At its annual conference earlier this month, the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS) announced that Jan Powers, PhD, RN, CCRN, CCNS, CNRN, NE-BC, Director of Nursing Research and Professional Practice at Parkview Regional Health System in Fort Wayne, Ind., has been elected to the 2018-2019 NACNS Board of Directors. Powers has been a member of NACNS since 2001.
Powers has been a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) for more than 20 years. As the Director of Nursing Research and Professional Practice Powers oversees policies and procedures, manages and mentors clinical nurse specialists, advances nursing practice and ongoing development of research and evidence-based practice at a nine hospital system. In addition, she is also a part-time faculty member at Indiana University’s School of Nursing. Powers has served as the Coordinator of the CNS program there for the past two years.
Powers served on the NACNS Research and Nominating Committees and led the Central Indiana NACNS Affiliate for more than a decade. She also currently represents clinical nurse specialists on the Indiana Coalition of Advanced Practice Nurses board of directors.
“I am excited to join the NACNS board,” said Powers. “In the years that I have been a CNS, I have seen the tremendous improvements in patient outcomes that can be accomplished through CNS-led initiatives. In my time on the board, I will work to advance nursing practice and empower my fellow CNSs to embrace the opportunities that come with our changing health care system. Clinical nurse specialists are uniquely positioned to shape the future of health care and I look forward to demonstrating the value of CNS practice and how it positively impacts the costs and outcomes of care.”
“We are so pleased to have Jan join our board of directors,” said NACNS Executive Director Melinda Mercer Ray, MSN. “Her long history of service to the CNS role will be a huge asset as we work to demonstrate the vital role clinical nurse specialists play in health care today.”
In addition to NACNS, Powers is a current member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine; American Association Critical-Care Nurses; American Society of Enteral and Parenteral Nutrition, the Central Indiana Chapter of AACN and Sigma Theta Tau International, Honor Society of Nursing.
Powers earned her PhD, MSN and BSN from Indiana University. She was awarded the Norma J. Shoemaker Award for Critical Care Nursing Excellence by the Society of Critical Care Medicine in 2010 and became a Fellow of Critical Care Medicine in 2007.
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Founded in 1995, The National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists is the only association representing the clinical nurse specialist (CNS). CNSs are advanced practice registered nurses who work in a variety of specialties to ensure high-quality, evidence-based, patient-centered care. As leaders in health care settings, CNSs provide direct patient care and lead initiatives to improve care and clinical outcomes, and reduce costs. NACNS is dedicated to advancing CNS practice and education, removing certification and regulatory barriers, and assuring the public access to quality CNS services.