Greetings!
Check out the new information on our future nurses website. We have a variety of resources describing the many opportunities in the nursing profession. This page will continue to grow in coming months, so be sure to check back. We are adding new content to many sections of the website weekly- so bookmark the website and keep checking.
In this issue of the newsletter we have information about nursing education programs, an organization devoted to rural nursing, two new nurse practitioner fellows, and a variety of resources available through the state's office of workforce development. Also, be sure to check out the quick links along the side of the newsletter- many news, opportunity and resource items that are sure to be of interest. Happy Summer! Patricia Moulton, PhD Executive DirectorND Center for Nursing
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Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers Annual Conference
The North Dakota Cente for Nursing recently attended the annual conference of the
Karen Latham, ND Center forr Nursing Vice-President and Patricia Moulton, Executiv
 | | Patricia Moulton ND, Karen Latham ND, Linda Young SD, Mary Lou Brunell FL at Sigma Theta Tau Headquarters, Indianapolis, IN |
e Director also attended the buisness meeting and a reception at the Sigma Theta Tau headquarters. Conference presentaitons included the newest information on nursing education, leadership and nursing workforce. Presentation slides can be downloaded here. |
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American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Awards Fellow Status to Two ND NPs
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AANP Fellows Induction. Dr. Angie Golden President of AANP, Gwen Witzel new inductee, Dr. Jan Towers AANP Director of Health Policy, Karen Rohr new inductee, Dr. Deb Kiley chairman for AANP national conference |
The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) selected 43 nurse practitioner leaders for induction into to FAANP in Orlando in June, 2012. Two North Dakota nurse practitioners were included in this group. Gwen Witzel, Langdon who is regional director and board member for AANP and Karen Rohr, Bismarck is a ND State legislator. Gwen and Karen are the only two AANP fellows in North Dakota. AANP established the FAANP program in 2000 to recognize nurse practitioner leaders who have made outstanding contributions to health care through clinical practice, research, education, or policy. Fellows of the AANP are visionaries and, as such, hold an annual think tank to strategize about the future of nurse practitioners and health care. The new Fellows will continue to demonstrate leadership and contribute to the mission of the AANP through participation in think tanks and the development of policy papers.
AANP is the largest and only full-service organization for nurse practitioners. The organization recently announced that it will merge with the American College of Nurse Practitioners which will provide a stronger, more unified national voice. AANP has also launched a National Public Awareness Campaign in order to increase awareness of the critical role of nurse practitioners in the health care system as the Affordable Care Act is enacted. AANP also has a Nurse Practitioner Finder on the website which assists patients in connecting with nurse practitioners within their state.
AANP is organized into 11 regions. ND is a part of region eight which includes North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Montana and Utah. Gwen Witzel from Langdon is the Region Eight director and in this role she oversees the state representatives from each of the states and serves as the resource person for health policy, continuing education and for technical support. There is also an annual Regional leadership meeting that rotates between states and includes the opportunity for states to network with each other, receive technical support from the national association and customized training such as media training to fit the needs of the region. "AANP is really a grassroots organization, the staff at the national office work to help facilitate members at the state and regional level and provide needed resources so that individual states don't have to reinvent the wheel" indicates Gwen Witzel. "As a regional director, I provide support to six states as they work through policy and other issues". For more information about AANP and region eight, contact Gwen Witzel at [email protected]
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Dakota Nursing Program: A Unique Collaboration
The Dakota Nursing Program was designed to respond to the nursing needs of the people of North Dakota by delivering a high-quality nursing educational program to students through innovative instruction at rural education sites. Students can study close to home without uprooting families. They find employment where they reside upon completion of their degrees. The Dakota Nursing Program is a nursing education consortium made possible through the collaborative efforts of four state colleges and one tribal college: Bismarck State College (BSC), Fort Berthold Community College (FBCC), Lake Region State College (LRSC), Dakota College at Bottineau (DCB), and Williston State College (WSC).
The program includes more than 200 future practical nurses and associate degree nurses (two-year registered nurses) each year at the five colleges in a 1 + 1 practical nurse to registered nurse (ADRN) program. Click for a report from the American Association of Community Colleges on associate and bachelor's degree programs.
