THE
FLORIDA
NURSE
Volume 71 • No. 1 February 2023
OFFICIAL BULLETIN OF THE FLORIDA NURSES FOUNDATION
Quarterly publication direct mailed to approximately 10,000 Registered Nurses and delivered electronically via email to 310,000+ Registered Nurses in Florida
President’s Message
INSIDE
Janice Adams, DNP, MPA, BSN President FNA
2023 Election Nominations Now Open Page 10
Florida Center for Nursing Provides Much-Needed Data Page 13
Happy New Year! I am hearing that many of us are happy to see 2022 come to an end. We look forward to a great new start or reset. As we did in 2021 and 2022. We are still facing some uncertainty in nursing. This is an important year to focus on nursing. We have received significant funding in the state to do great things for our profession. On January 5, 2023, the Governor’s Office announced another $79 M for high-performing nursing education programs in Florida. The funding rewards public postsecondary nursing programs that have gone above and beyond to train Floridians and provides matching funds for scholarship awards, faculty recruitment, equipment, and additional educational supports. This funding is through the Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE) and Prepping Institutions, Programs, Employers, and Learners through Incentives for Nursing Education (PIPELINE) programs, which are designed to mitigate Florida’s nursing shortage. This is in addition to the $5 billion to workforce education funding, supporting Floridians who aim to start new careers and rewarding institutions that provide highquality training and education programs. The theme established in 2021 for my term as FNA President was to Regain, Retain and Reconnect. I see this year as time to focus again on retaining nurses in our profession. Many nurses left nursing during and following the pandemic. We need to join forces to retain nurses in the nursing profession. Far too many nurses are leaving the profession for several reasons. Fear, pay, stress and burnout are just a few. The continuing workplace demands have caused burnout, anxiety, and departure of nurses from the nursing workforce. There has been an increase in workplace violence against nurses. As reported by Androus (2021), “Nurses leaving
Workplace Violence: Nurses at the Bedside
2
Page 19
Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Princeton, MN Permit No. 14
CONTENT
current resident or
3-4
the profession within the first 5 years of their career is a significant symptom of the larger challenges in nursing. With alarming rates of up to 33% of new nurses leaving the workforce within the first two years, the (not so) great escape must be addressed overall by the profession.” FNA is working to address workplace violence through legislation. Our 2023 Legislative platform includes this position statement: The FNA supports safe practice environments for all nurses and our patients. • The FNA supports legislation that provides meaningful information to users of health care about staffing and nursing resources in health care facilities. • Promote legislation that protects healthcare workers against workplace violence, including efforts to rigorously prosecute those who commit such crimes. At the February 2023 Advocacy Days we will be discussing this with our legislators to make them aware of the situation and advocate for legislation to support a change. FNA continues to support the work of the Florida Center for Nursing (FCN) led by Dr. Rayna Letourneau, Executive Director. FCN/QUIN/NACFL are sponsoring a Nursing Think Tank workshop on February 7, 2023, in Tallahassee just prior to FNA Advocacy Days. The FCN workshop will present the statewide education survey findings from academic years 2020-2021 and 20212022 (including NCLEX results) and allow for feedback and strategic planning regarding nursing education and workforce in Florida. Our strategic plan has six pillars… Nurse Advocacy, Member Services, Nurse Development & Support, Public & Professional Awareness, Professional Unity, and Organizational Excellence. Our mission is to advance the profession of nursing and promote a healthy Florida. For 2023, we will continue our focus on rebuilding the profession. FNA is engaging other nursing organizations in Florida to gather strength for our voice. President’s Message continued on page 4
Notes from the Executive Director
14
Special interest Groups
Focus on the Foundation
14
Focus on New Grads
5
FNA 2022 Calendar of Events
5
News from Headquarters
7
FNPAC
15 New ANA President Dr. Jennifer Mensik Kennedy to Tackle Pressing Nursing Workforce Issues 16-17
Welcome New FNA Members
8-9
Region News
10
2023 Call for Board Nominations
18 Equip Leaders with Foundational Skills to Eradicate Bullying and Incivility
11
Legislative Update
19-21
11
Student Forum
21
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
12
LERC News
22
Nursing Workforce Strategies
12
State Employee News
23
Member Spotlight
13
Nursing Community
23
2023 IPN/FNA Virtual Conference
Workplace Violence: Nurses at the Bedside