Nurses Named to List of Young Nursing Leaders
| May 21, 2015 | Seven UAMS nurses — and several more UAMS nursing graduate students — were named recently to the Arkansas Action Coalition’s inaugural “40 Under 40” list honoring emerging nurse leaders in the state under the age of 40.
The 40 honorees included nurses at health systems, nursing schools and school districts across the state, chosen based on criteria that included leadership, service and contributions to the profession.
The Arkansas Action Coalition — which includes representation from state health care providers, consumer advocates, and policymakers as well as business and academic leaders —formed in 2012 to promote recommendations of a landmark Institute on Medicine report, “Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health.” Identifying future nursing leaders was one recommendation, and a driving force behind creation of the “40 Under 40” recognition program in Arkansas.
UAMS nurses on the Arkansas Action Coalition’s “40 Under 40” list
The UAMS nurses on the list were:
- Natalie Capps — clinical assistant professor in the College of Nursing
- Sara Jones — clinical assistant professor in the College of Nursing
- Stephanie Kitch — research assistant in the College of Nursing
- Jeff Pinto — clinical services manager in the Center for Distance Health
- Chris Stone — instructional development specialist in Staff Education
- Rebekah Thacker — an advanced practice registered nurse (A.P.R.N.) in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
- Jeni Warrior — nurse practitioner in OB-GYN
“As a UAMS faculty member also working with the coalition, it’s great to see so many UAMS nurses and nurse educators recognized as young leaders in our state,” said Claudia Beverly, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, professor and director of the Hartford Center for Geriatric Nursing Excellence in the UAMS College of Nursing and also a co-lead for the Arkansas Action Coalition.
“The Arkansas Action Coalition is working hard to advance the nursing profession in our state and these nurses have shown a commitment for nursing practice, a dedication to the profession and a willingness to advance nursing in Arkansas.”
Several on the list are current College of Nursing graduate students. Kitch, Temekis Hampton and Jamie Jones are in the doctoral program, the only Ph.D. nursing program in Arkansas. Pinto, Stone, Thacker and Jason Ketcher are enrolled in the master’s degree (MNSc) program.
The Arkansas Action Coalition received nominations from across the state. The honorees were chosen by a panel of nurses within the organization based on evidence of professional success; leadership within the profession through clinical practice, education, administration or research; community service; and participation in professional groups or organizations that advance the nursing profession.
The Arkansas Action Coalition is part of the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action, a nationwide movement to improve health and health care through nursing. An initiative of AARP and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Campaign includes Action Coalitions in 50 states and the District of Columbia working to implement the Institute of Medicine’s Future of Nursing recommendations.