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Richardson and Swenson selected as Fellows in the American Academy of Nursing Practitioners
Virginia (Beth) Richardson, DNS, RN, CPNP, (left) and Melinda Swenson, PhD, RN, (right) members of the faculty of the IU School of Nursing (IUSON), were formally inducted into the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) as Fellows of the AANP (FAANP). The induction took place on June 20, 2007 during its 22nd national conference in Indianapolis along with 24 other new fellows for 2007 for their outstanding contributions to health care as nurse practitioners.
According to AANP, "the FAANP program was established in 2000 to recognize nurse practitioner leaders who have made outstanding contributions to health care through nurse practitioner clinical practice, research, education, or policy. Priority initiatives of FAANP are the development of leadership and mentorship programs for nurse practitioners and nurse practitioner students. Fellows of the AANP are visionaries committed to the global advancement of nursing through the development of imaginative and creative future nurse practitioner leaders."
Beth Richardson, DNS, RN, CPNP, is an associate professor, program coordinator for the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) track, and a pediatric nurse practitioner who has developed well-child protocols for use in pediatric well-child clinics. A long-time leader in pediatric nursing, Richardson has been actively involved on the national and international scenes. She has served as president and national legislative chair of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) and has received several NAPNAP awards for her leadership. She has also been on the board of directors of the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board and certification test committees. Richardson has been active in study abroad programs such as helping to lead a pediatric nursing delegation to China, leading a group of nurse practitioners from all over the U.S. to Egypt and South Africa as well as medical missions to Haiti and Bolivia. She received her BSN from Stanford University and both her master's and doctorate from IUSON.
Melinda Swenson, PhD, RN, a professor, certified Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and coordinator of the FNP major concentrates her research, teaching, and clinical interests in primary health care nursing of families, where she has co-developed a unique narrative-centered curriculum for nurse practitioners. She has presented this curriculum nationally and internationally, highlighting modifications of Practice-Based Learning and other narrative approaches to teaching and learning. Swenson has been very involved with the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties as well as the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, where she was honored with a nurse practitioner of the year award. She received her BSN from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, her MSN from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and her PhD from Indiana University.
Marion E. Broome, PhD, RN, FAAN, university dean and distinguished professor of the Indiana University School of Nursing said, "This is a competitive nomination and selection process, and is one of the most important honors to which a nurse practitioner can aspire. It is most unusual for a single school to have two Fellows in the same year, so this is a very special honor. Both Beth and Melinda are highly respected nurse practitioners nationally and internationally and are most deserving of this recognition."
The AANP was founded in 1985 and is the largest, full-service national professional organization for nurse practitioners of all specialties. With more than 22,700 individual members and 135 group members, AANP represents the interests of approximately 95,000 nurse practitioners around the country. AANP continually advocates for the active role of nurse practitioners as providers of high-quality, cost-effective health care. For more information about AANP, visit www.aanp.org.
