ICN Mission

The Indiana Center for Nursing unites statewide nursing education and practice leaders to affect change, through one voice, to ensure a diverse, highly qualified, and healthy nursing workforce that advocates for equitable healthcare across the state.

Overarching Goal:  Promote academic-practice partnerships to optimize the current and future nursing workforce.

Join a committee or initiative

Individual volunteers strengthen Indiana’s nursing workforce by participating in ICN committees and task forces. To volunteer for one of the committees below, or to discuss your options, please contact us at  info@ic4n.org or 317.574.1325

Development Committee

Support nursing education through philanthropic efforts

Co-Chairs:

Kristen Edwards MBA, MSN, NEA-BC
Director of Hospital Services; Indiana Donor Network

Lynn Schmidt PhD, RN, CNE
Dean, School of Nursing and Kinesiology; Anderson University

Health and Resiliency Committee

Foster the well-being and self-care of nurses and nursing students

Co-Chairs:
Jean Putnam DNP, MS, RN, CPHQ
Executive Vice President, Chief Nursing Officer: Community Health Network

Jewel Diller DNP, MSED, RN
Assistant Vice President for Nursing; Ivy Tech Community College

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

Advance the diversity, equity, and inclusion of the nursing workforce

Co-Chairs:
Jennifer Chiusano MA, BSN, RN, NE-BC
Vice President and CNE; Deaconess Hospital

Karen Clark EdD, RN
Dean, School of Nursing & Health Sciences; Indiana University East

Influence solutions for sustainable healthcare delivery

Co-Chairs:
Cindy Adams  PhD, RN, ANP-BC, NEA-BC
System Chief Nursing Officer; Ascension St. Vincent

Rebecca Bartlett Ellis PhD, RN, ACNS-BC
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Indiana University, Indianapolis

Professional Advocacy Committee

Advocate for the removal of barriers to practice to influence health equity

Co-Chairs:
Pamela Karagory DNP, MBA, MSB, RN, CNE
Head, Purdue University School of Nursing

Sarah Knisely-King MSN, RN
CNO; Lutheran Health Network

Benefits of Membership within ICN

• Recognized statewide, nationally and internationally as the single, unified voice for nursing in Indiana.
• Memberships and partnerships encompass not only recognized state and national nursing leaders, but also leaders from the  broader community who have a stake in shaping the future of healthcare to best meet the needs of Indiana citizens.
• Provides numerous opportunities for members to network with leaders, stakeholders, and organizations from over 60 membership organizations representing over 125 venues throughout the state.
• ICN provides the opportunity for employees of all nurses in Indiana to serve on our ICN committees as directed by our strategic plan. These committees include Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Development, Academic-Practice Partnerships, Health and Resiliency, and Professional Advocacy.
• Provides the opportunity to engage in statewide Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion inititatives.  Rather if it is serving on one of our committees, assisting with the IN NEEDS Initiatives, or assisting with the multi-million-dollar NEEDS2B nursing workforce diversity grant, the ICN is leading the way with these and other Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts.
• Organizes and holds annual Nursing Summit, which provides professional development opportunities to all nurses in Indiana and allows for dissemination of Indiana nurse-led research and projects via podium and poster presentations.
•  ICN identifies and impacts Indiana nursing issues by convening and engaging statewide leaders from nursing practice, education, and business and make recommendations on issues.
• Offers professional development opportunities for nurses in Indiana on timely, relevant, and impactful issues surrounding the nursing workforce and healthcare at little or no cost.
• Encompasses the work of the Indiana Action Coalition (IAC), chosen by the Center to Champion Nursing in America to implement the national recommendations from the  National Academy of Medicine report,  The Future of Nursing 2020-2030.
• Receives national and international recognition for its ability to build a statewide initiative to identify and implement innovative reform in the areas of inter-professional education and practice, nurisng education, nursing practice and diversity.  This momentum has been instrumental in leading change in nursing and the improved culture of health for Indiana citizens.
• We are Indiana’s premiere center for philanthropic support of nursing education at the undergraduate and graduate level, providing scholarships to students enrolled in nursing programs of ICN member schools.  Since 2011, ICN has distributed over $931,300 in scholarship money to its member schools.
• Through strong collaborative relationships with organizations including the Council of Indiana Nursing Deans and Directors (CINDD), Indiana Organization for Nursing Leadership (IONL), Indiana Hospital Association (IHA), Indiana State Nurses Association (ISNA), Indiana League for Nursing (ILN), Indiana Area Health Education Centers (AHEC), Sigma, Indiana State Board of Nursing, Indiana Patient-Centered Care Coalition (IPCCC), and others, ICN influences state and national policies related to the healthcare workforce.
• Working in collaboration with the Indiana State Board of Nursing and the Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy, ICN is involved in routine statewide data collection and reporting for nursing professionals.
• Serves as Indiana’s Nursing Workforce Center, which implements recommendations from the National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers, allowing for networking and collaboration on national initiatives.
• Promotes nursing pipeline development through web-based career guidance and individualized career counseling and maintains an up-to-date list of Indiana’s fully accredited undergraduate and graduate nursing programs.
• Serves as a robust clearinghouse for the latest trends and issues related to Indiana healthcare and its largest provider workforce – nursing.
• Integral in development and promotion of National Nurses on Boards Coalition, Indiana maintains a high level of engagement in this work, including having the highest percentage of nurses serving on boards in the United States.
• ICN staff frequently disseminates work in peer-reviewed publications and at national and international conferences, promoting strategies and innovative initiatives of the ICN.