Why No Nurses? Report Calls for Academic Health Centers to Play Leadership Role in Fixing System

9/19/2002

From: Elaine Rubin or Lisa Lindeman, 202-265-9600, of the Association of Academic Health Centers http://www.ahcnet.org

News Advisory:

WHAT: The Association of Academic Health Centers will release a major report on the nursing shortage, The Nursing Shortage and Academic Health Centers: Assessing Options for Remedy in a Complex System.

WHO: -- Marian Osterweis, PhD, executive vice president, Association of Academic Health Centers; -- J. Richard Gaintner, MD, interim executive vice president for health sciences, Georgetown University; -- Katherine A. Long, PhD, RNCS, FAAN, president, American Association of Colleges of Nursing and Dean and Professor, School of Nursing, University of Florida; -- Gregory L. Eastwood, MD, president, State University of New York Upstate Medical University

WHEN: Wednesday, September 25 9:30 a.m. (ET)

WHERE: Russell Senate Office Building, Room 325, 1st & C Sts., NE, Washington, D.C.

A new report from the Association of Academic Health Centers concludes that the nursing shortage is a "systems problem" that cannot be solved by a single quick fix. Rather, remedies must take into account the interdependent nature of the problem.

The report calls for academic health centers to develop and implement comprehensive strategies, including:

-- Strengthening nursing education programs, particularly programs for advance practice nurses, nurse practitioners, nursing administrators, research and faculty -- Expanding educational resources for faculty training -- Expanding nursing research, including outcomes of nursing practice -- Developing cooperative networks for nursing education and research -- Developing and evaluate models of nursing care that are designed to improve patient outcomes and productivity in health care delivery

Academic health centers are the health complexes of the nation's major universities. They educate and train nurses and conduct the vast majority of nursing-related research.

The Association of Academic Health Centers is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health of the people by advancing the leadership of academic health centers in health professions education, biomedical and health services research, and health care delivery.

For further information, call Elaine Rubin or Lisa Lindeman at 202-265-9600.