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Dear OADN Members,

I am thrilled to share some exciting news with all of you today! With great pleasure and immense pride, we announce that the official OADN journal Teaching and Learning in Nursing (TELN) has achieved its first-ever Impact Factor of 1.9. This remarkable milestone is a testament to the outstanding work and dedication of our esteemed contributors, reviewers, and editorial team.

Reaching an Impact Factor of 1.9 is a significant accomplishment showcasing our journal’s growing influence and recognition within the academic community. This metric measures the average number of citations received per article published in academic journals during a particular timeframe, serving as an essential indicator of scholarly impact and visibility. It demonstrates that the research and insights presented in TELN are making a meaningful impact, and the nursing education community and the broader scientific community consider our journal highly valuable.

This achievement would not have been possible without the unwavering support of our OADN members. Your contributions, whether as authors, reviewers, or avid readers, have been and will continue to be instrumental in shaping the journal’s success and elevating the field of nursing education. Your commitment to excellence and advancing pedagogy in nursing is genuinely commendable.

TELN is a robust platform for disseminating innovative teaching strategies, evidence-based practices, and research findings to enhance the science and practice of nursing education. By providing a forum for sharing knowledge and experiences, our journal contributes to nurse educators’ professional growth and development worldwide. The Impact Factor of 1.9 validates our efforts and reaffirms the importance of our work.

As we celebrate this momentous milestone, let us also take a moment to express our gratitude to the entire editorial team for their tireless efforts and expertise. And to our Associate Editor, Dr. Melissa Mastorovich. Their dedication and commitment to upholding the highest standards of scholarly publishing have undoubtedly played a crucial role in achieving this remarkable recognition. The editorial team and board would like to recognize the previous editor-in-chief, Dr. Anna Valdez, for her leadership that paved the way to this milestone.

I encourage all OADN members to continue supporting TELN by submitting innovative research, insightful commentaries, and thought-provoking perspectives. Together, we can build upon this success and further enhance the impact and influence of our journal and Associate Degree Nursing.

Once again, congratulations to everyone involved in the journey of TELN. Let us celebrate this milestone as a testament to our collective commitment to advancing scholarship excellence in nursing education.

With sincere appreciation and warmest regards,

Justin Fontenot, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAADN
Editor in Chief
Teaching and Learning in Nursing

OPEN APPOINTED POSITIONS ON THE OADN BOARD OF DIRECTORS:  

TREASURER AND SECRETARY 

 

Treasurer (4-Year Term) The OADN Treasurer monitors the financial status and reports on the operating budget and investments to the President and Board. Serves as a member of the Board of Directors, Executive Committee and Finance Committee. The Treasurer is appointed to a four-year term and is eligible for reappointment for one additional term.

ROLE SPECIFIC FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY FOR TREASURER

• Actively participates at all meetings regarding the Organization’s financial business.
• In conjunction with the President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Operating Officer develops and presents an annual budget to the Board.
• Considers the financial requirements of basic policies and programs when developing the budget.
• Authorizes budgeted expenditures up to $50,000, and unbudgeted expenses up to $3,000.

ROLE SPECIFIC COMMUNICATION AND PUBLIC RELATIONS FOR TREASURER

• Reports to the Board on the budget and related issues regularly and as requested.
• Reports to the membership on the financial status of the Organization at the annual business meeting.

In addition to the Role Specific Responsibilities and Functions, the Treasurer is expected to fulfill all the roles and expectations as a member of the board.

 

Secretary (2-Year Term)The OADN Secretary shall serve as a member of the Board of Directors and ensure an accurate record of all business proceedings of the Organization and the Board of Directors. The Secretary shall perform such other duties as ordinarily pertain to this office and as listed in the OADN Board of Directors Policy and Procedure Manual. Serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee. The Secretary is appointed to a two-year term and is eligible for reappointment for one additional term.

