Amanda Bettencourt Begins Term as President of AACN Board

Amanda Bettencourt Begins Term as President of AACN Board

Amanda Bettencourt, PhD, APRN, CCRN-K, ACCNS-P , is the new president of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) board of directors. She began her one-year term on July 1, 2022.

“The future of nursing and health care is unknown, and the COVID-19 pandemic has brought a newfound urgency for us to work together to find solutions to both long-standing issues and new challenges,” said Bettencourt. “Starting now, we step forward with a renewed sense of purpose, a commitment to action and a focus on a better tomorrow.” Amanda Bettencourt, PhD, APRN, CCRN-K, ACCNS-P.

Bettencourt is an assistant professor in Penn Nursing’s Department of Family and Community Health. As an educator, researcher and pediatric clinical nurse specialist, her focus is on achieving the best possible outcomes for acutely and critically ill children. Her current research involves evaluating factors influencing the research-to-practice gap in critical care settings and testing implementation strategies targeting the interprofessional team to improve evidence-based care. She was recently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan, where she was appointed to the National Clinician Scholars Program and received advanced training in implementation science. Previously, she was responsible for ensuring high-quality nursing care and optimal outcomes for burn, trauma and pediatric patients as a clinical nurse specialist at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota, and at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital in Gainesville, Florida.

Bettencourt’s extensive volunteer service with AACN includes board liaison, NTI Program Planning Committee (2021), AACN – AACN Certification Corporation Nominating Committee, (2020-2021), community moderator, online AACN Peer Support Community Development Team (2020) and board liaison, Chapter Advisory Team (2019-2020).

Her additional affiliations include the American Burn Association and Sigma. In addition to presenting at the National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI), she has led sessions at several other conferences, including the American Burn Association’s annual meeting. Bettencourt’s publications are in the areas of implementation science, nursing and patient safety, nurse staffing and work environments, burn critical care and pediatric delirium.

Bettencourt earned a Bachelor of Science in exercise science from the University of Florida, an accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Master of Science in Nursing from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. She earned a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Science in health care research at the University of Michigan.

Before she assumed the role as president, Bettencourt served a one-year term as president-elect. Before that, she completed a three-year term as a director from July 1, 2018, through June 30, 2021, and a one-year term as treasurer from July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2020.

For more than 50 years, the AACN has been dedicated to acute and critical care nursing excellence. The organization’s vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. AACN is the world’s largest specialty nursing organization, with more than 130,000 members and over 200 chapters in the United States.

Lauder Donates $125 Mil for Tuition-Free Program to Recruit and Deploy NPs in Underserved Communities

Lauder Donates $125 Mil for Tuition-Free Program to Recruit and Deploy NPs in Underserved Communities

This fall, the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing) is launching the Leonard A. Lauder Community Care Nurse Practitioner Program, which will recruit and prepare a diverse cadre of expert nurse practitioners (NPs) to provide primary care to individuals and families in underserved communities across the U.S.

Largest gift ever

The $125 million donation by Leonard A. Lauder, Chairman Emeritus of The Estee Lauder Companies, to create this first-of-its-kind, tuition-free Program is the largest gift ever to an American nursing school. Mr. Lauder is a Penn alumnus. The gift comes at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the nation’s acute shortage of primary care providers, and persisting inequities in access to quality healthcare.

“This is the most timely and consequential gift not only for our university but for our country. It is unprecedented in its potential to address America’s most critical need of providing primary health care to all who currently lack it by investing in nurses,” said former Penn President Amy Gutmann.

“Growing the number of nurse practitioners who are prepared and committed to working in underserved areas is the most practical and inspiring way to ensuring a healthier country. I am grateful and honored that Leonard would make this gift to Penn Nursing, and thrilled to know that it will have an immediate impact that will last far into the future.”

Nurse practitioners are leaders on the front lines of care, a role never more important as Americans confront a primary healthcare shortage in their communities. With their advanced clinical training and graduate education, nurse practitioners have the knowledge and skill to supervise and manage critical aspects of care in a decision-making capacity, from patient diagnosis, to ordering and interpreting tests, to prescribing medication. Nurse practitioners deliver high-quality primary care to people of all ages, such as treating common illnesses, managing chronic conditions, and providing preventive care that helps patients stay healthy.

Nurse practitioners are also able to take on key leadership roles, from managing and operating walk-in or community clinics to leading interdisciplinary teams within health systems. The new Program will better the lives of patients and communities most in need, while providing a pathway for the many nurses interested in advanced education who may not otherwise have the means to pursue it.

