Spring Issue The NLN Report

The NLN Report

The Member Newsletter of the Voice for Nursing Education

Spring 2014Issue Twenty-one

INSIDE

Cover Story from Haiti:

Flipping the Classroom and Other Nursing EducationTransformations

Accreditation News

No Longer Lost for Words: The NLN ScholarlyWriting Retreat

Flight of the Phoenix

COE Student Excellence Paper

LeaderNotes

NLN FoundationScholarships

Coming Up from the NLN

NLNNational League for Nursing

National League for Nursing

The Voice for Nursing Education

See story page 4.

By William Rosa

Nurses’ depth of duty and skill-set fre-quently elude accurate articulation,incapable of being hemmed in by the

molecular aspects of science and constantlybeing revamped by professional evolution. Isee nurses at the bedside who know, withoutreservation, the truth of the human condition:we are born, we grow, we die. We bear witnessto the entire flow: the inception, culmination,and receding of life’s pulsating tide. Nursing isthe singular profession whose calling is thehuman condition itself, and nursing educationis characterized by the indissoluble fusion ofclassroom and bedside. It is one skill to mem-orize life’s stages from the textbook, and quiteanother to live it vicariously through a personwhose cry you assuage upon their coming intothe world, and whose hand you hold upontheir leaving it. Nurses know the human truththat every moment contains a lifetime and, inthat, an opportunity.

But the bedside simply does not happen with-out the classroom. Nursing education does notthrive without teachers who are also privy tothis truth. During my nursing theory class atthe Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing(HBSON), Professor Violet Malinski, PhD,RN, talked about the many colleges eliminat-ing nursing theory in their curricula. It seemsnursing theory no longer fits into the jobdescription of nurse practitioners as “little doc-tors.” But we are not little doctors; we areadept caregivers, and we have the privilege ofchoosing a lens with which to view the sacred-ness of nursing. Because of Dr. Malinski, Iunderstand that without a nursing-based theo-retical framework from which to draw, I amless than I can be when I walk into my patients’rooms. This offering of who I am as a nurse,rooted in the knowing of nursing scholarsbefore me, brings to life the spirit of inquiry,wonderment, and science of nursing educationconsidered so paramount by both the NationalLeague for Nursing (NLN) and HBSON.

Goethe said, “Knowing is not enough; we mustdo. Willing is not enough; we must apply.” Inresearch class we are reminded of the disparitybetween statistical and clinical significance. Wecan know statistically that when X occurs it hasa positive, negative, or neutral effect on Y. Butif X and Y have no bearing on our clinical livesthen who cares? Kenya Beard, EdD, RN, assis-tant professor at HBSON, cares. Every timeshe introduced the pathophysiology of a dis-ease she asked, “Why do you care if yourpatient has X?” She engaged the class aboutwhat we have seen with our own eyes and whatwe know to be true from our lived experience.

Dr. Beard was validating the relationshipbetween knowing and doing, between willing-ness and application. She jarred our clinicalmemory and asked us to explain our Y, infusingour experiences with her palpable passion andexpertise. She valued our truths and, in that ges-ture, we came to value hers. Under the guise ofa nursing degree requisite, Dr. Beard furtheredthe academic journey to a human one, opera-tionalizing concepts of values development, cre-ativity, competency, and partnership.

Nursing Education:

The Marriage of Mountaintop

and Marketplace

Spring 2014 The Voice for Nursing Education Page 2

Dear Colleagues,

I just took a look at my note to you

from the spring 2013 issue of the NLN

Report and here is what I said: “Next

spring, of course, NLN staff will be

enjoying the cherry blossoms that

Washington is famous for, as long-time

(well, nine months long) citizens of our

nation’s capital.”

How quickly the time has flown! Our

talented “new” staff members have

seamlessly joined the wonderful NLN

family helping to fulfill our mission to

promote excellence in nursing educa-

tion to build a strong and diverse nurs-

ing workforce to advance the nation’s

health. We often wonder now how we

did without these individuals who

share the NLN’s core values of caring,

integrity, diversity, and excellence. I

wrote about many of them in the

January 6 issue of my biweekly Member

Update and we continue to feature new

individuals in each edition. All the

Member Updates can be found on our

website on the publications page.

I want to reiterate our open invitation

to visit us at our beautiful offices in the

Watergate any time you’re in DC. We

love sharing our new home with you,

the NLN Home for Transformative

Excellence.

Happy spring. I hope to see you in

September at “Flight of the Phoenix,”

the 2014 NLN Education Summit, this

year in the Valley of the Sun – Phoenix,

Arizona.

Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN

The Student Excellence Paper

Competition provides students enrolled

in a Center of Excellence school with

the opportunity to share their thinking

about excellence in nursing education,

what fosters excellence, and what it

means to them to be part of an NLN

Center of Excellence.

William Rosa received an MSN, summa

cum laude, from Hunter College in New

York City in December 2013. He is

currently the nurse educator for Critical

Care Services at NYU Langone Medical

Center.

Continued


It is not just the intimate classroom experi-ences that create the overall vibe of innovationat HBSON. Proudly displayed throughout thecampus are several Johnson & Johnson postersthat state, “Be a Nurse!” You think to yourself,“I am a nurse.” The followup thoughts gosomething like this: “I can be a better nurse.That’s what I’m doing here…to learn to be bet-ter than I was yesterday…to strive to be anexcellent nurse.” The encouragement of facul-ty leadership and scholarly achievement radi-ates down the hallways. That energy is felt inthe open doors of professors, constantly wel-coming student inquiries about the researchassistant position, the unique elective comingup, or the future of individual career concerns.

