By Laura Lesley
University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Nursing second-year PhD student and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Future of Nursing Scholar Rachel Wells, MSN, RN, CNL, is a recipient of the American Association of Heart Failure Nurses (AAHFN) Robin J. Trupp Scholarship. Awarded annually, this scholarship supports a student demonstrating ongoing dedication to optimal heart failure patient care while pursuing a degree in nursing.
The scholarship covers both tuition and registration at the Annual AAHFN Meeting held in Chicago in June 2018, where Wells will present a global session on core palliative care competencies for general heart failure nurses. She also will compete as an oral poster finalist.
“It is a significant honor to be awarded this scholarship, as Robin J. Trupp’s research on standards of practice for acute heart failure patients and patient education practices deeply influences my clinical practice and interest in palliative psychoeducational interventions,” Wells said.
Wells will present on palliative care research implementation challenges in the Deep South and protocol-driven palliative care outpatient consultations for advanced heart failure patients.
“I am grateful for the support that AAHFN has provided to me as a PhD student and novice nurse scientist,” Wells said.
“Throughout my journey as a PhD student in the UAB School of Nursing, I have been amazed at the level of support I have received—from the School and its amazing faculty to the rich national network provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.”
Wells also is the recipient of an Alabama Nurses Foundation scholarship and had a presentation accepted for the Mixed Methods International Research Association 2018 Global Conference.
Wells earned her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree from the UAB School of Nursing as part of the School’s Accelerated Master’s in Nursing Pathway (AMNP) in 2010. Through the AMNP, she completed the School’s Clinical Nurse Leader specialty track, ranked 7th in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.
