The Pennsylvania Action Coalition hosted a Stakeholder Summit on July 23, 2016 that began with remarks from Sue Hassmiller, Senior Adviser for Nursing at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Director of the Future for Nursing: Campaign for Action, about how nurses are leading change and advancing a culture of health. The Summit finished with an informal activity encouraging stakeholders of varied backgrounds to think, talk, and collaborate on ideas to enhance healthcare through nursing. Together, the attendees generated ideas for action in advancing nursing education, diversity, leadership, and practice.

Some key ideas highlighted by the stakeholders were:

In Education

• Institute residency programs or internships to bridge the gap of education to employment
• Advance a holistic admissions process that goes beyond GRE and GPA
• Promote health for our nursing students through wellness activities to practice what we preach
• Advocate nursing as a career in Middle and High Schools—nursing as part of STEM

In Leadership

• Encourage nursing students to share their voice and become involved at a state level
• Offer courses on board leadership
• Recommend that board members adopt a student/mentee
• Institute student position on the boards of professional associations

In Practice

• Increase political advocacy and engage policy makers
• Promote academic progression for rural nurses
• Encourage PA State Board of Nursing to interact with practicing nurses using focus groups to identify barriers to practice
• Engage in community settings and enhance healthcare through nurse managed health clinics

In Diversity

• Support nursing students through the education process and a create a safety net for underrepresented students
• Identify obstacles in the career ladder and study social determinants
• Incorporate national and international service learning into nursing curricula
• Seek funding opportunities for leadership development and advancing education in minorities