The NurseTrust organization, which was recently launched for the purpose of supporting upcoming nurse leaders in improving population health, was described in an article published in Nursing Science Quarterly.1,2
In an interview with one of the current leaders of NurseTrust, Mary Kay VanDriel, RN, EdD, vice president, Cancer Health, Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the organization was described as evolving from the Robert Wood Johnson-Executive Nurse Fellows (RWJ-ENF) program, which began in the late 1990s and through which 3-year fellowships were awarded to nurses who aspired to leadership positions involved in shaping health care at local and national levels.
“During the [RWJ-ENF] program, more than 300 executive nurse fellows received education, mentoring, coaching, and graduated as a nurse executive fellow. These fellows work in a variety of roles such as hospital presidents, chief nursing officers, National Institute of Health (NIH) nurse scientists, academic provosts, deans, and public health directors,” Dr VanDriel explained.
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She further noted that the intention behind the recent establishment of NurseTrust, which was developed by the board of RWJ-ENF alumni, was the creation of “a sustainable organization that would prepare and support the next generation of nurse leaders.”
Still in the early stages of development, NurseTrust “executive teams are in the process of designing what ‘products’ will be offered to future members and how the payment structure will be built. In addition to an annual national conference, many of the offerings such as webinars, regional conferences, or coaching will align with leadership development with the goal of improving population health,” Dr VanDriel stated.
References
- Clarke PN, VanDriel MK. NurseTRUST: A leadership model for advancing population health. Nurs Sci Q. 2020;33(2):132-135.
- Our history. NurseTrust. Accessed April 7, 2020. https://www.nursetrust.org/.
This article originally appeared on Oncology Nurse Advisor
