In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare environment, nurses cannot go to nursing


school and call it a day as far as education [is concerned].


—Sue Hassmiller, PhD, RN, FAAN, senior adviser for nursing at the RobertWood Johnson Foundation Princeton, N.J.


ANCC standards established


In October 2014, for example, the American Nurses Cre- dentialing Center launched standards for credentialing nurse residency and fellowship programs. These hospital programs transition nurses from their academic programs to the clinical setting, or in some cases between different types of clinical settings. The participants in residencies and fellowships include new graduates, nurses changing careers within the practice setting and advanced practice nurses. “Historically the quality of the residencies and fellowships


have varied quite a bit,” said Kathy Chappell, PhD, RN, vice president of the ANCC Accreditation Program and the Institute forCredentialing Research. “These programs could be as short as eight weeks or as long as a year. In general, a prolonged and concentrated residency or fellowship should be at least six months and sometimes up to a year in length.” To have their residency or fellowship programs accred-


ited, hospitals now are required to meet criteria in areas such as preceptor training, measurable quality outcomes and qualifications of the people who are developing and teaching the programs. So far four residency and fellowship programs have been accredited in the country, and Chappell expects an increase in applicationswithin the next five years. “I suspectmany organizations are doing self-assessments


to see if theymeet the standards, and the applicationmay be a template for a gap analysis,” she said. “They will address those gap areas before applying.”


Interprofessional education


Recommendation 6 also mandates healthcare organizations provide resources for interprofessional continuing educa- tion, which means nurses have the opportunity to learn collaboratively with other health professionals. In 2010 the ANCC—in collaboration with accreditor colleagues from medicine and pharmacy—began credentialing organiza- tions providing interprofessional continuing education in nursing, medicine and pharmacy.Chappell has seen a signif- icant increase in applications for this type of credentialing since the IOM report was released in 2010. There are 18 credentialed organizations, and she expects that number to double by the end of this year.


Educating leaders


The lifelong learning described in Recommendation 6 not only applies to clinical skills, but also to leadership skills, Has- smiller said. To provide more leadership education for nurses, organizations such as theAmerican Academy ofNursing have launched new programs including the Academy’s Institute of Nursing Leadership. This program, which began in fall 2014, helps nurses to obtain and be effective in gubernatorial and federal appointments, and also while serving on governing boards of national health and social organizations. “These are the thought leaders of nursing, and it is


easy to think they are already developed as leaders, but they could benefit from more learning about political appointments,” said Diana Mason, PhD, RN, FAAN, president of the American Academy of Nursing. The need for this type of training was highlighted for


Mason when she recently worked with a nurse who was interested in pursuing an appointment on a federal com- mission. The nurse was a Republican, however, and lacked the connections within political circles to secure a letter of support fromaDemocrat to demonstrate shewas bipartisan and could bring an important perspective,Mason said. “Governors make 200 to 300 appointments, and we


realized that few organizations were focused on preparing nurses at the state and federal tables,”Mason said.


Online learning


Although employers and nurses will likely face the traditional challenges of finding time and money to pursue lifelong learning, nurse leaders like Pat Polansky believe RNs today have one significant advantage over their predecessors: technology. “Due to online learning, there is more access to lifelong learning that is compatible with our lives than ever before,” said Polansky, MS, RN, director of program development and implementation at the Center to Champion Nursing in America. “When I was practicing I used to find a babysitter to participate in a continuing education course taught on a weekend or evening in a classroom. Nownurses can watch webinars, live streaming and log in anytime in their own homes. Online learning is a game-changing piece when it comes to keeping nurses current.” The increase in accessibility and interest in online edu-


cation in recent years ismaking a difference in patient care, said Joyce Batcheller, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, senior vice president and CNO of Seton Healthcare Network in Austin, Texas. “I saw nurses talking about what they were learning


online and coming up with ideas based on what they had been taught,” Batcheller said. “I also saw the impact in the interprofessional setting because there was a lot more dialogue between nurses and physicians. Everyone brings their professional insights and the patients end up winning.” •


Heather Stringer is a freelance writer. TO COMMENT email editor@nurse.com


2016 • NURSE.com/Careers 27


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52