AkkeNeel Talsma Selected as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholar

                                                                                    Nurse Faculty Scholars National Program Office

Phone: (877) 738-0737

E-mail: info@rwjfnursefacultyscholars.org

 

 

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (July 21, 2008) ─ AkkeNeel Talsma, R.N., Ph.D., an assistant professor of nursing business and health systems at the University of Michigan School of Nursing, was one of 15 junior faculty nationwide to receive an inaugural Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholar award. The three-year, $350,000 grant will begin September 1.

 

The award will support Talsma’s analysis of the relationship between the hospital and patient outcomes from a nursing systems perspective. Specifically, Talsma will investigate whether operating room nursing staffing, training levels, and interruptions cause errors and affect patient outcomes, with the long-term goal of reducing potential errors.

 

The award will also support Talsma’s participation in a training program that will help prepare her for academic leadership and translating evidence into policy and practice initiatives.

 

“I hope to use this generous support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to determine what role nurses play in operating-room errors that affect patient outcomes,” Talsma said. “A lot of attention has been focused on medical errors, but we really haven't investigated the role of how operating room nurses affect patient outcomes.”

 

Talsma’s faculty mentors for this research are Darrell Campbell Jr., M.D., chief of clinical affairs at the University of Michigan Health System, and Joanne Pohl, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., A.P.R.N., associate dean for community partnerships at the University of Michigan School of Nursing.

 

“We are indeed honored that the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has selected Dr. Talsma as one of the few distinctive recipients of this prestigious award,” says Dr. Kathleen Potempa, D.N.S.c., R.N., F.A.A.N., dean and professor, University of Michigan School of Nursing.

“This is testament to the Foundation’s unyielding commitment to support the progress of stellar junior faculty as they develop scholarly excellence in critical areas of scientific nursing research.”

 

 

The goal of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholars program is to develop the next generation of national leaders in academic nursing through career development awards for outstanding junior nursing faculty. The program aims to strengthen the academic productivity and overall excellence of nursing schools by providing mentorship, leadership training, salary and research support to young faculty.

 

Despite a rise in applicants, U.S. nursing schools turn away thousands of prospective students from baccalaureate and masters programs because of an acute shortage of faculty and clinical preceptors, training sites, space and funding constraints. Since the stature of nursing schools and the promotion of nursing faculty are dependent on the quality of the nursing faculty’s scholarly and/or research pursuits, the Nurse Faculty Scholars program seeks to strengthen the link between institutional reputation and faculty success by providing career development and other opportunities to junior faculty.

 

With a large number of faculty nurses set to retire soon, the Nurse Faculty Scholars program also aims to encourage junior nurse faculty to continue on in their roles as educators.

 

The program is run out of the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. Jacquelyn C. Campbell, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., Anna D. Wolf chair and professor in the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing directs the program. For more information, go to: www.nursefacultyscholars.org.

 

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The University of Michigan nursing program was established in 1891 and became an independent School of Nursing in 1941. Today the school offers four undergraduate programs, more than 20 master’s programs, a Ph.D. program, and postdoctoral fellowships. The U-M nursing graduate program is ranked among the top five in the nation.

 

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 35 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.