ROLE SPECIFIC BOARD FUNCTIONS FOR SECRETARY

• Records and reviews for accuracy the minutes of all business meetings and special meetings of the Board of Directors, including conference calls and executive sessions.
• Submits a draft of the minutes and a list of action items to the President within 10 days of the meeting.

ROLE SPECIFIC COMMUNICATION AND PUBLIC RELATIONS FOR SECRETARY

• Calls roll and documents a quorum at the annual business meeting.

In addition to the Role Specific Responsibilities and Functions, the Secretary is expected to fulfill all the roles and expectations as a member of the board.

 

Board positions will take effect at the OADN Convention, Turning the Tide of Nursing Education, November 15 – 18, 2023, in San Diego, California. Board Directors, including all officers, regional directors, public directors, and the at-large director, shall participate in the development and implementation of the strategic plan, serve as liaisons to committees, task forces, and workgroups, and shall carry out other responsibilities as delegated by the Board of Directors.

Board commitment for the appointed positions of Treasurer and Secretary includes attendance at monthly virtual Executive Committee meetings and monthly virtual Board of Directors meetings as well as two (2) face-to-face meetings, funded by OADN, at locations to be determined annually.

Please review the candidate requirements carefully and follow the step-by-step instructions to complete all components of the online 2023 Call for Board Appointments application.

Application submission deadline is Monday, August 7, 2023, at 7pm Eastern. Candidates will be notified of final Board decisions in September.

 

Candidate Online Application Checklist

• Candidate Consent Form: Review the OADN Member Manual Membership – (oadn.org)) and complete all required components of the online Candidate Consent Form

• Board Member Expectations Form: Complete all required components of the online Board Member Expectations Form

• Candidate Statement: Submit your Candidate Statement (file upload, max. 500 words). Please review Instructions for Candidate Statements for more helpful tips.

• Candidate Letter of Support: Submit one (1) letter of support from a colleague for the candidate’s nomination.

• Candidate Letter of Support from College President or Dean: Submit one (1) letter of support from your college President or Dean acknowledging the time commitment for quarterly Finance Committee meetings (Treasurer only), monthly Executive Committee and Board of Directors virtual meetings as well as two (2) face-to-face meetings per year.

• Candidate Professional Resume or CV: Submit your current curriculum vitae (CV) or professional resume.

Incomplete applications or late submissions will not be accepted. Please carefully review all application instructions and helpful tips for more information.

Treasurer application: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2023OADNTREASURER

Secretary application: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2023OADNSECRETARY

Dear OADN Members,

We’ve all heard it. We all live it. There are simply not enough nurses to go around, here in the United States, and around the world. We need to graduate greater numbers of safe new nurses. We need more faculty, clinical learning spaces, preceptors, simulation capability, student support services, financial support for students, and sometimes we don’t even have enough students to fill our programs, especially in rural areas. The “we need” list can seem endless.

But! Nurse heroes have a special superpower! Nurses know how to solve big problems, whether it’s a critically ill patient or a critically ill healthcare system. We team up! We advocate for our patient/healthcare system, call in experts across various fields, create the plan, organize the team, and make sure that the problems are getting solved.

The nursing shortage is a problem for everyone. Nursing education is a solution. Nurse educators are not the only ones to develop the means to the end. Nursing education needs to be supported to fix this by those who are also affected by the problem. The nursing shortage can only be solved by education partnering with industry, regulators, economic development, accreditation agencies, government at the local, county, state, national and Tribal levels, policy makers, diverse stakeholders, and internationally interested parties.

This is where OADN comes in, which is one of the reasons I’m writing this message to you. I am honored to serve on the OADN Board of Directors as the At-Large Director, meaning that I aim to bring a nationwide perspective to represent the interests of Associate Degree Nursing (ADN). I came to this role via a unique path as someone charged with partnering to fix nursing shortages in my state. As COVID descended upon us, I reached out to OADN for assistance from nursing education leaders in other states on how we were going to continue graduating new nurses in such a challenging time. OADN was extremely helpful in bringing together a team to work on the problem together, through the OADN National COVID Task Force. OADN is continuing to help nursing education through national and international partnerships to build the nursing workforce via educational pathways.

