By Aila Accad, MSN, RN
Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, set the mission of nursing in the early 1800s—to help people be in the right condition to heal as a whole, including attention to family, community and environment. When it became clear that the illness focus of American health care was not sufficient to improve overall health, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a landmark report on the future of health entitled “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health” in 2010. The report set forth eight recommendations to guide nurses and the profession to expand its mission to help people get and stay well.
On a national level, this led to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and AARP partnering to create the Center to Champion Nursing in America, which set forth the Campaign for Action, inspiring every state to build a coalition toward implementing the eight IOM recommendations. The recommendations center around improving better access to advance practice nursing (APRN), advancing nursing education to the bachelors (BSN) and doctoral (DNP, PhD) levels and preparing nurses for expanded leadership on boards and in health policy development.
In the Mountain State, three lead organizations—the West Virginia Hospital Association, West Virginia Nurses Association and West Virginia Organization of Nurse Executives—came together to form the Future of Nursing West Virginia Action Coalition (FONWV) to implement the IOM recommendations and work toward creating team projects where nurses can lead change to advance a culture of health.
The FONWV practice team figured prominently in advancing legislation to reduce practice barriers for APRNs and created a faith community nursing toolkit and network toward improving access to health care for all West Virginians. The practice and leadership teams created two highly successful online educational programs: Transition to Practice Course, which guides graduate nurses during their first year as professional nurses, and the Nursing Leadership Academy, which assists nurses moving into management and leadership roles. Since its inception, more than 500 nurses have enrolled. The education team created an online toolkit and app to encourage and support students choosing nursing as a career path and a health ambassador RN project to improve student and family health.
The leadership team is now focusing its attention on developing the next generation of nursing leaders. They set criteria to identify 40 nurses under the age of 40 who demonstrate exceptional leadership capabilities in a variety of nursing settings.
40 Under 40 West Virginia Emerging Nurse Leaders 2017
FONWV will be recognizing them with 40 under 40 Emerging Nurse Leader Awards. The awards will be conveyed at the annual gala on August 19, 2017, at the Embassy Suites in Charleston. The awardees will receive a certificate, leadership pin, a copy of the book “The Power of Ten: A Conversational Approach to Tackling the Top Ten Priorities in Nursing” and one year of development programs and mentoring to expand their capacity to lead.
“Our awardees are the shining stars of the next generation of West Virginia nurse leaders,” says Laure Marino, DNP, APRN, head of the Future of Nursing West Virginia’s leadership team. “We are proud to recognize their accomplishments and help them grow as they step into new leadership roles in their organizations, on governing boards and as health policy influencers.”
The FONWV has been funded through annual support from the founding organizations; grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, Sisters Health Foundation, Logan Healthcare Foundation and West Virginia Center for Nursing; and individual and organizational supporters.
West Virginia has a brighter and healthier future as its nurses continue to lead change to advance health in this state.
Full list of 2017 winners
About the Author
Aila Accad, RN, MSN, is the executive director of the Future of Nursing West Virginia Action Coalition and an award-winning international speaker, bestselling author and certified well-being coach. Accad holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing, and her award-winning book, “34 Instant Stress-Busters, Quick Tips to De-stress Fast with No Extra Time or Money,” was selected in 2012 as one of the Top 50 Must-Read Books for Nurses. She is the president and founder of LifeQuest International, LLC and an innovator in wellness training and nursing empowerment. As an innovator and health care futurist, Accad is a popular keynote speaker and radio and television guest.
