Deborah Trautman, PhD, RN Chief Executive Officer American Association of Colleges of Nursing June 11, 2015 Advancing Partnerships in the Nursing Community

 Represents over 760 baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs across the country.  Mission: To serve the public interest by setting standards, providing resources, and developing the leadership capacity of member schools to advance nursing education, research, and practice.  Many students receive clinical training in VA care sites, including Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) students.

Simultaneous pursuit of three aims:  improving the experience of care,  improving the health of populations, and  reducing per capita costs of health care Team-based, Integrated Delivery Systems Practice at the highest level of competence Interprofessional Person Centered Population Focused Moving away from acute care and hospital-centered care to community, prevention, and wellness Health Experience of Care Cost per capita

 AACN and its colleagues are working with the Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA) to engage nursing schools nationwide in this important initiative.  Since 2012, over 660 schools of nursing in all 50 states have pledged their support. Specifically, nursing schools pledge to support veterans, service members, and their families by:  Educating America’s future nurses to care for these populations  Enriching nursing education to ensure that nurses are trained in the unique challenges facing veteran populations  Sharing teaching resources and applying best practices  Growing the body of knowledge leading to improvements in health and wellness First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden with nursing leaders at the launch of nursing’s support for Joining Forces. Photo courtesy of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and Photographer I. George Bilyk

In 2012, AACN and the VA collaborated to develop this resource to assist faculty with the implementation of curriculum elements that will appropriately address the unique needs of veterans and their families. Includes:  Articles  Webinars  Case studies for class discussions  Curricular examples  Power Point presentations  Resources for veteran/active military students  /joining-forces-tool-kit/educational- resources /joining-forces-tool-kit/educational- resources

Since 2008, AACN has lead the work of the Nursing Community, a coalition of 61 national nursing associations. The coalition has collaborated to advance the health of our nation through the nursing profession. In 2014, the Nursing Community collaborated on appropriations and legislative issues (18 letters/statements submitted), hosted two Congressional events, presented two webinars, and expanded its membership by two organizations.  Members include the Nurses Organization of Veterans Affairs and the Association of Veterans Affairs Nurse Anesthetists.  The Nursing Community’s work includes promoting the Veterans Health Administration’s proposal to allow full practice authority for APRNs serving in the VA. The coalition has advocated to both the VA and Congress on how this critical proposal would help increase access to high-quality, timely care for veterans.