie Brinker,
RN, MSN, CCNS, CCRN, on discussions and
actions that took place during a February
2002 board conference call.
Agenda
Item: End of Life/Palliative Care
The board
received information about two new, small
project grants related to end-of-life and
palliative care. End-of-life issues are an
important area in which AACN has a
leadership role, and the board was
enthusiastic about these grants as an
exciting first step and starting point for
relevant research.
Agenda
Item: AACN Certification Corporation Board
of Directors
The board
approved the following slate of candidates
to serve on the AACN Certification
Corporation Board of Directors: chair-elect
(one-year term)—Suzanne Prevost, RN, PhD,
CNAA, and directors (two-year terms)—Roberta
Kaplow, RN, PhD, CCNS, CCRN, and Judy
Verger, RN, MSN, CCRN. Their terms begin
July 1, 2002.
The
selection of candidates for the AACN
Certification Corporation board is part of
AACN’s annual Call for Nominations. However,
once the nominations are received,
Nominating Committee members representing
AACN Certification Corporation follow a
separate path in evaluating and interviewing
these nominees. The nominating process
differs from that for the AACN Board of
Directors and the AACN Nominating Committee,
because AACN members at large do not vote on
candidates for the AACN Certification Board
of Directors. Because AACN is the sole
member of AACN Certification Corporation,
the AACN board is required to formally
approve corporation candidates.
Note: The
AACN Certification Corporation board
presents an excellent opportunity for people
who are passionate about certification to
apply to serve at the national level. The
annual Call for Nominations for positions
available on the AACN Certification
Corporation Board of Directors appears on
page 11 of this issue of AACN News. The Call
for Nominations for the AACN Board of
Directors and the AACN Nominating Committee
appears on page 1. The nomination form has
also been inserted into the center of this
issue of AACN News and is available online
at
http://www.aacn.org
> Call for Nominations.
Agenda
Item: Strategic Plan and Operating Plan
The board
made a preliminary review of the
association’s Strategic Plan and Operating
Plan for 2002-03 in preparation for
finalizing these important documents at the
April 2002 board meeting. The board was
asked to reaffirm whether changes made based
on discussions in November 2001 continue to
be relevant.
The
Strategic Plan, which is driven by AACN’s
mission, provides the overall vision and
direction for the association into the
future. It is the board’s guide in
discussing and approving association
initiatives to meet the needs of members.
Information comes from a variety of sources,
including environmental scanning and data
about trends in healthcare.
In addition,
AACN President-elect Connie Barden, RN, MSN,
CCNS, CCRN, shared discussions that took
place at the long-range strategic planning
meeting in January. Although the
association’s long-range strategic plan is
reviewed and updated each year, it is
monitored on an ongoing basis to ensure that
it reflects changes in the healthcare
environment and that the association is
positioned to be proactive on issues as they
arise. Barden noted that considerable
attention was given to how the data and
environ mental scans can assist AACN in
meeting the needs of members now and in the
future.. Discussion at the planning meeting
also centered on AACN’s leading role as the
voice for critical care nursing.
Agenda
Item: Financial Report
The board
approved the quarterly financial report,
which showed that AACN expenses were below
budget for all categories and that revenue
from the sale of educational resources was
up. Part of the board’s accountability to
continually monitor financial resources,
this report helped to prepare the board for
the 2002-03 budget, which is scheduled for
approval in conjunction with the finalized
Strategic and Operating plans at the April
meeting.
Critical Links: Who Has Recruited New
Members?
AACN
welcomed 2,158 new members from May 1, 2001,
to March 1, 2002, as a result of the
recently ended Critical Links
member-get-a-member campaign.
Contributing
to this total have been 544 individuals and
76 chapters.
As the
campaign headed down the final stretch,
member recruiter Darlene Legge of Flower
Mound, Texas, had personally brought 31 new
members into the AACN family by the end of
February. The final results of the campaign
will be reported in the May 2002 issue of
AACN News.
The top
individual recruiter in the campaign will
receive a $500 American Express gift
certificate and be eligible for the first-,
second- and third-place prizes.
In addition,
to a $250 gift certificate toward the
purchase of AACN resources, the chapters
reporting the largest increase in their
membership will receive recognition at NTI
2002, May 4 through 9 in Atlanta, Ga.
Following
are the cumulative totals for members
recruiting new members during February, as
well as those who have recruited five or
more new members since the campaign began.
Chapter totals are also listed.
Recruiter #Recruited
Ismael J. Abregonde, RN, BSN 5
Lillian Aguirre, RN, BSN, CCRN 6
Maria Antonio, RN 1
Judith A. Ascenzi, RN, MSN 6
Marie Aue 1
Perrilynn A. Baldelli, RN, MSN, CCRN
8
Vevyette Batson, RN, BSN, CCRN 1
Elizabeth Bayley, RN, PhD 1
Tara
Beebout, RN, BSN, CCRN 1
Michael Beshel, RN, BSN, CCRN, CEN
16
Michael C. Blanchard, RN 6
Lisa
M. Boldrighini 5
Michelle Bond-Spandiary, RN, ADN,
CCRN 1
Marylee Bressie, RN, MSN, CCRN 1
Susan Burhans, RNC, BSN 1
Kathleen M. Burton, RN, BSN 5
Helen M. Camp, RN, CCRN 11
Yolanda Carilimdiliman, RN, BSN,BS 2
Beverly Ann Carlson, RN, PhD, CCRN
14
Ann
Marie Carpenter, RN, MSN,CCRN, CNS
17
Bonnie J. Cerrato, RN, ADN, AA 7
Kristine Chaisson, RN, BSN, CCRN 5
Michael Chalot, RN, ADN, CCRN 7
Pamela Chapman, RN, BSN, CCRN 1
Sasipa Charnchaichujit, RN 8
Ellen Clifton, RN, BSN, CCRN 1
Katherine Colbert, RN, ADN, CCRN 6
Sheree Collins, RN, ADN 1
Kathleen J. Corban, RN, BSN, CCRN 5
Barbara Cox, RN, ADN, AA 1
Cynthia G. Cox, RN, BSN, CCRN, FNP 7
Rosalyn Cranston, RN 1
Sue
Ann Crisp, RN, BSN, BS 8
Elsie Croom, RN, BSN, CCRN 1
Eva
M. Crosby, RN 9
Beatrice Davis, RN, BS, CCRN 1
Therisa Davis, RN 1
Laurie Dean, RN ,CCRN 1
Cheryl Devillier, RN, ADN 1
Melissa L. Drain, RN, CCRN 29
Lisa
Duncan, RN, BSN 1
Anne
C. Dunn, RN, BSN, CCRN 7
Marie Eidam, RN, MS 1
Peggy Lynn Ennis, RN 26
Judith Fabrizio, RN, BSN, CCRN 1
B.
Fankhanel, RN, BSN 1
Susan Feeney, RN, ADN, CCRN 1
Carolyn A. Fernandez, RN, MSN, 6
CCRN,
CS, ACNP
Myrna F. Fontillas-Boehm, RN, BS,BSN,
CCRN 6
Angela Foran , RN, ADN, CCRN 1
Virginia Forshee, RN 1
Carol D. Fountain, RN, CCRN 5
Wendy Franklin, RN, BSN, CCRN 2
Carla J. Freeman, RN, BSN, CCRN 10
Patricia Fuller, RN, BS, BSN, MEd 1
Tammy Gillham, RN, CCRN 1
Deborah Glenn, RN, MSN 1
Mary
Kathryn Graham, RN, BSN 3
Pauline Graham, RN, BSN 1
Lita
T. Gorman, RN, BSN, CCRN, CEN 6
Mary
Kathryn Graham, RN, BSN 8
Karen Gravley 1
Cynthia Green, RN, BSN, BA, CCRN 1
Lisa
C. Gregory, RN, BSN 5
Mark
Griffith 1
Jackie Grigg, RN, ADN, CCRN 8
Kaye
Grubaugh, RN, MSN 1
Carol Guyette, RN, BSN, CCRN 28
Kathy Hagains 4
Liana Hain, RN, MS, CCRN 2
Charlene A. Haley-Moyer, RN, 5
MS,
CCRN
Wendi Haller, RN, BSN 1
Diane Hamilton, RN, MN, CCRN 1
Linda Hampton, RN, MS, CCRN 1
Jane
Hartman, RN, MS, CCRN 1
Margaret Harvey, RN, ACNP ,CS 1
Lee
Ann Haygood, RN, BSN, CCRN, 1
CNA
Janet Henderson, RN, ADN 3
Lori
H endrickx, RN, EdD, CCRN 1
Michelle L. Henrickson, RN, BSN 5
Amy
Herrig, RN, ADN 1
Mary
Hillberg, RN, BSN, CCRN, CEN 1
Kirsten Hillman, RN, ADN, AA 1
Carol Hinkle, RN, MSN, BA, CCRN 1
Mary
E. Holtschneider, RN, BSN, 6
MPA
Zondra Hull, RN 6
Jana
Woller Hough, RN, BSN 10 |
Recruiter
#Recruited
Christiana Jackai,
RN, BSN
1
Patricia Dianne Jennings, RN, ADN, 5
CCRN
Debbie Karen Jessell, RN, CCRN 7
Linnea Johnson, RN, MSN, BA 1
Lauretta M. Joseph, RN, MSN, 13
CCRN,
NP
Louisa K. Kamatuka, RN, MSN, 6
CCRN,
CS
Kathleen Kane, RN, ADN, BS, CCRN 1
Beryl E. Keegan, RN, BSN, CCRN 9
Doris Kennedy, RN, BSN, BA, CCRN 1
Lori
E. Kennedy, RN, BSN, CCRN 7
Nancy D. King, RN, MSN, 22
CCRN,
NP
Katherine Kleinow, RN, BSN 1
Kelly A. Knickerbocker, RN 7
Debra Knight, RN, BSN 1
Colleen Kowalchuk, RN, CCRN 7
Joanne M. Kuszaj, RN, MSN, CCRN 5
Hilarie Larson, RN, BSN, CCRN 1
Darlene M. Legge, RN, BSN, CCRN 31
Laura Lipp, RN 1
Karen London, RN, ADN 1
Eugenia Macalald 1
Michele L. Manning, RN, MSN, 8
CCRN,
CS
Polly Ann Marinelli, RN, ADN 8
Stephanie Mason, RN 1
Martie C. Mattson, RN, CNS, 8
MSN,
CCRN
Ashlee T. Mattutini, RN 9
Elaine Mayo 1
Michael McEvoy, RN, ADN, PhD, 1
CCRN
Yvonne McKenna, RN, BSN, CCRN 1
James Mears, RN 6
Marla Meaux, RN, CCRN 3
Justine Medina, RN, MS 2
Ruth
G. Melvin, RN, BSN, CCRN 8
Arlene N. Messina, RN, ADN, CCRN 5
Maranda Meyer, RN, ADN 3
Katherine H. Miller, RN, ADN 10
Nicolette Mininni, RN, MEd, CCRN 1
Gina
Montagnino, RN, MSN, CCRN, 1
CPNP
Bonita Moore, RN, BS, BSN, CCRN 1
Bettina Moxley, RN, BS, BSN, CCRN 1
Annette M. Mtangi, RN, ADN, CCRN 21
Paulita D. Narag, RN, ADN, CCRN 8
Amanda L. Newman 5
Donna M. O’Neill, RN, ADN, CCRN 5
Sheila Palmer, RN, BSN 1
Judy
Parker, RN, ADN, CCRN 1
Kathleen Peavy, RN, MS, CCRN 2
Amy
Pelleg, RN, MSN, CCRN 1
Norma Peralta, RN, BSN, CCRN 1
Hurd
Alton Pittman, RN, MSN, CCRN 9
Colleen O. Planchon, RN, BSN, 10
BS,
CCRN
Anne
Pondevida, RN, BSN, CCRN 1
Kathleen Quattrocchi, RN, BSN 8
Michele Quinlan, RN, BSN 26
Juan
Quintero, RN, MSN, CCRN 2
Angela Raquepo, RN, BSN 1
Kathleen M. Richuso, RN, MSN 13
Donna Robinson, RN, BSN, CCRN 1
Margaret Rollins, RN, MSN, CCRN 1
Dorothy Rose Phelps, RN, BS, CCRN 9
Jeff
Reece, RN, BSN 7
Carol Reitz-Barlow, RN, CCRN 5
Margaret Riley, RN, BSN, CCRN 23
Christiana Jackai, RN, BSN 1
Patricia Dianne Jennings, RN, ADN, 5
CCRN
Debbie Karen Jessell, RN, CCRN 7
Linnea Johnson, RN, MSN, BA 1
Lauretta M. Joseph, RN, MSN, 13
CCRN,
NP
Louisa K. Kamatuka, RN, MSN, 6
CCRN,
CS
Kathleen Kane, RN, ADN, BS, CCRN 1
Beryl E. Keegan, RN, BSN, CCRN 9
Doris Kennedy, RN, BSN, BA, CCRN 1
Lori
E. Kennedy, RN, BSN, CCRN 7
Nancy D. King, RN, MSN, 22
CCRN,
NP
Katherine Kleinow, RN, BSN 1
Kelly A. Knickerbocker, RN 7
Debra Knight, RN, BSN 1
Colleen Kowalchuk, RN, CCRN 7
Joanne M. Kuszaj, RN, MSN, CCRN 5
Hilarie Larson, RN, BSN, CCRN 1
Darlene M. Legge, RN, BSN, CCRN 31
Laura Lipp, RN 1
Karen London, RN, ADN 1
Eugenia Macalald 1
Michele L. Manning, RN, MSN, 8
CCRN, CS
Polly Ann Marinelli, RN, ADN 8
Stephanie Mason, RN 1
Martie C. Mattson, RN, CNS, 8
MSN,
CCRN
Ashlee T. Mattutini, RN 9
Elaine Mayo 1
Michael McEvoy, RN, ADN, PhD, 1
CCRN
Yvonne McKenna, RN, BSN, CCRN 1
James Mears, RN 6
Marla Meaux, RN, CCRN 3
Justine Medina, RN, MS 2
Ruth
G. Melvin, RN, BSN, CCRN 8
Arlene N. Messina, RN, ADN, CCRN 5
Maranda Meyer, RN, ADN 3
Katherine H. Miller, RN, ADN 10
Nicolette Mininni, RN, MEd, CCRN 1
Gina
Montagnino, RN, MSN, CCRN, 1
CPNP
Bonita Moore, RN, BS, BSN, CCRN 1
Bettina Moxley, RN, BS, BSN, CCRN 1
Annette M. Mtangi, RN, ADN, CCRN 21
Paulita D. Narag, RN, ADN, CCRN 8
Amanda L. Newman 5
Donna M. O’Neill, RN, ADN, CCRN 5
Sheila Palmer, RN, BSN 1
Judy
Parker, RN, ADN, CCRN 1
Kathleen Peavy, RN, MS, CCRN 2
Amy
Pelleg, RN, MSN, CCRN 1
Norma Peralta, RN, BSN, CCRN 1
Hurd
Alton Pittman, RN, MSN, CCRN 9
Colleen O. Planchon, RN, BSN, 10
BS,
CCRN
Anne
Pondevida, RN, BSN, CCRN 1
Kathleen Quattrocchi, RN, BSN 8
Michele Quinlan, RN, BSN 26
Juan
Quintero, RN, MSN, CCRN 2
Angela Raquepo, RN, BSN 1
Kathleen M. Richuso, RN, MSN 13
Donna Robinson, RN, BSN, CCRN 1
Margaret Rollins, RN, MSN, CCRN 1
Dorothy Rose Phelps, RN, BS, CCRN 9
Jeff
Reece, RN, BSN 7
Carol Reitz-Barlow, RN, CCRN 5
Margaret Riley, RN, BSN, CCRN 23 |
Recruiter #Rec ruited
Barbara Sampson, RN, BSN 1
Barbara Ann Schnakenberg, RN 5
Lynn
Smith Schnautz, RN, MSN, 16
CCRN
Mary
Schneiderhahn, RN, MSN, CS 1
Marlene Schoettle, RN, MSN, CCRN 1
Lynn
Scott, RN, BSN, BA, CCRN 1
Robin K. Selbach, RN, BSN, MBA, 5
CCRN
Lindsey Shank, RN, BSN, CCRN 11
Lynn
Simko, RN, PhD, CCRN 1
Anita M. Siscoe-Hapshie, RN, CCRN 6
Jacqueline Smith, RN 1
Sandra Smith, PhD, APRN 1
Mary
Lou Sole, RN, PhD, CCRN, FAAN 2
Michelle Sommers, RN, BSN, CCRN 1
Janet Staab, RN, MSN, CCRN 1
Kathleen Stacey 1
Margaret Stackpoole 1
Pat
Stanton, RN, MS, CCRN 1
Cynthia L. Steinbach, RN, BSN, 5
CCRN
Elaine Stevens, RN, BS, MSN, CCRN, 1
CCNS
Janice L. Stevens, RN, BSN, CCRN, 5
CNRN
Theresa Stevens, RN, MS, CCRN, 2
CCNS
Agnes Stewart, RN 1
Mary
C. Stewart, RN, BSN, MBA 13
Sharon Stewart, RN, MSN, CCRN 1
Marjorie A. Stock, RN, ADN, CCRN 5
Mildred Swan, RN, CCRN 1
Susan Swanson, RN, MS, CCRN, CCNS 1
Yvonne Thelwell, RN 19
Linda C. Thomas, RN, MSN, CCRN 6
Mary
Fran Tracy, RN, PhD, CCRN 1
Rita
C. Uberti, RN, BS, CCRN 11
Tracy Unertl, RN, BSN 1
Valerie Vogeler, RN, BSN, CCRN 2
Diane Walsh, RN 1
Melissa Warthen, RN, MSN 1
Holly L. Weber-Johnson, RN, BSN 11
Barbara G. Wiles, RN, BSN, CCRN 9
Felecia Williams, RN, BSN, CCRN 1
Michael L. Williams, RN, MSN, 6
CCRN
Melanie K. Williamson, RN, CCRN 6
Jana
Woller Hough, RN, BSN 1
Kathy L. Woods, RN 5
Jean
Yavorski, RN, BSN, CCRN 1
Pam
Zinnecker, RN, CCRN 6
Marcy Zoller, RN, BSN 1
Chapters
Albemarle Area Chapter 6
Anchorage Chapter 5
Atlanta Area Chapter 68
Brevard Chapter 8
Brooklyn Chapter 24
Broward County Chapter 11
Carolina Dogwood Chapter 7
Central Pennsylvania Chapter 1
Coastal Chapter 1
Foot
of the Blue Ridge Chapter 15
Greater Akron Area Chapter 2
Greater Austin Area Chapter 12
Greater Birmingham Chapter 1
Greater Chicago Area Chapter 1
Greater East Texas Chapter 16
Greater Evansville Chapter 28
Greater Flint Area Chapter 8
Greater Kansas City Chapter 1
Greater Louisville Chapter 21
Greater Miami Area Chapter 21
Greater Milwaukee Area Chapter 22
Greater New Orleans Chapter 1
Greater Phoenix Area Chapter 9
Greater Raleigh Area Chapter 15
Greater St. Louis Chapter 2
Greater Tulsa Area Chapter 21
Head
of the Lakes Chapter 5
Heart of Acadiana Chapter 13
Heart of the Piedmont Chapter 36
Jersey Shoreline Chapter 1
Metropolitan Orlando Chapter 6
Minot Roughrider Chapter 11
Mississippi Gulf Coast 1
Magnolia Chapter
Mobile Bay Area Chapter 7
Montana Big Sky Chapter 6
North Central Florida Chapter 39
North Central Wisconsin Chapter 5
Northeast Indiana Chapter 7
Northwest Georgia Chapter 19
Ocean State Chapter 1
Pacific Crest Regional Chapter 34
Palmetto Chapter 8
Peninsula Chapter 12
Piedmont Carolinas Chapter 1
Siouxland Chapter 5
Smoky Mountain Chapter 2
South Bay Chapter 1
South Carolina Mid State Chapter 10
Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter 18
Southern Maine Chapter 2
Spokane Chapter 5
Vermont Green Mountain Chapter 28
Washtenaw County Chapter 1 |
February
Rewards
Congratulations to the reward recipients in
our monthly membership campaign drawings for
February. Each month, one chapter receives a
complimentary registration to NTI 2002, and
one individual receives a $100 American
Express gift certificate. The recipients are
randomly selected from those who recruited
at least one new member during the month.
The
recipients in February were:
•
Chapter—Atlanta Area Chapter
• Tracy
Unertl, RN, BSN
To obtain
Critical Links recruitment forms, call (800)
899-2226. Request Item #1316. Or, visit the
AACN Web site at
http://www.aacn.org
> Membership.
Public
Policy Update
Issue: RN
Survey
Update:
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy
Thompson has released the final report of
the 2000 National Sample Survey of
Registered Nurses. The report, which is the
most comprehensive statistical resource on
the nation’s RNs, shows that the average RN
age continues to increase and that the rate
of nurses entering the profession,
particularly young nurses, continues to
decline. The survey also found that the rate
of nurses entering the workforce between
1996 and 2000 was down from 14% the previous
four years to 4.1% . Other findings were:
• The number
of active, licensed RNs had increased
137,666 to approximately 2.697 million since
1996.
• 81.7% of
active, licensed RNs are employed in
nursing.
• 12.3%
reported being of one or more racial or
ethnic minority background.
• 5.9% are
men, up from 5.4%.
• The number
of nurses working in hospitals increased
from 1,270,870 to 1,300,323.
Issue:
Bioterrorism Preparedness
Update:
Teleconferences are an effective way to
provide standardized bioterrorism
preparedness training to large,
geographically diverse groups of doctors,
nurses and other clinicians, according to a
report by the Agency for Health Research
Quality’s Evidence-Based Practice Center at
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md. In
fact, the report states that satellite
teleconferences may be as effective as
classroom teaching.
The report,
titled “Training of Clinicians for Public
Health Events Relevant to Bioterrorism
Preparedness,” reviewed 60 studies on the
most- and least-effective strategies for
training clinicians to be prepared for
bioterrorism. AHRQ’s $5 million
bioterrorism, research portfolio includes
projects to examine the clinical training
and ability of front-line medical staff,
including primary care providers, emergency
departments and hospitals, to detect and
respond to a bioterrorist threat.
Issue:
Mandatory Overtime
Status: A
bill to ban mandatory overtime for nurses
and other healthcare workers is working its
way through the Wisconsin Legislature.
Although approved by the state Senate on a
19-14 vote, the state Assembly is expected
to send the measure to the Joint Finance
Committee and an uncertain future. A key
assembly leader already has argued that the
contract issue would be best left to labor
and management, not lawmakers.
The bill,
which was introduced by a registered nurse,
Sen. Judy Robson, would prohibit a hospital,
nursing home, clinic or other healthcare
facility from requiring a nurse or other
employee who is caring for patients or
residents to work overtime. Healthcare
employers could not force employees directly
involved in the care of individuals and paid
an hourly wage to work beyond their regular
shift and exceed 40 hours a week. Healthcare
workers could still work overtime if they
wanted, and the ban would not apply in
situations where a hospital had no
alternative, for example, when faced with an
unforeseeable emergency. The bill would
protect workers who refuse overtime from
discharge, demotion or other disciplinary
actions. An employer who retaliates could be
fined up to $1,000 for the first offense and
up to $5,000 for a second violation in a
year. An identical bill, introduced by Rep.
DuWayne Johnsrud, was awaiting action in the
Senate Finance Committee.
During
Senate debate, Robson said nurses forced to
work back-to-back shifts are bound to make
mistakes that endanger patients. However,
Sen. Mike Ellis said Robson’s bill would
exacerbate staffing problems created by the
nursing shortage and leave critical care
gaps that are equally life threatening.
AACN
Position: AACN believes that mandatory
overtime is not an acceptable way to meet
staffing needs. Mandatory overtime is
neither an accepted practice in the nursing
community nor a “standard” of the industry,
and nurses should not be forced into working
beyond their capacity to provide optimal
care.
Issue:
Needlestick Safety
Status:
Venetec International is the first company
to announce that it will include a
needlestick-safety advisory to clinicians as
part of its safety securement device’s
standard packaging. The advisory, known as
the “Notification to Clinicians on Sharps
Injury Prevention,” was created by the
National Alliance for the Primary Prevention
of Sharps Injuries.
NAPPSI has
petitioned the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health and other
leading medical and safety organizations to
broadly publish the clinician advisory as a
way of alerting doctors and nurses to
technologies and practices that reduce or
eliminate the use of sharp implements.
AACN
Position: As a member of NAPPSI, a national
nonprofit organization composed of clinician
organizations representing thousands of
healthcare workers, hundreds of individual
clinicians and more than 20 manufacturers,
AACN has endorsed the advisory.
Issue:
Geriatric Training
Background:
The need for more geriatric training for
healthcare professionals was the focus of a
February hearing by the Senate Special
Committee On Aging. Highlighting the problem
was a report titled “Medical Never-Never
Land: 10 Reasons Why America is Not Ready
for the Coming Age Boom,” which was released
by the Alliance for Aging Research.
The report
notes that, though Americans who are older
than 65 represent more than half of
physician visits annually, only a small
percentage of healthcare professionals
actually have specific training to
appropriately care for this population.
For more
information on the report, contact Amber
McCracken at the Alliance for Aging
Research, (202) 293-2856.
AACN
Position: AACN promotes the highest level of
geriatric competence in all nurses to ensure
that people age with optimal function,
comfort and dignity and encourages the
development of best practices in nursing
care of older adults.
Issue:
Nursing Shortage
Update: The
nursing shortage is attracting attention at
both the state and federal levels, with
various actions to address the problem being
taken across the nation.
To help
address the nation’s growing need for
nurses, President Bush’s fiscal year 2003
budget proposes a total of $15 million,
nearly 50% more than last year, to expand
the Nursing Education Loan Repayment
Program. The increase would support 800 new
nursing education loan repayment agreements.
The program repays a substantial portion of
the education loans of nurses who agree to
work for two years in designated public or
nonprofit health facilities. Funding
preference is given to nurses who have the
greatest financial need and who agree to
serve in health facilities located in
geographic areas with a shortage of nurses.
Following is
a wrap-up of activity related to the nursing
shortage:
• The Bush
administration recently unveiled “Kids into
Health Careers,” an educational campaign to
attract more children to careers in nursing
and the healthcare profession. A related
tool kit has information on a range of
health careers.
• HHS
Secretary Thompson announced a new series of
grants and contracts totaling more than
$27.4 million to increase the number of
qualified nurses and the quality of nursing
services across the country. The awards are
designed to help ease the emerging shortage
of qualified nurses available to provide
essential healthcare services in many
communities nationwide.
• A federal
study ordered by Congress found that the
majority of the nation’s nursing homes,
about 90%, are staffed too thinly to
properly provide basic services. The study
concludes that achieving proper staffing
would cost nursing homes $7.6 billion a
year. A final version is being prepared by
the Department of Health and Human Services.
Although the
report found that the link between nursing
home staffing levels and poor care is
compelling, administration officials were
unwilling to say whether they will mandate
minimum staffing levels for nursing homes,
as critics have long demanded. Florida and
California have already passed legislation
that sets minimum staffing levels for
nursing homes, and several other states are
considering following suit.
Pointing to
plans to force all nursing homes to make
public their staff-to-patient ratio, the
administration said public demand for more
staffing will pressure nursing homes to do a
better job.
• Johnson &
Johnson has announced the launch of a
multiyear campaign that includes national
advertising to attract more people to
nursing as a career in hospitals and
extended care facilities. The campaign,
which is projected to exceed $20 million in
costs over the next two years, was developed
with several national nursing organizations.
Called “The Campaign for Nursing’s Future,”
the initiative includes recruitment
brochures, posters and videos for 20,000
high schools and 1,500 nursing schools and
nursing organizations; scholarship funds for
students and nursing faculty; a multicity
scholarship fund-raising campaign with
hospitals, nursing organizations and
hospital associations; and a Web site (www.discovernursing.net)
about the benefits of a nursing career and
featuring searchable links to hundreds of
nursing scholarships and more than 1,000
accredited nursing education programs. The
campaign, which celebrates nurses and their
contributions, initially aired during the
winter Olympics.
• A recent
survey by the American Hospital Association
concluded that the hospital workforce
shortage is worsening. The survey found that
the average vacancy rate for registered
nurses is 13%, though one in seven hospitals
nationwide reported RN vacancy rates at
higher than 20%. Nurse vacancy rates have
increased at 60% of all hospitals since
1999. Vacancy rates for pharmacists and
radiology technicians were also above 10%,
according to the survey.
Hospitals
are trying to respond, the AHA survey
showed, with 51% saying they offer sign-on
bonuses, and 56% saying they rely on
contract nurses. Better pay and more
flexible hours have improved the situation
to some degree. Hospitals reported that the
number of pharmacists employed has risen 11%
since 1999, while the number of imaging
technicians and RNs are both up 8%. However,
the survey indicated that the shortage will
likely get worse before it gets better, with
the average nurse vacancy rate projected to
reach 15% by 2003.
Retaining
existing staff is also becoming more
difficult. The survey found 49% of hospitals
reporting that nursing staff turnover has
worsened since 1999. Overall, 82% of the
hospitals surveyed said nurse recruiting is
harder than two years ago.
• A
Healthcare Association of Southern
California initiative has increased the
number of nursing students in a six-country
region by 500 in the past year by working
with hospitals and nursing schools to
coordinate their needs. A consultant hired
by the association determines what the
schools in each community need to increase
enrollment and retention in programs
preparing registered nurses, such as funding
to add faculty or more clinical slots for
students at hospitals, explained HASC
spokesperson James Lott. The consultant, a
nurse executive and educator then visit
hospitals in the area to see what they can
do to help.
• Arizona
Gov. Jane Dee Hull has appointed a Nursing
Shortage Task Force to address her state’s
need for nurses. She said she is charging
the task force to focus on solutions, not on
restating the problem. The group, which is
comprised of representatives from hospitals,
nursing, long-term care, education and
public health, is expected to submit its
final recommendations by Dec. 21, 2003.
• The
Florida International University School of
Nursing has launched a yearlong campaign,
which includes partnerships with area
hospitals, to address specific nurse
shortage challenges in South Florida. For
example, Mount Sinai Medical Center has
provided $360,000 in funding and other
support to the school’s new nurse
anesthetist program. Baptist Health Systems
has committed $360,000 over six years toward
four-year scholarships to help in recruiting
high school students to the school. Tenet
South Florida Health Systems has committed
$230,000 over three years for an additional
medical-surgical nursing faculty member at
the school. Miami Children’s Hospital has
made an in-kind contribution valued at
$230,000 for a pediatric nursing faculty
member. Four other hospitals are
contributing $600,000 to a new program to
prepare foreign-trained physicians to become
nurses. The school also is partnering with a
health professions high school in Miami on a
program to recruit minority students to
nursing.
• The South
Dakota House Appropriations Committee has
approved $1.1 million in funding to expand
nursing education programs at South Dakota
State University and the
University
of South Dakota.
• It appears
that the nursing shortage and its attendant
publicity are affecting wages and working
conditions nationwide. In Boston, Tufts-New
England Medical Center has agreed to raise
nurses’ pay by 18 to 23% over 21 months, a
deal the nurses union called the state’s
biggest raise in nearly two decades. In
California, Gov. Gray Davis has announced
the nation’s first state-mandated,
nurse-to-patient ratios, tentatively set at
1 to 6 on regular hospital floors and 1 to 1
for trauma and intensive care patients. A
similar ratio bill is being debated in the
Massachusetts Legislature. Proponents cite
studies showing that care improves when
there are more nurses per patient. Critics
say that those studies are inconclusive and
that state-mandated ratios rob hospitals of
the flexibility they need. With 10% of the
nation’s nursing jobs vacant and one in
seven hospitals reporting a nursing vacancy
rate of 20%, 41% of hospitals are paying
signing bonuses as high as $10,000.
• In
September, nursing-school enrollment rose
3.7%, ending a six-year slide, according to
the American Association of Colleges of
Nursing. However, there are still roughly
21,000 fewer students than in 1995, not
enough to meet the demand for new nurses or
to stave off a projected shortage of 500,000
registered nurses by 2020.
Meanwhile,
some healthcare executives fear that too
much power for nurses, particularly nurses’
unions, could weaken hospitals financially,
thereby harming patients. Nevertheless,
there is a broad consensus among healthcare
executives and politicians that nurses, who
represent the largest block of employees in
the troubled healthcare system, need a
boost. Hospitals and unions alike are
thrilled that Congress and state
legislatures are setting aside money for
nurse training.
Issue:
Whistleblower Protection
Background:
An agreement has been reached between the
New York State Legislature and Gov. George
Pataki regarding a bill to extend protection
from retaliation against healthcare workers
who report improprieties in their industry.
Although the bill would apply to all
healthcare industry employees, it was driven
by the complaints of nurses who said they
continue to face punishment or dismissal for
bringing to light wrongdoing. The current
law says workers who come forward to report
actual harm against patients in the
healthcare system cannot be fired, demoted
or otherwise punished by their employers.
Under the agreement, the same protections
will be extended to whistleblowers who
report situations where patients are
potentially at risk of harm.
The
Democrat-controlled state Assembly approved
the bill unanimously. An identical measure
will be taken up in the
Republican-controlled state Senate. Assembly
sponsor Catherine Nolan and Senate sponsor
Nicholas Spano said the bill was negotiated
with Pataki’s office.
Be an
AACN-CCRN Ambassador
Join the
AACN-CCRN ambassadors, a group of AACN
members, CCRNs and CCNSs who are dedicated
to promoting the many benefits of AACN and
certified practice.
These
volunteers are a valuable link in furthering
AACN’s mission and vision by connecting with
other critical care nurses in their
communities and promoting the value of
nursing in a range of settings.
If you are
interested in becoming an AACN-CCRN
ambassador, you may sign up online at
http://www.aacn.org
> Membership > Volunteer Opportunities.
Coming
in the May Issue of the American Journal of
Critical Care
• Resource
Utilization Related to Atrial Fibrillation
After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting
• Effect of
a Critical Pathway on Outcomes of Patients
Following Carotid Endarterectomy
• The
Vortex: Families' Experiences With an ICU
Death
• Women's
Perceptions of Personal Cardiovascular Risk
and Their Risk-Reducing Behaviors
Subscriptions to Critical Care Nurse and the
American Journal of Critical Care are
included in AACN membership dues.
Celebrate Volunteerism! National Volunteer
Recognition Week Is April 21-27, 2002
AACN thanks
the many volunteers whose dedication and
commitment to their professional association
are making a difference for patients and
their families. We appreciate the work you
do and are truly indebted to you for your
services.
Looking Ahead
May 2002
May 1-31
National Critical Care Awareness and
Recognition Month.
May 1
Deadline to apply for AACN-sponsored
American Nurses Foundation Research Grant.
To obtain an application, contact the
American Nurses Foundation/NRG00, 600
Maryland
Avenue, SW, Suite 100W, Washington, DC
20024-2571; phone, (202) 651-7298; e-mail,
anf@ana.org;
Web site,
http://www.nursingworld.org/anf.
May 4-9
National Teaching Institute and Critical
Care Exposition, Atlanta, Ga. To register,
call (800) 899-2226 or visit the AACN Web
site at
http://www.aacn.org>
NTI.
May 6
National Nurses Day.
May 7 AACN
Annual Meeting and Forum, Tuesday, noon to
1:15 p.m., Georgia World Congress Center,
Atlanta, Ga.
June 2002
June 14
Deadline to submit nominations for positions
on the AACN Board of Directors, AACN
Certification Corporation Board of Directors
and AACN Nominating Committee for
2002-03. The nomination form is included in
this issue of AACN News. Forms can also be
obtained by calling (800) 394-5995, ext.
307, or via the AACN Web site
at
http://www.aacn.org
> Call for Nominations.
June 21
Deadline to apply for the AACN Wyeth Nursing
Fellows Program. To obtain an application,
call (800) 899-2226 and request Item #2005
or AACN Fax on Demand at
(800) 222-6329 and request Document #2005.
Applications are also available online at
http://www.aacn.org
> Clinical Practice > Research > Awards.
June 30
3-Person Discount program for CCRN exam
ends. The discount flyer is available by
calling (800) 899-2226 or e-mailing
certcorp@aacn.org.
The flyer can also be downloaded
from the AACN Certification Corporation Web
site at
http://www.certcorp.org
> CCRN.
July 2002
July 15
Deadline to apply for the AACN Circle of
Excellence Award program for 2002. To obtain
an awards guide, call (800) 899-2226 and
request Item #1011, or visit the AACN Web
site at
http://www.aacn.org
> Membership >Awards, Grants, Scholarships.
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