Frank D. Hicks, PhD, RN, CNE, has spent decades working in nursing education.
As the Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Affairs at Rush University College of Nursing and the Chair of the Illinois Association of Colleges of Nursing (IACN), he plays a vital role in advocating for nursing faculty, students, and institutions across the state.
Hicks first joined IACN when he became the Associate Dean at Rush University, and quickly recognized the significant impact on nursing education IACN can make through policy and leadership development.
“If I’ve never done something before and an opportunity arises and it seems like it might be interesting, I’ll put my hand up. I started attending IACN meetings as the Dean of the College’s delegate. I started to see the impact the organization could have on nursing education in the state.”
Eventually, Hicks became Vice Chair and later was elected to his current position as Chair of IACN. His leadership allows him to advocate for nursing faculty and academic institutions across Illinois.
“I’ve been Chair for about a year now and I’m enjoying it very much. I feel connected with other educators around the state.”
Getting Started: Hicks’ Nursing Background
Hicks began his nursing career after graduating from Indiana University. Over the years, he has cultivated extensive experience in healthcare, focusing primarily on critical care nursing.
His early career was centered on surgical intensive care units (ICUs), where he developed expertise in managing critically ill patients. Hicks’ passion for patient care laid the foundation for his eventual transition into nursing education.
Hicks pursued his master’s and doctoral degrees at the University of Illinois Chicago which eventually led to a combined faculty and clinical specialist role at Rush University. In 2014, he was recruited to start a BSN program at a small liberal arts college in Wisconsin. After six years, Hicks was called back to Rush University to step into academic leadership.
IACN Advancing Nursing Education
“I believe that IACN can be a wonderful vehicle for not only disseminating information about what’s happening nationally and statewide in terms of nursing education, but I also think that it can be a vehicle for improving and supporting the nursing academic leaders in the state,” Hicks explains.
IACN serves as a supportive and unifying force for academic leaders in Illinois. It ensures that educators and institutions have a platform that advocates for education standards, policies, and regulations. By bringing educators together, IACN creates a network of professionals dedicated to improving the quality and accessibility of nursing education throughout the state.
Supporting Nursing Colleges with Accreditation
Accreditation is an important component of nursing education and ensures that programs meet the necessary standards for preparing students to become competent professionals. Hicks believes that IACN can play an important role in helping colleges navigate the accreditation process by providing resources, guidance, and experienced insights.
IACN serves as the voice of academic nursing in Illinois and works to ensure that institutions have the support they need when advancing their educational programs. The organization also fosters collaboration among nursing colleges, allowing them to share best practices and strategies for maintaining accreditation success.
Hicks has extensive experience in dealing with the accreditation process through his time building a master’s entry and a BSN program from scratch. He has led webinars and training sessions for nursing educators on topics like Standard IV.
“Given my background in accreditation and regulation, I’m very involved with CCNE, the accrediting body. I’ve been able to be a resource to leaders in the state about accreditation and helping them to move forward with that process.”
Mentorship and Support Within IACN
One of the key initiatives that Frank Hicks has championed as Chair of IACN is strengthening mentorship and professional development for academic nursing leaders. Recognizing the challenges faced by new nursing educators and administrators, IACN can provide guidance, resources, and peer support to ensure their success.
“One thing I’ve wanted to do since becoming Chair was say, ‘What can IACN do for you?’ If you’re going to support IACN, then I believe IACN should support you. One thing we did this year was institute a leadership mentoring program in the state for new academic leaders. There is quite a bit of turnover in academic leaders in nursing in both Illinois and nationwide. Our members felt that they needed someone they could reach out to and say, ‘I’m having an issue with X, or I have never tried this before, or can you help me with understanding this budget?’ We have ten mentees in the program being mentored by eight experienced academic nursing leaders. I personally mentor two mentees.”
Challenges in Nursing Education and IACN’s Response
Nursing education in Illinois faces significant challenges, particularly in securing clinical placements and addressing the shortage of qualified faculty. IACN is actively working to find innovative solutions to these pressing issues.
Shortage of Clinical Sites
Securing clinical placements for nursing students has become increasingly difficult. Many hospitals and healthcare facilities have limited space available for students, leading to increased competition for rotations.
“Clinical sites are becoming very scarce. It’s difficult to get an inpatient pediatric rotation for pre-licensure students. It’s difficult to get clinical sites and preceptors for individuals who are in an advanced program in pediatrics, like a pediatric nurse practitioner. It’s very difficult to find psychiatric mental health sites, particularly inpatient, because they just aren’t around anymore.”
To address this issue, IACN can utilize its connections within the state legislature to help nursing institutions secure more funding. The goal is to develop programs that help educate nurses to become nurse educators. IACN has advocated with the Board of Nursing to expand the use of simulation-based education in nursing programs, and members were involved in helping the American Nurses Association-Illinois rewrite the nursing education regulations for the upcoming renewal of the Nurse Practice Act.
Faculty Shortages
Another pressing concern is the shortage of nursing faculty, driven by an aging workforce and insufficient succession planning. Many experienced educators are nearing retirement, and without a pipeline of new faculty, nursing programs may struggle to maintain enrollment capacity.
“I think one of the challenges facing not only nursing programs in Illinois, but also countrywide, is aging faculty. We have not developed good succession planning. We can’t grow capacity without faculty and clinical sites.”
IACN strongly supports increased funding to support the recruitment and retention of faculty. This includes securing grants, legislative funding, and financial incentives to encourage experienced nurses to transition into academic roles. By prioritizing faculty recruitment and development, IACN can help schools sustain and expand nursing education programs across Illinois.
Policy Advocacy and Legislative Engagement
One of IACN’s most significant contributions is its active involvement in policy discussions at both the state and national levels. The organization works closely with legislators, regulators, and healthcare organizations to advocate for funding, faculty support, and access to clinical sites. Through these efforts, IACN helps shape policies that directly impact nursing education, ensuring that institutions receive the resources they need to train the next generation of nurses.
“The beauty of IACN is the ability to brainstorm with other individuals and then to strategize about how we can move forward. Who do we need to talk to in the state to listen to this? Is it the Board of Nursing we need to approach or is it our legislatures that we need to approach?”
By serving as a powerful advocate for nursing education, IACN continues to elevate academic nursing leaders, advance policies that benefit students and faculty, and shape the future of nursing in Illinois.
Hicks’s Vision of the Future of Nursing Education in Illinois
“My vision is of an Illinois where we can decrease health disparities because we support quality health education. We support the education of our healthcare providers in a way that allows them to be able to care for the individuals who need our care.”
IACN is committed to advocating for academic institutions to have the resources necessary to educate future nurses effectively. Hicks emphasizes that without proper funding, faculty support, and clinical placement opportunities, nursing programs cannot grow to meet the healthcare system’s needs.
“We can’t grow capacity without faculty and without clinical sites. We need to ensure our institutions have the funding and infrastructure to prepare new nurses for the workforce.”
Through continued advocacy and collaboration with policymakers, educators, and healthcare organizations, IACN aims to promote not only nursing education, but also uplift the nursing community. By ensuring strong faculty support, and a commitment to creating and promoting nursing education programs, Hicks and IACN are working toward a future where nursing education drives improvements in healthcare across the state.