AAN President's Pages
President’s message
Our mission is to transform health care policy and practice through nursing knowledge. Over the last 2 years it has been my pleasure to serve as president and to work with a phenomenal board of directors and staff to promote programs and activities in support of our mission. The actions of the board of directors, policy staff, expert panels, commissions, committees, task forces, advisory board members, and the support of staff from Executive Director Incorporated (EDI) have helped us increase our productivity, obtain financial support from foundations and individual members, and to be recognized as an organization that advocates on behalf of the public good.Poverty: An important concern for nurses
Poverty is the great equalizer within our global community. It affects children and elders, nomads and urbanites, men and women, and people of all colors, faiths, and belief systems across the universe. It is mean-spirited—robbing individuals of hope and lowering their capacity to withstand the insults to body, mind, and human spirit from disease, malnourishment, dehydration, environmental contagion, illiteracy, and discrimination. Poverty stymies human development in all forms—physical growth, cognition, ability to interact with others, reasoning, ability to problem-solve, creativity, and societal contributions.President’s message
The American Academy of Nursing has a rich history of working with strategic partners to achieve mutual goals of health quality and advocacy. In fact, our second strategic goal is to engage Fellows of the Academy, key partners and stakeholders in transforming our current health system. To date, we have joined forces with multiple organizations to promote healthy aging and human development; shape healthy behaviors and environments; enhance nursing and healthcare quality; and strengthen the nursing and healthcare delivery system.President’s Message
The American Academy of Nursing (AAN) is committed to creating, synthesizing and disseminating knowledge for the purpose of improving healthcare practices, providing evidence that shapes policy and responds to crucial issues affecting the health of the public. We conduct this important work through our Expert Panels and the Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science (the Council), a national program of the Academy. The Council was established in 2000 to be the unifying voice for nursing scientists across the profession.President’s Message
Excellence, according to Booker T. Washington, is to do a common thing in an uncommon way. Creating and sustaining excellence in nursing education and service requires that we seek and try new ways of being and working together in uncommon ways. This special issue of Nursing Outlook contains wonderful examples of what needs to be done to ensure that the future of nursing and the individuals who provide nursing care remain healthy through nursing education and service partnerships. The American Academy of Nursing seeks to provide a forum for discussion on the directions nursing education and service should consider to achieve our common goal—safe, quality, equitable, efficient, patient-centered, and reliable care for all.Raise the Voice! Transforming America’s health care system through nursing solutions
The American Academy of Nursing was founded to identify and propose resolutions to issues and problems confronting nursing and health, and to develop plans for implementation. This charge was approved by the American Nurses Association Board of Directors in 1973 as part of the implementation plan for chartering the officers and members of the Academy. It is our belief that, to fulfill this charge and the current mission of the Academy, we must engage others. During the 2006 annual conference and business meeting, we launched the Raise the Voice! campaign to engage and inform the healthcare community and the public that nursing has solutions to the current and ongoing health care problems.The American Academy of Nursing to welcome International Fellow members
The American Academy of Nursing is committed to engaging nurses and other health professionals in our quest to improve policy and nursing practice. Our Expert Panel on Global Nursing and Health, chaired by Marlene M. Rosenkoetter, PhD, RN, FAAN, authored a White Paper on Global Nursing and Health that has brought international nursing issues to the forefront. The authors explore several aspects of the global nurse shortage and its impact in healthcare delivery as well as policy-based and other solutions proposed by the World Health Organization, the International Council of Nurses, and the American Nurses Association (ANA).Building academic geriatric nursing capacity: 2000–2005—A look back and the vision for the future
America is growing older at an unprecedented rate. The number of people 65 and older is larger than ever before, and those 85 and older constitute the fastest growing segment of the population. When the baby boom generation enters its senior years, between 2010 and 2030, it is projected that one in five Americans will be over 65.Getting from good to great: A strategy of success
The American Academy of Nursing is committed to shaping health policy and practice through the use of knowledge. During our 33 years, we have compiled evidence on a variety of topics, drawing from the work of our talented Academy Fellows. More effort is required. We can—and must—better gather and disseminate that evidence, maximizing the Academy’s impact. Over the next 3 months, the Academy hopes to engage the Fellows and others in creating a strategic plan to guide the efforts that will help us achieve our mission.Improving the acute care practice environment through technology
Over the last 10 years, multiple solutions to the nursing shortage have appeared in the literature. A common theme emerging from studies including the Institute of Medicine landmark report Keeping Patients Safe: Transforming the Work Environment of Nurses, 2004 is the need to focus on the demand side of the shortage.1 Other reports authored by the American Hospital Association, Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) have recommended actions aimed at the practice environment level to retain nurses and improve patient care safety and quality.President’s message March 2006
“All things are possible until they are proved impossible - and even the impossible may only be so, as of now,” said Pearl S. Buck in the previous century. I believe that it is possible to have a healthier populace and that the American Academy of Nursing is making significant contributions to achieving this important societal goal.President’s message November 2005
I assumed the role of Academy president at the close of our business meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona and am sharing my remarks with you, hoping to generate discussion and recommendations. As we embark on our 33rd year, I offer the following reflection and recommendations for the fellowship:
