Demand is growing for nurses with higher levels of education and specialized knowledge for an increasingly complex healthcare system. Chamberlain College of Nursing is launching graduate certificates in nursing education and nursing informatics to prepare nurses to apply for certification in these critical focus areas. With enhanced proficiency in new skills, nurses can expand their scope of practice and make a valuable impact on the delivery of patient care and their careers.
 
“Chamberlain’s graduate certificates can give nurses the knowledge and education they need to deliver advanced quality care and take on integral roles in the evolution of healthcare,” said Carole Eldridge, DNP, RN, CNE, NEA-BC, director of graduate programs for Chamberlain College of Nursing. “By diversifying a nurse’s skill set, specialty certification can facilitate upward professional mobility and career advancement.”
 
Registered nurses with Master of Science in Nursing degrees can enroll in Chamberlain’s online Graduate Certificate in Nursing Education or Graduate Certificate in Nursing Informatics, with or without practicums. Practicum is optional for students with practical application experience in their area of study. Chamberlain is now accepting applications for the spring semester, which begins on January 7, 2013.
 

 



The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) has joined with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) in a historic agreement to pursue a single accreditation system for graduate medical education programs in the United States beginning in July 2015. The AOA is the accrediting body for osteopathic (D.O) internships, residencies, and fellowships; the ACGME serves as the accrediting body for M.D. internships, residencies, and fellowships.
 
Over the coming months, the three organizations will work toward defining a process, format, and timetable for the ACGME to accredit all osteopathic graduate medical education programs currently accredited by the AOA. “We are supportive of the agreement and firmly believe it will benefit health care in the United States to have a single accrediting system for interns, residents, and fellows,” said Anthony J. Silvagni, D.O., Pharm.D., M.Sc., who serves as dean of Nova Southeastern University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine.
 
Osteopathic physicians (D.O.s) began certifying graduate medical education programs in 1947. Since the 1950s, D.O.s have trained in both AOA and ACGME internships, residencies, and fellowships accredited programs. Currently, approximately half of all D.O. graduates in the United States enter ACGME-accredited programs and half enter AOA-accredited programs, with each system having separate rules, requirements, processes, deadlines, and requirements for continuous certification and maintenance of licensure. Merging the two accreditation systems would provide D.O. graduates with a streamlined pathway to physician licensure and practice.
 
At NSU-COM, for example, the proposed merger would ensure that each year, D.O. graduates would have seamless access to all the residency programs in the state of Florida. With research showing that physicians frequently enter practice in the state of their graduate medical education training program, the accreditation merger could help to alleviate physician shortages in Florida by having fewer unfilled positions.
 
While details for the planned merger will be discussed over the coming months, the following will occur should negotiations be successful:
• The transition to a unified system would be seamless; residents in or entering current AOA-accredited residency programs would be eligible to complete residency and/or fellowship training in ACGME-accredited residency and fellowship programs.
• The unified system would create an opportunity to set universal standards for demonstrating outcomes-based physician competency and enhance the ability to share information on best practices.
• All osteopathic training programs would automatically be deemed accredited by ACGME based on principles of reciprocity, and all training programs would need to meet the same requirements.
• The AOA and AACOM would become member organizations of ACGME and would have seats on the ACGME board, ensuring input into future accreditation standards discussions.
• All existing and future residency programs would be open to all M.D. and D.O. graduates.


Nursing education continues to be a rewarding career option for registered nurses (RNs) looking to maximize their clinical expertise and instruct the next generation of nurses entering the field. As educators, nursing faculty members play a critical role in advancing the profession and influencing the quality of public health in communities around the world.
 
Flexible scheduling, interprofessional collaboration and a stimulating work environment are a few factors that make nursing education an attractive career path. In fact, nurse educators report the highest level of job satisfaction among all nursing roles, yet they constitute only 3.8 percent of the entire nursing workforce(1).
 
Despite these benefits, a severe shortage of nurse educators exists. More than 75,000 qualified applicants to baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs were turned away in 2010, due, in part, to an insufficient number of faculty members(2). Without nurse educators, the industry cannot prepare enough incoming nurses to respond to the growing national shortage. From 2010 to 2020, the number of employed registered nurses will grow by an additional 711,000 registered nurses, and more than 495,000 nurse replacements will be needed, bringing the total number of job openings to 1.2 million(3).
 
To help meet this need, many schools offer educator specialty tracks. Chamberlain College of Nursing, for example, offers a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree program with an Educator specialty track that is designed to prepare nurses for expanding roles in academia. The program can be completed in as few as two years through online courses and local practicum experiences.
 
