Elaine Steinke
The award was bestowed at the NACNS annual conference, held in St. Louis in March.
鈥淣ACNS saluted one extraordinary example in the nation relating to the advancement of Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) education and the impact of that education on the CNS profession,鈥� said Christine Carson Filipovich, CEO of NACNS.
Steinke has taught in the Adult Health and Illness CNS option for 18 years in WSU鈥檚 School of Nursing and has been the program鈥檚 coordinator for 12 years.
She has been credited with making significant revisions of all clinical specializations at the graduate level, as well as her contribution to initiating the Doctor of Nurse Practice program at WSU during the past year.
Steinke鈥檚 scholarly research, teaching, curriculum development and mentoring activities have resulted in improved standards for evidence-based nursing practice in the region and beyond.
She has been instrumental in the success of the university鈥檚 preceptor program, which affords students a real world experience by showing them the unique contribution that advanced practice nurses 鈥� and particularly clinical nurse specialists 鈥� bring to the bedside.
Steinke is widely recognized for guiding others in the process of research, professional presentation and publication.
One example is a three-year partnership with CNS graduates in a clinical-based research project during which Steinke provided oversight for the grant application, design of the study, data collection and analysis, and the process of presenting and publishing.
As her nomination noted, 鈥淣ot only have the CNS鈥檚 perspectives changed in regard to research, but also how evidence moves practice forward.鈥�
Founded in 1995, the NACNS represents more than 69,000 clinical nurse specialists across the United States.