HBSON maintains exemplary technologicalcommitments by implementing hybrid online-traditional classes and allowing students toshare our clinical experiences and academicwriting on an Internet database, accessible topotential employers. The inspiration poursthrough the pages of the student newspaperwhich enlightens us to each other’s voices,seeps through the bulletin board announcingfaculty research grants, and drops into yourinbox highlighting upcoming writing competi-tions, educational forums, and seminars forprofessional growth.

In 2006, Elizabeth Gilbert appeared on the“Oprah Winfrey Show” to discuss her interna-tional best-selling memoir, Eat Pray Love.Gilbert had spent the year rummaging throughher internal universe, teaching herself the art ofpleasure in Italy, diligently practicing ancientspirituality in India, and learning to cultivate

balance of the body-spirit-mind in Bali. Thephysical journey took a year to travel fromRoman ruins to a yogic ashram, and from euca-lyptus meadows to Indonesian beaches. Theemotional, spiritual, and intellectual journeyhad begun far before she ever left home andcontinues today on a global continuumthrough the medium of her words. The story isone of growth, evolution, meditation, and con-templation – the self-recognition of being morethan she was before. This idea of, “I have got-ten more and now have more to give,” is reallythe crux of education. While on the show,Gilbert quoted an ancient Japanese poem:“When I stand on the mountaintop, the worldunfolds before me. When I walk through themarketplace, I carry the mountaintop undermy robes.”

Herein lays the root of nursing education: Ishare the human condition from the bedsidewith my peers, and in doing so, find reflectionon how to bring more of myself in the futurefrom a heightened perspective. And so theclassroom becomes a mountaintop of its own,unraveling the moments I am incapable ofuntangling myself, so that when I return to thebedside I carry the mountaintop under myrobes; the classroom under my scrubs.

Much like the NLN, HBSON exemplifiesexcellence in nursing education by providingnurses with the incentive to augment self-knowledge through academic challenge, there-by unveiling our previously untapped resourcesto patients, colleagues, families, communities,and most essentially, to ourselves.

William Rosa with Dr. Judith Halstead (NLN president 2012-2013) and CEO Dr. BeverlyMalone at 2012 Summit

Scholarships from the NLN Foundation for NursingEducation

Each year the NLN Foundationoffers three to four scholarshipsin support of the NLN mission to

build a strong and diverse nursing work-force to advance the nation’s health. Thegoal of these scholarships is to encour-age more experienced and ethnicallydiverse nurses to pursue master’s ordoctoral degrees to prepare for full-timepositions as nurse educators.

As last year’s scholar Tammie L.

Calabrese, MSN, RN, CNOR, describes:

“My aspiration is to uncover best prac-

tices in teaching and learning and pre-

pare the next generation of nurses for

practice, education, research, and

administration.”

For 2014, the scholarships range from

$4,000 to $8,000. Scholarships are lim-

ited to NLN members either as individu-

als or through their schools. Candidates

must be enrolled in an accredited pro-

gram. For additional details and to

download the application, please visit

www.nlnfoundation.org and click on

“Grants, Scholarships, and Programs.”

The deadline for applications is close of

business on April 30, 2014.


YES, he had heard that back home inMinneapolis it has been one of the worstwinters since the late 1800s. But Tim

Bristol, PhD, MSN, RN, CNE, ANEF, wasfeeling no pain. When the NLN Report caughtup with him, he and his family – wife,Christina, and the couple’s four children –were headed to Port Salut, a resort town with agorgeous beach in the southwest corner ofHaiti, where daytime temperatures this time ofyear tend to be a delightful mid-80s.

They were on their way to a three-day facultyretreat where Dr. Bristol, a visiting instructor atla Faculté des Sciences Infirmières de Léoganede l’Universite Episcopale d’Haiti (FSIL, trans-lated: School of Nursing Léogane of theEpiscopal University of Haiti), was to teach hisHaitian colleagues about “flipping the class-room.” The only Bristol not thrilled to be miss-ing the frigid Midwest winter, he laughed, was16-year-old Kristofer, “the snowboarder.”

The idyll, however, belied the reality of publichealth in this island nation. Reputedly thepoorest in the Western Hemisphere, it hasdrawn Dr. Bristol, a fellow in the NLN’sAcademy of Nursing Education, to FSIL tohelp transform nursing education.

The World Health Organization estimates that80 percent of the Haitian people live below thepoverty line. A high infant mortality rate andhigh risk from infectious diseases, includingHIV/AIDS, cholera, tuberculosis, denguefever, malaria, hepatitis, diarrhea, and otherfood or waterborne bacteria, contribute to alower life expectancy, compared to regionaland global averages. At the same time, percapita expenditures on health were only 7.9percent of the gross domestic product in 2011.Physicians and nurses are in short supply, as isaccess to basic health care services, like immu-nizations and pre-natal care.

This winter’s three-month teaching stint atFSIL is Dr. Bristol’s 15th visit and his longest,since 2006 when he first came down at the invi-tation of the school’s founding dean, HildaAlcindor, BA, RN, FAAN. The two were con-nected through a mutual colleague as bothwere launching new programs. Dr. Bristol hadbeen hired to create a BSN program at CrownCollege, a small, private, bible college inMinneapolis, while Dean Alcindor had startedFSIL’s first four-year baccalaureate degree pro-gram in nursing. As of September 2013, FSILoffers the first Haitian master’s of nursing pro-gram in family nursing practice, as well.

“First, I came down and then, I brought stu-dents and faculty down,” recalled Dr. Bristol ofhis evolving relationship with Dean Alcindorand FSIL. “I set up a partnership program withCrown. Four of the Haiti faculty have been toMinneapolis to work with American facultyand in local hospitals.”

