August 17, 2016 | NLN Member Update: The NLN Awards

The NLN Education Summit 2016 is coming up September 21-23 in Orlando. Will you be there? At NLN headquarters, staff are working nonstop to get everything ready, and the excitement is palpable. I, for one, cannot wait.

One of my pleasures at these annual gatherings of colleagues is to be part of the conversation about cutting-edge trends in nursing education. This year we are looking “Beyond Boundaries” and are anticipating fascinating presentations of all types, along with the opportunity to observe faculty leaders in action. Our many members bring diverse experiences, skills, and viewpoints to the conversation, and – if I may say so myself – are a very impressive group. With our shared values and dedication to the NLN mission to build a strong and diverse nursing workforce, we enjoy having the opportunity to meet in large and small groups and explore new ways to promote excellence in nursing education.

The Summit is also an opportunity to honor some of our great leaders in nursing and nursing education and share their stories. For example, we will hear from Sheila Dinotshe Tlou, director of the UNAIDS Regional Support Team for Eastern and Southern Africa, and minister of health of Botswana from 2004 to 2009. A professor of nursing with a PhD in nursing sciences and postgraduate certificates in women’s health and gender studies from the University of Illinois in Chicago, Dr. Tlou will open the Summit with a keynote presentation on global nursing education. The NLN will then honor her with the prestigious NLN President’s Award. Dr. Tlou is the UN Eminent Person for Women, Girls, and HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa – I think we can be sure that her presentation will be inspirational.

The other recipient of the NLN President’s Award at this Summit is someone with whom both President Anne Bavier and I have worked closely as part of the Tri-Council for Nursing, that is, Pam Thompson, who recently retired from her position as chief executive officer of the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) and senior vice president nursing/chief nursing officer of the American Hospital Association. In her 16 years as CEO, she played a pivotal role in AONE’s development of emerging nurse leaders while addressing issues specific to strengthening the health care workforce and the redesign of patient care delivery. She and I share a vision for promoting nursing excellence and I will miss her voice at Tri-Council meetings, but I am very glad she will join us during the opening session at our Summit to receive the President’s Award. Colleagues, join me in wishing Pam a happy and healthy retirement.

Often when we think about nursing leadership, we look to the past – to those amazing women who founded the organizations that became the NLN. That is why, at last year’s Summit, we decided to revitalize the League’s tradition of honoring contemporary leaders with awards named for three giants in nursing education: Mary Adelaide Nutting, considered the world’s first professor of nursing; Isabel Hampton Robb, head of the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and author of the earliest nursing textbooks; and Lillian Wald, nurse, social worker, and first president of the National Organization for Public Health Nursing.

I am excited to report that the NLN Mary Adelaide Nutting Award for Outstanding Leadership in Nursing Education will be presented to Dr. Pamela R. Jeffries, dean and professor at the George Washington University School of Nursing, whose name is practically synonymous with simulation. Pam headed the NLN’s early research studies on the use of simulation in nursing education, and last year, based on a thorough synthesis of the literature and consensus among researchers and simulation leaders, the NLN Jeffries Simulation Framework became the NLN Jeffries Simulation Theory. I am proud that the NLN will be forever associated with this dynamic innovator in nursing education.

The NLN Isabel Hampton Robb Award for Outstanding Leadership in Clinical Practice will be presented to Dr. Deborah Raines, associate professor at the University at Buffalo. As a research consultant at Sisters of Charity Hospital in Buffalo, Deborah has collaborated on Safe Sleep for Baby and evidence-based quality improvement projects that provide outstanding educational experiences for nursing students while resulting in joint presentations and publications by nursing students and Sisters of Charity nurses. Her research centers on parenting behaviors, pregnancy and newborn health, and nursing workforce development through innovative education, and her interests include curriculum design, educational technology, and retention and student success.

Dr. Jan M. Nick, winner of the NLN Lillian Wald Humanitarian Award, exemplifies the Summit theme by bringing her nursing skills well Beyond Boundaries. A professor at Loma Linda University School of Nursing, she recently held a dual appointment as dean of nursing at Saniku Gakuin College, Otaki, Japan. Her global work as a clinical volunteer has brought her to Spain, Mexico, and Cameroon. And, since 2000, she has travelled extensively around the globe, helping strengthen the skills and capacities of nursing schools in developing countries while updating faculty on nursing content and active learning strategies, evidence-based practice, and information literacy. She most recently spent time volunteering as health policy intern in Geneva to learn how to construct policy to impact health on a global scale. Jan is currently working on chapters for a midwifery textbook for students in India.

Pam, Deborah, and Jan will receive their awards on Friday afternoon at the Summit Honors Convocation, where we will also celebrate the NLN Centers of Excellence and induct the 2016 Class of Fellows into the NLN Academy of Nursing Education. I hope you will join with me in toasting all honorees at the President’s Reception, a festive conclusion to the 2016 Summit. As well, colleagues, I hope you will seek recognition yourself, as a CNE, ANEF, or member of an NLN COE. These acronyms are more than meaningful – Certified Nurse Educator, Academy of Nursing Education Fellow, and NLN Center of Excellence. Look them up and absorb the profound meaning of each one, then move forward to add them to your professional identification or that of your school and join the NLN as a leader in nursing education. I will see you “Beyond Boundaries” at the Summit.

All best wishes,

Next Issue of the NLN Member Update: Wednesday, August 31, 2016. View previous issues of NLN Member Update »