A blueprint for genomic nursing science.

PURPOSE: This article reports on recommendations arising from an invitational workshop series held at the National Institutes of Health for the purposes of identifying critical genomics problems important to the health of the public that can be addressed through nursing science. The overall purpose of the Genomic Nursing State of the Science Initiative is to establish a nursing research blueprint based on gaps in the evidence and expert evaluation of the current state of the science and through public comment. ORGANIZING CONSTRUCTS: A Genomic Nursing State of the Science Advisory Panel was convened in 2012 to develop the nursing research blueprint. The Advisory Panel, which met via two webinars and two in-person meetings, considered existing evidence from evidence reviews, testimony from key stakeholder groups, presentations from experts in research synthesis, and public comment. FINDINGS: The genomic nursing science blueprint arising from the Genomic Nursing State of Science Advisory Panel focuses on biologic plausibility studies as well as interventions likely to improve a variety of outcomes (e.g., clinical, economic, environmental). It also includes all care settings and diverse populations. The focus is on (a) the client, defined as person, family, community, or population; (b) the context, targeting informatics support systems, capacity building, education, and environmental influences; and (c) cross-cutting themes. It was agreed that building capacity to measure the impact of nursing actions on costs, quality, and outcomes of patient care is a strategic and scientific priority if findings are to be synthesized and aggregated to inform practice and policy. CONCLUSIONS: The genomic nursing science blueprint provides the framework for furthering genomic nursing science to improve health outcomes. This blueprint is an independent recommendation of the Advisory Panel with input from the public and is not a policy statement of the National Institutes of Health or the federal government. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This genomic nursing science blueprint targets research to build the evidence base to inform integration of genomics into nursing practice and regulation (such as nursing licensure requirements, institutional accreditation, and academic nursing school accreditation).

The value of the political action committee: dollars and influence for nurse leaders.

Nurse leaders play an important role in the shaping of healthcare policy and the care delivery models of the future. It is vital for nurse leaders to understand the role of money in politics and how donations to a candidate's campaigns can be beneficial in getting one's concerns addressed by Congress. The political action committee (PAC) is a major vehicle for campaign contributions for candidates from any party. This article will detail the following related to PACs: history and background information, government regulations, and why PACs are an important vehicle for nurse leaders to gain access and influence in Congress.