This year is the first time that Dr. Bristol is stay-ing for more than just a couple of weeks, andthe first time he has come with his whole familytogether. In addition to Kristofer, the Bristolshave a son, Hans, 15, and two daughters,Willow, 9, and Bethie, 6. The girls were adopt-ed three years ago from Ethiopia. Dr. Bristolhas been bringing Kristofer and Hans with himsince 2009, and the girls came down a year agofor the first time. Because Christina home-schools the children, everyone is pretty adapt-able when it comes to learning in novel envi-ronments. When they’re not following theirown curriculum, Christina and the children arevolunteering as “teaching assistants” in thenursing school, helping the nursing studentspractice English, which they are required tostudy all four years of the program. The Bristolchildren are also volunteering at a localorphanage in their spare time; the girls, in par-

ticular, are totally into it. “The room with allthe babies is their favorite,” said Dr. Bristol.The boys, both musicians, give performancesfor the children, and watching them has filledDr. Bristol with pride.

For Dr. Bristol, the Haitian teaching assign-ment from January 15 to April 7 required a bitmore maneuvering. As an instructor in theonline graduate nursing program at WaldenUniversity in Minneapolis, he had to maintainhis teaching commitment while in Haiti. Healso had to delegate more responsibility to hisstaff at his consulting firm. Fortunately, he said,everything’s gone off without a hitch allowingthis experience in Haiti to be the most reward-ing one yet.

“Professionally, the highlight has been watch-ing our students at the hospital and coachingthe faculty during clinical rotations,” said Dr.Bristol. (Although Dr. Bristol has learnedCreole, one of Haiti’s two official languages,FSIL’s instruction is all in French.) “One of thetrue high points was hearing faculty talkingwith the students about the QSEN principles:Quality & Safety Education for Nurses –www.qsen.org. It was very exciting because [Ibelieve] the FSIL nurse educators are the samecaliber as those at many of the schools I workwith in the United States, and [hearing that les-son] was proof.

Located in Léogane, a seaside city just 30 milesfrom Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, FSIL wasat ground zero when the earthquake struck theisland in January, 2010. Léogane was largelyleveled, but the building housing the nursingschool was somehow among the few structuresspared. While no nurse educators died, FSIL

Flipping the Classroom and Other Nursing EducationTransformations in HaitiNLN Academy Fellow Shares Expertise

with Faculty and Students

Continued


lost several students and family members offaculty and staff. Dr. Bristol was among thenurses, doctors, and other emergency medicalteams who flew down on US military helicop-ters to assist in the recovery effort. Along withDean Alcindor and the rest of the hospitalstaff, 40 FSIL nursing students, he recalled,spent the next six months providing care tomore than 15,000 residents of the city and sur-rounding area, even while coping with theirown devastating losses and grief.

By now, the facility and program are “back tobaseline,” said Dr. Bristol, but still struggle tocover the costs of daily operations, pay faculty

salaries, and provide scholarships and other aidto nursing students who are desperately poor.(Grants from USAID and the American StateDepartment support buildings and infrastruc-ture in developing countries, but not dailyexpenses, he noted.) At his firm’s faculty devel-opment conferences, Dr. Bristol highlights spe-cific Haitian students to raise money to helpthem with tuition, room and board, and text-book purchases. After hearing one such pres-entation, the Chamberlain Honor Society atChamberlain College of Nursing (the inauguralElite Partner of the NLN Centers for NursingEducation) “adopted” one of FSIL’s BSN stu-dents, supporting her financially.

Asked if FSIL can realistically improve publichealth outcomes and positively affect othervital economic indicators in a nation so impov-erished, Dr. Bristol answered with an unequiv-ocal “absolutely.”

“There are two principles [to follow when]working to [improve the standard of living] indeveloping countries,” he elaborated. “First,you must build a middle class, and these nurs-ing students are helping to build a middle class.

As some of the better-paid workers in Haiti,FSIL graduates are stimulating the economy.Second, you must educate and empower girls,because girls will [likely] become mothers andmentors who can have a big impact on theeconomy and on public health. Eighty percentof FSIL students are female, and they are anamazing group of people.

“With the rigorous college entrance exams theyhave to prepare for on their own – and FSILonly takes the top of the top, or they won’t sur-vive the demands of the program – they arevery determined young people who enter FSILcommitted to their country, to building it from

the inside. FSIL graduates are in demand else-where, sought out by international NGOs andnon-profits, like Save the Children and SmileTrain. They could fly to Miami to sit for theNCLEX and earn 10 to 15 times what theymake here. But over 95 percent of the gradu-ates remain in Haiti.”

Throughout the school’s first decade of opera-tion, Dean Alcindor has been the guiding forceand inspiration to so many at FSIL, includingDr. Bristol. That is why he returns year afteryear to share his own expertise with faculty andstudents, making the clinical experience comealive in the classroom.

“We focus on flipping the classroom and simu-lation. We have to teach the faculty to do itwithout the $70,000 mannequins. I explainthey must guide students to use their imagina-tions to pretend they are in a hospital, not a lec-ture hall. Instead of saying, ‘here are 10 thingsyou’re going to learn today,’ we say, ‘here is Mr.Jones, and this is what you need to do to takecare of him. This is how you identify the besttherapeutics given the limitations of providingcare in Haiti.’

“In setting the bar very high, Dean Alcindorhas brought a different way of doing educationto Haiti,” continued Dr. Bristol. “When shefinds people committed to their country and tothe profession, she’ll do anything to help them,including buying them shoes or food for theirmothers, out of her own pocket. It’s a philoso-phy she learned from her mother, who said, ‘Ifthere’s food for one person, there’s food fortwo people.’ That’s what Dean Alcindorexpects of every single student.”

