A University of Louisiana assistant professor of nursing is one of only eight faculty members in the country chosen to attend an intensive program about national health care and nursing issues.

Dr. Jennifer Lemoine, a nurse practitioner, will participate in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s Faculty Policy Intensive Program. It will be held in Washington, D.C., in late March.

Lemoine is first semester senior coordinator in the College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions at the University of Louisiana. She holds the Shelia Ardoin Walsh/BORSF Professorship in Nursing.

AACN is a nonpartisan organization that advocates for nursing education, research and practice.

The four-day program is designed for faculty members, selected from more than 740 AACN member schools, who are interested in actively pursuing a role in health care and nursing policy. The eight participants were chosen through a competitive process.

An AACN spokesman said the program will give them a chance to “enhance their existing knowledge of policy and advocacy through sessions that will strengthen their understanding of the legislative process and the dynamic relationships between federal departments and agencies, national nursing organizations, and the individual advocate.”

Dr. Gail Poirrier, dean of the UL College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions, said Lemoine’s appointment also is an opportunity for the University’s Department of Nursing to contribute to the advancement of the profession of nursing at a national level.

Poirrier said nurses must be advocates for patients by taking active roles in creating legislative policy to ensure that laws are fair, logical, and provide patients with the best possible health outcomes. “Through Dr. Lemoine’s efforts, we hope to learn about new potential resources and establish networking partnerships. No doubt, our university, community and state will be well represented by Dr. Lemoine’s membership in the AACN’s Faculty Policy Intensive Program.”

Lemoine attended the American Association of Nurse Practitioner’s Region 6 Invitational Leadership Meeting in Dallas last year. The region includes Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Participants discussed health policy issues related to nurse practitioners.

Louisiana.edu