-
Will there be a new cohort of Executive Nurse Fellows? +
-
Beginning in 2014, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will develop new programs that strive to increase the number of scholars, fellows and leaders it supports annually. Read about the Foundation's new direction for leadership programs here and its continuing commitment to nursing here. The Executive Nurse Fellows program has accepted its final cohort and the program will be active through 2017. There will be no additional cohorts for the Executive Nurse Fellows program.
-
-
Do you need to be a nurse to apply? +
- Yes. Applicants must be a registered nurse with an active nursing license.
-
Are nurse practitioners eligible? +
- Yes. This program is open to all nurses in senior leadership positions.
-
Is there a fee for the application? +
- There is no fee to apply for this program.
-
Where is the program located? +
- Direction and technical assistance for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellows program are provided by the Center for Creative Leadership (http://www.ccl.org/) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing.
-
How many Fellows will be selected each year? +
- Up to 20 fellowships will be awarded per year. Fellowship resources include funds to support a variety of leadership development experiences.
-
What is the length of the fellowship? +
- The Fellowship is a three-year program.
-
What is unique about the RWJF Executive Nurse Fellows (ENF) program? +
- The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellows Program is an advanced, three year leadership program for senior-level nurses who aspire to lead and shape U.S. healthcare locally and nationally. The program is designed to help accomplished nursing leaders be even more effective at leading teams and organizations. The curriculum provides a mix of didactic and experiential learning, mentoring, coaching, and the application of leadership knowledge and skills in real-world projects. The opportunity to interact closely with 19 other top nurse leaders in a cohort (and several hundred in the alumni association) is an important feature of the program.
-
What are the benefits of being an RWJF Executive Nurse Fellow? +
- A key benefit is the opportunity to participate in a high-level leadership development program designed specifically for nurses in executive leadership positions, with learning activities tailored to each Fellow's unique professional development needs and goals. Additionally, ENF alumni are recognized and respected as leaders within their organizations. For example, based on a survey of alumni conducted in 2006-07, 42% of ENF alumni occupy the top leadership position in their organizations and another 30% report directly to the individual holding the top position. One employer noted: "The ENF program is creating a cadre of nursing leaders who think differently, act differently, collaborate differently and negotiate differently. This will help to change the course of nursing and health care in this country."
-
What are the benefits to my organization if I am selected? +
- At each face-to-face session,you will develop new skills and apply your learning to real back-home problems. With assessment data that helps you understand yourself as a leader, with experiential learning among other Fellows, with expert executive coaching, and with exposure to networks of consultants, peers and alumni across the country, you have the resources and motivation to improve your abilities to set direction, create alignment, and sustain commitment to organizational aims. You will learn new tools for improving leadership in yourself, with others, with organizations, and you share these tools with your teams back home. Your organization benefits from your participation in the Executive Nurse Fellowship because you become a better leader . . . now.
-
Can I keep my full-time job and still participate in the program at the same time? +
- Yes. The three-year fellowship program is designed for Fellows to remain in their current positions. The time commitment for the program varies by month and year but Fellows should expect to attend two three-day sessions each year (three in Year 1) and spend an average 4-6 hours each week engaged in other program-related activities (e.g., phone calls, Webinars, reading, participating in professional development activities, etc.). The program returns value to employing organizations by enhancing Fellows' leadership skills and effectiveness in meeting organizational and societal health care goals.
-
Can more than one nurse leader from my organization apply in the same year? +
- Yes, more than one person can apply, as each applicant is evaluated individually We have interviewed applicants from the same organization in the past, and, had two persons been evaluated to be in the top twenty after the interview process, each could have been selected for the Fellowship. The only exception to this statement would be if one of the two persons was the other person's boss. In that instance, we would choose only the applicant with the stronger written application and higher ratings from the face-to-face interview. Our rationale is that to ensure safety and comfort in discussing challenges in work environments, we would not select both a boss and a direct report. Because it is impossible to predict outcomes ahead of time, as long as a boss and employee are comfortable with the outcome being decided by the National Advisory Committee and RWJF, both are welcome to apply.