At FSIL, therefore, students are expected toshare what little they have with one anotherand pull together to do whatever is necessary

for patients. Sopho-mores, in clinic in themorning, hand over thesingle watch they usedto juniors for the upperclassman shift in theclinic that afternoon. Amalaria patient unableto afford his medicationwill find it paid for bystudents all contributingtheir spare change.

Dr. Bristol summed itup simply: “It’s a differ-ent philosophy, a differ-

ent model, a different example of how educa-tion can transform society. It’s how DeanAlcindor runs the school.”

Editor’s Note: More complete information aboutFSIL may be found at the website for the HaitiNursing Foundation, which works to support it:http://haitinursing.org/index.html.

In working to transform nursing education inHaiti, Dean Alcindor and Dr. Bristol are advanc-ing the goals of the NLN’s Center for Diversityand Global Initiatives. The League is a foundingmember of the International Council of Nurses’Nursing Education Network (ICN-EN) whichbrings together a community of nurse educatorsfrom around the world to address a host of issues.These include nursing shortages that makepreparing an ethnically and racially diverse work-force of faculty and scholars to mentor futurenurses and nurse educators a critical priority.


The National League for Nursing brokenew ground in 2005 when it initiated theCertified Nurse Educator (CNE) program

to recognize excellence and innovation. To thisday, the NLN CNE credential is the only officialstamp of “excellence in the advanced specialtyrole of the academic nurse educator.” More than4,000 nurse educators in all 50 states now holdthe CNE credential, and the program continuesto enjoy a high level of re-certification.

To support applicants’ preparation for therigor of the exam, the CNE program has pro-vided the CNE Candidate Handbook, self-assessment exams, and an ongoing series ofcontinuing education workshops. Now, to sup-plement these resources, comes the CertifiedNurse Educator Review Book, a user-friendly,yet scholarly publication that will hereafterserve as the definitive guide for faculty pursu-ing the CNE credential and an essential textfor all nurse educators across the spectrum ofhigher education.

Published by Lippincott for NLN Press, thebook has been edited by Linda Caputi, EdD,MSN, CNE, ANEF. A renowned provider ofcontinuing education for nurse educators, Dr.Caputi exemplifies excellence and innovation.A CNE herself, as well as a fellow in the NLN’sAcademy of Nursing Education, Dr. Caputihas a long history of commitment to advancingthe mission and goals of the NLN. The authorof a number of well-received books on nursingeducation, Dr. Caputi edited Innovations inNursing Education: Building the Future ofNursing (2013) recently published by NLNPress. She is professor emerita at College ofDuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois with more than25 years of teaching experience.

“The NLN’s leadership role in creating theCNE credential carries with it the responsibilityof producing resources to help nurse educatorsto achieve it,” noted NLN CEO Dr. BeverlyMalone. “With the publication of the officialNLN guide, we are providing the best roadmapto nurse educators who aspire to that recogni-tion and who will reinforce the standards ofexcellence, both in classroom and practice set-tings that the CNE credential represents.”

Added NLN presi-dent Dr. MarshaAdams, “As an advo-cate of lifelong learning and academic progres-sion, the NLN has long encouraged nurse edu-cators to add the CNE credential. Now, thisguide offers them the tools to proudly andpublicly proclaim mastery of this advancedspecialty role in nursing education.”

Based on the revised 2012 practice analysis, theofficial NLN guide includes a chapter in eachsection that addresses a Core Competency ofAcademic Nurse Educators and follows theCNE test blueprint. Each chapter includes therelated task statements; incorporates an in-depth, scholarly description of the competencyand relevant research; and is followed by prac-tice questions. Faculty using this NLN officialguide to prepare for the CNE exam will findcutting-edge theory and evidence-based knowl-edge and strategies designed to help them moveforward in achieving the CNE credential.

Special features include:nISample test questions developed by

the Certification Test DevelopmentCommittee of the NLN CertificationCommission

nIExtensive bibliography of the mostcurrent literature addressing eachcompetency

nIHow-to applications of content forthe educator’s practice

A respected panel of expert researchers, edu-cators, and professionals who design standardsand national certification exams for nurses wastapped to contribute content to the reviewbook. They are: Gail Baumlein, PhD, RN,CNS, CNE, ANEF; Wanda Blaser Bonnel,PhD, RN, GNP-BC, ANEF; Marilyn Frenn,PhD, RN, CNE, FTOS, ANEF; SusanLuparell, PhD, CNS-BC, CNE; Jan M. Nick,PhD, RNC-OB, CNE, ANEF; Nancy C.Sharts-Hopko, PhD, RN, FAAN; and TheresaM. Valiga, EdD, RN, CNE, FAAN, ANEF.

To order a copy of the Certified Nurse EducatorReview Book, visit the NLN Bookstore athttp://nln.lww.com/.

New from NLN Press:

Official Guide to the CertifiedNurse Educator (CNE) Exam

NLN PRE-ADMISSIONEXAM (PAX) – PN & RN

Measuring Three Academic Proficiencies:Verbal ability, Mathematics, and Science

In order to improve program effectiveness

and increase student matriculation, it is

important to admit students who have the

knowledge and skill to succeed.

Performance on the PAX qualifies prospec-

tive RN and PN student for admission to

nursing programs; mastering the material

prepares them for success.

This norm-referenced examination

can be administered in

computer-based or

paper-based formats.

