 |
New Directions: The e-Newsletter of the Hartford Geriatric Nursing Initiative | |
 |
||
 Volume
7, Issue 4
February 8, 2010 Welcome
to New Directions, a publication of the
New Directions is published six times per year—January/February, March/April, May/June, September/October, November, and December. In
This Issue
1. Nursing Leadership Study 2. Opportunities, Resources & Tools 3. Announcements 4. HCGNE News 5. NICHE News 6. Link of the Month: Advancing Excellence Web Site 1. Nursing Leadership Study
Nursing Leadership from Bedside to Boardroom: Opinion Leaders’ Perceptions reports on a study commissioned by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to examine the role of nurses in health care reform. The survey of 1,500 professionals and thought leaders from health services, the insurance industry, government, and universities revealed that an overwhelming majority of respondents believe nurses should have more influence in a variety of areas, including reducing medical errors, improving quality of care, promoting wellness, increasing efficiency, and reducing costs. However, many see significant barriers to an increased role for nursing leaders. To learn more about the study and read the report, visit: www.rwjf.org/pr/product.jsp?id=54350, or read the RWJF
blog. Rachael Watman of the Hartford Foundation also blogged about the report. Read her piece here.2. Opportunities, Resources & Tools
2010 NIA Summer Institute on Aging Research The National Institute on Aging is now accepting applications for participation in the 2010 Summer Institute on Aging Research. This seven-day workshop for investigators new to the aging field focuses on current issues, research methodologies, and funding opportunities. The Summer Institute on Aging Research is one of the premier short-term training opportunities for new investigators. The 2010 Summer Institute will be held July 10–16 in Queenstown, MD. Support is available for travel and living expenses. Minority investigators are strongly encouraged to apply. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals, or permanent residents. For additional information and an application form, contact Andrea Griffin-Mann at griffinmanna@nia.nih.gov. Applications are due March 5, 2010. Hartford Institute Summer Scholars Seminar 2010 The annual week-long, Geriatric Nursing Research Scholars Program, an intensive summer mentoring experience with nationally recognized gerontological nursing researchers will take place at New York University July 12–16, 2010. Please visit the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing Web site for further details or contact Hartford.ign@nyu.edu. Applications are due April 8, 2010. Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program: Apply Now The Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program is accepting applications for 2010 fellowships. This national program provides professionals in health and aging with the experience and skills necessary to make a positive contribution to the development and implementation of health policies that affect older Americans. The program offers two different tracks for individual placement: (1) a residential track that includes a 9-to-12-month placement (as a legislative assistant in Congress, a professional staff member in an executive agency, or in a policy organization) in Washington, DC, or at a state agency, and (2) a non-residential track that includes a health policy project and brief placement(s) throughout the year at relevant sites. Core program components focused on career development and professional enrichment are provided for fellows in both tracks. The application deadline is April 15, 2009. For further information, please visit: www.healthandagingpolicy.org, or contact Phuong Huynh, deputy director, at huynhpt@pi.cpmc.columbia.edu or 212.543.6213. GNEC Baccalaureate Geriatric Nursing Education Podcasts Now Available Podcasts have been developed for nursing students by Melissa Aselage, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, (2009 BAGNC Scholar) in collaboration with University of North Carolina Wilmington School of Nursing; the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN); and the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, New York University College of Nursing. These podcasts are based on modules developed by the AACN Geriatric Nursing Education Consortium (GNEC) and the Hartford Institute to enhance geriatric content in senior-level undergraduate nursing courses. For more information and to access the podcasts, visit: consultgerirn.org/resources/gnec_podcasts. Try This: The Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU Try This, a publication of the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, is a series of assessment tools and best practice approaches to care. Each issue focuses on a topic specific to the older adult population. One issue, the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (CAM-ICU), discusses delirium in older adults in the ICU and how to more effectively assess it. The CAM-ICU is the only delirium assessment tool constructed with yes/no questions for use with non-speaking, mechanically ventilated ICU patients. To learn more and view this issue, visit: consultgerirn.org/uploads/File/trythis/issue13_cam_icu.pdf. BandwidthOnline.org: Online All the Time Preparing for job talks, presentations, media interviews, or other communications opportunities can be hard work. Let www.BandwidthOnline.org help! The site offers a variety of tips, tools, templates, and examples to help strengthen all of your communications. Check out the resources for creating dynamic presentations, developing powerful "elevator speeches," designing effective scientific posters, or finding images to use in a brochure. BandwidthOnline.org, the comprehensive communications resource from the Hartford Foundation, has all this and more. Visit today! End-of-Life Nursing Education Corsortium (ELNEC) Course Available A geriatric train-the-trainer course will be held on March 9–10, 2010, in Philadelphia. The course is part of a national initiative to improve palliative care. The curriculum was developed with nationally recognized palliative care experts and is divided into nine modules, including Principles of Palliative Care, Pain Assessment and Management, Cultural and Spiritual Considerations, and Preparation for and Care at the Time of Death. The registration fee is $190. To learn more about this opportunity and register, contact Cindy Celi at: Cynthia.Celi@uphs.upenn.edu. 3.
