August 23, 2017 | NLN CEO Update on NEP Special Issue

I well remember the excitement from October 2010, when the Institute of Medicine first launched its seminal report: The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. The IOM based its report on a two-year initiative with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to assess the nursing profession and make specific recommendations for transformation. That November our research journal, Nursing Education Perspectives, published papers by distinguished nurse scholars written for the IOM to support the need for change. As Dr. Cathleen Shultz stated in her President’s Message in that issue, “Nursing as we know it will never be the same.”

So, what has happened in the seven years since that launch? And specifically, what steps has nursing education taken to respond to the IOM recommendations? To learn more, Nursing Education Perspectives turned to guest editors for the September/October 2017 Summit issue: Dr. Audrey Beauvais and Dr. Meredith Wallace Kazer, associate dean and dean, respectively, at the Fairfield University Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies. Their work has resulted in a special issue of the NLN research journal with the overarching title “The Future of Nursing: Progress from State Action Coalitions.” What a remarkable picture of progress it portrays.

Faced with an overwhelming response to the Call for Manuscripts, Audrey and Meredith selected 13 manuscripts representing the work of 12 Action Coalitions from across the country, supported by RWJF and the AARP through the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action. In their guest editorial they tell us how they became involved with the work of the Connecticut Nursing Collaborative-Action Coalition to prepare nurses for leadership positions in health care, create seamless education models, and educate nurses to more effectively impact population health. With colleagues from across Connecticut, they report on their efforts in an article titled “After the Gap Analysis: Education and Practice Changes to Prepare Nurses of the Future.”

Careful reading of this issue tells a remarkable story of collaboration and good will involving academic institutions of all types throughout the United States, in urban and rural areas alike, and how they set about implementing the IOM recommendations, particularly the recommendation that 80 percent of RNs have a BSN by 2020. We learn how the Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education has influenced progression models throughout the country; how Massachusetts updated its Nurse of the Future Core Competencies to capture the knowledge, attitudes, and skills needed by entry-level nurses to practice safely and effectively, and how these competencies are being used by other states; and how competency-based curricula are taking root as a means to facilitate academic progression. The cover lines for this issue provide a clue to what’s inside.

	From Start-Up to Sustainability in Oregon
	Core Competencies for Nurses in Massachusetts
	Pathways to BSN Education in Ohio
	After the Gap Analysis in Connecticut
	Streamlining Academic Progression in Alabama
	A Unique Approach to Nurse Preparation in Minnesota
	Development of an Online IOM Toolkit in Texas
	BSN and Higher Degree Initiatives in North Carolina
	Pathways to Academic Progression in Maryland
	Building on a Strong Community College System in Wyoming
	Developing a Statewide Common Curriculum in New Mexico
	Supporting Doctoral Education in Georgia

Many, many NLN members have worked behind the scenes, in their states’ Action Coalitions, to transform nursing education in keeping with local needs and conditions. I salute you along with the authors of these articles. By tearing down silos in partnership with practice and focusing on what nurses need to know, you have helped in Leading Change and Advancing Health.

Nursing Education Perspectives editor Dr. Joyce Fitzpatrick has announced that on its 10th year anniversary, September-October 2020, the journal will again have a special issue on the IOM report: Research on Future of Nursing Report Successes and Challenges. Dr. Susan Hassmiller, RWJ senior adviser, has agreed to serve as guest editor.

Two other special issues are on tap as well. For September-October 2018, the topic is Educational Research Collaborations Between PhD/EdD- and DNP-Prepared Faculty with guest editors Dr. Barbara Patterson (NEP Research Briefs editor) and Dr. Celeste Alfes. And in 2019, we will have Research in Global Nursing Education, with guest editors Dr. Angela McNelis and Dr. Tamara McKinnon. Details are online. Don't forget, you have an online subscription to Nursing Education Perspectives as a benefit of NLN membership.

A final word – there has been much talk lately about hate groups in the United States. You know where the NLN stands, with diversity and integrity among our four core values: We affirm the uniqueness of and differences among persons, ideas, values, and ethnicities, and we respect the dignity and moral wholeness of every person without conditions or limitation. In fact, all four of our core values – caring, integrity, diversity, and excellence – stand in sharp contrast to our president’s views expressed on that unforgettable Tuesday.

See you at the Summit – it’s just around the corner. Best prices available until August 31.

Registration is now open for the 2018 Nursing Education Research Conference! We, along with Sigma Theta Tau International, invite you join nursing administrators, faculty, students, researchers, and nursing leaders to learn more about the science of nursing education. Learn more and register. #NERC18 Many nurses lack knowledge of health risks to mothers after childbirth Learn more. We all can't wait to hear our dynamic keynote @davidBdaniel at #NLNSummit17 "Since my participation in the program I am soaring professionally." #NLNLeadership

Next Issue of the NLN Member Update: Wednesday, September 6, 2017. View previous issues of NLN Member Update »