The PAX can help:*‰ Identify potential areas for remediation

‰ Facilitate faculty and adviser efforts to

help students succeed

‰ Provide insight on applicants’ readiness

to start nursing programs

‰ Ensure that admitted students are

among the best-equipped for the rigors

of the nursing curriculum

*Success in nursing programs is not guaranteed forstudents who do well on the PAX. Many factors(including personal emergencies, learning disabili-ties, and academic stress) can influence perform-ance once the student is enrolled; no standardizedtest can predict such events with accuracy.

Contact Customer Service at

800-732-8656 or

www.nln.org/testingservices.

N

EDUCATIONSUMMIT2014

Flight of the Phoenix


The Valley of the Sun is looking mightygood during this remarkably long, frigid,dreary, and snowy winter and spring in

much of the United States. An invitation fromthe National League for Nursing to balmy, sun-shiny Phoenix, Arizona could not be bettertimed. The NLN wants all nurse faculty anddeans and administrators of schools of nursingacross the spectrum of higher education andleaders in nursing education at health careorganizations and institutions to join theLeague Wednesday-Saturday, September 17-20, at the 2014 NLN Education Summit: Flightof the Phoenix.

The nation’s premier conference on nursingeducation is planned to shed light on timelyissues and persistent and new challenges, andilluminate visions of the future. The not-to-be-missed four-day gathering is expected to drawits usual capacity crowd, so Early BirdRegistration, available through May 31 atwww.nln.org/Summit, is strongly encouraged.

Among the featured presenters will be PlenarySession speakers Lee Cockerell, former senioroperations executive for the Walt Disney WorldResort, on Thursday morning, from 11:00 am-12:30 pm; and project director JenniferHayden, MSN, RN, who will discuss the newlyreleased results of NCSBN’s NationalSimulation Research Study at the Thursdayafternoon plenary, 4:30-5:30 pm. The three-year, multi-site study examined the educationaloutcomes achieved when simulation replaced aportion of clinical time in undergraduate nurs-ing programs. In his talk, “You Can CreateDisney Magic Too!” Mr. Cockerell will describehow the power of personal leadership may beharnessed for the benefit of patients, family, andfriends and suggest ways to improve that canmake the difference between good and great inprofessional competence.

Other highlights include the Laerdal Medical-funded Debra L. Spunt Lecture by KristinaThomas Dreifuerst, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC,CWOCN, CNE, an assistant professor atIndiana University School of Nursing whoseresearch is at the forefront of disciplinaryefforts to: develop, use, and test innovativeteaching methods to improve students’ clinicalreasoning skills; and investigate how teacherscan best be prepared to use evidence-basedmethods. Her talk, entitled “Reasoning andPractice Education: Debriefing In, On, andBeyond Simulation,” will be delivered onSaturday, September 20 at 8:30 am.

“Being a nurse educator, especially today, pro-vides each of us with opportunities for collab-oration, lifelong learning, innovation, scholar-ship, mentoring, and service. The NLN’sEducation Summit provides a venue to dia-logue about ways to take full advantage ofthose opportunities,” noted NLN CEOBeverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN. Dr. Malonewill be the keynote speaker at this year’sSummit, sharing the many resourceful waysthat the NLN is taking flight, preparing togreet the future with ingenuity, enterprise, andnimbleness.

Added NLN president Marsha Howell Adams,PhD, RN, CNE, ANEF, associate dean for aca-demic affairs and professor at the CapstoneCollege of Nursing at the University ofAlabama, Tuscaloosa: “Attending the Summitand experiencing the joy of being part of ourdiverse nursing education community willmotivate you and provide you with informationand ideas that will help you excel in your vitalrole as a nurse educator. Be prepared to soarwith the NLN at Flight of the Phoenix!”

Based on input from the nursing educationcommunity, Concurrent Session themes havebeen fine-tuned and a fifth one added this yearto the previous years’ four. They are:

nIInnovations in Teaching and Learning

nICreative Use of Simulation andTechnology

nILeading in Complex Organizations

nIApplication of Education Research

nIHealth Promotion, Including Care ofVeterans and Their Families

All Concurrent Session abstracts are availableonline, so that participants may select whichsessions to attend, based on individual needsand interests.

In addition to the Summit’s potpourri of out-standing presentations, workshops, symposia,and posters, participants will not want to missthe other exciting activities in store including:

nIFriday morning’s National FacultyMeeting, our “town hall,” which offers achance to discuss issues of common con-cern with the NLN Board of Governors

nIThe President’s Reception and NLNBanquet on Friday evening, a celebrationof the induction of the new fellows intothe NLN Academy of Nursing Educationand the newly designated NLN Centers ofExcellence

nIPre- and Post-Summit Workshops on avariety of professional development top-ics, eligible for CEU credit

First-time Summit attendees are also urged totake advantage of “Navigating the Summit,” aspecial welcoming and orientation session onWednesday, September 17, 3:15-3:45 pm, justprior to the official Opening Session andKeynote Address.

For complete information about the 2014Education Summit, including online registra-tion, visit www.nln.org/Summit.

Sunshine and Illumination Beckon Nurse Educators toNLN 2014 Education Summit: Flight of the Phoenix

Wednesday-Saturday, September 17-20

Phoenix Convention Center and Hyatt Regency Phoenix at Civic Plaza

Register by May 31 and Save


Hilda Alcindor, RN, FAAN, and Tim Bristol,PhD, CNE, ANEF, will be presenting at the2014 QSEN Forum in Baltimore, MD on theirwork with the first BSN program in Haiti.

G. Rumay Alexander, EdD, RN, FAAN, clini-cal professor and director of multiculturalaffairs at the University of North Carolina atChapel Hill, and NLN board member,received the 2013 M. Elizabeth CarnegieAward during a ceremony at the annual meet-ing of the Southern Regional Education Boardon Collegiate Education for Nursing. Theannual award is given to a nurse educator whobest exemplifies Dr. Carnegie’s quest for excel-lence and equity in nursing education andpractice.

