In recognition of their exceptional academic nursing partnership, the UF College of Nursing and UF Health Nursing have been selected to receive the New Era for Academic Nursing Award by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, or AACN. The College of Nursing and UF Health were recognized for their innovative and sustained relationship that meets the AACN’s recommendation to “Embrace a New Vision of Academic Nursing.”
The academic nursing partnership between the college and leadership at UF Health Nursing is an innovative and sustained relationship that exemplifies collaboration and commitment across practice, research and education. Examples of innovation include the Academic Partnership Unit program at the UF Health Jacksonville campus, which is an innovative educational model for second-degree students that effectively combines limited faculty resources and practicing nurses’ expertise.
Other examples of the commitment between the college and UF Health include the Nurse Sensitive Indicators initiative, which created a practical application for BSN students to gain knowledge of and competence in quality, safety and efficacy for prevention. The newly launched joint demonstration projects is yet another example. Through these year-long projects, UF Health nurses and UF College of Nursing faculty are collaborating projects to design and evaluate improved approaches to health care access and delivery.
This national award recognizes AACN member institutions that have successfully implemented recommended strategies from AACN’s report Advancing Healthcare Transformation: A New Era for Academic Nursing. Anna McDaniel, College of Nursing dean and the Linda Harman Aiken Chair, and Irene Alexaitis, UF Health vice president of nursing and patient services, were presented with the award during the AACN Academic Nursing Leadership Conference on Oct. 24 in Washington, D.C.