18-month leadership program builds upon the success of the 2010-11 program by adding a nursing simulation component and other program enhancements

Indianapolis – The Sigma Theta Tau International Foundation for Nursing has received a US $300,000 grant from The Elsevier Foundation to fund the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) Nurse Faculty Leadership Academy (NFLA). This 18-month leadership program, a strategy to help alleviate the nursing faculty shortage, focuses on helping retain and transition new nurse educators to the faculty role.

The 2011-13 mentored leadership academy will build on the success of the current program, funded by The Elsevier Foundation, and will support recommendations contained in the 2010 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. The IOM report specifically calls for “health organizations, including nursing organizations and nursing schools, to provide nurses greater opportunities to gain leadership skills and put them into practice.”

“At no time has it been so important to develop leaders in nursing education. NFLA will allow emerging leaders to work on projects with experienced mentors, transforming nursing education to better prepare nurses to meet the health care needs of their future patients,” comments Diane M. Billings, EdD, RN, FAAN, chancellor’s professor emeritus at the Indiana University School of Nursing and NFLA mentor.

“The purpose of this academy is to develop the next generation of nurse faculty so that they can lead the development and implementation of innovative nursing education programs. Working closely with a mentor, participants develop essential leadership skills and learn how to incorporate emerging teaching methodologies such as simulation and other technologies into the nursing curriculum,” says Karen H. Morin, DSN, RN, ANEF, STTI president. “We look forward to working with nurse faculty from institutions around the world; up to 40 different schools of nursing could be involved in this next cohort.”

Simulation gives students nearly real-world experience in a controlled environment resulting in fewer errors and increased patient safety and provides school administrators the option to adjust faculty-student ratios. Incorporating the use of simulation technology in nursing education into the 2011-2013 NFLA curricula will help position new faculty members to become advocates for simulation within the schools at which they teach.

“We are proud to help STTI develop this program in ways that are highly relevant and innovative in advancing the effectiveness of nurse educators,” says David Ruth, executive director for The Elsevier Foundation.

About the STTI NFLA model

• Research shows that nurse educators who have worked with a mentor have higher job satisfaction and more promotion opportunities than those who have not. They are more productive in obtaining competitive grants, leading professional organizations and getting published in scholarly books and journals. STTI's mentored leadership academy curriculum is based on leadership principles created by Kouzes and Posner and includes:
• Two face-to-face workshops using experiential methods of teaching and learning;
• Online discussion forums and virtual site visits;
• Individualized leadership progression plans; and
• Mentor/mentee collaboration on an innovative and sustainable educational project and the sharing of results through articles, presentations and inclusion in the world-renowned Virginia Henderson International Nursing Library

A nurse faculty mentoring tool kit is also being designed to help participating schools utilize the nurse faculty mentored leadership methodologies within their institutions and, therefore, increase the academy's overall impact on nursing education and the nurse faculty shortage.

Comments from current 2010-11 pilot program participants
“It’s amazing to see how much these new nursing faculty grow and change in such a short period of time. Their projects are resulting in innovative teaching pedagogies, evaluation methods and curriculum design that will transform nursing education in the 21st century,” says NFLA expert faculty member Carol L. Huston, MSN, MPA, DPA, FAAN, director of the School of Nursing, California State University, Chico, and NFLA expert faculty member.

“If I were not in this program, I would not have taken on new leadership roles. Since starting it, I have become president of our Sigma Theta Tau chapter and faculty president for our department, and I’m working with our department chair to develop a faculty retreat that will support our efforts at curricular redesign,” says program participant Michael Clark, DrNP, CRNP, assistant professor, Temple University.

Application process starts 1 April 2011
Applications will be accepted beginning 1 April 2011. STTI membership is not a requirement for participation. For additional information, contact the Sigma Theta Tau International Leadership Institute at leadership@stti.iupui.edu.

About STTI
The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to support the learning, knowledge and professional development of nurses committed to making a difference in health worldwide. Founded in 1922, STTI has 130,000 members in 86 countries. Members include practicing nurses, instructors, researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs and others. STTI’s 470 chapters are located at 586 institutions of higher education throughout Australia, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Ghana, Hong Kong, Japan, Kenya, Malawi, Mexico, The Netherlands, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Swaziland, Sweden, Taiwan, Tanzania, the United States and Wales. More information about STTI and its leadership programs and initiatives can be found online at www.nursingsociety.org.

About Elsevier
Elsevier is a world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier’s online solutions include SciVerse ScienceDirect, SciVerse Scopus, Reaxys, MD Consult and Nursing Consult, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal suite and MEDai’s Pinpoint Review, which help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.

A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world-leading publisher and information provider, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

CONTACT:
Rachael McLaughlin, Director
Marketing and Communications
Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International
rachael@stti.iupui.edu
317.634.8171

Tom Reller, Vice President
Global Corporate Relations
Elsevier
t.reller@elsevier.com
212.464.1912