Martha Raile Alligood, PhD, RN, ANEF, wasawarded the rank of professor emeritus July 1,2013 and had two books published by Mosby-Elsevier: Nursing Theory: Utilization &Application, 5th edition and Nursing Theoristsand Their Work, 8th edition.

Texas Tech University Health Sciences CenterSchool of Nursing professor and associate deanfor research, Alyce Ashcraft, PhD, RN, CNE,ANEF, was recently elected state president forthe Texas Clinical Nurse Specialists; her termruns through May 2015. Texas clinical nursespecialists promote the unique contributions ofclinical nurse specialist practice to the health ofindividuals, families, and communities, and tothe performance of health care organizations.Dr. Ashcraft was also named co-editor for theNational Gerontological Nursing Association’ssection of Geriatric Nursing, a comprehensivesource for clinical information and manage-ment advice relating to the care of older adults.

Anne Belcher, PhD, RN, AOCN, FAAN,ANEF, has been appointed co-director of theOffice for Teaching Excellence at the JohnsHopkins University School of Nursing.

Adjunct professor and academic adviser of thePhD in Nursing Program, and assistant direc-tor of the Center for Hispanic Studies inNursing and Health at the University of Texasat Arlington College of Nursing, Mary LouBond, PhD, RN, CNE, FAAN, ANEF, was rec-ognized as the Distinguished Alumni by theUniversity of Texas (Austin) School ofNursing. She was also elected to the

Leadership Succession Committee of STTIand appointed to the Advisory Committee ofthe STTI/Chamberlain Center for NursingExcellence.

Professor and co-director of the Center ofExcellence in Evidence-Based Practice atTexas Tech University and NLN board mem-ber Carol Boswell, EdD, RN, CNE, ANEF,currently has several research projects under-way, with colleagues, including: “Evidence-Based Practice Attitudes Identified byHispanic Registered Nurses Working in AcuteCare Settings” and “Improving Patient Safety –Falls.”

Sandra Chaisson Brown, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CNE, ANEF, was featured as one of theeight Louisianans of the Year in theJanuary/February 2014 issue of Louisiana LifeMagazine and was recently selected as theLouisiana Nurse Educator of the Year by theLouisiana State Nurses Association. Dr. Brownis the coordinator of the NP Program atSouthern University School of Nursing inBaton Rouge and is nationally recognized forher outstanding work in developing nursepractitioners to meet the primary health careneeds of citizens in the state of Louisiana.

Linda Caputi, EdD, RN, CNE, ANEF, editedthe Certified Nurse Educator Review Book: TheOfficial NLN Guide to the CNE Exam, (NLNPress) and coauthored Mastering Concept-Based Teaching: A Guide for Nurse Educators(Mosby-Elsevier).

Professor at Boise State University and authorof Creating and Sustaining Civility in NursingEducation, Cynthia Clark, PhD, RN, FAAN,ANEF, received the 2013 American Journal ofNursing Book of the Year award forProfessional Issues in Nursing.

Current president of the Oklahoma League forNursing, Nancy Diede, EdD, MS, RN, CNE,was selected by the Oklahoma March of DimesChapter as a finalist for the 2013 March ofDimes Nurse of the Year in the clinical/acade-mic education category.

Kathleen B. Gaberson, PhD, RN, CNOR,CNE, ANEF, principal and nursing educationconsultant, OWK Consulting; Marilyn H.Oermann, PhD, FAAN, ANEF, professor anddirector of evaluation and educational research

at Duke University School of Nursing; andTeresa Shellenbarger, PhD, RN, CNE, ANEF,professor and doctoral coordinator at IndianaUniversity of Pennsylvania and member of theNLN Board of Governors, recently publishedthe fourth edition of Clinical TeachingStrategies in Nursing (Springer Publishing).

Judith A. Halstead, PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEF,professor of nursing, Indiana University Schoolof Nursing, was recognized on the list of 100Inspiring Nursing Professors to Watch in 2014.

Professor at University of North Carolina’sCollege of Health and Human Services,RuthAnne Kuiper, PhD, RN, CNE, ANEF,will serve as a leadership mentor again for theNurse Faculty Leadership Academy 2014-2015. The academy is sponsored by STTI andthe Elsevier Foundation to enhance the per-sonal leadership development of new nursefaculty to promote faculty retention and culti-vate high performing, supportive work envi-ronments in academe.

Kathy Mershon, MSN, RN, CNAA, FAAN,was honored as a Woman of Distinction at theCenter for Women & Family’s Celebration ofService in February 2014.

Ramona Nelson, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN, ANEF,professor emerita, Slippery Rock University,president, Ramona Nelson Consulting, co-edit-ed, with Nancy Staggers, Health Informatics:An Interprofessional Approach (Elsevier/Mosby). The book received the AmericanJournal of Nursing Book of the Year for 2013recognition in the area of information technol-ogy/informatics.

Marilyn Oermann, PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEF,and Suzan Kardong-Edgren, PhD, RN, CHSE,ANEF, have received grant funding from theNLN, USA, and Laerdal for a study using aperformance predictor optimizer algorithm todevise personal training plans for maintainingCPR skills.

Liana Orsolini, PhD, RN, FAAN, ANEF, hasbeen appointed to serve on the Virginia 1stDistrict Health Care Advisory Council. Dr.Orsolini will also be inducted as a fellow intothe New York Academy of Medicine inNovember 2014.

