May 6th is National Nurses Day, which begins National Nurses Week. This year’s theme is “Nurses Make a Difference” which our nation has seen firsthand, as nurses have been on the front lines for over 2 years now in the pandemic. Nurses have been versatile and innovative during this time, not only caring for those who are sick, but also being out in the community providing vaccinations. The GW School of Nursing has several experts available to speak about the current state of the nursing workforce, its challenges and opportunities.  

Joyce Knestrick,  Associate Professor, and Director of the Masters in Nursing Leadership and Management and the Executive Leader Doctor of Nursing Practice, can speak to how the pandemic has changed the field of nursing. Knestrick shared, “Before, during and after the Covid- 19 pandemic, nurses have been and will continue to be the leaders and the backbone of healthcare. As evidenced by the dedication and commitment of nurses in every area of nursing during the pandemic, nursing provides caring, compassion and  commitment to patients and their families."

Knestrick served as President of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (2017-2019). As AANP president, she initiated multiple strategies to move the organization forward including the development of a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy and standing committee, the development of a Leadership Program for NPs and led the search for a CEO. 

Asefeh Faraz Covelli is an Assistant Professor in the Family Nurse Practitioner Program at The George Washington University School of Nursing. Dr. Faraz is a health care workforce researcher interested in nurse practitioner workforce issues, with particular emphasis on the novice nurse practitioner workforce transition into primary care. She is also interested in alternative workforce solutions to improve patient access to primary preventive care. Dr. Faraz maintains her clinical practice as a Family Nurse Practitioner. 

Karen Drenkard is Associate Dean and Professor, Clinical Practice and Community Engagement.   She leads multiple centers at GW, including Community Partnerships, the Center for Aging and Humanities, the Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement and the School of Nursing Global Initiatives.  She can speak about how nurses bring value to the healthcare delivery system as they improve quality, assure safety, provide compassionate, humanistic, whole-person care, assess and monitor and treat symptoms and improve health outcomes inside and outside the hospital walls.

Drenkard said, “It is because of the grit and tenacity of the nursing workforce that our country did as well as we did through COVID - and now we are still here on the other side of the pandemic -  prepared to help the communities we serve and to heal and to care for each one.”