NLN Tapped by NIH for Advisory Group for Educational Project of the National Human Genomics Research Institute

New Online Resource Center for Nurse Educators Launched

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 6, 2010 — The National League for Nursing was among eight research and professional organizations tapped by the National Institutes for Healths National Human Genomics Research Institute (NHGRI) to participate in the creation and launch of a new online resource center for the teaching of genetics/human genomics to nurses and physicians assistants. NLN Board of Governors member Linda Howe, PhD, RN, CNS, CNE, an associate professor of nursing at Clemson University, represented the NLN on the Advisory Board to NHGRI, a panel of 11 leaders in nursing education from around the nation.

With the work of the advisory board recently concluded, nurse educators may now register for free access to the Genetics/Genomics Competency Center for Education (G2C2) at www.g-2-c-2.org. Developed by the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, this website is part of NHGRIs effort to address the growing need among health care professionals for knowledge in this area, which is paving the way for more individualized approaches to detect, treat, and prevent many diseases. A tutorial on how best to utilize the site will be made available to nurse educators this spring and physician assistant educators by fall 2010.

"I urge all nurse educators to take advantage of the opportunity to learn from this comprehensive resource," said NLN president Dr. Cathleen Shultz. "The NLN was honored to be invited to join this important NIH initiative and grateful that Dr. Howe was able to share her expertise in genetics education."

With genomics becoming increasingly essential to the daily delivery of health care, nurses have expressed the need for a centralized web-based repository for educators that facilitates communication, development, and distribution of educational resources and approaches to achieving genetic/genomic competency. Said NLN CEO Dr. Beverly Malone, "G2C2 will help meet that need by offering a learning management system that organizes curricula, streamlines core competencies, and standardizes curriculum development in this discipline."

Users of the Genetics/Genomics Competency Center can access materials for use in their classrooms and share their favorite genomic and genetic teaching resources with other educators by uploading material which is regularly reviewed for quality control.

To encourage sharing and reduce duplication across health care disciplines, the center helps to match existing educational resources with educational competencies for health professionals. The online center accomplishes this through sophisticated, cross-mapping of learning activities and assessments, outcome indicators and professional competencies.

Editors and reporters: For interview opportunities, please contact Karen R. Klestzick at 212-812-0376 or kklestzick@nln.org.

Dedicated to excellence in nursing, the National League for Nursing is the premier organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education. The NLN offers faculty development, networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives to its 31,000 individual and 1,200 institutional members who represent nursing education programs across the academic spectrum.