-
Is there an age limit for applicants to the ENF program? +
- There is no arbitrary age at which people are cutoff from the review process for the RWJF Executive Nurse Fellows program. Time in career and time left in career are factors only as they affect the review of the application itself. For instance, someone who has had a longer career would be expected to have had more time to demonstrate leadership through increasingly senior roles and more time to have an impact on the world of health and health care. If the application contains a history of leadership commensurate with time in career and the applicant has clear goals for even greater impact beyond the three years of the Fellowship program, the application will fare well in the review process. In sum, no one is removed from the review process due to age, but it can be a factor during the review process.
-
What is expected of each Fellow? +
-
- Make a three-year commitment to the program
- Have the active support of their employing organization
- Engage fully in all curricular, action learning, and leadership project components of the program
- Complete project reports, narratives and financial status reports as requested and in a timely manner
- Communicate job title/employment status changes to the National Program Office in a timely manner
While the program allows fellows to remain at their home institution, program activities will require a substantial time commitment over the course of the three year fellowship. The time commitment for the program varies by month and year but Fellows should expect to attend two three-day sessions each year (three in Year 1, including one five day session). Fellows will also participate in face-to-face Action Learning Team meetings, calls, and interactions. Fellows will spend an average of 4-6 hours each week engaged in all program-related activities. The program returns value to employing organizations by enhancing Fellows' leadership skills and effectiveness in meeting organizational and societal health care goals.
The fellowship is designed to enhance current leadership activities and professional development; therefore, the time that fellows dedicate to the ENF program will benefit themselves and their organizations. Fellows must secure a commitment from their home institution for release time and continued compensation so that they are free to attend and participate in all program activities. Some activities will involve the use of technology that will support synchronous and asynchronous individual and team learning.
-
-
Who is eligible for the program? +
- Executive Nurse Fellowships are open to nurses who currently hold senior leadership positions in health services, scientific and academic organizations, public health and community-based organizations or systems, and national professional, governmental, and policy organizations. Applicants must be citizens of the United States or its territories or have permanent residency status at the time of application. Applicants must have the support of their employing organization for participating in the full three years of the program.
-
What types of positions qualify as "senior leadership"? +
- Senior leadership is broadly defined and may pertain to any domain of the applicant's life. The biosketches of current Fellows on the ENF website provide examples of the variety of types of senior leaders who have successfully achieved Fellowship in past cohorts. Some lead within their employing organization, e.g., having senior levels of responsibility for programs, personnel, budgets, faculties, public health departments, and so forth. Others lead major initiatives that have an impact on health and health care from positions of leadership within governmental policy agencies, scientific councils or expert panels, professional organizations, entrepreneurial activities, and so forth. Senior leadership in either domain meets the minimum criterion for application.
-
Are assistant professors eligible for the program? +
- It would be unlikely (though never impossible) that someone at the assistant professor level would qualify for ENF Fellowship. We have, however, admitted Fellows who are Associate Professors who hold senior leadership positions in professional organizations and initiatives. Because of the competitiveness of the applicant pool, it is generally better to apply after you achieve senior faculty rank and become a leader of a program or division of faculty within your school or become a leader of other initiatives as described in the FAQ about senior leadership.
-
Are for-profit hospitals and other for-profit organizations eligible? +
- Yes, we are able to subcontract with for-profit entities for the Fellowship funds.
-
What are the predictors of a successful candidate? +
- In the review of applicants in recent years, the selection criteria used by reviewers predicted the outcomes quite well. These criteria were:
- A strong professional record that reflects positions of increasing leadership responsibility and the potential to achieve higher levels of leadership effectiveness.
- Vision, passion and capability to make a substantial impact on health and health care.
