Congratulations, and welcome to the Academy of Emergency Nursing. Thank you for your enduring and substantial contributions to the specialty of emergency nursing. Your induction into the Academy represents a pinnacle in your professional career as an emergency nurse. But becoming a fellow is not an end. It is the next step on a continued journey of contributions to our specialty practice. This presentation is designed to orient you on the Academy's history, Academy operations, and expectations placed upon you as a fellow in the Academy of Emergency Nursing. This presentation will begin by reviewing the historical context of the Academy of Emergency Nursing. We will discuss its founding, mission and vision, leadership history, and key Academy milestones. We will then review the Academy's guiding documents, discuss fellowship rights, and finally discuss a section called I've Been Inducted, Now What? So let's begin with the historical context. The Academy of Emergency Nursing was established by the Emergency Nurses Association on September 28, 2004 to honor emergency nurses who have made enduring, substantial contributions to emergency nursing, advanced the profession of emergency nursing, including the healthcare system in which emergency nursing is delivered, and provide visionary leadership to ENA and AEN. In 2019, the Academy adopted its mission and vision statements. The Academy's mission is to recognize and promote significant sustained excellence in emergency nursing in collaboration with the Emergency Nurses Association. And the Academy's vision statement is a dynamic collaborative partnership fostering excellence, advocacy, and research in emergency nursing and promoting the development of nursing leaders. The mission and vision statements align with our purpose, as stated in the AEN guidelines. Here is a list of past chairpersons of the Academy of Emergency Nursing's Board of Directors. The ENA governance team provides staff support to the Academy. Email is the preferred form of communication to connect with the Academy. Please direct all Academy inquiries via email to the address academyatena.org. In 2017, the ENA Board of Directors approved a work team to address the needs of the Academy of Emergency Nursing Fellows and its relationship with ENA. The ENA-AEN work team evaluated the role of the Academy and its relationship with ENA to determine the best structure to support this elite group of leaders in the emergency nursing profession. The 2017 work team members included three ENA board members and two Academy board members. Five of the six were fellows. The work team was chaired by then ENA President-Elect Jeff Solheim. The key recommendations of the 2017 work team fit into one of these four groups. Specific recommendations were as follows. There were five recommendations for the advisory role and contributions. Reserve position on ENA committees for Academy fellows, based on appropriate expertise. Seek input from Academy fellows as a whole for major projects, such as the strategic plan and mission statement revision, among others. Collect expertise of all Academy fellows to utilize their education and experience for various programs, projects, and micro-volunteering opportunities. Recognize Academy fellows for authoring ENA Connection articles. Allow the Academy to determine their charges each year for submission to the ENA Board of Directors. Specific to the historical role, it was recommended that Academy fellows assume a leadership role in maintaining the history of ENA. This includes 50th anniversary oral history and recordings of history, creating a committee to have a formal role in assessing ENA's archival records, and three, creating a committee to work with the state and chapters to archive critical documents. Specific to mentoring, the recommendations were, one, invite the Academy fellows attending ENA's annual conference to the Emerging Professionals event or any other significant event that is related to the recognition and development of emergency nursing. Assure that the planning of the event includes a specific role for the fellows. Two, create and provide networking opportunities at ENA's annual conference for AEN fellows and ENA members. Three, create an online eminence program that will make it easy for mentors and mentees to connect. As previously mentioned, this recommendation was accomplished through the rebranding and launching of ENA's mentoring program, which is supported by the Academy. And the last key recommendation from the workgroup pertained to recognition. Recommendations included, one, include the Academy fellows in the VIP program at ENA's annual conference and other events, and two, electronic badging in ENA Connect to feature Academy fellows, among others. In 2018, the Academy launched its own dedicated community within ENA Connect. Fellows are automatically added to the AEN Fellowship community within ENA Connect following their induction. AEN Connect is the primary communication method between the AEN Board and the fellows. All formal communications will come via email from academy at ENA.org. Please review and update your ENA Connect profiles at least annually. The 2020 Academy Board created a shared mental model to help ENA members, fellow sponsors, and AEN Board members clarify definitions and expectations in each section of the application to maximize successful applications. It is important to note that the most heavily weighted section in the application is the enduring and substantial contributions to the emergency nursing specialty. For the 2021 application cycle, the Board consolidated all documents relating to the application process and placed them into one comprehensive document for potential applicants and sponsors. The impetus for the shared mental model and application manual all stemmed from the fellows' desire for increased transparency in the application criteria. Developing a shared understanding of fellowship criteria was the first step in this process of working toward achieving inter- and intra-rater reliability. Because of the work in 2020 and 2021, 2022's developments focused on codifying the shared mental model through additional collateral, each with varying informational tactics on the same shared understanding. This includes, but is not limited to, discussing the shared mental model in conference presentations and podcasts, publishing an article on the Academy in ENA