Message from the NLN CEO

September 2, 2020 | XXIV, Issue Number 17

Before I tell you about happenings at the NLN this first week of September, colleagues, let me extend my best wishes to those of you affected by last month’s natural disasters – those forced to vacate due to wildfires in California and Colorado, and those in the paths of Hurricane Laura and the early-August derecho storm that continues to impact the state of Iowa. Coming just 15 years after Hurricane Katrina, amidst the concerns brought about by the coronavirus, the destruction affecting so much of Louisiana and East Texas was particularly frightening. As always, well-educated and well-trained nurses are on the scene as first responders, with many volunteers from all parts of the country. I know I speak for all our members when I say thank you, our hearts are with you.

NLN Summit Grows Near

All through the United States, NLN members, like all educators, are starting the school year facing many challenges. Will your courses be all online? Or will you be in the classroom or sim lab with your students? Will students on campus take the necessary precautions so that everyone is safe? This is certainly a time of uncertainty for education at all levels, with many educators understanding for the first time something we have stated for many years: it is no longer ok to teach as we were taught.

Online virtually for the first time ever, the NLN Education Summit offers a wealth of opportunities for all nurse educators looking to sharpen their pedagogical skills, with one great advantage. You can be part of every concurrent session at this Summit, at a time and place convenient to you, as sessions will be prerecorded and available for 30 days following the Summit. Plus, you will receive continuing education credits for every session you attend. The Schedule at a Glance clearly indicates which sessions are prerecorded, which are live, and when it is time to visit the Virtual Exhibits and connect and network with peers and colleagues. We even have a Virtual Career Fair built into this Summit, as well as a brand new online NLN Career Center with resources for job seekers and employers.

And, of course, there will be live two great keynote addresses: the first by Rear Admiral Susan Orsega of the US Public Health Service, and the second, at the annual National Faculty Meeting, by Georges Benjamin, MD, executive director of the American Public Health Association. This Summit truly speaks to its theme, Master of Teaching - Art of Leadership.

After my brief address on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. Eastern about the state of the NLN, we will start giving awards with dollars of support, one of my favorite things to do at every Summit. While I won’t be able to shake the hands of recipients at this Virtual Summit, it is still exciting to announce their names. There are the recipients of the 2020 Research Grants and Doctoral Research Awards, provided by the League through endowments and your donations to the NLN Foundation for Nursing Education, as well as two cosponsored awards. Then there are our scholarship winners. Thanks to the NLN Foundation and Home Instead Senior Care, a total of $50,000 will be awarded among 18 new scholarships for the upcoming academic year to advance nursing education, the highest number of scholarships we have distributed to date.

DATES & DEADLINES
Scholarly Writing Retreat Application Deadline
September 18

NLN Education Summit
September 23-25

Call for 2021 NLN/UCF Simulation Conference Abstracts
October 9

NLN/Villanova CNE Prep Virtual Course
October 17

NLN Leadership Institute - Mentorship: Empower Yourself as a Leader!
November 10

More Upcoming Events »
NEP Honors

This year, for the second time, we will also recognize the authors of the best articles published in the NLN research journal Nursing Education Perspectives during 2019: Tamara McKinnon and her colleagues for their research on “The Current State of International Clinical Experiences in US Prelicensure Nursing Programs”; Karen O. Ippolito, for her Research Brief on “Cognitive Development: The Scaffold for Critical Thought”; and Sharon Kumm and Delois Laverentz for their Innovation Center Article, “A Nursing Partnership to Accelerate Academic Progression.” Remember, access to NEP is a valuable benefit of membership in the NLN.

And, as at every Summit, you will have a chance to meet the editors of NEP and ask questions about the steps involved in publishing an article, from the idea stage through writing, peer review, and eventual publication. Editor-in-chief Dr. Barbara J. Patterson, Research Brief editor Dr. Bette Mariani, Innovation Center editor Dr. Donna Badowski, and managing editor Leslie Block will be live during their Summit session.
Fellows Induction

Concluding the Summit, at 4 p.m. Eastern on Friday, will be a particularly meaningful session. This is when we recognize the NLN honorees – the New Fellows Class of the NLN Academy of Nursing Education, 15 distinguished educators recommended through a competitive application process, and the 2020 NLN Centers of Excellence, 17 nursing programs across the academic spectrum that help raise the bar for all nursing programs.

RECENT NEWS
NLN Announces Annual Research Grants Promoting Nursing Education Scholarship

NLN Announces 2020 Scholarship Winners

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I so wish I could congratulate our honorees in person, but I think you’ll agree that with this Summit, the NLN is making particularly tasty lemonade from the lemons we’ve all been dealt. As much as COVID-19 has permanently affected so many families and institutions, and as much as it has disrupted our work and personal lives, it has brought forth examples of creativity and ingenuity.

Taking Aim Webinars Continue

With that in mind we have finalized the titles and descriptions of the next two webinars in our Taking Aim at Good Teaching webinar series, and registration is now open: Taking Aim at Good Teaching: Enhancing Cognitive Learning Outcomes on Sept. 18 and Developing Psychomotor Skills through Mastery Learning on Oct. 16, both at 12 noon Eastern. Earlier webinars in this series are online, along with other virtual resources, tips and advice, and stories from the frontline.

Plus, the application deadline is Sept. 18 for our second virtual Scholarly Writing Retreat, which takes place Jan. 9-10, 2021. The first virtual retreat, according to participants, was wonderful, resulting in excellent papers submitted for publication. All participants indicated the format was effective, with one writing, “I would very much recommend this retreat to anyone wanting to improve their writing and/or struggling to complete a manuscript.”

Colleagues, this is our first Virtual Summit and together we will make it a great Summit to remember. Wishing you all the best this Labor Day Weekend. Don’t forget to wear your masks and wash your hands, and most importantly, stay safe and stay well.

All the best,