Announcements
HGNI Programs Highlighted in Nursing Workforce Article Caring for an Aging Population: Review of Policy Initiatives by Susan Crocker Houde, PhD, ANP-BC; and Karen Devereaux Melillo, PhD, ANP-BC, FAANP, FGSA, was published in the Journal of Geriatric Nursing in November 2009. The article discusses several policy initiatives that address the shortage of health professionals prepared to care for older adults. Initiatives by professional nursing organizations to improve the gerontological nursing workforce are also reviewed, including programs of the Hartford Geriatric Nursing Initiative (HGNI). Dr. Houde is professor and director of MS, DNP, and Graduate Certificate Programs, Department of Nursing, and Dr. Melillo is professor and chair, Department of Nursing, and coordinator, Graduate Gerontological Nursing Practitioner Specialty, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA. For BAGNC Alumni Are you wondering how you can stay connected to your John A. Hartford Foundation Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity (BAGNC) peers? Alumni from the BAGNC Predoctoral Scholarship and Claire M. Fagin Fellowship programs are currently organizing a new association to continue networking and promote collaboration on projects and scholarly activities. Look for opportunities to hear more at your regional research conference (ENRS, MNRS, SNRS, WIN), GSA, and in HGNI and BAGNC newsletters! For more information contact Adriana Perez, PhD, ANP, at: Adriana.Rivera@asu.edu. 2009 Mary Starke Harper Distinguished Lectureship: Video Now Online The Mary Starke Harper Distinguished Lectureship at the 2009 BAGNC Leadership Conference, held in November, honored Mary Starke Harper, RN, PhD, FAAN (1919–2006) through a panel session focusing on how Dr. Harper promoted interdisciplinary collaboration by mentoring across disciplines and served as a champion for interdisciplinary/trans-disciplinary research in other ways. Special attention was paid to Dr. Harper’s last lecture, which emphasized the importance of common sense. The video of this session can be found at www.geriatricnursing.org/leadership/2009/msh-2009.asp. Call for Abstracts for the GSA 2010 Annual Scientific Meeting The Gerontological Society of America offers a unique forum for disseminating your latest and most important research to people who share the common goal of improving the lives of older adults. Maybe you’re studying residents’ relationships with caregivers in assisted living settings, tackling the effects of health care reform, addressing Vitamin D’s effect on muscle composition, or developing stem cell therapies to combat Alzheimer’s disease. No matter what your area of expertise, GSA can offer you a place to reach the hearts and minds of people who simply want to improve care. To learn more or to submit your abstract, visit www.geron.org/abstracts. Deadline is March 15, 2010. 4. HCGNE News
Dr. Donna Fick, co-director of the Penn State University HCGNE and associate professor at the School of Nursing, was inducted into the American Academy of Nursing as a 2009 Fellow. In recognition of her outstanding achievements in the nursing profession, Dr Fick was among 97 nurse leaders inducted to the Academy in November 2009. Dr. Fick’s research focuses on two major geriatric issues: potentially inappropriate medications in older adults and delirium superimposed in dementia (DSD). Dr Fick is the lead researcher of an interdisciplinary panel to update the Beers Criteria for inappropriate medication use in older adults. Her other research efforts focus on lack of knowledge of DSD; the outcomes, costs, and health care utilization associated with DSD; and examination of non-pharmacological strategies to manage delirium. Penn State School of Nursing HCGNE faculty members Dr. Susan Loeb, assistant professor of nursing, and Dr. Janice Penrod, associate professor of nursing, together with Dr. Christopher Hollenbeak, associate professor of surgery and health evaluation sciences, were recently awarded a three-year, $1,271,195 grant from the National Institute of Nursing Research for their study, Infusing End-of-Life Care into Complex Organizations: The Prison Study. The researchers will examine cost indicators and explore the feasibility and effectiveness of applying participatory action research methodology to infuse generalist end-of-life (EOL) strategies into the