A process: development of a model multiculturalism curriculum designed for mobility across geographic borders.

The Council on Accreditation Project, Nurse Anesthesia Educational Requirements and Mobility Between North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Countries, has as one of its outcomes the development of a model curriculum that would minimize educational barriers for mobility of nurse anesthetists across NAFTA geographical borders with a focus on the blending of professional and technical expertise with issues of human diversity and/or cultural differences. The overall long-term outcome of the project is to test a process. The manuscript discusses the process used in year III of the project to integrate cultural concepts into a nurse anesthesia model curriculum.

Writing the grant proposal.

This article provides AANA members who are interested in seeking external funding with information that will assist them in writing a grant application. Avenues of initial contact with the funding agency are discussed, as are suggestions for drafting the appointment letter and the letter of inquiry. The development of a narrative for a grant application depends on the guidelines set forth by the funding agency and varies from agency to agency. A list of information that might be included in a narrative is provided.

Sources and means of acquiring grant support for selected projects.

This article provides AANA members who are interested in seeking external funding with information that will assist them in the process. The process of seeking external funding for a grant application is discussed, as are the ways and means of identifying potential sources of funding such as federal agencies, corporations, and foundations. Some publications are identified that will serve as sources of information for the novice fund-seeker. A second article scheduled to appear in an upcoming issue of the AANA Journal will address the process of writing the grant.

Faculty positions as a career choice for professionals--Part II.

This is the second part of a two-part article designed to identify "why professionals choose or do not choose faculty positions." The first article reviewed the methodology and the results as they applied to the demographic data. This was published in the June 1991 issue of the AANA Journal. This article reviews the results as they apply to life cycle and certain intrinsic and extrinsic factors of the respondents. The respondents were CRNAs who had graduate degrees, or were faculty in nursing education, faculty in higher education, or nursing service personnel. The article also covers additional recommendations made by the researchers for future studies. The results showed that 71% of the CRNA faculty intended to remain in academia for the next 5 years and 75% for the next 10 years. Ninety percent of the CRNA faculty indicated they would recommend a position in teaching to others. Intrinsic factors, such as the ability to use their knowledge and opportunity to teach were important to CRNA faculty as an influence to become faculty members. Extrinsic factors of salary, fringe benefits, and the cost of malpractice insurance were among those items identified by CRNA faculty as reasons why they would not become faculty members. It is hoped that this study will assist nurse anesthesia programs, universities and colleges in faculty recruitment activities. The information was presented by the authors at the Assembly of School Faculty Meeting held in Tampa, Florida, in February 1991.

Faculty positions as a career choice for professionals--Part I.

This article is the first part of a two-part series designed to give the readers an overview of the study, "Faculty Positions as a Career Choice for Professionals." This nationwide study, requested by the AANA Education Committee, investigated the questions, "Why do professionals enter faculty positions?" and "Why do CRNAs with graduate degrees choose to become or choose not to become educators?" An attempt was made to answer these questions by studying demographic, life cycle and certain intrinsic and extrinsic factors of graduate-prepared CRNAs, nursing education faculty, higher education faculty (other than nursing and nurse anesthesia), and nursing service personnel. The authors reviewed the methodology and the results as they applied to the demographic data. The results showed that CRNA faculty were older than practicing CRNAs. Twenty-five percent of the CRNAs had degrees in nurse anesthesia, 16% in education, 13% in nursing, 6% in biology, and 40% in a variety of other disciplines. Sixty-five percent had undergraduate degrees in nursing and 7% in nurse anesthesia. CRNA faculty salaries and practicing CRNA salaries were comparable. The information was presented by the authors at the Assembly of School Faculty Meeting, February 21-24, 1991 in Tampa, Florida. It is hoped that this study will assist nurse anesthesia programs, universities and colleges in their recruitment activities for faculty.

Comparison of accreditation criteria. CBHDP, NLN, and COA accreditation criteria.

When a program faces accreditation from two organizations, what happens? Double jeopardy? Unnecessary repetition? Frels and Horton look at a case in point--nurse anesthesia programs. In many cases these programs are accredited by both NLN and COA. The potential problems are accentuated in this case since not all nurse anesthetist programs are located in schools of nursing.

RCTs: not the answer to the nursing shortage.

An economic analysis was made of the proposal to create registered care technologists (RCTs) as an alternative to nurse market disequilibrium. RCTs may be a short-term solution to some, but more effective options may make use of existing resources.

Employment trends of school personnel and staff 1980-1990.

The American School Health Association's School Nurse Study Committee and the National Association of State School Nurse Consultants requested that a study be conducted to identify future employment trends for school nurses and how these trends compare with employment trends for other personnel employed in the school districts. School districts were asked for numbers of personnel employed in 1980, 1981, and 1982, and to project their intention to increase, decrease, or maintain the same number of personnel until 1990. The results of the study indicated that the profession showing the greatest decrease is the classroom teacher and that school nurses were not identified to have a greater decrease in employment than other professionals.