Virginia: Nursing leaders to discuss report on profession's future

This should be interesting. Wonder if/when anyone else would be able to watch the webcast. http://www2.timesdispatch.com/busine...n29-ar-681348/

Key nursing leaders from Virginia will participate in a webcast on transforming nursing at the Virginia Department of Health Professions tomorrow.

The webinar from the National Summit on Advancing Health through Nursing will focus on the Institute of Medicine's "The Future of Nursing" report.

Tomorrow's meeting "is an opportunity to be heard by key nursing stakeholders . . . to assist in guiding the future," said Jay Douglas, executive director of the Virginia Board of Nursing.

The national report "has the potential to change the future of nursing," Douglas said, at a time when health care is a major national issue and nurses make up the country's largest group of health-care providers.

Ultimately, Douglas said, implementing the report's recommendations on regulatory, nursing education and professional leadership decisions will improve patient care and public safety.

"The stakeholders will have to look at whether the recommendations affect them directly and how to best use the recommendations to help guide their work," Douglas said.

The Board of Nursing will co-host the event along with the Virginia Nurses Association, the Virginia Organization of Nurse Executives and the Virginia Partnership for Nursing.

The webcast conference starts tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. The meeting will be in the conference center on the second floor of the Department of Health Professions, 9960 Mayland Drive in Henrico County.

Space is limited. People interested in attending the webcast should RSVP to cbarefoot@virginianurses.com .

The state Board of Nursing licenses almost 125,000 registered and practical nurses and oversees 160 nursing-education programs.