The Program

  • Structure: Leonard A. Lauder Community Care Nurse Practitioner Fellows will enroll full-time in a two-year, rigorous Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program at Penn Nursing.
  • Community Practice: Fellows will complete at least 50 percent of their clinical education at community partner sites in the greater Philadelphia area that provide direct patient care, an invaluable experience that will prepare Fellows to meet the complex needs of patients and families throughout their careers. Every Fellow will be expected to commit to practice or service in an underserved community for two years after graduation.
  • Recruitment: Penn Nursing will select 10 Fellows to begin classes this fall, growing the program enrollment through 2026 when it will reach its annual target enrollment of 40 Fellows, continuing in perpetuity. By 2027, the program will have enrolled 140 excellent nurse practitioner students. Fellows will need to show a demonstrated commitment to working in underserved neighborhoods, where they are needed most, and to promoting health equity.
  • Tuition: All participants in the program will enter the workforce free of graduate school debt, receiving student aid to cover their tuition and fees and thereby eliminating any potential financial barriers for nurses and others who wish to enroll. Fellows with greater financial need will also receive stipends to help with living expenses.
  • Program Leadership: Penn Nursing will name the first endowed Leonard A. Lauder Community Care Nurse Practitioner Professor, who will oversee curriculum innovation, support of community sites, and program implementation.
  • Penn Community Partnership: Penn Nursing will provide support for select community partner sites to support the clinical education of Fellows while providing professional development and networking opportunities and access to School and University resources.

“Penn Nursing has a long history of advancing science, promoting equity, practice excellence, and preparing leaders. That’s why Mr. Lauder’s gift is so meaningful. The synergy between Penn Nursing and the Program will improve the health of underserved patients and families, by uniquely preparing primary care nurse practitioners, who will work with them in their communities. The sustained investment in the education and careers of primary care nurse practitioners and communities is unprecedented. We are excited by the opportunity to lead this important Program and to extend its impact beyond Penn Nursing,” says Penn Nursing Dean Antonia Villarruel. “We are deeply grateful to Mr. Lauder for recognizing and investing in this critical need, and for partnering with us in this ambitious endeavor.”

NPs are “key” to health care in underserved communities

Stephen P. Fera, Executive Vice President of Independence Blue Cross, which is one of the community partners that will be involved in the new initiative, noted that nurse practitioners are key to improving individual and community care. Said Fera: “Bolstering the nurse practitioner workforce is a means to improve access to care and strengthen the health care safety net provided by health centers. This is a key priority of the Independence Blue Cross Foundation and our partnership with Penn Nursing has been synergistic in efforts to prepare nurses to work in community-based settings. The Program will build and strengthen our individual and collective efforts toward improving the health and well-being of communities.”

“Now more than ever, the country needs greater and more equitable access to quality primary care—and highly-skilled nurse practitioners are the key to making that happen,” said Leonard A. Lauder. “The program will ensure that more Americans receive the essential health care services that everyone deserves, and I’m so pleased to be working with Penn Nursing on this initiative. I look forward to welcoming our first class of future nurse practitioners this fall. I know their expertise will be matched only by their commitment to serving our communities.”

My Clinicals Experience: On the Trauma Unit

My Clinicals Experience: On the Trauma Unit

Many nurses can’t wait to experience the urgency and pace of a trauma unit, but what is it really like to work on one? Marissa Kesse (Nu ’23), a BSN student at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing , shares her clinicals experience.
I was so excited to have been placed on the trauma unit: emergent gunshot wounds, groups of nurses on top of a patient performing CPR, code reds, blues, and greens. To me, trauma held the glitz and glam of nursing.

The first day, however, was quite underwhelming. It consisted of us students feeling as though we were hounding our nurses searching for something to see, but the nurses telling us there just didn’t happen to be much happening on that day.

“Granted, my expectations did stem from shows like Grey’s Anatomy—which should have been my first red flag….”

We, the nursing students, sat soberly as a group working on our 20-page care plans for our patients, feeling sad and what we thought was boredom. We were surprised when nurses would come to join us by the computer to work on their own charting, and they would express their thankfulness for an unusually nice, slow day.

Some of my fellow classmates began to agree, but I knew exactly what I had planned to see on the trauma unit and that’s what I was still waiting on. Granted, my expectations did stem from shows like Grey’s Anatomy—which should have been my first red flag….

The next week I certainly found what I thought I was looking for. The first patient I saw was a young boy involved in a gang-related shooting, having received multiple gunshots to the chest.

Before we entered my nurse gave me a warning that the patient was young, to make sure I was prepared- with which I quickly brushed her off and asserted I was ready. In my mind, this was exactly what I had been waiting for; indeed, the patient was a bit young but I reassured myself this would soon be an everyday thing.

When we entered, the patient had two chest tubes with multiple extended suture sites from the many surgeries he underwent. We were going in for our morning rounds which meant we would be checking the chest tube drainage and sites underneath the bandages, and performing some wound care.

