The New York University College of Nursing (NYUCN) has received a $30k grant from the New York City Council to fund its Leadership Institute for Black Nurses (LIBN) for spring 2012. The LIBN has enrolled 10 new fellows, bringing the Institute’s seven-year total to 100.
Enrolling its 100th Fellow, the Seventh Annual Series Runs Through Spring 2012
The Leadership Institute for Black Nurses was conceived of in 2005 by Yvonne Wesley, PhD, RN, FAAN, an NYUCN alumna, NYUCN adjunct associate professor of nursing, and LIBN’s Director. LIBN helps black nurse managers to both envision and achieve career goals in administration, education, and research. It was founded not only to advance black nurses’ careers but also to address the extreme disparities in health between African-Americans and other groups in the United States.
Dr. Wesley emphasizes that both race and gender have historically been barriers to career advancement.
”Black nurses in entry level managerial positions for more than five years, share feelings of stagnation,” she explains. The Institute helps the Fellows express and pursue their career goals within the workplace and negotiate across an uneven table.”
LIBN holds six monthly training sessions, addressing topics such as individual efficacy, leadership paradigms, negotiation, and collaboration. Participants not only build on personal strengths to develop leadership ability, but also gain practical management skills, such as developing a vision, evaluating and measuring program outcomes, and understanding health care management and finances.
“This program was established in keeping with a long tradition of commitment to black nursing leadership at the NYU College of Nursing,” says NYUCN Dean Judi Haber. “With the grant from the City Council, the Institute’s commitment to education and mentorship has been greatly enhanced. We are delighted by, and appreciative of. the City Council’s generous support and commitment to developing leaders in nursing.”
Each participant is paired with a leading African-American nurse in the New York City area who serves as Project Mentor and advisor on a community-health project. In addition, the program has invited 10 outstanding nursing leaders in the New York City area to be Career Mentors available to the fellows for additional consultation.
Jennefer Grannum, RN, BS, MS, Nurse Manager at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center, was a LIBN fellow in 2006, and went onto become a mentor in the program.
“The LIBN provided me with an opportunity to share my experiences with others and propelled me into thinking beyond my scope,” Grannum said. “The superior level of networking among peers and the dynamic interactive sessions are other distinguished features of the LIBN. As a Fellow and Mentor, I am confident that my experience will help me to become a catalyst for leading changes,” she said.
Wayne J. Christie RN, MSN, CAN, an Associate Director of Nursing at NY Methodist Hospital, was also a 2006 fellow and subsequently gave back to LIBN by becoming a mentor.
“LIBN has been a process of transformation which unfolded over time,” Christie said. “Finally tapping into my personal and professional potential is very profound. It is about relationships, establishing them and nurturing them. Mentoring other Black nurses through the transition from LIBN fellow to mentor has been most rewarding,” he said.
The Leadership Institute recruits nurses by contacting chief nursing officers in hospitals, deans of nursing programs, and Black nursing associations. Participants must have a minimum of a baccalaureate degree and have shown leadership ability. Of the participants, more than two-thirds (69%) hold master’s degrees, and all serve in management-level positions.
In moving Black nurses toward positions of greater authority, the LIBN aims to develop health-system leaders who will be in positions to find solutions to racial disparities in health care. African-Americans are more likely than members of other groups to die from some of the leading health problems today, such as cancer, heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes.
“Research shows that Blacks receive lower-quality care even when they have insurance and access to health care,”” says Dr. Wesley, who hopes that with more black nurses in executive leadership positions, these problems will receive closer examination and greater resources.
The 2012 Leadership Institute for Black Nurses Fellows are:
- Jennifer Ogilvie-Buchanan, BSN; Register Nurse-Clinical Nurse IV, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center;
- Judith Garcia, BSN, MSN, MPH; Head Nurse, Elmhurst Hospital Immunology Clinic (HHC);
- Josiane Hickson, BSN, MSN, EdD (cand.); Clinical Program Manager-Cardiology Core Measures, Mount Sinai Hospital;
- Marie Marcellus, BSN, MSN; Supervisor of Nurses and Educator, Jacobi Medical Center (HHC);
- Roslyn Morrison, BSN; Clinical Director, The Visiting Nurse Service of New York Home Care;
- Murielle Nose, BSN; Assistant Nurse Manager, NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases;
- Jacqueline Sandy, BSN; Assistant Nursing Manager, Maimonides Medical Center;
- Shalom Simmons, BSN, MSN; Clinical Nurse Manager, Mount Sinai Medical Center;
- Claudette Powell, BSN; Assistant Nursing Manager, Maimonides Medical Center; and
- Merle Fraser-John, BSN; Unit Director, Buena Vida Center for Rehabilitation and Continuing Care
For more information on the LIBN, please visit http://www.nyu.edu/nursing/ce/libnurse.html
About LIBN: In keeping with a long tradition of commitment to Black nursing leadership, the mission of the New York University Leadership Institute for Black Nurses at NYU College of Nursing is to prepare nurses of African descent for leadership positions. Through education and mentorship, the New York University Leadership Institute for Black Nurses serves as a resource to empower nurses that seek career advancement in administration, education, research.
The New York University College of Nursing is a global leader in nursing education, research, and practice. It offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing; Master of Arts and Post-Master’s Certificate Programs; a Doctor of Philosophy in Research Theory and Development, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. For more information, visit www.nyu.edu/nursing