Associate dean at University of New EnglandWestbrook College of Health Professions,

LeaderNotes Celebrating Our NLN Leadership


Karen T. Pardue, PhD, RN, CNE, ANEF, wasappointed by Maine Governor Paul LePage tothe New England Board of Higher Education.Dr. Pardue is the only nurse to serve on theboard which encompasses six states. Dr.Pardue was also invited with a colleague, Dr.Shelley Konrad, to present the keynote MarySwitzer Lecture at the Association of Schoolsof Allied Health Professionals conference inOrlando.“Collaborative Healthcare Education:Innovation and Leadership” highlighted theimperative for interprofessional education andpractice in promoting safe, high quality reha-bilitation care.

Barbara Penprase, PhD, RN, CNOR, associateprofessor, School of Nursing, CrittentonHospital Medical Center, endowed professorof relationship-based care, published 10 manu-scripts and led 17 presentations in 2013. Dr.Penprase also has also received approval forthe following manuscripts, (written withOakley, B., Ternes, R., & Driscoll, D.):“Empathy as a Determining Factor for NursingCareer Selection” in the Journal of Nursing

Education and “Do Higher Dispositions forEmpathy Predispose Males Towards CareersIn Nursing? A Descriptive CorrelationalDesign” in Nursing Forum.

Lois L. Salmeron, EdD, RN, CNE, ANEF,dean and professor, Kramer School of Nursing,Oklahoma City University, was promotedto dean of the Kramer School of Nursing onJanuary 15, 2014.

Elizabeth Speakman, EdD, RN, CDE, ANEF,was elected as a distinguished practitioner andfellow in the National Academies of Practice,and selected for the Sigma Theta TauEducation Advisory Council for 2013-2015.

Associate professor at University of Portland’sSchool of Nursing, Susan B. Stillwell, DNP,RN, CNE, FAAN, ANEF, has been appointedassociate dean of the graduate programs in theSchool of Nursing effective May 7, 2014.

Tami H. Wyatt, PhD, RN, CNE, ANEF, asso-ciate professor; co-director, HITS lab chair,education technology and simulation,University of Tennessee, Knoxville College of

Nursing, was accepted as fellow to theNational Institutes of Health Training Instituteheld at UCLA in August 2013. Dr. Wyatt wasalso published with colleagues in two peerreviewed journals: “The Effect of ReflectiveWriting on Critical Thinking Skills andDispositions of Baccalaureate NursingStudents” in Nursing Education Today and“Developing an Interactive Story for Childrenwith Asthma” in Nursing Clinics of NorthAmerica.

President of the Wise Group, editor-in-chief ofthe Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing,Nursing Forum, and faculty, Texas TechUniversity Health Sciences Center School ofNursing, Patricia S. Yoder-Wise, EdD, RN,NEA-BC, FAAN, ANEF, is one of the 100graduates from the Ohio State UniversityCollege of Nursing being recognized as 100Alumni Transformers in Nursing andHealthcare.

Winter 2013 The Voice for Nursing Education Page 10

the Writing for publicationin nursing is essential todisseminate research

findings, share initiatives andinnovations with others, pro-vide new information tokeep nurses up to date, anddevelop the science base ofthe profession. However, fewnurses are prepared in theireducational programs to write for publication.

Since 2008, the National League for Nursinghas sponsored 14 Scholarly Writing Retreats,which provide individualized, structured writ-ing support in an intensive format. Participantsare limited to no more than 11 nurses who areselected through a competitive applicationprocess. In the six to eight weeks prior to theface-to-face retreat, participants are guidedthrough the writing process, from topic andjournal selection to preparation of a manu-script that meets the requirements for submis-sion to a targeted journal. At the retreat, heldon a weekend from Friday through Sunday,participants finalize their manuscripts, whichare copy edited and submitted electronically totheir selected journal.

Faculty who had participated in a retreat heldbetween 2008 and 2013 (a total of 111) wereinvited to complete an online survey. One goal was to understand how the retreat affectedparticipants’ writing behaviors following the experience.

Of the 62 respondents, 61 submitted a manu-script as an outcome of the retreat. Of these, 80percent were published, with an additional11.5 percent still in review at the time of thesurvey. The majority of the papers (76.6 per-cent) were published in attendees’ first or sec-ond choice of journals.

Since participating in thewriting retreat, 38 of the 62respondents submittedadditional manuscripts(one to five) for publica-tion. Nearly all reportedthat they shared lessonslearned in the retreat withcolleagues and students,disseminating new knowl-edge and skills they learned

about writing for publication.

More details from the survey are published inNursing Education Perspectives, Headlinesfrom the NLN (Vol. 35, No. 2), online athttp://www.nlnjournal.org/toc/nhcp/35/2.

The retreat leaders are journal editors. Dr.Marilyn Oermann, professor and director ofevaluation and educational research at Duke

University School of Nursing, is the new edi-tor-in-chief of Nurse Educator and co-author ofWriting for Publication in Nursing (3rd ed.,Lippincott Williams & Wilkins). Dr. LeslieNicoll, editor-in-chief of CIN: Computers,Informatics, Nursing, is the principal andowner of Maine Desk LLC, a professional edi-torial service. Leslie Block is managing editorof Nursing Education Perspectives, the NLN’sresearch journal.

NLN Scholarly Writing Retreats are support-ed by a grant from Pocket Nurse, Inc.Applications for the fall 2014 retreat,November 7-9 at the Emory ConferenceCenter, Atlanta, Georgia (due August 8) areonline at www.nln.org/facultyprograms/workshopsandconf.htm.

