To better address nursing workforce challenges and opportunities in Georgia, the Georgia Nursing Leadership Coalition (GNLC) and Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University announce a partnership to house the Georgia Nursing Workforce Center at Emory School of Nursing.

“The situation facing nursing is serious and consequential,” says Linda McCauley, PhD, RN, FAAN, FRCN, dean of the Emory School of Nursing. “The shortage of nurses has long been an issue, and now there are other concerns -- insufficient nursing faculty numbers, COVID-related overwhelm, and swelling nursing demand due to the aging population –- that have added fuel to the fire.”

Statistics bear out McCauley’s observation. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects an average of 203,200 openings for registered nurses (RNs) annually between 2021 and 2031. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) 2023 Environmental Scan reports that Georgia has among the lowest ratios of employed RNs per population, with fewer than 750 employed registered nurses per 100,000 people. 

According to a 2022 National Nursing Workforce Study, 100,000 registered nurses left the workforce due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and 41% of the RN total is now comprised of nurses with a mean age of 36 and fewer than 10 years of work experience. Approximately 31% of nurses under age 35 say they intend to leave their position, and 32% are considering resigning, according to a 2022 American Nurses Foundation survey. 

“We need consistent data and solutions-minded collaborations to make nursing workforce decisions in this climate,” McCauley says. “We are excited to partner with the Georgia Nursing Leadership Coalition and other state agencies and organizations to lead this effort. 

The center will research and address issues of supply and demand for nursing in Georgia, including retention, recruitment, educational capacity, and the distribution of nursing workforce resources. Key areas of work will consist of data and research, education, collaboration, and policy action, and its efforts will focus on the value, preparedness, organization, and equity of nursing care services. The center will collaborate with health care organizations, business partners, state leaders, universities, colleges, and community-based organizations.

Congratulations to Chelsea O. P. Hagopian, DNP, APRN, AGACNP-BC, as the new Executive Director of the Georgia Nursing Workforce Center Board. Dr. Hagopian is an Assistant Clinical Professor at the Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing and an ANCC board-certified adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner.

Congratulations to Kyungeh An, Ph.D, RN, FAAN, FAHA as she has formally accepted the position of Associate Dean of the Georgia State University Byrdine F. Lewis College School of Nursing, and is expected to assume her position on October 2nd.

The Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing’s Bachelor of Science (BSN) program is now ranked No. 3 in the nation, according to rankings released by U.S. News & World Report. This ranking accompanies the No. 1 master’s program ranking and the No. 6 Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program ranking.

Congratulations to Dr. Dawn Aycock as she was recently named Professor, the first African American faculty in the School of Nursing's history to reach this rank. This fall marks her 18th year as faculty at Georgia State University.

Project Healthy Grandparents (PHG), led by GSU Clinical Assistant Professor Dr. Patricia Lawrence, received a $700,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to continue its services of nursing and social work case management, support groups for grandparents and developmental and educational support for grandchildren. 

Congratulations to Professor of the Georgia State University Byrdine F. Lewis College School of Nursing and  NAPNAP President, Regena Spratling PhD, RN, APRN, CPNP-PC, FAANP, FAAN, on receiving the Georgia State University Exceptional Service Award. A lifelong leader, Dr. Spratling received this award in recognition of her work and commitment to NAPNAP and the PNP profession.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded its grant for "Workplace Injuries among Acute Care Nurses: Implications for the Healthcare System" to Yin Li PhD, Assistant Professor and Jeannie Cimiotti PhD, RN, FAAN, Associate Professor with Emory University's Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. This R21 grant provides funding to fill the knowledge gap and improve the understanding of workplace injuries among hospital-based acute care nurses. The results of this study will be vitally important to hospital managers and financial administrators in their efforts to provide a practice environment where nurses can deliver patient care with minimal or no risk of workplace injury.

Workplace injuries incurred by nurses account for more than one-third of the identified Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)-reportable injuries, an incidence that is almost five times that reported for physicians, dentists, and residents. Furthermore, workplace injuries among nurses can result in the loss of productivity, which potentially affects the quality of care and patient outcomes. Injuries to nurses are also a sizable financial burden for healthcare organizations as they struggle to fill nurse vacancies secondary to injury and maintain an adequate number of nurses to meet the needs of the healthcare delivery team. Yet, little is known about the underlying factors that contribute to workplace injuries among nurses and the injury-related costs. Hospitals have unique challenges that place workers at risk for injury; challenges that are uncommon in other workplace settings.

In the wake of a global pandemic and enduring stresses on the health care environment, nursing professionals need a different leadership capacity — one that challenges the historical industrial underpinnings of nursing leadership. Join three of the nation’s foremost thought leaders in nursing, Linda McCauley, PhD, RN, FAAN, FRCN, Dean, Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing; Sharon Pappas, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Chief Nurse Executive of Emory Healthcare; and Tim Porter-O'Grady, DM, EdD, ScD, APRN, FAAN, FACCWS, Clinical Professor of  Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, as they address and unpack issues pertinent to this topic during a new webinar series Conversations from the Edge: Ending Blue Collar Nurse Leadership! The first of the series is Wednesday,  October 18, 2023 at 12pm. 

Application Deadline: November 1, 2023

The RWJF Health Policy Fellows program supports RWJF’s vision for building a Culture of Health by creating a strong and diverse leadership in health policy committed to advancing health and health equity. Initiated in 1973, this is a nonpartisan fellowship program located in Washington, D.C., for midcareer professionals interested in increasing their expertise in health policy.

The Senate Occupational Licensing Study Committee will hold their meeting on Tuesday, October 24, 2023 at 10AM. GNLC Lobbyist, Julianna McConnell has talked with Senator Larry Walker, and he has agreed to add the GNLC's nursing presentation to the agenda for the Study Committee in October. This gives adequate time to prepare for the meeting and develop a handout of information for the committee members.