Nursing

An Interesting Time to be a Nurse

Posted in Nursing, Nursing Jobs, Permanent Placement

The nursing profession is certainly never boring. Nurses are always expected to work miracles in the face of any and all obstacles, and most times we do.

Currently the Great Recession and the move to reform health care in the U.S. have impacted the nursing profession in many ways and will continue to do so for quite some time.

Hospitals and other health care facilities have long been impacted by the shortage of nurses, and now the economic factors are causing administrators to cut back on staffing.

Most nurses have weathered the seasonal call offs due to a low patient census and sometimes it’s nice to have a few unexpected days off, but when you’ve used up all of your personal time for these furloughs and face even more time off because of cutbacks, it isn’t fun anymore.

When you do work and are expected to give quality patient care to twice as many patients as you should have, that isn’t fun either. But administrators seem to expect nurses to work miracles under the worst of circumstances, and never ask nurses for an opinion on how to improve conditions and make the care more cost effective.

At the same time the nurses are expected to provide the quality of care needed to ensure reimbursement isn’t affected such as preventing decubs, pneumonia, UTIs and DVTs that are on Medicare’s Do Not Pay list.

A recent study of infection-control specialists published June 9 on Modern Healthcare.com pointed out that education about hospital-acquired infections has been significantly reduced due to budget cuts.

The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) surveyed 1943 members in March 2009. Forty four percent of the responders said that they attend fewer meetings at their hospitals now because of cutbacks, and 42% said they no longer conduct as many walking rounds in their facilities. Hiring freezes and staffing cuts have caused them to spend more time on other duties than focusing on prevention.

In the long run, APIC thinks that hospitals will spend more money treating these infections than they would have in preventing them in the first place, but administrators haven’t figured that out yet. Again they don’t talk to or listen to the nurses.

Meanwhile health care reform measures will (hopefully) make it possible for many more Americans to have health insurance coverage and to afford health care. On the other hand, there is a serious shortage of health care workers, most notably nurses. This shortage is growing and will reach crisis levels in the next few years. Increasing the number of potential patients who can afford health care is going to make the demand for nurses even greater.

Anne Zieger from FierceHealthcare.com said a few weeks ago that from her observations, “nursing unions are on the verge of revolution.” Two of the most powerful nursing unions, CNA/NNOC and SEIU have even set aside their fierce rivalry to work together on the issue of health care reform. The two issues at the forefront are mandated nurse-to-patient ratios and required overtime.

It certainly is an interesting time to be a nurse.

Senator Boxer Introduces Bill to Ease Nursing Shortage

Posted in Nursing, Nursing Jobs

U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced legislation on May 13, 2009, to help ease the nursing shortage. “We cannot guarantee high-quality care to every American without a high-quality workforce of nurses to provide it,” said Boxer. “That is why I am so proud to introduce legislation to help address our nationwide shortage of nurses. By investing in our nurses, we can help improve the quality of care in our nation’s hospitals and save lives of countless patients.”

The legislation known as the National Nursing Reform and Patient Advocacy Act (S1031), would amend the Public Health Services Act to protect the rights of nurses to advocate for patients. It would set minimum registered nurse-to-patient ratios in hospitals and it would invest funds for training new nurses and nurse educators.

The bill (S1031) has been read and sent to the Committee on Health, Education, Lab and Pensions for review and sponsorship. Nurses should contact their legislators to help sponsor this bill and push the legislation through Congress.

This legislation “builds on the success of California’s historic law that set Registered nurse-to-patient ratios.” When passed, this bill will extend those ratios to all acute and long term care hospitals across the U.S.

The specifics of the bill include provisions to improve work conditions for nurses by:

Establishing nurse-to-patient ratios to improve the quality of care and save lives. By doing so it is hoped that more nurses will enter and stay in the workforce.
Providing whistleblower protections for nurses to advocate for patients and report violations of minimal standards of care.
Creating a standard of care regarding lifting patients to help protect nurses from on-the-job injuries as well as promote better quality of care.

