One hundred years and still counting: the story of NEF--yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Nurses Educational Funds, Inc (NEF) is the oldest and largest professionally endorsed source of funds for advanced study in nursing, which celebrated its Centennial in 2012. This philanthropic nonprofit organization is notable for its roots; NEF was organized by nurses specifically for nurses. Its history dates back to 1912, when it began in memory of Isabel Hampton Robb at Teacher's College, where the first graduate nursing education programs began. The initial Robb Memorial Fund was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1941 and officially became Nursing Educational Funds, Inc, in 1954. The NEF's sole mission is to raise money and give it for graduate-level scholarships in nursing education, service, practice, and research. Since its origin, more than 1000 doctoral and master's students from a broad array of schools across the nation have been recipients of awards. The NEF Board is a totally volunteer, highly dedicated group of nursing, business, and other professional leaders, who are steadfastly committed to this critical effort. Scholarships for graduate nursing education are imperative to meet the need to grow the pipeline of faculty. As charged by the 2010 Institute of Medicine report, the goal to increase the number of baccalaureate nurses to 80% of the workforce and to double the number of nurses with doctoral degrees both by 2020 speak to the heart of NEF. Funds raised currently are largely from Board members, individual donors, modest foundational support, and a number of bequests. As the nursing population grows older, the potential for bequests or planned giving becomes a realistic goal. Former NEF scholars have not unfortunately been a financial source, although pay back is an expectation. Nurses are the best ones to tell this compelling story to corporations and foundations as NEF continues to persist in the commitment to support graduate nursing education.

Peer education: an innovative approach for integrating standards into practice.

The purpose of this article is to describe how a nurse-driven peer education process was developed, implemented, and evaluated to improve the integration of new patient care standards into practice. This process was an innovative, interactive, and nonjudgmental approach to learning, whereby the staff members participated in the education and development of their peers. It allowed nurses to expand their knowledge base, critical thinking, and clinical skills, which were evident in their daily practice.

Hospital nurses' perception of the geriatric nurse practice environment.

PURPOSE: To test the relationship between nurses' perceptions of the geriatric nurse practice environment (GNPE) and perceptions of geriatric-care delivery, and geriatric nursing knowledge. DESIGN: A secondary analysis of data collected by the New York University Hartford Institute Benchmarking Service staff using a retrospective, cross-sectional, design. METHODS: Responses of 9,802 direct-care registered nurses from 75 acute-care hospitals in the US that administered the GIAP (Geriatric Institutional Assessment Profile) from January 1997 to December 2005 were analyzed using linear mixed effects modeling to explore associations between variables while controlling for potential covariates. FINDINGS: Controlling for hospital and nurse characteristics, a positive geriatric nurse practice environment was associated with positive geriatric care delivery (F=4,686, p<.0001) but not geriatric nursing knowledge. The independent contribution of all three dimensions of the geriatric nurse practice environment (resource availability, institutional values, and capacity for collaboration) influences care delivery for hospitalized older-adult patients. CONCLUSIONS: Organizational support for geriatric nursing is an important influence upon quality of geriatric care. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Hospitals that utilize an organizational approach addressing the multifaceted nature of the GNPE are more likely to improve the hospital experience of older adults.

Changes in the Geriatric Care Environment Associated with NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for HealthSystem Elders).

The aging of the U.S. population has profound implications for acute care nursing practice. NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for HealthSystem Elders) is the only national nursing program that addresses the needs of the hospitalized older adult. This secondary analysis examines the influence of the NICHE program on nurse perceptions of the geriatric nursing practice environment and quality of geriatric care, as well as geriatric nursing knowledge in a sample comprising 8 acute care hospitals in the United States that administered the Geriatric Institutional Assessment Profile before and after NICHE implementation. Results were compared in a sample of 821 and 942 direct care nurses, respectively. Controlling for hospital and nurse characteristics, both nurse perceptions of the geriatric nursing practice environment (P < .0001) and quality of geriatric care (P =.0004) increased, but not geriatric nursing knowledge (P =.1462), following NICHE implementation. NICHE tools and principles can exert an important influence over the care provided to older adult patients by increasing the organizational support for geriatric nursing.

Nurse residency program: a 5-year evaluation from the participants' perspective.

The Nurse Residency Program (NRP) at new York University Hospitals Center id predicated on the idea that acute care settings are facing continued challenges in recruiting and retaining nurses in the face of cyclical nursing shortages, increased opportunities in ambulatory and community-based nursing, and an increasingly complex and demanding hospital environment. Baccalaureate education is the required preparation for such a setting; however, a transition for the new graduate is imperative. The authors present the findings of a follow-up survey of completers of the NRP between 1996 and 2001 focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of the programs, as well as suggestions for future programming.