Health & Biotech

The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) has launched its new interactive career exploration platform, MOTION, to assist each of AANA's nearly 61,000 members in making informed career choices.

MOTION is a cutting-edge, map-based career-exploration platform that is purpose-built to assist CRNAs in making well-informed career decisions and locate the best opportunities for personal and professional growth. The platform empowers members to take control of their job search by providing them with the most comprehensive database of virtually every CRNA employer location in the United States.

"At AANA, our mission is to be tireless advocates for all Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), supporting their careers and enriching their lives and those of their families," said Chief Executive Officer Bill Bruce. "As the healthcare landscape evolves, we recognize the need to equip our members with better tools to navigate their career paths. MOTION will provide our members with the resources they need to thrive in their profession."

Created by MedGeo Ventures, MOTION was born from the belief that the right career move can be transformative, not just for pay scale and hours, but for every aspect of life. CRNAs, upon login, will be presented with a map that features CRNA employer locations. Each location on the map will be flagged and searchable as one of three designations:

• INACTIVE SITES: Employers have the option to add branding and update the information for their practice sites and providers at any time, free of charge.
• NETWORKING SITES: Employers can upgrade their sites to "networking" status to build a talent pipeline or hire opportunistically. The Networking Sites offer detailed employer information, including contact information.
• HIRING SITES: Employers can upgrade to hiring sites, allowing them to identify locations with active job openings. Hiring Sites provide all the features of Networking Sites, plus unlimited job postings for that location.

Additional features unique to AANA's MOTION platform include map layers of community information such as housing costs and commute times; employer messaging to directly engage with employers before submitting an application; the ability to follow a site or entire market to get notifications of material changes; and AANA career liaisons to assist members with career option research and facilitate member referrals to employers.

MedGeo, a partially held subsidiary of AANA, strives to equip members of the healthcare profession with better tools to navigate their career paths.

"We are living through a unique time in the history of our field, and we are committed to supporting CRNAs with a platform that delivers more data and better ways to connect with employers," said MedGeo Co-Founder, Jarod Collins.

Aya Healthcare, the nation’s largest healthcare talent software and staffing company, announced the Future Leaders in Medicine Scholarship in partnership with National Medical Fellowships, Inc. (NMF), a nonprofit providing scholarships, service-learning programs, mentorship and clinical research leadership training for chronically marginalized students of medicine, behavioral health and related health professions. This initiative will grant $10,000 to five exceptional students currently enrolled in medical programs, to support their journey towards becoming leaders in healthcare.

The scholarship program, a collaboration between NMF and Aya’s Provider Services Division – which includes Aya Locums, a premier locum tenens agency, and advanced workforce platforms for health systems that deliver permanent staff hiring, vendor management, float pool technology and predictive analytics – underscores Aya’s dedication to cultivating diversity and innovation within the healthcare industry.

“As we face a provider shortage, we’re proud to collaborate with National Medical Fellowships to support this industry and create a stronger, more inclusive healthcare workforce,” said Rhianna Watson, associate vice president of recruitment for Aya Locums. "This scholarship is in honor of our dedicated locum providers who work in communities with great need.”

The Aya Locums Future Leaders in Medicine Scholarship is open to students across the U.S. enrolled in various degree programs, including those aspiring to become doctors of medicine and osteopathic medicine (M.D. and D.O.), as well as those pursuing a graduate-level nurse practitioner, certified registered nurse anesthetist or physician assistant degree. This initiative serves to reinforce Aya Locums' unwavering commitment to empowering future medical professionals and cultivating a more resilient and inclusive healthcare environment.

NMF President and CEO Michellene Davis Esq. said, "This investment from Aya Locums is an important first step towards advancing diversity and excellence in healthcare. Our shared focus on empowering chronically underrepresented individuals has borne fruit in the Aya Locums Future Leaders in Medicine Scholarship and we hope this program will make a long and lasting impact."

Rasmussen University today launched four Post-Graduate Nurse Practitioner Certificates that enable nurses who already have a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and/or a doctoral degree in nursing to add a desired specialization. The online program is built for working nurses with in-person practicums arranged in their local communities. Specializations include:

• Pediatric Primary Care;
• Adult-Gerontology Primary Care;
• Family Primary Care; and
• Psychiatric-Mental Health.

Nurse Practitioners top the list of the fastest growing professions in the nation, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with a projected growth rate of 46% by 2031. This is due in part to the projected physician shortage, according to a report from the Association of American Medical Colleges that identifies advanced practice registered nurses as a profession to help fill the gap.

"Rasmussen University has a long history of evolving our programming to meet the growing demand of our healthcare systems, including our MSN Nurse Practitioner program which launched last year. The new certificates we're announcing today will offer working nurses the ability to broaden their scope of practice—whether they are adding NP credentials for the first time, or adding an additional area of clinical specialization," said Paula Singer, president and chief academic officer, Rasmussen University.

With the addition of these four new certificates, Rasmussen now offers 16 post-licensure nursing program options at the master's degree level and above. The University's graduate nursing programs recently earned maximum accreditation terms from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.¹

A national leader in prelicensure education, Rasmussen University offers a full nursing education ladder, from its Practical Nursing Diploma (PN/LPN) and Professional Nursing Associate's degree (ADN/RN) to its DNP. The University works with health systems nationwide to transform the relationship between nursing education and employment.

Across the nation, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) also known as "medical deserts" are rising rapidly, with rural and underserved communities feeling the demand for practitioners most acutely. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 100 million Americans live in primary care HPSAs, and over 163 million live in mental health HPSAs.

"Nurses who are prepared with more than one clinical specialization can help fill provider gaps in shortage areas where these health professionals are desperately needed – whether that's a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner who adds a primary care specialization, or someone who broadens their primary care focus," said Singer. "Having that additional credential allows nurse practitioners to provide a more integrated and holistic approach to care."

Adding a specialization may provide an antidote to nursing burnout, explained Singer. "Rather than leaving the profession, we hope seasoned nurses consider adding one of these credentials to switch the focus of their practice and discover a new passion in another area of the nursing field."

German firm Bayer and Peking University (PKU) in China will collaborate to foster the translation of basic pharmaceutical research into drug discovery and development, while accelerating scientific research on cutting-edge technologies across the pharmaceutical value chain.

The collaboration will focus on selected key areas of interests, such as oncology, cardiorenal, immunology, as well as cell and gene therapy. Under the agreement, Bayer will provide funding and support for joint research projects, as well as to scientists at PKU in recognition of their research excellence in life sciences and drug innovation.

This new agreement builds on a strategic academic partnership between Bayer and PKU under which a joint research center at Peking University has been founded to advance the translation of drug discovery and research.

Academic collaborations have been an integral part of Bayer’s long-standing commitment to fostering drug innovation originated in China and the translation of drug discovery and research. Bayer established strategic collaborations with Peking University and Tsinghua University respectively. Bayer and the two universities are carrying out joint research projects, including discovery and structural analysis of novel targets, pathogenesis and drug mechanism of action research, drug screening, efficacy evaluation as well as exploration on new modalities, new synthetic methods, and innovative formulations.