Published September 23, 2020 
Weekly Digest
On September 21, Dr. Juliann Sebastian, dean of the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing, joined with her colleagues from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Committee on the Health and Medical Dimensions of Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults, to publish a new commentary in NAM Perspectives titled The World Has Changed: Emerging Challenges for Health Care Research to Reduce Social Isolation and Loneliness Related to COVID-19. In this paper, the authors offer a preliminary outline of proposed research priorities to inform strategies to mitigate the health effects of social isolation and loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
On September 21, Inside Higher Ed released findings from its 2020 Survey of College and University Admissions Officials, which was conducted by Gallup in August with 433 schools responding. With most colleges expecting to decrease enrollments this year, fully 90% of respondents were concerned or very concerned about meeting their institution’s enrollment goals this fall. The survey also found that the majority of schools that went test optional or test blind during the pandemic do not expect to ever restore a standardized testing requirement in admissions.
AACN Updates
Month-Long Virtual Academic Nursing Leadership Conference Kicks Off Next Week
AACN’s Foundation for Academic Nursing Launches New Scholarship for Graduate Nursing Students
AACN to Hold Inaugural Diversity Symposium, December 2-3
The Social Pulse
Sigma Nursing Hosts Webinar Covering Professional Identity in Nursing
Sigma Nursing and the International Society for Professional Identity in Nursing recently hosted a webinar that highlighted the development an action plan for naming and shaping professional identity formation in nursing practice, education, and policy. The plan includes competencies, essential elements, and exemplars to foster professional identity formation in nursing based on the best available evidence. Watch the webinar here.
Tweet with #SleeveUp and Spread the Word on the Importance of Flu Vaccination
Flu vaccination is a major priority for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this year, both to avoid co-infection with flu and COVID-19 and to preserve scarce medical resources. We encourage you to join the #SleeveUp social media campaign by tweeting with the hashtag. Retweet this tweet to spread the word about the benefits of the flu vaccination.
Washington Weekly
Inside this edition of Washington Weekly: AACN Participates in Rally for Medical Research’s Virtual Hill Day; House Passes Continuing Resolution Spending Bill; AACN’s Webinar on NIDA Grant Opportunity; and Updates from the Department of Education.
Read AACN's Washington Weekly >>
Featured Resource
AACN's Leadership Networks
Designed with Nursing School Faculty and Staff in Mind
Nursing professionals engaged in a variety of functions within academic nursing are represented among AACN's seven Leadership Networks, which means one thing: There’s a leadership network just for you. Through programs, meetings, and online discussions with your peers, you can learn best practices and success stories, sharpen your leadership skills, and gain exclusive access to AACN resources, including publications, grant funding opportunities, and more.
Find the Leadership Network for you based on your professional role:
Coronavirus Resources for Nurse Educators
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