“It felt as though every time the nurse adjusted the tube in his chest, there was a 32 Fr tube going through my own chest…”

As I saw the young boy churn from pain while trying to keep a brave face while we tried to perform care, it took everything within me to not cry. It felt as though every time the nurse adjusted the tube in his chest, there was a 32 Fr tube going through my own chest and, it was the sadness of the entire situation that made it the most unbearable feeling.

I love to volunteer my time at the local West Philly elementary schools and high schools. Looking at the young 16-year-old boy, I could imagine how easily that could have been any of my students. And, more times than not it would not even be their fault.

As I walk through the local schools that feel and look almost like a prison, I see how much more funding these schools need in order to provide their bright students with what they deserve.

I work in the school libraries with a team from Penn, as the School District of Philadelphia had to fire their entire librarian staff years ago due to a lack in funding. I can see how easy at times it may be to fall right through the cracks as young, impressionable boys and girls; how easy at times it may be to cling to an “out” in a hard life.

“My view of trauma has changed quite a bit.”

My view of trauma has changed quite a bit. I find trauma to be a sad place as many of the patients there were going about their day when someone else made a mistake that completely turned their life over.

My second patient, a hardy construction worker, was involved in a massive car accident that left him in a coma for weeks and now can barely stand during physical therapy without his heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate skyrocketing.

Despite this, I was still so impressed with how much optimism and hope the man had. He was so engaged with his care, sharing how he watched all his surgical operations on YouTube to understand what had been done. The patient always had a hearty spirit with the medical team and continued to push himself to do his very best during physical therapy sessions.

As I shared my reflection, a seasoned nurse reminded me that these new feelings I was experiencing are normal and natural. These feelings were what would make me “a good nurse.”

My short time on the trauma unit has taught me more about how to maneuver being a nurse than any nursing semester I have ever had, and I am so thankful for it.

I look forward to seeing what my clinical journey will continue to show me about myself. Next stop… the cardiac unit.

(If you are a University of Pennsylvania nursing student, you can submit your own story here.)

Penn Announces New Tuition-Free NP Primary Care Program

Penn Announces New Tuition-Free NP Primary Care Program

The University of Pennsylvania today announced the Leonard A. Lauder Community Care Nurse Practitioner Program, which will recruit and prepare a diverse cadre of expert nurse practitioners to provide primary care to individuals and families in underserved communities across the U.S. The $125 million donation by Leonard A. Lauder, chairman emeritus of The Estée Lauder Companies, to create this first-of-its-kind, tuition-free Program is the largest gift ever to an American nursing school. Lauder is a Penn alumnus. The gift comes at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the nation’s acute shortage of primary care providers, and persisting inequities in access to quality healthcare.

leonard lauder

Leonard A. Lauder, chairman emeritus of The Estée Lauder Companies and a Penn alumnus. (Image: Mark Leibowitz)

“This is the most timely and consequential gift not only for our university but for our country. It is unprecedented in its potential to address America’s most critical need of providing primary health care to all who currently lack it by investing in nurses,” said former Penn President Amy Gutmann. “Growing the number of nurse practitioners who are prepared and committed to working in underserved areas is the most practical and inspiring way to ensuring a healthier country. I am grateful and honored that Leonard would make this gift to Penn Nursing, and thrilled to know that it will have an immediate impact that will last far into the future.”

Nurse practitioners are leaders on the front lines of care, a role never more important as Americans confront a primary healthcare shortage in their communities. With their advanced clinical training and graduate education, nurse practitioners have the knowledge and skill to supervise and manage critical aspects of care in a decision-making capacity, from patient diagnosis, to ordering and interpreting tests, to prescribing medication. Nurse practitioners deliver high-quality primary care to people of all ages, such as treating common illnesses, managing chronic conditions, and providing preventive care that helps patients stay healthy.

Nurse practitioners are also able to take on key leadership roles, from managing and operating walk-in or community clinics to leading interdisciplinary teams within health systems. The new Program will better the lives of patients and communities most in need, while providing a pathway for the many nurses interested in advanced education who may not otherwise have the means to pursue it.