- Insight, courage and evidence of a commitment to lifelong growth and development.
- Capacity and willingness to learn in collaboration with other Executive Nurse Fellows through action, reflection, feedback and support.
- Commitment (from the employing organization and individual) for the Fellow's continuing employment and active engagement in three consecutive years of structured learning, self-study and project activity.
Given the strength of the applicant pool (in numbers and quality), the bars for "strong professional record" and "vision to make a substantial impact on health and health care" ended up being quite high For many of the unsuccessful applications, the differences between "success" and "lack of success" were minimal. The breadth of impact of a person's leadership to date (e.g., national vs. local or beyond vs. within one's job) were factors in some instances.
- In the review of applicants in recent years, the selection criteria used by reviewers predicted the outcomes quite well. These criteria were:
-
How can I use my award? +
- Fellows can use funds for items such as consultant fees, conference/workshop registration fees, travel, supplies, and education. Reportable expenditures cannot exceed $35,000. Fellow funds cannot be used as compensation for the release time of the Fellow. No indirect/overhead expenses or markups to out-of-pocket expenses shall be charged under this award.
- $7,500 discretionary funds
- $7,500 action learning project support
- $20,000 individual leadership project
- Fellows can use funds for items such as consultant fees, conference/workshop registration fees, travel, supplies, and education. Reportable expenditures cannot exceed $35,000. Fellow funds cannot be used as compensation for the release time of the Fellow. No indirect/overhead expenses or markups to out-of-pocket expenses shall be charged under this award.
-
What role does my organization play in the Fellowship? +
- Your organization plays a very important role. As part of the application process you will be asking your organization for a Letter of Support. That letter acknowledges your organization's support you as a fellow. They commit to: support all of the program-related activities as described in the program's Call for Applications brochure and to release time from her or his responsibilities to attend program meetings, sessions, team visits, and other structured learning activities except in case of an emergency. In addition, the organization will accept and administer the fellowship funds on behalf of the Fellow.
-
What happens if I change employers or lose my job during the course of the program? +
- If you intend to make a job change during the course of the program, to the extent possible, please discuss your participation in the program with your new employer to ensure their support of your participation in the program. If a Fellow becomes unemployed during the program, the national program office will work with the Fellow to ensure continuity of the leadership program. Losing one's job is not necessarily cause for dismissal from the program; however your fellowship must have an institutional sponsor.
-
Do I have to pay for my own travel expenses to attend program meetings? +
- The program office will pay for all travel and accommodation expenses incurred by Fellows to attend the 7 face-to-face program sessions.
-
I have registered for the application process but now I am unable to login to the site. +
- Please double check that you are at my.rwjf.org to login. Your login information is your email address. Please note that the Sign In link on this page is for current ENF Fellows and Alumni. If you are trying to login to the application site please go to my.rwjf.org. If you are still experiencing trouble please contact the National Program Office at
-
What is the difference between a Letter of Support and Letter of Reference? +
- We require a Letter of Support from your organization that asserts support for your full participation in the all program activities. Specific details that the letter must contain are listed in the Letter of Support template on the Application site. Please make sure that the organizational representative writing the letter on your behalf follows the directions on the Letter of Support template.
The two required Letters of Reference are confidential and are submitted directly by the Reference writer. One letter must be from your direct supervisor. Please make sure you allow ample time for your reference writers to complete and submit their letters.
Please note that your supervisor may write both a Letter of Support and a Letter of Reference. However, those letters must be separate and must be submitted per the application guidelines.
- We require a Letter of Support from your organization that asserts support for your full participation in the all program activities. Specific details that the letter must contain are listed in the Letter of Support template on the Application site. Please make sure that the organizational representative writing the letter on your behalf follows the directions on the Letter of Support template.
-
When are the applications due? +
- The 2014 Call for Applications is now available. The application deadline is Tuesday, January 14, 2014 at 3pm EST.