The program includes shared didactic courses that are broadcast through Interactive Video Network (IVN) to the five colleges and distance education sites located in Rugby, Minot, Hazen, Harvey, Mayville, and Valley City. Additional distance education sites have been offered throughout the consortium and vary from year to year. These sites have included Langdon, Cooperstown, Carrington, Grafton, Northwood, and the Burdick Job Corps in Minot. Clinical courses and laboratory experiences are coordinated and delivered by each college and/or local site. In addition to shared instruction using IVN which also includes recording course content and web streaming; the program uses a diversity of other technology such as academic electronic health records in the foundations and simulation laboratories, reference materials available on handheld electronic devices for use in the lab and clinical areas, web-based skill videos accessible to all students and faculty, a centralized learning management system for access to all course materials and online testing, and most recently the addition of simulation laboratories.
This unique collaboration was featured by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation publication, Charting Nursing's Future for its use of technology. The program's 35-40 faculty work together in order to provide shared specialized instruction. For example, one faculty member is very experienced on pediatric nursing and she provides instruction to students at all program sites. "We have bright, young excited faculty that want to teach in the IVN and online classrooms and also lead the clinical and simulation component for the program across all of the colleges. Our faculty are excited about teaching." indicates Julie Traynor, MS, RN, the director of the Dakota Nursing Program. Faculty and student representatives meet through IVN to discuss curriculum, for networking and problem solving and as an opportunity for students to work across campuses. The Dakota Nursing program has grown many of its own faculty and has received funding from the Dakota Medical Foundation and from the individual colleges for tuition assistance for faculty going to graduate school. 
"Our students work in rural hospitals and long-term care facilities where they are greatly needed. We have also seen a big upswing in the number of ADRN graduates from our program that plan to go onto to earn a BSN or a higher graduate degree in the next five years" according to Julie Traynor. For more information about the Dakota Nursing Program contact Julie Traynor at [email protected]
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Rural Nurse Organization:
Connecting Rural Nurses across the World
The Rural Nurse Organization started in 1977 with a group of 16 educators and rural directors of nursing in Washington and has grown to become a non-profit organization including 135 members across the world, the online Journal of Rural Nursing and Healthcare , quarterly newsletters, small grants and webinars on rural health issues that provide continuing education credits. Upcoming topics include "Creating partnerships to address the health needs of an Anabaptist community", "Ethics: End of Life Care in Rural Areas" and "Caring for Hispanic Populations in Non-Hispanic Settings". The organization is currently examining the possibility of offering a Rural Nurse Certification program and has developed a rural triage and rapid assessment guide. "The Rural Nurse Organization provides critical networking opportunities for nurses interested in and working in rural areas. The organization has always had a strong focus on providing educational opportunities to those in rural areas" indicates Bette Ide, Grand Forks and Past-President. Bonnie Selzler from Bismarck serves as the organization's Secretary. There are many opportunities for members; nurses can join by going to the organization's website. The Journal is also currently looking for experienced reviewers. For more information about the Rural Nurse Organization, contact Bette Ide at [email protected].
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Dickinson State University: A Unique Ladder Nursing Program
For over 20 years, Dickinson State University has offered a unique nursing career ladder program. Students typically enter the nursing program through the Associate in Applied Science in Practical Nursing Program which qualifies students to become licensed as LPNs. Students are then encouraged to continue in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Completion Program while working as a LPN. Already licensed LPNs and ADRNs can also enroll in the BSN Completion program. "We currently have the only AASPN to BSN career ladder program in the state and perhaps in the United States" indicates Mary Anne Marsh, the chair of the Department of Nursing. High-fidelity simulation and a wide variety of clinical experiences provide hands-on experience in both programs. Dickinson State is also currently in the process of remodeling a classroom to become a simulation lab. The Nursing department includes 43 students in the AASPN program with a waiting list and 25-27 students in the BSN program. The high cost of housing has been an issue in attracting students to the nursing program. However, the Dickinson State University Foundation has been working on building some additional housing units which should help this next academic year. Both programs are accredited by theNational League for Nursing Accrediting Commission and approved by the North Dakota Board of Nursing.
