Investing in Nursing's Future.

Nursing leaders continue to struggle with capacity issues in both clinical and academic settings-particularly those related to aging patient and nurse populations and the increasing complexity of health care in general. Programs and resources for formal mentoring have primarily focused on mid- and advanced-career RNs, but there is an imperative to develop methods of expertly mentoring "professionally younger" RNs across all settings and roles. In 2017, the American Nurses Association (ANA) conducted an extensive member needs assessment with more than 15,000 respondents. Three distinct career-stage categories were identified: early-career nurses, up-and-comers, and nursing leaders. The early-career nurses and up-and-comers listed "being mentored" among their top two member benefit requests. In response, the ANA launched a national virtual mentorship program in September 2018. The program aligned with criteria, recommendations, and charges from the American Nurses Credentialing Center's 2019 Magnet Recognition Program; the landmark 2010 report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM), The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health; and a 2019 IOM consensus study, The Future of Nursing 2020-2030. This article provides a general overview of the program, including evaluation and modifications, and discusses implications of using the ANA's career-stage categories in virtual mentoring.

Changing times: the role of academe in health reform.

What is the role of nursing educators in the politics surrounding health reform? This critical question is posed, and exemplars of how nurse faculty can and should become more involved in the political arena are shared. The authors issue a call to action for every nurse educator in the country to become actively engaged in health reform discussions to bring this all-important perspective to the table. Recognizing and overcoming traditional roles and barriers for nurse faculty on university campuses are essential parts of the political activism that must be assumed. Opening the doors for increased patient access will result in higher utilization of health care providers, and if the nursing shortage is not abated, then bottlenecking of qualified students in programs with critical faculty shortages will create immense pressure in an overloaded care delivery system. The full impact of legislated health reform changes on academe may not be fully realized until after the fact-and as often experienced in the past, this may come too late for policy makers to adequately address questions that should have been raised by the faculty corps beforehand. The time to get involved is now.