Connection, reviewing the process as a case study, and much more. In 2021, the Academy Board conducted implicit bias training prior to its review of fellowship applications. This process was codified into policies and procedures in 2022 and will sustain in the years to come. In addition to the implicit bias training, the AEN Board also completes annual shared mental model training prior to any application review. In conjunction with the implicit bias training, the Academy now blinds the authorship of sponsored letters during the application review process. The Academy has published the weighting of various application sections to increase transparency and a shared understanding. And finally, beginning in 2022, the Academy Board now provides written feedback to unsuccessful applicants using a standardized form. One component of AEN's mission is to provide visionary leadership to ENA. Some of this is accomplished through fellows serving on other work groups. The Academy has also conducted strategic planning and other brainstorming sessions during its annual business meetings. The recommendations of those sessions are shared with ENA leadership. But the Academy fellows desired a mechanism for sustained visionary leadership. And so, in 2022, the Academy launched its Trailblazers program. The AEN Trailblazers program creates an AEN forum for fellows to explore emerging and future issues in emergency nursing while providing thought leadership to the Academy Board to discuss with the ENA Board of Directors. The AEN Trailblazers program explores current or future issues that are of significance to emergency nursing and provide insight that is strategic, innovative, and forward thinking. Now, let's talk about the Academy's guiding documents. There are two guiding documents for the Academy. The first and most important document is the Academy Guidelines. The AEN Guidelines govern the Academy. Revisions may be made by the Academy Board subject to the ENA Board's ratification. This is a clickable link you can click on to access the guidelines directly. It is open and available to anyone who is an ENA member by visiting ena.org slash F-A-E-N. The second document is the Academy Application Manual. This is one comprehensive document that contains all the necessary information related to applying to become a fellow. It was developed in late 2020 by the Academy Board, and it will be revised as necessary by the Academy Board. The application manual is subservient to the Academy guidelines. New in 2022, the Academy will be creating and implementing a standard AEN policies document. This will be created by the Academy Board and shall be subservient to the Academy Guidelines. It will be available on the Academy website for fellows once it is finalized. Now let's talk about your rights as a fellow. According to the Academy Guidelines, here are the rights that you have as a fellow in good standing. 1. Use F-A-E-N following your name. 2. Use the AEN seal on printed professional nursing business cards. We'll talk more about this on an upcoming slide. 3. Participate in Academy meetings. 4. Vote on Academy business. 5. Be named in the directory of fellows. 6. Access the AEN Fellows Only section of ENA's website. When you are logged into the website, it recognizes that you are a fellow and allows you to go to pages, such as the Academy area, that you cannot access if you are not logged in. 7. Sponsor or recommend ENA members for fellowship. It is extremely important that you use current documents to mentor or sponsor potential applicants for fellowship. Please, do not use your application as an exemplar of what to do to get into the Academy. Beginning in 2022, there is no limit to the number of individuals you may sponsor in a year. 8. Serve on the AEN Board and AEN workgroups. 9. Wear your AEN pin on professional attire. Most fellows bring their pin and wear it to all ENA conferences and meetings, but we do not wear them at social events that are more casually dressed. In addition to the professional pin, fellows have Academy ribbons to wear below their badge at ENA's annual conference. We also often have a separate and dedicated lanyard color to wear at ENA events. Compliance with ENA Governance Policy 1.01. Your credentials need to follow ANCC's recommendations regarding how to display your credentials. You can click on these links and they will take you directly to both the policy and then also the listing of how to display your credentials. In general, your fellowship credentials should appear at the end of your list of credentials. Let's now move on to the last section called, I've been inducted, now what? Email is the preferred method of communication using the address academy at ENA dot org. Please do not send emails to individual ENA staff regarding Academy business. Academy at ENA dot org is monitored closely by multiple staff and is the best way to receive a timely response. When the Academy Board or ENA staff believe the entire Academy could benefit from the information, it will be summarized and shared with the rest of the fellows as necessary and appropriate. Most often, this will be via a post in the fellows community of Connect. Academy dues are due annually on December 31st and are in addition to ENA membership dues. Notification of annual dues will be sent via email in mid-November. Payments not made by January 15th result in suspension of fellowship rights, which are reinstated upon payment of dues. Payment of lifetime fellowship dues is an available option. If you wish to explore this option, please contact ENA staff for details. The Academy's purpose is to honor nurses who have made enduring and substantial contributions that have had significant impact and continue to advance the emergency nursing specialty. The Academy provides visionary leadership to the Emergency Nurses Association. Part of that visionary leadership is mentoring future leaders of the emergency nursing specialty. This is where the Academy's two mentoring programs come into play. The formation of a formal mentoring program was strongly supported in a 2007 survey of fellows of the Academy of Emergency Nursing, with 87% assigning it a value of 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale and 75% indicating their personal interest in such a program as a 4 or a 5. Subsequent discussions about a program of this nature were enthusiastically received by fellows, ENA members, and ENA