Three Faculty Members Receive Academic Nurse Educator Certification Awards

Faculty awarded funds for completing or renewing their Certified Nurse Educator credential

Baltimore, Md. – Three University of Maryland School of Nursing faculty members have received Academic Nurse Educator Certification (ANEC) Awards from the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) through the Nurse Support Program (NSP) II.

The faculty were each awarded the maximum amount of $5,000 for demonstrating excellence as an academic nurse educator through achieving the National League for Nursing’s Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) credential either through initial certification or recertification. The faculty are:

Ron J. Piscotty Jr., PhD, RN-BC, CNE, FAMIA, assistant professor
Pam L. Shumate, DNP ’09, RN, CCRN, CNE, CHSE, assistant professor
Nicole E. Smith, PhD, MS ’14, RN, CNE, CHSE, CNE-cl, assistant professor

“We are truly grateful for the generous support provided to nurse faculty through the Academic Nurse Educator Certification Awards and for the efforts of the Maryland Higher Education Commission to make this available to faculty,” said Jane Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN, the Bill and Joanne Conway Dean of the University of Maryland School of Nursing. “The CNE credential is an important indicator of the commitment of these three faculty members to excellence in teaching, and I congratulate each of them on their accomplishment. Through their efforts, they are ensuring that our students, the next generation of nurses, will be well prepared to meet the needs of Maryland’s residents.”

The CNE credential establishes nursing education as a specialty area of practice and creates a means for faculty to demonstrate their expertise in this role. It communicates to students, peers, and the academic and health care communities that the highest standards of excellence are being met. By becoming credentialed as a CNE, faculty serve as leaders and role models.

Developed under the NSP II program, which is funded by the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission and administered by MHEC, the ANEC award program recognizes professionalism in support of ongoing faculty development requirements necessary to maintain the CNE credential. The award is intended to reinforce the use of the CNE as one measurement of excellence in nursing programs and to support retention of outstanding academic educators.

The award funds may be used to supplement the awardee’s salary; to pay for activities for professional development, including conference fees, travel, and expenses for speaking engagements; to pay professional dues, CNE examination fees, and continuing education expenses; or to assist with graduate education expenses, such as loan repayment.

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The University of Maryland School of Nursing, founded in 1889, is one of the oldest and largest nursing schools in the nation and is ranked among the top nursing schools nationwide. Enrolling more than 2,100 students in its baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders who shape the profession of nursing and impact the health care environment.