Registered nursing is one of Indiana’s top five fastest growing professions. Formed in 2011, the Indiana Center for Nursing (ICN) is dedicated to ensuring the future of Indiana’s nursing workforce. As Indiana’s unified voice for nursing, ICN’s roles and services run the gambit from support for those considering nursing careers, nursing workforce data, statewide nursing initiatives, and even awarding nursing scholarships.
Today, the ICN has 54 members with two new organizations currently completing the application process. Together these organizations represent well over 75 practice and educational sites located all across Indiana.
In 2013 alone, ICN awarded over $105,000 to its member schools to support scholarships to both undergraduate and graduate nursing students, and 2014 is already shaping up to be a busy year for the organization.
ICN plans to further develop its new statewide Access to Care (A2C) initiative where representatives of nearly 30 statewide organizations are working together to tackle the challenges associated with providing access to care for more Hoosiers. ICN is also kicking off a new focus on diversity within nursing and will be convening a group dedicated to creating changes in the nursing workforce that will allow Indiana nurses to more closely mirror the populations they serve.
ICN will continue a focus on data collection and analysis, which has changed significantly in recent years with efforts to utilize the national minimum data set for nursing and build an infrastructure that will routinely capture data in the areas of supply, demand, and education. The organization will also make available on its website a comprehensive tool kit for nurse residencies to initiate a multifaceted approach of building capacity in leadership across the state. In the Fall, ICN will host a statewide nursing summit to bring together nursing leaders from all areas of Indiana to collectively plan for the future of nursing in the state.
With an expanding membership and a lengthening list of initiatives, ICN’s voice is growing daily.