The Department of Nursing includes eight full time faculty and five adjunct faculty. In the past year, two faculty (Audrey Charchenko and Lucy Meyer) were granted tenure. Audrey Charchenko, assistant professor of nursing, also received the Dickinson State University Innovative Teacher of the Year Award. Charchenko is known for always searching for better and more engaging methods of teaching "hands-on" nursing skills to students. One of her major accomplishments in this area is the development of a collaborative learning program for the nursing assessment course, which focuses on the elderly at Hawks Point.
 | | Dickinson State University Nursing student, Amanda Brezdan receiving her pin from her parents. |
The Dickinson State University Nursing Students Association is very active including offering campus-wide health screenings and blood drives along with volunteering in the community at soup kitchens and providing Christmas gifts to Angel Tree participants. The night before graduation, students participate in the pinning ceremony in which a significant person in their life (spouse, parent, child etc.) presents a Dickinson State University nursing pin or guard as a part of a celebration.
The Dickinson State University Department of Nursing has also held a nurse camp for the last ten years. The Nurse Camp is organized by the department's recruitment committee with assistance from the Nursing students association members and other nursing students. This year, 61 area 5th and 6th grade students experienced a wide variety of nursing skills through stations that are run by nursing students and faculty. The stations included high-fidelity simulation and provided hands-on opportunities in geriatrics, obstetrics, medical/surgical, emergency room, intensive care, critical care and operating room nursing, nursing education and fire safety. "The nurse camp provides nursing students with an opportunity to demonstrate the skills that they have learned throughout the year and to increase awareness of the nursing profession." indicates Lucy Meyer, assistant professor. The Western Area Health Education Center WAHEC brought a simulator for the nurse camp and donated stethoscopes for participants. Dickinson State Un
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Dickinson State University nursing student demonstrating a pediatric simulator at Nurse Camp. |
iversity also provided t-shirts.
For more information about the Department of Nursing at Dickinson State University, contact Mary Anne Marsh, PhD, RN Department Chair at [email protected].
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North Dakota Workforce Development Division: A Cadre of Valuable Workforce Programs
The Workforce Development Division is responsible for monitoring local, regional, and national workforce initiatives and the development and implementation of the State's Talent and intelligence coordination strategies. Its goals ensure that North Dakota employers have access to a skilled talent pool to meet their workforce needs, young people remain in state for jobs and civic engagement and volunteerism expands in the state. There are many programs of interest in the Workforce Development Division:
The Experience North Dakota program is designed to help recruit new employees to North Dakota. Their website includes information and opportunities for personalized technical assistance for living, working and playing in North Dakota. The North Dakota Ambassador Program included over 6,000 people from around the world that are enthusiastic about North Dakota and would like to help build a stronger workforce in the state. "We are always looking for individuals to sign up to be ambassadors, they are a valuable part of our strategy to recruit new employees" indicated Adele Sigl, a Workforce Talent and Project Coordinator for the ND Department of Commerce " They provide a positive connection." Experience ND also posts job openings (must have > $30,000/year salary) for employers and works directly with out-of-state job seekers as they are looking for employment in North Dakota. For more information about activities in the Workforce Development Division contact Adele Sigl at [email protected]
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About Us
The ND Center for Nursing was created in 2011 to guide the ongoing development of a well-prepared and diverse nursing workforce to meet the needs of the citizens of North Dakota through research, education, recruitment and retention, advocacy and public policy. Go to our website to sign up for this newsletter and for events, news, opportunities, research, policy and best practices. Any questions, please email [email protected]. |
 Funding
The ND Center for Nursing is a non-profit organization and has received funding from the ND Board of Nursing, Otto-Bremer Foundation, ND Nurse Leadership Council, ND Organization of Nurse Executives and College and Unviersity Nursing Education Administrators. If you are intersted in making a donation please contact [email protected]
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Staying Connected with Social Networking
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