Upon graduation, nurse educators serve in a variety of capacities, ranging from part-time faculty member to academic leadership roles and have the opportunity to work with students with diverse backgrounds and goals. Having a MSN with an educator specialty also positions graduates to advance to doctoral preparation, leading to higher academic roles. A growing number of nurse educators teach part-time while working in a clinical environment, which can result in additional compensation, allowing them to maintain a high level of clinical proficiency. Meanwhile, they have the opportunity to share their expertise with aspiring nurses – whether it is in nursing informatics, cardiology, family health, oncology, pediatrics or mental health, among many other disciplines.
 
Nurse educators are essential to keeping the profession strong and growing. Now is the time to consider a teaching career and enjoy the professional fulfillment that comes with leaving your mark on the next generation of nurses.
 


One of the leading healthcare services providers in the region, Leon Medical Centers, has invested in the future of the industry by making a $5 million donation to Miami Dade College’s (MDC) acclaimed school of nursing. The donation also coincided with the 50th anniversary of the school of nursing which opened its doors in 1962.
 
The school will also be renamed the Benjamin Leon School of Nursing at Miami Dade College. More importantly, the donation will fund a cohort of ten nursing students per year at the school for a period of 10 years to bolster Leon Medical Centers’ workforce and the industry’s.
 
The United States is facing a critical shortage of nurses, with no sign of abating. The problem is especially severe in South Florida. The Leon gift will go a long way in mitigating these hurdles in the region’s healthcare industry.
 
“I cannot think of many other institutions that have positively impacted as many lives in our community as Miami Dade College,” said Benjamin Leon III, President & CEO of Leon Medical Centers and MDC Trustee. “This is our way of thanking this fine institution and encouraging it to continue building a better community through education and opportunity.”
 
Leon Medical Centers selected MDC because of its shared commitment to medical excellence and to the community both organizations serve.
 
“This donation is one more step in our commitment to medical excellence and our commitment to our community. You can’t have medical excellence without having exceptionally prepared and professional nurses. They are the frontline of medical excellence,” said Benjamin Leon Jr., Chairman and Founder of Leon Medical Centers. “We are fortunate to have many MDC School of Nursing graduates serving the patients of Leon Medical Centers and with this donation look forward to having many more. “
 
“We are extremely grateful and pleased with the generosity of the Leon family. They have raised the bar of civic engagement and giving for all to follow,” said Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón, president of Miami Dade College. “Thanks to their gift, we will take our already nationally renowned School of Nursing to even greater heights and, more importantly, expand our impact in the community.” 


Total enrollment at the nation’s osteopathic medical colleges now tops 21,600, a 4.5 percent increase over last year’s total enrollment. Today, 20 percent of all U.S. medical students are attending osteopathic medical schools, a percentage that will continue to increase as new campuses are developed or complete all four years of enrollment, and as established and existing colleges complete previously approved increases in their class sizes. Three new colleges of osteopathic medicine will open their doors in 2013, and several others are in the planning stages.
 
With 2156 osteopathic medical students, LECOM has the largest enrollment of any medical school in the country with campuses in Erie, PA, Greensburg, PA. and Bradenton, Florida.
 
• This fall, 5,804 new students enrolled at one of the nation’s 26 colleges of osteopathic medicine, a 2.9 percent increase over last year’s incoming class. This includes 536 first-year students at LECOM.
 
• In spring 2012, 4,722 students graduated from osteopathic medical schools, 13.5 percent more than the previous year’s 4,159 graduating osteopathic medical students, and 54 percent more than the number of new osteopathic physicians who graduated a decade ago. LECOM awarded the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree to 399 new physicians.
 
• Enrollment is expected to continue rising in the coming years, with three colleges of osteopathic medicine opening their doors in fall 2013: Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine, Campbell University College of Osteopathic Medicine (North Carolina) and Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine (Indiana). Each school plans to enroll entering classes of more than 100 students.
 
• Halfway through the application cycle for entry in fall 2013, osteopathic medical school applications are on track to hit record numbers for the tenth consecutive year. LECOM has seen a 16% increase in the number of medical college applicants this year.
 
Growth in the number of osteopathic medical school graduates will help mitigate looming physician shortages, especially in the critical primary care area. A variety of reports predict primary care physician deficits that will range from 20,000 to 46,000 by 2020-2025, and all physician shortages of 120,000 to 160,000. With large numbers of new osteopathic physicians continuing to pursue primary care careers, AACOM is hopeful that the osteopathic medical profession can help the nation avert a primary care crisis. LECOM continues to be a leader in preparing primary care physicians. Nearly three out of five LECOM graduates have gone into primary care fields of family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics and the college consistently ranks in the top ten medical schools who graduate the most primary care physicians.