No Longer Lost for WordsThe Long-Term Impact of the NLN Scholarly Writing Retreat

on Ongoing Writing Behaviors

Results from a Survey Conducted by Drs. Marilyn H. Oermann and Leslie H. Nicoll, and Leslie Block

From the Survey

“I write all the time now. Prior to the

retreat I had four peer reviewed publica-

tions. I am up to 13 accepted articles

with two more in review and two work-

ing papers.”

“This retreat and bonding process is

excellent and I left the retreat with a

concrete tool to work on my next journal

article. Without a doubt, this was the

best retreat I ever attended.”

“To have the assistance and mentorship

of top tier authors for a relatively small

amount of money is, as the commercial

says, priceless. Dr. Oermann pushed me

to a level I could not have achieved

without her. I am forever in her debt!”

“The guidance was invaluable.

Explaining the process took out the

mystery and fear of writing and submit-

ting a manuscript. The editing and feed-

back made the biggest difference.”

“Don’t tell anyone but I think that I’m

starting to enjoy writing! My scholarship

(publications) has taken off... The retreat

has boosted my professional develop-

ment post-dissertation more than any

other developmental activity in which I

have participated.”

“Can only send a heartfelt thank

you....Your confidence in me and your

encouragement have had a significant

impact on my teaching and scholarship.”

“Don’t tell anyone

but I think that I’m

starting to enjoy writing!”


A Bit of History

The NLN has been aware for some time ofthe need to create an alternative to cur-rent nursing accreditation options. The

Board of Governors envisioned our historicmove to Washington, DC as an opportunity toform a new organizational structure and takeon the challenge of creating a new accreditingdivision. By an overwhelming margin, NLNmembers voted to amend the bylaws of theLeague and allow us to move forward. Thebylaws were approved at the Annual BusinessMeeting at Summit 2013, and since then, theLeague has begun taking the necessary steps inaccordance with US Department of Educationguidelines and the helpful counsel of our DOEanalyst.

Update

A strategic steering committee to develop thenew accrediting agency, headed by the NLN’simmediate past president, Dr. Judith Halstead,is now directing the development of standards,criteria, policies, and procedures. Our goal isto complete one or more accreditation visitsduring early fall 2015.

This is a big step and a huge project. The NLNis committed to making this new accreditationdivision viable, collegial, and with the higheststandards. It will be developed and implement-ed based upon our core values of caring,integrity, diversity, and excellence.

Some FAQs

What types of schools and programs will the newaccreditation entity serve?

The new division will provide services for allnursing degree levels, including practical, asso-ciate, baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral.It will be classified by the US Department ofEducation as a “Type 2 Agency,” which meansthat it has a voluntary membership, and it hasas its principal purpose the accrediting of high-er education programs. As the new division isnot planned as a Title IV gatekeeper, it will notprovide Title IV accreditation services.

What about a school that is due for an accredi-tation visit during the current academic year?

If your program is due for an accreditation visitduring the current academic year, please knowthat our new accreditation option is not yetoperational. You must continue with your cur-

rent plans for accreditation. Although DOErecognition is not required for accreditingagencies, the NLN intends to pursue suchrecognition. In order to be eligible to seekDOE recognition, the NLN’s new accreditingdivision must meet DOE regulations and be inexistence for two years. We must also conductone or more pre-accreditation or accreditationactivities, which we plan to do during the 2014-2015 academic year.

When will the NLN be ready to conduct accred-itation activities?

Although we do not know when the divisionwill be ready to conduct accreditation and howmany accreditation activities it will be possibleto complete, we are keeping a list of nursingprograms that would like to be considered foraccreditation as soon as the division is opera-tional. If you are interested, please [email protected].

For additional information, please visit NLNAccreditation Updates, accessible from theNLN home page.

(Adapted from the March 31 edition of theCEO Member Update)

Accreditation News from the NLN

Non-ProfitOrganizationU.S. Postage

P A I DWilkes Barre, PA 18701

Permit No. 243The Watergte2600 Virginia Avenue NWWashington, DC 20037

www.nln.org


NLNNational Leaguefor Nursing

COMING UP FROM THE NLNCONFERENCES

September 17-20NLN Education SummitFlight of the Phoenix Hyatt Regency/Phoenix Convention Center, AZ

October 24-26NLN/Elsevier Technology ConferenceWhat’s Happening Now?Nashville, TN

WORKSHOPS

Teaching Careof Older AdultsAn ACES Workshop

May 20, Flatwoods, WV

CNE PREP

May 31 NLN/Villanova CNE Prep CourseVillanova University, Villanova, PA

July 18 NLN CNE Prep CourseNLN Headquarters, Washington,DC

November 14NLN/Sacred Heart CNE PrepCourseSacred Heart University, Fairfield,CT

NLN SCHOLARLY WRITINGRETREAT

November 7-9 Emory Conference CenterAtlanta, GAApplications due August 8

ONGOING

Indiana University School ofNursing/NLN Online Courses

Teaching In Nursing CertificateProgram (3 courses)

Clinical Faculty: A New Practice Role(1 course)

IMPORTANT DATES/DEADLINES

April 30NLN Foundation ScholarshipApplications Due

May 31First Summit Early Bird Rates End

August 8Fall NLN Scholarly Writing Retreat:Applications Due

August 31Second Summit Early Bird RatesEnd

October 15Initial COE Applications Due

Watch for details of upcomingwebinars on the NLN website,social media, and via email.

Updated, detailed information on all faculty development programs can be found atwww.nln.org/facultydevelopment.

Be sure to browse the calendar atwww.nln.org/stateleagues for eventssponsored by the NLN AffiliatedConstituent Leagues.

N

EDUCATIONSUMMIT2014

Flight of the Phoenix | September 17 - 20

E

Documents

Spring Issue The NLN Report