May I submit the application by mail?
No. The NLN will not accept applications submitted by mail. All documents (application, statement, CV and letters of support) must be submitted in one electronic file using the designated forms (click here).

How do applicants demonstrate their eligibility? What are the characteristics of the applicants selected to become fellows?
Applicants must meet all eligibility criteria. These criteria can be demonstrated by the following: chronology of sustained contributions that have endured over time and been substantial; documentation of how your visionary leadership in nursing education stimulated change and helped create a preferred future for nursing education; citation of specific outcomes that are a direct result of your work; an analysis of how your contributions to nursing education have been congruent with and helped advance the mission and goals of the NLN. Successful applicants provide clear examples of contributions that are above and beyond the responsibilities associated with their employment. They also explain how their work has influenced nursing education, show that their contributions to nursing education have been broad in scope and not limited to their own classrooms or schools, and document how dissemination of their work through various formats has influenced and advanced nursing education.

What information should I include in my applicant statements? How can I present my work to the best advantage?
Your statements should address how your contributions are differentiated from your employment responsibilities; the impact of your work on nursing education; clarity about your primary area of contribution to nursing education (and secondary, if appropriate) and how that focus has guided your professional work over time; and how your work has contributed to nursing education (vs clinical, vs nursing in general). Now is not the time to be modest! Give specific information about the outcome, results, or use of your work. For example, “developed an innovative curriculum” is not as specific as “consulted with several schools to revise their BSN curriculum to include informatics competencies". Results of employer surveys at these schools indicated students were better prepared for clinical practice in their agencies because of the revisions to the curriculum. Connect what you are doing to future goals and "next steps".

What is visionary leadership?
Visionary leadership refers to one’s ability to envision changes that will enhance and improve nursing education and enlist others to help make that vision become reality. It involves true leadership skills including effective communication, an ability to articulate the vision clearly, an ability to work collaboratively with others, an ability to manage conflicts that may arise during the process of change, dedication to and passion about the vision, and a willingness to take risks. The vision may relate to any number of education-focused concerns including promoting student engagement in the learning process, finding ways to help disadvantaged students be successful in nursing, integrating technology into the learning process, or enhancing the transition of individual from clinical roles to the teaching role. Articulation and realization of the vision may occur through publications, presentations, research, consultation, service in professional organizations, mentoring, or any number of other strategies.

Who should I ask to write a letter of support? What information should they include?
You should request letters of support from people who are familiar with your work and the impact it has had on nursing education. Letters of support can come from your administrator (dean, department chair), the chair of a national committee on which you served who can discuss the impact of your contributions to the work of that group, a member of a community or professional nursing organization who can describe how your work contributed to the organization, or a colleague who uses the results of your work. Each letter should speak to a different aspect of your work so that when the three reference letters are reviewed in conjunction with your own statements, a clear picture is presented of the extent and significance of your contributions. When all references speak to the same points or do little more than list things already in your CV, a less-than-complete picture is presented. It is helpful to send your own four-part statement and your CV to each person from whom you are requesting a letter of support, and indicate to each one the specific aspect of your work you would like her/him to address. Reference letters should give specific examples about the outcomes and impact of your work. In essence, the reference letters, along with your statements and CV, should provide compelling evidence about the enduring and substantial nature of your work in nursing education.

If I don’t have a doctoral degree, can I still apply to become a fellow?
Yes. The criteria do not specify any requirement for a particular degree of credential. Emphasis is given to enduring and substantial contributions that have had a significant impact on nursing education.

If I teach in an associate degree or practical nurse program, am a consultant or am not a nurse, can I become a fellow?
Yes. There are no requirements that fellows teach in any particular type of program or that they hold a faculty appointment at all. Individuals who are in faculty positions may teach or hold administrative or staff positions in practical nurse, associate degree, diploma, baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral programs in nursing. Individuals who do not hold faculty appointments also are eligible for fellowship, as are non-nurses. The factor that determines recommendation for fellowship is whether the applicant has demonstrated sustained and significant contributions that have had an impact on and made a difference in nursing education.

Do I have to have a strong record of funded research in order to be recommended as a fellow?
No. It is not a requirement that you have a strong record of funded research for recommendation to fellowship. If you have completed extensive research – with or without funding – it must be research that clearly impacts nursing education. For example, research into nursing interventions related to care of a particular patient population may inform what a faculty member teaches, but it does not influence nursing education per se. Research that influences nursing education itself focuses on teaching and learning, curriculum design and implementation, faculty development, new pedagogies, and so on. More important than the completion or funding of this research is that you demonstrate how the findings from your studies have influenced the design and delivery of nursing education. For example, you might list schools or faculty who are using your work or the extent to which your work is cited by scholars outside your own school.

If my contributions have been in the area of clinical practice or public policy, am I eligible for fellowship?
While contributions to the advancement of clinical nursing practice or public policy related to health care delivery are important, they are not the type of contributions expected of fellows in the Academy of Nursing Education. Instead, fellows are expected to focus their work and contributions (publications, presentations, consultation, research, etc.) on nursing education, public policy as it relates to nursing education, and so on.

Is there a limit to the number of fellows who can be inducted in any given year?
No. There is no minimum or maximum number of fellows to be inducted in any given year. If 100 applications are received and each one clearly meets all criteria for fellowship, all 100 can be recommended for induction as fellows. Likewise, if there are 25 applications and only five meet all criteria, then only those five will be recommended for induction as fellows.

How can I best present my application?
The application should be professionally presented, including proper grammar and spelling. It is not necessary to submit an application that includes color, borders, photos, or any other “special effects”. Proofread the application prior to submission and request assistance from a colleague or writing center if needed.

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