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February 24, 2021 | XXV, Issue Number 4
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Colleagues, during the past week our attention largely focused on Texas and other states suffering from intense and prolonged freezing temperature. Our NLN Chair, Dr. Patricia Yoder-Wise, stated the following: “The National League for Nursing joins the American Academy of Nursing in acknowledging the devastation that has added to the challenges faced by health care professionals. Nurses everywhere are concerned for our colleagues and all residents of the affected areas.”
There has been loss of life and serious property damage, with many people facing food shortages and lack of water. Clearly, help is needed now, and we must seek out ways to work together to minimize the effects of natural disasters on individuals, families, and communities. This week we also saw the death toll from COVID-19 go past 500,000. Although there has been an increase in vaccinations and a decrease in hospitalizations, this yearlong pandemic remains our most serious challenge of the century.
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History in the Making
We also watched last week as NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover made its intricate descent onto the Red Planet. We were able to see some of the first photos of Mars and share in the joy of the team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California as the rover touched down. Wearing masks and social distancing, with some team members working remotely, the NASA scientists jumped, yelled, and shared high-fives.
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It was a great sight to see and a reminder that we do extraordinary things and resolve the most challenging of problems when we work together. The Mars landing is a true example of excellence at its best: co-creating and implementing transformative strategies with daring ingenuity. Nobel Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa has said, “The fundamental law of human beings is interdependence. A person is a person through other persons.” Think about it, colleagues. I believe Archbishop’s Tutu’s words are a fine reminder for today and tomorrow.
Surge in Nursing Students
One effect of the COVID-19 pandemic that we are now witnessing is greater interest in nursing and a surge in applications to our nursing education programs. Emma Goldberg of the New York Times has reported on various explanations for the surge, headlining her Live Update with something I said when referring to the pandemic: “It was like a war call. You see what’s going on and you say, ‘I’m going to help.’” The interest in nursing, and the highly favorable image of nursing that has emerged from the crisis, are wonderful, but they lead us to one ongoing problem that we know so well – that is, the shortage of nurse faculty with a background in education as well as nursing.
Nursing education has responded brilliantly to the pandemic and the need to teach at a distance using virtual simulation, but the numbers are not on our side. That is why the NLN Foundation for Nursing Education Scholarship Program has greater urgency this year. The application period is open now for nurses who are pursuing an advanced degree (master's or doctorate) in preparation for a career as a full-time nurse educator. In addition to financial awards up to $8,000, successful applicants receive numerous intangible benefits including recognition as nurse scholars.
The NLN Foundation, through a partnership with Home Instead Senior Care, is also once again offering five scholarships, totaling $5,000, to faculty and students in order to prepare a competent nursing workforce to deliver the best care to older adults. Certainly the pandemic has heightened our awareness of the need for skilled nursing care for this vulnerable population. We are grateful for our partnership with Home Instead Senior Care and the opportunity to offer these scholarships.
To help applicants put together a strong proposal for a scholarship award, the NLN Foundation will host a live webinar on March 8. I recommend that you register now and share this information with colleagues. In addition, it is always a good time to help the NLN Foundation to Preserve the Past and Build the Future of Nursing Education. Any funds you provide now will be put to good use in the form of scholarships for future educators and grants to build the science and scholarship of nursing education. There are numerous ways to give, and I thank you in advance.
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Upcoming Events
While we’re talking webinars, let me recommend the NLN/Rutgers Virtual CNE Prep Workshop on June 21. This virtual one-day workshop offers an intensive, comprehensive review of the major content areas of the test blueprint for the Certified Nurse Educator exam. It is designed to help potential candidates assess their level of readiness and identify practice domains where further study may be needed. Topics include implications for nurse faculty, eligibility requirements, analysis of the CNE test blueprint, review of CNE exam content, CNE prep resources, and the renewal process. It will help you assess your level of readiness for the CNE exam and identify practice domains where further study may be required. You can register now.
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We have also opened applications for a Scholarly Writing Retreat to take place July 24-25 under the direction of our extraordinary Dr. Marilyn Oermann. This is an opportunity to learn all about the publication process through the development of a manuscript for publication. We describe these retreats as year-long mentorship programs, as Dr. Oermann will work with you to select a journal, craft an outline and draft, then ready your manuscript for submission. If your preferred publication invites you to revise and resubmit, she will work with you through that process as well. The application process is competitive, and you must have completed a research study or innovative project to be considered, so please read about the program now. Applications are due April 19.
Honoring Black History
Before I close, let me turn once again to the topic of February as Black History Month, to be followed in March by Women’s History Month. February was selected as Black History Month to coincide with the birthdays of the abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who escaped slavery, and President Abraham Lincoln, who formally abolished slavery. We use the time to highlight the struggles and stories of African Americans through the years as well as their contributions and accomplishments. It is essential to understand our history, the history of the United States.
Now I would like to recognize the founders of the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA), organized in 1971 under the leadership of Dr. Lauranne Sams of the School of Nursing, Tuskegee University. Today the NBNA represents 308,000 African American RNs, licensed vocational/practical nurses, nursing students, and retired nurses in 114 chapters. I love the photo below of the NBNA founders, strong women all – a perfect representation for both February and March of any year and time.
NBNA Founders: Sitting: Phyllis Jenkins, Lauranne Sams, Betty Smith Williams and Ethelrine Shaw. Standing: Gloria Rookard, Betty Jo Davidson, Mary Harper, Doris Wilson Mattiedna K. Johnson, Phyllis Davis, Mattie Watkins, and Florrie Jefferson.
Stay safe, colleagues. Get vaccinated when you can and do your best to bring the COVID-19 vaccination to all populations. Working together, in interdependence, we will put the pandemic in the past.
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