Linda Harman Aiken Chair in Sociology was created by Linda Aiken, a renowned researcher and Gator Nurse alumna. Aiken’s planned gift supports her $1 million pledge in 2016 to endow the Linda Harman Aiken Chair at the University of Pennsylvania. UF College of Nursing.
Aikens gift comes at an era when the nursing profession is facing a unique work environment. Recent stress levels among nurses have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 epidemic, which can lead them to burnout.
Aiken, Ph.D. FAAN, FRCN. R.N. is a researcher on the U.S. health care workforce and quality. She has also published more than 400 scientific papers. She recently examined why the nation’s health care infrastructure was struggling during this crisis. Her research shows that nurses were unable to provide adequate care for patients due to chronic understaffing in hospitals and nursing homes, both before and after the COVID-19 epidemic.
Aiken stated that the country doesn’t have a shortage of nurses, which is surprising. A very serious shortage exists in nursing care in hospitals, nursing homes, and schools. This is largely due employers not creating enough budgeted positions or acceptable working conditions to support professional nurses. While nurses are not leaving healthcare in large numbers, many are switching employers and seeking out better opportunities to care for patients.
She states that patient outcomes are affected if there is not adequate care. Aikens research found that nurse turnover and chronic stress are a threat to patient safety. This is because health care systems that lack consistency and quality care can’t deliver consistent, high-quality care. This is a serious threat for public health, especially if it persists.
This phenomenon is not new. Aiken reported that almost half of the country’s nurses suffered from some form of burnout. Many also reported unsafe working conditions in hospitals during the pandemic. Public policies to address nurse burnout will be necessary in order to ensure adequate staffing levels in health care. Nurse researchers in leadership roles such as the Linda Harman Aiken Professor can identify and evaluate evidence-based solutions and provide the basis for such policies.
Dean of the College of Nursing Anna M. McDaniel, Ph.D., R.N., FAANSince its creation in 2016, the Linda Harman Aiken Professioship has been held by, Her title now reflects the endowed chair status.
McDaniel stated that Dr. Linda Aikens generosity, support of the college as an alumna, and desire to make lasting changes in the nursing profession are all reasons we are so grateful. This gift is a testament of her dedication to shaping the next generation in nurse researchers. We hope to follow her example.
Aiken attributes her three-decade-long nursing career to the mentorship and guidance she received from UF under the leadership of Dorothy M. Smith, the founder of the University of Florida. Aiken earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Nursing degrees in 1964 and 1966 from UF. She hopes her gift will be used to help UF nurse research continue to develop innovative care practices and influence public policy for the greater good.
Aiken hopes that Aiken, the College of Nursing chair, will be a key player in driving universitywide excellence. Nursing research is now seen as a source of innovative nursing research. She believes that the chair will lead to improved nursing outcomes and policy research, which will strengthen the University of Florida’s position as a leading health care provider.
Aiken stated that endowed chair grants help create great universities by providing resources for the retention and recruitment stellar faculty, supporting groundbreaking research, and influencing national rankings that help to recruit the best and most brightest students. The College of Nursing is home to many national nurses leaders and clinicians that have revolutionized nursing. The Linda Harman Aiken Chair will carry on that great tradition, as I see it.
Media contact: Ken Garcia at [email protected] or 352-273-9799