complex organization of a state prison system. The infusion of enhanced EOL strategies will directly affect the quality of life of inmates who are suffering from advanced chronic illnesses. Bonnie Westra, PhD, RN, FAAN, received a grant from the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society (WOCN) to evaluate the impact of WOC specialty nursing practice on the quality and cost of care. Westra; co-investigator Donna Z. Bliss, PhD, RN, FAAN; and statistician Kay Savik, MS, will link data from the Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS), collected by home health agencies, to patient care. Findings will also serve as a model for further outcomes research related to specialty nursing practice. Dr. Westra leads the Informatics component of the Minnesota Hartford Center’s Faculty Learning About Geriatrics (FLAG) program, which reviews the latest electronic health information technologies and describes teaching strategies for incorporating them in geriatric care. Marie Boltz, 2009–2001 Claire M. Fagin Fellow, received two research grants: Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors Associated with Change in Physical Function in Hospitalized Older Adults, funded by the Rehabilitation Nursing Foundation Fellow Research Grant, and Barriers to Functional Mobility in Hospitalized Older Adults: Patient and Nurse Perceptions, an Environment of Elder Care Nursing Research Grant funded by Sigma Theta Tau International. Karen Rose, 2008–2010 Claire M. Fagin Fellow and 2003–2005 BAGNC Predoctoral Scholar, is incoming chair of the Aging Research Interest Group of the Southern Nursing Research Society. Amy Vogelsmeier, 2009–2011 Claire M. Fagin Fellow and 2005–2007 BAGNC Predoctoral Scholar, was invited to present to the National Patient Safety Forum, based on her work to improve the culture of safety in Missouri health care organizations. 5.
NICHE News
2010 Annual NICHE Conference Collaborate! Interdisciplinary Paths to Improved Geriatric Care April 21-23, 2010 Baltimore, MD For more information, visit the conference web site. 6. Link of the Month: Advancing Excellence Web Site
The National Advancing Excellence Web site (www.nhqualitycampaign.org), launched in October 2009, provides a wealth of information for nursing homes, statewide long-term care stakeholders, and consumers. Profiles of each state are available that show statewide pressure ulcer, restraint, and pain quality measures (QMs) compared to the national average and ranked relative to other states. In addition to the state profiles, site visitors can access publicly reported nursing home-specific data and view comparisons of nursing homes' performance compared to national and state performance as well as performance and trends over a period of time. The data come from the MDS and are published quarterly on the Advancing Excellence Web site. Nursing Homes that participate in the Advancing Excellence Campaign have access to a special set of data that provides more precise information and shows comparisons of performance over time, comparisons to state and national performance, and comparisons to goals that the nursing home has set. To learn more, visit the site at: www.nhqualitycampaign.org. Write
to Us
We are committed to creating a monthly publication that serves your needs and interests. New Directions, therefore, welcomes your feedback and encourages you to supply ideas, stories, resources, news, and other content for subsequent issues. To make a contribution, please contact Pamela Dudzik at: pdudzik@aannet.org, Laurie Dodge Wilson at lwilson@aacn.nche.edu, or Malvina Kluger at malvina.kluger@nyu.edu. Please
Note
If you know of someone or a group of people who would like to receive this newsletter, please send an email to Chris Gherst at cgherst@aboutscp.com, and we will subscribe them. If you have received this message in error or would like not to receive this newsletter, please reply to this e-mail and type “Delete from New Directions” in the subject line. For more information about the HGNI’s ongoing evaluation, please see: www.geriatricnursing.info. If you have received this newsletter without graphics but would like to receive it with graphics, please write to John Beilenson at jbeilenson@aboutscp.com for instructions on how to view an HTML email, or go to: www.hgni.org. |
||
Copyright 2010 Hartford Geriatric Nursing Initiative (HGNI) |