• The Action Coalition has brought together a diverse group of stakeholders from a variety of sectors, including education, policy, labor, practice and the business community, to capture best practices, determine research needs, track lessons learned and identify replicable models.
• Nursing is at the forefront of Washington’s effort to implement the Health Care Innovation Plan to achieve the Triple Aim. The recently recharged Leadership committee, one of the Action Coalition’s pillars, is engaged in the Accountable Communities of Health — regional multi-sector partnerships that will focus on social determinants of health, clinical-community linkages, and whole-person care, to improve health for Washingtonians.
• Nurses have a more seamless pathway for academic progression. Moving to a BSN used to be riddled with credit redundancies and delays for many nurses in Washington State, due to differences among academic institutions over how credit hours are determined, what courses are required for acceptance, limits on the number of transferable credits, and other variations. Thanks to the Associate in Nursing Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA), the new landmark agreement between state community and technical colleges and four-year universities, which the APIN project synergized, nurses and nursing students in our state will soon have an easier time getting their BSN. The degree streamlines the number of credits required for an associate degree in nursing and decreases the time and cost to earn a BSN degree. The Associate Degree in Nursing programs are working on implementing it on their respective campuses. A portion of APIN funding has supported four new RN-to-BSN programs in different regions in Washington. The APIN grant also facilitates collaboration with employers to improve workplace support and create incentives for academic progression.
• Increasing diversity and inclusion in nursing. Following a yearlong diversity mentoring program, we are on track to launch a mentoring program for a small cohort of students who are male or are from under-represented backgrounds in Eastern Washington, in partnership with employers, educators and professional nursing organizations in the area. The mentees will be paired with seasoned nurses who will provide relational, cultural, emotional, and social support for nurses in training and novice nurses.