Seattle University College of Nursing recently announced that Jean Bushman Endowed Chair and Professor, Kathy Camacho Carr, PhD, ARNP, CNM, FACNM will serve on the National Advisory Council for Nurse Education and Practice (NACNEP). Appointed by United States Secretary of Health & Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, Dr. Camacho Carr will work with other council members to help shape policies for improving nursing education and practice.
The Advisory Council is made up of nurse educators and professionals from across the country that have strong and tenured leadership in the profession. As part of their appointment, council members will meet two to three times a year in Washington, D.C., to develop and submit to the Secretary and the U.S. Congress, a report describing its findings and recommendations for improving the overall outlook of nursing education in the United States. Much of the council’s focus centers on advising our nation’s health leaders on ways to enhance the composition of the nursing workforce; improve the utilization of nurses to meet the health needs of our country; expand the knowledge, skills and capabilities of nurses; financing and delivery of nursing services; and promotion of interdisciplinary approaches to the delivery of health services—particularly in public health and primary care.
“I was honored to be selected for the NACNEP. My first goal is to learn as much as I can about the council, its best practices for getting things accomplished, and to acquaint myself with the most pressing issues of concern. Ultimately, I hope to advise the Secretary and congressional leaders about the importance of funding nursing education and facilitating interprofessional health education,” said Camacho Carr.
Dr. Camacho Carr has been at Seattle University since 2003 and currently is a Professor and the Jean Bushman Endowed Chair. Her research and teaching interests are in women’s health, maternal child health, and education of advanced practice nurses and nurse-midwives. Much of Dr. Camacho Carr’s scholarly work focuses on instructional design, pedagogical strategies and the use of computer distributed learning. She received her undergraduate nursing degree from Loyola University in Chicago, a Master’s of Science and Midwifery with a minor in curriculum & instruction from University of Illinois, and in 1989 she earned her PhD in Nursing Science from the University of Washington.