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Fourth California Nursing Summit —
The Future of Nursing
 "California
Addresses the Nurse Shortage: Creative Solutions, Collaborative
Partnerships" was the topic for the Fourth California
Nursing Summit. CNCC was a co-sponsor of this major California
nursing event, organized by the California Strategic Planning
Committee for Nursing (CSPCN). Panelists on the dais represented
nurse leaders, educators, health care policy makers and the
California Board of Registered Nurses.
The panelist discussed the most recent
information on the Governor's Nursing Workforce Initiatives,
the Federal Nurse Reinvestment, current nurse workforce statistics,
and best practices in education and patient care models. Each
speaker shared their unique perspective, yet strongly echoed
the status of California's nursing workforce shortage as not
being a future projection, but in fact is a living reality
TODAY!
Since the First Summit in 1999, employers
and educators have partnered to implement strategies to address
diversity challenges in nursing, educational roadblocks and
barriers in the practice work environment that impact recruitment
and retention. These concerns represent a high priority and
require innovative strategies and solutions for concurrent
success.
One such strategy addresses entry-level
graduate programs in nursing. According to Arlene Sargent,
EdD, RN, Dean of Nursing at Samuel Merritt School of Nursing,
and CNCC member, "This is an exciting time in nursing
education. The new entry-level Masters program brings a rich
array of backgrounds, whether it is in the arts, business
or science, into nursing. The nursing profession can capitalize
on these diverse backgrounds and nurses can integrate their
unique experiences into their future nursing careers."
The summit presented a perfect opportunity
for CNCC to promote the Ambassador for Nursing Program and
our outreach to lead in the effort to address the supply and
demand for a diverse and adequate nursing workforce in California.
The Ambassador for Nursing Program on the chooseNursing.com
web site is a "call-to-action". This community outreach
allows nurses to express why they chose nursing; their positive
experiences balanced with realistic challenges, as well as
discuss the many opportunities available within the profession.
Hundreds of nurses stopped by our table
to learn what's new at the CNCC and chooseNursing.com. It
was encouraging to learn that many of the nurses we spoke
to were using our presentation tools. Robi Hellman-Flynn and
Francena McClure, two nurses we spoke to that day, expressed
to us how effective our presentation tools have been and that
many of their colleagues rely on them for their outreach efforts.
The Ambassador for Nursing Program has
easy-to-download age-specific presentation tools. According
to Linda D. Gregory, RN, BSN Manager of CNCC, "The Ambassador
Program is a proactive response to the call for personal and
professional participation in a way that provides an opportunity
to enhance the image of nursing and influence young people
to choose nursing."
Release Date: September 13, 2002
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