The Program

  • Structure: Leonard A. Lauder Community Care Nurse Practitioner Fellows will enroll full-time in a two-year, rigorous Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program at Penn Nursing.
  • Community Practice: Fellows will complete at least 50% of their clinical education at community partner sites and/or comparable sites that provide direct patient care, an invaluable experience that will prepare Fellows to meet the complex needs of patients and families throughout their careers. Every Fellow will be expected to commit to practice or service in an underserved community for two years after graduation.
  • Recruitment: Penn Nursing will select 10 Fellows to begin classes this fall, growing the program enrollment through 2026 when it will reach its annual target enrollment of 40 Fellows, continuing in perpetuity. By 2027, the program will have enrolled 140 excellent nurse practitioner students. Fellows will need to show a demonstrated commitment to working in underserved communities, where they are needed most, and to promoting health equity.
  • Tuition: All participants in the program will enter the workforce free of graduate school debt, receiving student aid to cover their tuition and fees and thereby eliminating any potential financial barriers for nurses and others who wish to enroll. Fellows with greater financial need will also receive stipends to help with living expenses.
  • Program Leadership: Penn Nursing will name the first endowed Leonard A. Lauder Community Care Nurse Practitioner Professor, who will oversee curriculum innovation, support of community sites, and program implementation.
  • Penn Community Partnership: Penn Nursing will provide support for select community partner sites to support the clinical education of Fellows while providing professional development and networking opportunities and access to School and University resources.
penn nursing student taking blood pressure
“Penn Nursing has a long history of advancing science, promoting equity, practice excellence, and preparing leaders. That’s why Mr. Lauder’s gift is so meaningful. The synergy between Penn Nursing and the Program will improve the health of underserved patients and families, by uniquely preparing primary care nurse practitioners, who will work with them in their communities. The sustained investment in the education and careers of primary care nurse practitioners and communities is unprecedented. We are excited by the opportunity to lead this important Program and to extend its impact beyond Penn Nursing,” said Penn Nursing Dean Antonia Villarruel. “We are deeply grateful to Mr. Lauder for recognizing and investing in this critical need, and for partnering with us in this ambitious endeavor.”

Stephen P. Fera, executive vice president of Independence Blue Cross, which is one of the community partners that will be involved in the new initiative, noted that nurse practitioners are key to improving individual and community care. Said Fera: “Bolstering the nurse practitioner workforce is a means to improve access to care and strengthen the health care safety net provided by health centers. This is a key priority of the Independence Blue Cross Foundation and our partnership with Penn Nursing has been synergistic in efforts to prepare nurses to work in community-based settings. The Program will build and strengthen our individual and collective efforts toward improving the health and well-being of communities.”

“Now more than ever, the country needs greater and more equitable access to quality primary care—and highly-skilled nurse practitioners are the key to making that happen,” said Leonard A. Lauder. “The program will ensure that more Americans receive the essential health care services that everyone deserves, and I’m so pleased to be working with Penn Nursing on this initiative. I look forward to welcoming our first class of future nurse practitioners this fall. I know their expertise will be matched only by their commitment to serving our communities.”

More information about the program is available on the Penn Nursing website.

Could Medicare Supported NP Training Help Counter the Primary Care Shortage?

Could Medicare Supported NP Training Help Counter the Primary Care Shortage?

A new Pennsylvania study published in Health Affairs shows that Medicare support for clinical training for nurse practitioners would increase their numbers and address the national shortage of primary care.  

The study, by researchers at the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, shows that universities participating in the $200 million Graduate Nurse Education (GNE) Demonstration significantly increased the number of primary care NPs they graduated.  

Co-author Linda Aiken, PhD, RN, said, “One in four Americans, or over 80 million people, lack a primary care provider. Nurse practitioners with advanced clinical training in primary care help the public obtain health care when they need it. There are plenty of qualified applicants to university NP programs, but admissions are limited because we don’t have enough primary care clinicians to supervise student learners in their practices.”  

The Graduate Nurse Education Demonstration, launched under the Affordable Care Act, provided selected hospitals with Medicare funding to help offset costs associated with clinical training of NPs. The funded hospitals were: 

  • The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA 
  • Duke University Hospital in Durham, NC 
  • Rush University Hospital in Chicago, IL 
  • Scottsdale Healthcare Medical Center in Scottsdale, AZ 
  • Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in Houston.  

These hospitals created partnerships with university NP educational programs. The largest of the funded sites was the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, which served as a regional hub for a network comprising 9 universities with NP graduate programs, multiple hospitals and health systems, and many community-based primary care practices.  

Co-author Regina Cunningham, PhD, RN, Chief Executive Officer of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, said, “The GNE Demonstration shows that longstanding challenges in health care like the shortage of primary care providers can be successfully addressed when health care organizations in communities band together for the common good. Working together in Philadelphia across health systems, public clinics, private medical practices, and schools of nursing, we were able to recruit a larger number of practicing physicians and nurse practitioners to mentor NP students to help them meet their 2 clinical training requirements of 500 or more hours thus enabling nursing schools to accept more student NPs.”  

First author Joshua Porat-Dahlerbruch notes, “The cost of clinical training for one nurse practitioner in the GNE Demonstration was about $47,000 compared to the cost of clinical training for a primary care physician of over $157,000.”  

The GNE funds were used to support preceptors mostly practicing in community-based settings. The GNE Demonstration also showed the success and feasibility of using regional consortia to distribute Medicare training funds to a limited number of hospitals for training nurse practitioner students. This is a promising way to modernize Medicare graduate medical education to produce more of primary care providers that this country needs.  

Funding for the study was from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the National Institute of Nursing Research/NIH.