Partnerships are the way to go. In Minnesota, we have developed the Coalition for Nursing Equity and Excellence (CNEE). The CNEE does not supplant the work that is already happening, we organize it and support the work. We bring together all the aforementioned stakeholders to partner in our efforts, rather than duplicating initiatives. We aim to solve the nursing workforce shortage in our state.

OADN understands this and partners for Associate Degree Nursing on a national scale to advocate for community college nursing education and the ADN pathway. Plus, OADN provides you with a wealth of resources! Did you see the information about the work of the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing, of which OADN is an inaugural partner and key leader addressing DEI in nursing? Did you know that OADN is partnered with 62 other nursing and nursing-related organizations through the Nursing Community Coalition to support federal legislation on preventing workplace violence and stabilizing the nursing workforce? Or how about the formal partnership between OADN and the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) to strengthen the support network for ADN programs and their students in communities across the country. OADN has collaborated with the ACEN on numerous initiatives for many years to develop joint programming that supports our members throughout every stage of the accreditation process. You can learn more about this important collaboration and others at Partners – OADN

Make sure that your state has a group of people who are working together across education, industry, policymakers, governments at all levels, regulators, and stakeholders to reimagine nursing education differently. Join that group. And if you don’t have a group like that, reach out to OADN and we will help you find your people to build your partnerships.

“We all know the truth: More connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis, the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers.” ~ Black Panther, “Black Panther

Thank you,

Jennifer Eccles, PhD, MSN, MEd, RN, FAADN
Director, At-Large – OADN Board of Directors

Dear OADN Members,

Congratulations on the completion of the 2022-2023 academic year! With the academic year wrapping up comes the opportunity to reflect on our collective work that advances excellence in ADN education. In partnership with all of you, the OADN Board of Directors and operations team are making great progress in meeting our mission to serve as the national voice and pivotal resource for ADN education.

In 2022, the OADN Board engaged in strategic planning, which resulted in our 2022-2025 Strategic Direction. I would like to draw your attention to Priority 2: Education, which has the overall goal of OADN serving as the expert resource for ADN Education. Critical to achieving this goal is the creation and implementation of a high impact research agenda to identify OADN’s research needs in the coming years to inform organizational planning, align outputs for the strategic plan, and inform members of research priorities.

Upon reflecting on our progress on the research agenda, I want to acknowledge the great work of our OADN Research Committee on the 2022 Annual Assessment of ADN Program Faculty Compensation survey. This committee of colleagues worked diligently to create our inaugural faculty compensation survey to capture priority data specific to ADN education. Prior to this survey, work cited for national nursing faculty compensation was not inclusive of ADN education. Thanks to all of you, OADN had a high survey response rate leading to impactful findings for nursing education. So much so that for the first time, the 2022 OADN survey data was cited in NCSBN 2023 Environmental Scan, The NCSBN 2023 Environmental Scan: Nursing at a Crossroads—An Opportunity for Action – Journal of Nursing Regulation.

Due to the importance of the ADN faculty compensation data for ADN education, our members, and our continued representation in reported national data, the Assessment of ADN Program Faculty Compensation survey will be distributed and analyzed annually. Our collective success in accurately capturing these data is influenced by OADN program member engagement. Your feedback last year helped us strengthen this year’s survey instrument, which has been designed to assess current program leadership turnover, faculty shortages, compensation needs and ADN enrollment trends. Your continued engagement with this critically important research survey is needed to help us capture much needed data that will drive meaningful policy change for ADN education. Please participate in the 2023 Annual Assessment of ADN Program Faculty and Compensation Survey, which will be disseminated to all ADN nursing program administrators in the coming weeks.

Thank you for your ongoing advocacy and support of OADN and the associate degree pathway. I look forward to our continued collaboration on work that advances excellence in ADN education. Have a wonderful June and I look forward to visiting with you at this year’s OADN Convention, Turning the Tide of Nursing Education, November 15^th – 18^th in San Diego.

