Building a Strong Nursing Workforce for New Jersey

Background

Through the efforts of State Senator Joseph Vitale, legislation was enacted in 2002 to establish the New Jersey Collaborating Center for Nursing (NJCCN).

The organization is focused on supporting nurses and nursing by providing evidence-based policy and other recommendations regarding the nursing workforce and its impact on the health of New Jersey residents. The most immediate challenge for the NJCCN is addressing New Jersey’s shortage of nurses and nursing faculty, which has been exacerbated by the COVID pandemic. The organization also focuses strongly on identifying strategies for contributing to the well-being of nurses.

Based in Newark, at the Rutgers University School of Nursing, NJCCN is guided by a 17-member board. All members are appointed either by the governor or the state legislature. 

Leadership Team

NJCCN Executive Director Dr. Edna Cadmus also serves as a clinical professor at the Rutgers University School of Nursing and, since 2010, has been co-lead for the New Jersey Action Coalition. Currently, she is the recipient of two New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development related to apprenticeships for an acute care residency program. A past president of the Organization of Nurse Leaders of New Jersey, as well as a past commissioner of the ANCC Pathway to Excellence Program, Cadmus was previously the senior vice president for Patient Care Services at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center. She earned her PhD from Adelphi University, and holds a BSN from William Paterson University and a master’s degree in nursing education from Teacher’s College, Columbia University. Dr. Cadmus is a Wharton Fellow, as well as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. 

NJCCN Assistant Director Dr. Daria Waszak is also a clinical associate professor at the Rutgers University School of Nursing and previously served on the NJCCN Advisory Council. She is board certified as a nurse educator and occupational health nurse-specialist and serves as president for the Alpha Beta Chi Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and member of the Operations Committee for the Organization of Nurse Leaders of New Jersey. She earned her DNP in Health Systems Executive Leadership from the University of Pittsburgh, MSN in Nursing Administration / Occupational and Environmental Health from UCLA, and BSN from San Diego State University.

Dr. Pamela de Cordova conducts mixed-method research on improving patient and resident outcomes in hospitals and nursing homes. She uses large, publicly reported datasets to answer research questions pertaining to staffing, the work environment, and how various factors impact patient and resident care. De Cordova’s research has determined that in New Jersey, public reporting increases data transparency and patient choice, with no major changes in staffing levels. She is also currently leading a funded, statewide project examining the impact of RN staffing, availability of personal protective equipment, and work environment support on the psychological well-being of New Jersey, hospital-based, frontline nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic surge. Her findings indicate high levels of burnout and intent to leave among acute care nurses. De Cordova is using these findings to test the impact of RN resource availability of secondary healthcare associated infections developed among COVID-19 patients.

Dr. Susan Weaver is currently a nurse scientist at NJCCN, as well as at Hackensack Meridian health Ann May Center for Nursing. Her research focuses on the home health aide and LPN workforce, as well as on administrative supervisors and nurses who work the night shift. In 2017, she founded the Administrative Supervisor Conference, which has grown to become a multi-state event. The 2021-22 president of the Infusion Nurses Society, Weaver holds a BSN from Penn State University, an MSN in Nursing Administration from Seton Hall University, and a PhD in Nursing from Rutgers University.

Vision / Mission Statement