OADN and AACN Collaborate to Offer Free COVID-19 Response

April 1, 2020 – The Organization for Associate Degree Nursing (OADN) is pleased to announce a new collaboration with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) that will offer free webinars focused on academic nursing’s response to COVID-19 to nursing faculty, staff, and students at universities and community colleges nationwide. This information-rich webinar series, which was initiated by AACN on March 12, 2020, offers timely advice and guidance on how to adapt nursing education programs and curriculum for students learning outside of the traditional classroom while also sharing best practices on how to keep students, faculty, and communities safe during the coronavirus outbreak. 

“AACN applauds our colleagues at OADN and in our nation’s community colleges for their commitment to working together to prepare new nurses with the competencies needed to meet healthcare challenges now and in the future,” said AACN President and CEO Deborah Trautman. “Together we can ensure that our nation’s nurse educators and students have the most current information needed to address COVID-19 while maintaining personal safety and resilience.”

“OADN is extremely pleased to collaborate and values the work of AACN during the COVID-19 crisis that is confronting the academic nursing programs across this country. This is a time when we all need to work together,” stated OADN CEO Donna Meyer. “Working in partnership with AACN to provide these critical webinars will only serve to strengthen the knowledge of nurse educators and students that is essential during this extraordinary period.” 

AACN launched the COVID-19 Response Webinar Series to help the academic nursing community adapt and thrive during this public health challenge. The series commenced with an overview of AACN’s recommendations for nursing schools to consider related to emergency preparedness and response featuring Dr. Trautman and disaster planning expert Dr. Tener Goodwin Veenema from Johns Hopkins University. Other webinars in this series have focused on moving classes online, crisis leadership, simulation, classroom technology, and resilience.

The next webinar, titled COVID-19: Breaking through Denial to Action, is scheduled for this Thursday, April 2 at 12:00 pm (ET), and will focus on using Kubler-Ross’ stages of bereavement during COVID-19 as part of emergency preparedness and response. Presenters include Dr. Eileen Sullivan-Marx, dean of the New York Rory Meyer College of Nursing, and Dr. Susan Bakewell-Sachs, dean and vice president for nursing affairs at Oregon Health & Science University School of Nursing, who also serves as Chair of the AACN Board of Directors. Click here to join the webinar. 

AACN and OADN have been in collaboration with Dr. KT Waxman, Immediate Past President of Society for Simulation in Healthcare, and Dr. Carol Durham from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, to present a webinar on Aligning Simulation within COVID-19 Contingency Plans. This program focuses on strategies and recommendations to use simulation to provide much needed clinical experiences. This webinar will be presented to OADN members on April 8 (register here) and is also available on-demand through AACN.

The COVID-19 Response Webinars are offered live and on-demand for those who cannot attend the live sessions. AACN has expanded capacity in these webinars from 1,000 to 3,000 participants to accommodate nursing faculty and students from associate degree programs at the request of OADN. To find out more about the series and how to access live and on-demand webinars, click here. 

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About the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing (OADN) Recognized nationally as the voice and advocate for Associate Degree Nursing, OADN’s mission is to provide visionary leadership in nursing education to improve the health and wellbeing of the communities we serve. By fostering dynamic and collaborative nursing education strategies, OADN ensures that the Associate Degree Nursing remains a pathway for a diverse spectrum of students, enriching the profession, and meeting the health care needs of patients, families, and communities. For more information, visit www.oadn.org.  

About the American Association of Colleges of Nursing The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is the national voice for academic nursing representing more than 840 schools of nursing nationwide. AACN establishes quality standards for nursing education, influences the nursing profession to improve health care, and promotes public support of baccalaureate and graduate nursing education, research and practice. For more information, visit www.aacnnursing.org.