Ongoing Projects
The FON has sponsored numerous projects over the years to improve the health of our citizens and to advance the nursing profession.
Practice
Policy: The Practice Team is actively engaged in policy reform to modernize practice laws. As a result, practice restrictions have gradually been removed. As a result, West Virginians now enjoy increasing access to APRN care, such as nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives. APRNs are located all throughout WV, providing high-quality, cost-effective care. Studies confirm that patient outcomes are equal to or better when compared to those of our physician colleagues, that patients of APRNs are more compliant with their treatment plans and that patients are more satisfied in the patient-provider relationship.
Faith Community Nurses: This project supports the development of community-based health ministries. Nurses can become certified as Faith Community Nurses as a part of this project.
Health Ambassadors: This project reaches children in the school setting. Volunteer nurses provide educational sessions based on needs identified by teachers.
Education
Workforce Development We have invested in nursing workforce development by creating numerous educational projects including Transition to Practice (supporting the new graduate nurse bridge from the classroom to the hospital) and leadership development (mentoring and precepting).
Our Diversity Team is producing an educational series on building nurses' skills to reduce inequities in care in select marginalized populations.
Workforce Summit This team sponsors a workforce summit annually, engaging stakeholders to identify solutions to some of nursing’s most vexing problems, including attracting qualified applicants to the profession, and the shortage of nurses at the bedside and in our faculty at schools of nursing.
Leadership
This team sponsors activities that prepare the nurse to lead in a variety of settings, as entrepreneurs, in the community, and in the hospital. Programming includes mentoring our emerging nurse leaders (through our 40 under 40 initiative). The Leadership Team is the sponsor for the successful Nurse Entrepreneur Program, a business development course designed specifically for nurses.