Capital Bulletin: March 2024 Edition
Educating Advocates: Clinician Well-Being: What Is It and Why It Matters
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, much attention has been paid to clinician well-being. Well-being is not a new phenomenon and is often impacted by “burnout.” Burnout is a syndrome that includes emotional exhaustion and depersonalization (i.e. cynicism), and a low sense of personal accomplishment at work. Burnout affects individual clinicians, healthcare organizations, and patient care. The demands of the pandemic brought to light many workforce challenges facing healthcare providers, including how these realities diminish personal health and productivity.
The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) has taken an active approach to address clinician well-being through its Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience. The Collaborative was convened to shape a national conversation based on three goals:
- Raise the visibility of clinician anxiety, burnout, depression, stress, and suicide;
- Improve baseline understanding of challenges to clinician well-being;
- Advance evidence-based, multidisciplinary solutions to improve patient care by caring for the caregiver.
Numerous resources are available from the Collaborative to help address clinician well-being, including webinars, publications, and a listserv. As you plan for National Nurses Month, please consider a focus on clinician well-being as part of your celebration.
March Highlights:
AACN members attending the Deans Annual Meeting and 
students participating in the Student Policy Summit convened in Washington, DC to educate federal legislators on programs and legislation impacting nursing education, research, and practice. More than 400 AACN member deans and students from 36 states and the District of Colombia participated in Capitol Hill visits on Monday, March 25. Nearly 300 messages were sent to Senate and House offices via AACN’s Action Alerts to help inform legislators about the need to support academic nursing.
March 12: AACN supports increased nursing education funding in the President’s budget for fiscal year (FY) 2025.
Nurses at the Table: Nominate a Nurse Today!
AACN is pleased to announce nomination candidate, Mary Beth Flynn Makic, PhD, APRN; has been appointed to serve on the Advisory Council on Health Research and Quality (AHRQ). We congratulate Dr. Makic on her endeavors. To view AHRQ’s press release, click here.
If you, or someone you know, has expertise or experience related to the opportunities below, please submit names and other information using this nomination form. This form will be updated as new opportunities arise.
Below are four federal opportunities that are currently open for nominations:
Please join us as we work to ensure more nurses are at the federal policy table! Click here to view the new webpage and to learn more about the Consortium.
Federal Grants & Fellowships:
- Advanced Nursing Education – Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (ANE-SANE) Program
- This program expands advanced nursing education and training to increase access and quality of the sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) workforce. This includes providing better access to mental and physical care for survivors. Accredited schools of nursing and more are eligible to apply. The deadline to apply is April 2, 2024.
- NINR Seeking Scientific Director
- The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) is seeking applications from outstanding clinician-scientist candidates for the position of Scientific Director to provide visionary leadership for its growing Division of Intramural Research (DIR), located in Bethesda, Maryland. This position provides overall executive direction, coordination, and scientific leadership for the entire Division by developing research programs that: Build community partnerships, integrate, and study interventions at multiple levels including social determinants of health, and focus on health disparities and equity. The deadline to apply is April 11, 2024.
- National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Scholarship Program
- This program awards scholarships to students pursuing training or degrees for a primary care health profession. Applicants will commit to providing primary care health services in Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and a minimum of 2 years of full-time service. Nurse Practitioners and Nurse Midwives are eligible to apply. The deadline to apply is April 25, 2024.
- Health and Human Services Grant: American Indians into Nursing:
- This purpose of this grant is to recruit, retain, graduate, and increase the number of registered nurses, certified nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners who provide health care to American Indian and American Native communities. Private institutions of higher education and more are eligible to apply. The deadline to apply is May 14, 2024.
- Strategies to Improve Health Outcomes and Advance Health Equity in Rural Populations (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
- The purpose of this initiative is to support research to improve health and promote health equity in rural populations. Research should be able to develop, adapt, or implement strategies addressing social determinants of health. This includes a wide range of methodological approaches that enhance access, acceptability, and effectiveness of interventions in rural areas. The deadline to apply is May 17, 2024.
Mark Your Calendar!
- National Nurses Week is May 6 – 12, 2024! This year’s theme is "Nurses Make the Difference." Stay tuned for more information as we move closer to May.
Additional Resources:
Find other National and State Advocacy Resources here.
Need help testifying? Need additional materials? Have questions? Contact the Government Affairs and Policy team today!
