Novmeber 11 - Serving Our Veterans

Something we do not mention enough when we talk about the members of the NLN is that many are veterans who served our country in our most recent wars, and many serve still as US Nurse Corps officers and in other capacities. Well, today is Veterans Day, and as we pay tribute to those who served, it is important to acknowledge these nurses. We thank you for your sacrifice, your caring, your integrity, and your excellence, qualities that match the NLN’s core values. As we regard the many veterans who gave and continue to give so much to our country, we can certainly apply another of the NLN’s core values, that is, diversity.

Veterans Day is a good time to remind you that NLN ACE.V (Advancing Care Excellence for Veterans) unfolding cases are available for your use at no charge. I wrote at length in my last Member Update about the NLN Center for Excellence in the Care of Vulnerable Populations and the Advancing Care Excellence initiative. Today I would like to introduce to some and present to others Randy Adams, Butch Sampson, Eugene Shaw, and Jenny Brown, veterans of varying ages with a range of life experiences. You will find these ACE.V cases and the teaching strategies provided to be valuable, real-life assets for the classroom and simulation laboratory. Your students will become emotionally involved in their care.

It’s probably not necessary to remind you that the busier we are, the faster time flies. Thanksgiving will be here in two weeks, and you know what happens after that – we’re all in a rush, and the New Year will be right around the corner. But here is something to think about now: December 1 is the day applications open for the 2016 cohort of the NLN Academy of Nursing Education. Don’t be too busy to plan the application preparation and submission process.

The NLN Academy of Nursing Education recognizes “outstanding individuals who have made enduring and substantial contributions to nursing education” and “spotlights the unique knowledge and skills needed by academic scholars, the significance of pedagogical research, and ways in which nursing education leaders are transforming and advancing excellence in nursing education.” Before you say, “That’s not me,” I hope you will read about the academy, scan the list of fellows, and consider whether now is the time for recognition by your peers for the contributions you and your team make to nursing education. To help you in the application process, download the Academy of Nursing Education Handbook.

And speaking of recognition, let me tell you about the experience Chrissy Ward, NLN director of membership and recognition programs, had on Monday. Chrissy visited Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing to present student Dolly Vo with her award as the 2015 winner of the Student Excellence Paper Competition.

Dr. Marie Nolan, VP Academic Affairs, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing; Catharine Treanor, Clinical Instructor, Dolly Vo, NLN COE Student Essay Award Winner, Chrissy Ward, NLN Director of Membership

Each year, the competition offers students in NLN Center of Excellence (COE) schools with the opportunity to express their thoughts on the meaning of excellence in nursing education. In her winning paper, Dolly writes to future graduates, cautioning them to be confident, reminding them that while they may be nervous, they “trained with excellence, by excellence, at a school of excellence.” She writes of the excellence fostered within each new graduate that “has given [them] the power to go anywhere.” You can read the full paper in the upcoming edition of your member newsletter, the NLN Report.

It’s not too early to start thinking about the COE application process and the category that best applies to your institution. At our most recent NLN Education Summit, we named 12 schools of nursing representing programs across the academic spectrum as COEs. Think about your program’s strengths and let Dolly’s wonderful paper remind you of the power of all NLN Centers of Excellence.

Before I close, I must mention that I recently experienced a catastrophic event. My mentor from my doctoral graduate days died and I have transitioned to a new and different level in my life. This amazing nurse warrior was Dr. Hattie B. Bessent, an incredibly gifted psychiatric mental health nurse who saw something in me that I had not, and, at the time, could not see for myself. If you are not sure you met her, most likely you did not. My mentee colleagues and I recall that encounters with Dr. Bessent were so powerful the earth would actually shake.

Let me tell you about the new and different level of experience I now have with Dr. Bessent. I can hear her sharing her expectations of me more than ever before. I can see her laughter and brilliance in the smiles and work of others. I carry more of her in my heart and, hopefully, in my mind — she is always with me. What a wonderful mentor to have had.

I won’t have a new Member Update for you in two weeks as we get ready for Thanksgiving. Enjoy the holiday, colleagues, for all that it represents: gratitude for all that you have, good food, and good times with family and friends. And remember, it is always smart to take a brisk walk before and after dinner.

Take at look at the photos from the 10th Annual NLN/Elsevier Technology Conference: Partnering for Connected Health. #NLNETech10 ‬‬‬‬