The bill also addresses funding for workforce development by creating a Registered Nurse Workforce Initiative within the Health Resources and Services Administration that would invest in the education of both nurses and nurse educators by providing grants for:

Nursing nursing educational assistance and living stipends for nursing students who agree to work for safety-net health care providers for a minimum of 3 years.
Graduate education assistance for RNs who commit to work as nurse educators at an accredited nursing school for a minimum of 5 years.
Training and mentorship demonstration projects.

As nurses, we know better than anyone that we are the backbone of the health care system and any health care reform must include provisions for meeting the challenges of the critical nursing shortage by improving working conditions for nurses as well as helping to grow the numbers of nurse educators so that more qualified students can enroll in nursing programs each year and become nurses.

Happy National Nurses Day and Nurses Week

Posted in Nursing, Nursing Jobs, Nursing Specialties

Well it’s Nurses Week again. Have you gotten that huge raise you were looking for? Or a magnificent all-expenses paid vacation? Probably not. Well don’t despair. Celebrate the fact that you are a nurse and you make a difference in someone’s life everyday!

Like any other day (or week) of the year, it’s up to you to find your own rewards in your nursing career. Nursing isn’t like a lot of other professions where you often see the end result of your efforts.

Your patients are usually with you for a very short term basis and then they go back to their own lives. You don’t get to see them recover fully, or even continue to struggle with a chronic disease. If you live in the same neighborhood, you might run into them at the grocery store or local shopping mall, but that can be an awkward moment, especially with HIPAA regulations.

So it comes down to the here and now and making the most of it. Some nurses prefer settings such as the ER because they don’t want to get too attached to their patients, but they do remember some who end up there often or who stick out in their mind for one reason or another.

Some nurses love the hospice setting because they want to help patients transition from life to a peaceful, dignified death as well as to offer support to their loved ones through this unhappy time. Others love the challenges of home health care and teaching patients to assume responsibility for their own care such as post acute care needs.

Some like the ICU for its fast pace and life or death critical thinking challenges. And God love them, there are those who love the NICU where they can help the tiniest babies with a multitude of tubes and wires find a way and a will to live.

There are those who love to teach and choose to educate nurses so that they can provide the best quality care possible, or maybe become nurse educators themselves.

Some nurses prefer to work behind the scenes in fields such as research, forensics, information technology, quality assurance, or as insurance case managers. Some become life or health coaches, and long term care managers.

Nursing offers such a wide variety of specialization and caregiving opportunities. The challenges are many. The working conditions are not always pleasant or supportive. This is one of the most physically and emotionally challenging professions. But nurses are also repeatedly found to be some of the most ethical and trusted professionals.

As you take a moment in your busy day this week. Don’t grumble about how no one noticed it was Nurses Week, or maybe how they gave you some silly token gift. Pat yourself and your colleagues on the back and say Thank You for a job well done!!

Nurses are the backbone of the health care system. Take pride in who you are and the job you do everyday. Know that you matter and that someone’s life is better today because you cared. Happy Nurses Day everyday!

Nurses Position Yourselves for Future Opportunities

Posted in Independent Contractor, Nursing, Nursing Jobs, Nursing Specialties, Per Diem, Permanent Placement, Travel Nursing, Travel Nursing

The state of the nursing profession currently reflects the state of the economy. With unemployment hitting record levels, many non-active nurses have returned to the profession and others have taken on more shifts in order to meet the needs of their families.

Hospitals have been hit hard in the pocketbook by the fact that many patients are putting off elective procedures and anything that isn’t of an urgent nature. It has been a slow flu season and therefore the number of children, elderly and chronically ill have not required hospitalization for complications of flu.

Jobs are in Middle America
The number of nurses available for travel assignments has grown and therefore with simple economics of supply and demand, those who are more flexible and have more experience are getting the premier travel assignments. The east and west coasts have been more affected by the economic crisis than middle America and consequently the opportunities in these regions have been affected as well. The jobs now are available in the middle of the country, not Florida and California.

The good news is that the economy will turn around. How soon is being debated. Some predict a few months and others at least a couple of years.