Thank you,

Lynette Apen, DNP, RN, CNS, CNE
Western Regional Director, OADN Board
Board Liaison, OADN Research Committee

Sigma Nursing offers accelerated membership pathway for
Alpha Delta Nu nurses in BSN and graduate programs

 

INDIANAPOLIS — Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing (Sigma) recently updated its membership guidelines, allowing Alpha Delta Nu Honor Society (Alpha Delta Nu) inductees to be invited to join Sigma at any time during their BSN or graduate nursing program provided they meet all other criteria. The new membership exception guidelines, recently adopted by the Sigma International Board of Directors, may be used at the discretion of each chapter’s governance committee.

This new membership pathway is the latest advancement in an ongoing collaboration between Sigma and the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing (OADN), whose Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) graduates comprise the membership of Alpha Delta Nu. Sigma and OADN previously announced an initiative that provides free resources to Alpha Delta Nu members.

“This Sigma membership pathway recognizes the demonstrated excellence of Alpha Delta Nu members,” said OADN Chief Executive Officer Rick García, PhD, RN, CCM, FAAOHN, FAADN. “I’m delighted to see the continued respect and collaboration between our organizations and among our highly qualified, diverse nursing workforce.”

Sigma CEO Elizabeth Madigan, PhD, RN, FAAN, added, “I am happy to see this accelerated membership pathway reflected in our revised Sigma membership guidelines. This strengthens our collaboration with OADN and Alpha Delta Nu and reflects our mutual commitment to excellence and advancement in nursing.”

To receive an invitation to join Sigma, candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria.*

 

Undergraduates must:

• Be enrolled in a bachelor’s nursing program or equivalent.
• Achieve academic excellence based on Sigma criteria; based on a 4.0 GPA scale, the undergraduate minimum is 3.0.*
• Be ranked in the highest 35 percent of their nursing class.
• Complete more than one-half of the nursing curriculum or, for RN to BSN students, complete 12 credit hours. This requirement may now be waived for Alpha Delta Nu inductees.

 

Graduate Students must:

• Achieve academic excellence based on set criteria; based on a 4.0 GPA scale, the graduate minimum is 3.5 or equivalent.*
• Have completed one-fourth of the nursing curriculum. This requirement may now be waived for Alpha Delta Nu inductees.
• Meet the expectation of academic integrity.

*View all Sigma academic achievement requirements.

Alpha Delta Nu nurses currently enrolled in a baccalaureate or graduate program should contact leaders in their local Sigma chapter to inquire about a membership invitation. Sigma chapter leaders with questions may contact member services.

Learn more about Sigma membership.

 

About OADN and Alpha Delta Nu

As the national advocate for the over 1,100 associate degree nursing programs across the country, the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing (OADN) works to advance excellence in nursing education and community college pathways into registered nursing careers. OADN is the national voice and a pivotal resource for community college nursing education and the associate degree pathway, with a vision to expand networks that promote leadership, collaboration, and advocacy to further enrich nursing education and the communities we serve.

OADN established the Alpha Delta Nu Honor Society in 2012 to recognize academic achievement for nursing students graduating from community colleges. Alpha Delta Nu encourages the pursuit of advanced degrees in the nursing profession as well as continuing education as a lifelong professional responsibility. Two-thirds of Alpha Delta Nu members enroll in BSN completion programs. Learn more at Honor Society – (oadn.org)

 

About Sigma

The Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing (Sigma) is a nonprofit organization with the mission of developing nurse leaders anywhere to improve healthcare everywhere. Founded in 1922, Sigma has more than 135,000 members and 550 chapters at institutions of higher education and healthcare partners from Armenia, Australia, and Botswana to Thailand, the United States, and Wales. Sigma members include clinical nurses and administrators, academic nurse educators and researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and others working to fulfill the organization’s vision of connected, empowered nurse leaders transforming global healthcare. Learn more at www.SigmaNursing.org.