staff. The concept was submitted and approved as an ENA strategic initiative for 2008. AEN established a program in 2008 and 2009 with 10 mentors and 10 mentees. For the next six years, the Academy conducted a formal mentorship program known as the Eminence Program, which launched on-site each year in conjunction with ENA's annual conference. By 2015, it became apparent that the program needed to be restructured to promote growth and reduce some restrictions. Some challenges with the program identified were associated with fees and conference on-site requirements. These were not conducive to meeting the diverse needs of ENA's members, especially those of limited financial means, international members, or the younger generation. Also, the annual cadence of the program became problematic. Enhancements were needed for mentorship relationships to form and conclude based on the individual needs and availability of members. This brings us to 2018 and the launch of the ENA Mentoring Program, which has been and continues to be supported by the Academy. This program is an online mentor-mentee relationship matching program, where you can search for people who are looking for mentors while those seeking mentorship can also search for available mentors by looking for those who have the expertise in the area they are seeking counsel. For this reason, it is extremely important your ENA Connect profile is up to date. The Academy had oversight of this program until March 2022, when the Academy Board decided to move into a supportive role. As a Fellow in the Academy, we urge you, if you are not already listed, to please become a mentor in the ENA Mentoring Program. Enrollment in the Mentoring Program occurs in the Fellows community on ENA Connect. Click on the Participate button to walk through the instructions of how you can become a mentor and identify a potential mentee who you can assist. At the very least, list yourself as available so that someone can find you in the future when they are seeking a mentor with your area of expertise. The Academy encourages all Fellows to improve the health of communities and the nation by serving on boards and other regulatory and governing bodies. Nancy Mannion, past ENA President and 2015 Academy Board Chairperson, serves as the Academy's liaison to the Nurses on Boards Coalition. She provides a report annually in alignment with the Academy Business Meeting. Opportunities as they arise are posted in the Connect community. You can also just go straight to the NOBC website anytime and search for opportunities and apply for them as you believe they are relevant. It is your responsibility as a Fellow to identify, recruit, and mentor future Academy applicants. This is a huge responsibility for recruiting and soliciting, sponsoring and supporting the future Fellows that will join the Academy. You should engage with potential applicants to facilitate their growth and provide counsel in many areas to enhance their success. Please keep in mind that certain Fellows in good standing are unable to write sponsorship letters due to leadership positions they hold within the Academy or ENA. The Academy Guidelines and AEN Application Manual further detail these ineligibilities. It is extremely important that you do not submit a letter supporting someone if you feel they are not yet ready to be a Fellow. Part of your professional responsibility as a Fellow is to have that crucial conversation with a person you do not believe is ready to become a Fellow. Discuss with the person how you could help support them in their growth and development to get them to where they need to be sponsored for Fellowship. The Academy has its own apparel store, which launched in June 2021 in collaboration with ENA partner Scrubbit. This is exclusive to AEN Fellows and offers a variety of AEN logo items including polo shirts, dress shirts, lab coats, and scrubs. To start, go to aen.scrubbin.com and use access code AEN847. Fellows will create an account during their first login. The AEN logo is available in two options, full color and all white. Custom embroidery is also available, up to three lines on the right portion of the chest. Additional information is posted in the AEN community about the apparel store. The Academy is excited to announce that Fellows can order Academy of Emergency Nursing Business Cards. Business cards must be purchased at your own expense using ENA's print-on-demand vendor, Graphic Arts Services Incorporated. Username is Academy and the password is ENA. If you need assistance, please contact Academy at ENA.org and staff will be happy to assist you. As previously mentioned, all Fellows in good standing are eligible to run for a member-at-large position on the AEN board. The election cycle is conducted annually each fall. There are usually four to eight candidates running for one position. An Academy Annual Business Meeting and the Academy Induction Ceremony will be held in conjunction with ENA's annual conference. Additional Academy gatherings are held at the discretion of the AEN board. The previous example of this is the 2020 AEN Forums to discuss the new shared mental model. So let's put everything together. Here are some key things you may want to think about. First, are your ENA and Fellowship dues paid? Have you thoroughly reviewed the Academy guidelines? One of the things you are encouraged to do is to view the 2020 AEN Forums video to learn more about the shared mental model. This link will take you directly to it, and you can also access it from the Academy website when you are logged in. Second, as a Fellow, please ensure that your ENA Connect profile is current and consider listing yourself as a mentor. Third, have you added FAEN to your business signature line? You may want to do this at work if your employer permits it, as well as other professional emails that you send out. You may begin using the FAEN credential immediately following your induction, but not before. Fourth, are you ready to volunteer for future ENA or an NOBC opportunity? Lastly, are you actively identifying, mentoring, and sponsoring future Fellows? Talk about and promote the Academy at every ENA meeting you attend. Thank you for attending this session. Questions may be directed to academy at ENA.org.

Academy of Emergency Nursing

Emergency Nurses Association

excellence in emergency nursing

FAEN credential

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