The other factor is that in the next few months, we will see more nurses taking time off from taking on extra shifts or returning to work and being overworked and burned out. This will open up more opportunities.

Gain Experience and Improve Skills
For nurses who are employed or have current travel assignments, make the most of what’s available to you. Extend travel assignments as possible and look for opportunities to polish skills or to gain more experience in specialty areas. Continue your education.

Some travel nursing companies are looking for a minimum of 2 years experience in a specialty area, and making changes right now might even be a negative, but think further into the future and get the experience you want and need. The one thing that is happening across the board for nurses looking for permanent or travel opportunities, is that nurses with very little experience beyond basic med surg are having a harder time finding jobs.

As the economy improves, all those patients who have delayed procedures and care are going to need to have it done and the system is going to be overwhelmed. The nursing shortage has not been solved. There is still going to be a shortage of nearly one million nurses by 2020. Nurses who have positioned themselves to meet the challenges of the next couple of decades will be way out in front.

Post Acute Care Will Grow
Post acute care, especially home health care, is expected to be the fastest growing branch of the nursing profession over the next few years according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nurses who have excellent skills in a wide variety of patient care will be able to make this transition more easily.

For older nurses who cannot stand for eight to twelve hours a day, home health care may offer a new career path for many years past what they could serve in an acute setting. The key to survival in home health is being confident in your skills, having strong critical thinking skills and being able to work autonomously. Documentation skills are a very important issue in home health care as well.

© 2009 by UltimateNurse.com All Rights Reserved.
By Kathy Quan RN BSN. Kathy is the author of four books including The Everything New Nurse Book and author/owner of TheNursingSite.com.

Career Paths Abound in Portland-area Health Care

Posted in Nursing, Nursing Jobs

Photo credit: Fredrick D. Joe/The Oregonian

Health care is called the recession-proof industry with jobs still available at local hospitals, but they aren’t as plentiful as a year ago, human resource directors say. (From left) nurses Stacey Guffey, Marilyn Wheeler and Kent Senffner work in the Progressive Cardiac Care Unit at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital.

Program Doubles Nursing Student Enrollment in Eight Years

Posted in Nursing

Not even nursing has been exempt from the recession. Nursing school students are often nervous about whether they will find a job after graduation. But not Allison Frazeur.

She is part of the Providence Scholars Program, a nonprofit center created in 2001 with the goal of increasing the number of nurses and nursing educators in Oregon.

In exchange for agreeing to work for three years for the Providence system in Oregon, the 21-year-old’s last two years of college tuition will be paid for by the program.

The Oregonian says that since the program started in the 2002-2003 academic year,

enrollment has more than doubled in nursing programs at community colleges and private and public universities, said Kristine Campbell, the executive director of the Oregon Center for Nursing.

“I don’t believe any other state has doubled its enrollment,” she added.

Meanwhile, Frazeur is happy to avoid the uncertainty many of her classmates face. “I feel really fortunate to have a contract,” she said.

Texas Urges Nursing Schools to Increase Enrollment

Posted in Nursing, Nursing Jobs, Nursing News

Texas lawmakers want to give nursing schools incentives to hire more instructors and graduate more nurses in order to combat a growing nursing shortage, The Associated Press reports. The state is estimated to be short of 22,000 nurses already, and the shortage is expected to reach 70,000 by 2020.

Nursing Official Appointed to State Board

Posted in Nursing

The Erie Times-News reports that MaryAnn Hewston has been appointed to the Pennsylvania State Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators.

Hewston is currently the director of clinical and support services at Meadville Medical Center. She will be sworn in to her four-year term on May 20th. The article explains that the board:

Issues, suspends and revokes registrations and licenses to practice nursing home administration. It also supervises administrators and investigates complaints made against nursing home administrators.

Quick Guide to Selecting a Nursing Home

Posted in Nursing, Nursing Home, Nursing Specialties

In the Suburban Journals article “How to Select a Nursing Home,” author Eric Becker provides a useful “Quick Guide”:

Quick guide

1. Determine what level of care is needed. An individual that is relatively independent may not need a nursing home, but other service, such as an in-home assistant.

2. