National League for Nursing Leading the Way

America’s 3 million nurses are enjoying their leadership positions in health care during the 2014 National Nurses Week, from May 6-12. The week concluded on the birthday celebration of Florence Nightingale, a recognized leader in the profession. Not every health professional will become an international trailblazer for the profession, but every health professional has an opportunity to advertise quality patient care and take care of growing issues within the profession, that shows leadership. And that’s why this year’s concept, selected by the American Nurses Association, is Nurses Leading the Way.

national_league_for_nursing“I am so pleased this is the concept,” said Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN and CEO of the National League for Nursing. There are many different ways nurses lead: from navigating sufferers from the bedside to back home and changing guidelines within their companies to providing on boards and forming policy, the National League for Nursing CEO also stated. “With more than 3 million nursing staff on the front-lines of medical care, we are critical to enhancing our nation’s health and are providing leadership to address many difficulties such as the increasing number of people with serious disease conditions and enhancing medical care results while reducing cost,” added Debra L. Fowler, PhD, MBA, RN, CNE, associate professor of nursing systems and track director of MSN in nursing leadership and administration at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Nursing. Nurses provide leadership to their sufferers by supporting them to improve their individual wellness and cause their health professional co-workers by using evidence-based exercise, Fowler outlined.

“We need to be leaders in evidence-based practice and medical care change,” said Bernadette Mazurek Melnyk, PhD, RN, CPNP/PMHNP, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN, dean and professor in the College of Nursing and professor of pediatrics and psychiatry in the College of Medicine at The Ohio State University in Columbus. “In particular, we need to be leading the health marketing and prevention paradigm throughout the United States.”

National League for Nursing New Director of Accreditation

The National League for Nursing has appointed Judith A. Halstead, PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEF, to lead its new accreditation department, effective July 1, 2014. Said NLN President Marsha Howell Adams, PhD, RN, CNE, FAAN, “I can think of no better person to direct this trans-formative initiative. With Dr. Halstead’s management, the NLN C-NEA will consist of accreditation services that are permeated with the League’s primary principles of caring, reliability, diversity and quality.” “The NLN’s objective to advance the health of the nation cannot be obtained without a dedication to the best nursing information possible,” said Dr. Halstead, PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEF. “I am excited and recognized to have the opportunity to provide leadership to this important initiative.”

national_league_for_nursingCurrently professor of nursing at Indiana University College of Nursing and director of IU’s Office for Online Education, Dr. Halstead was praised by School of Nursing dean, Dr. Marion Broome: “Judy Halstead delivers a lot of experience to this position. She has more than three years of experience in nursing education, management experience at both the college of nursing and university level, a system of co-workers with skills in this area across the nation and strong knowledge of requirements in nursing education. This unique education and expertise set will allow Dr. Halstead to cause this essential new initiative in ways few, if any, other individual could.”

Dr. Halstead is co-editor of the commonly referenced Teaching in Nursing: A Guide for Faculty. Her several awards include the MNRS Advancement of Science Award for the Nursing Education Research Section and the Sigma Theta Tau International Elizabeth Russell Belford Excellence in Education Award. Dr. Halstead is a fellow in the National League for Nursing Academy of Nursing Education and the American Academy of Nursing. Her work to promote quality in nursing education is commonly published nationwide and worldwide in more than 50 journals and 100 presentations and she is a frequently desired consultant on the process of nursing education. Dr. Halstead served as National League of Nursing president from 2011-2013.

NLN’s New Program for Nursing Students

The National League for Nursing or NLN declared the release of an important initiative of the NLN Center for Academic and Clinical Transitions. The center is reinforced by grants from Laerdal Medical, the innovator in healthcare education and studying equipment, and Wolters Kluwer Health, marketers of Lippincott nursing material. This unique collaboration of not-for-profit and private business will create collaborative programs to better prepare nursing staff for the progressively complex requirements of nursing practice.

NLN“The requirements placed on modern practicing nursing staff are accelerating, with more sick sufferers, more complex treatments and digital medical records all including new levels of complexity to basic nursing care,” said Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN, CEO of the NLN, whose members consist of more than 38,000 health professional staff and 1,200 educational institutions of nursing. “This center will build a link between those providing nursing education and studying and those guiding nursing staff in practice. Together, we can create the alternatives and resources modern learners need to succeed in this challenging field.”

NLN President Judith Halstead, PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEF declared that the NLN Center’s first program, Accelerating to Practice, will focus on building relationships to enhance the conversion of new nursing staff from education and studying to practice. A team consisting of major health professional teachers and medical center nursing directors will draw on active research to determine the specific capabilities that new nursing staff need to ensure job success.  Then, together with Laerdal Medical and Wolters Kluwer Health, the NLN will create an Accelerating to Practice programs and material, which will be available for implementation by 2015.

“Together we can make a consistent, affordable, and motivating way to help nursing staff be as successful as possible when they enter practice,” said Clive Patrickson, CEO, Laerdal Medical. Wolters Kluwer Health and Laerdal Medical have previously joined on product that incorporate digital health record studying resources with individual cases and manikin simulator, helping learners master the skills of patient record presentation, individual care and follow up certification. The integrated items link to Lippincott books, referrals and eLearning material, to enhance clinical knowledge and verdict, and make engaging student experiences.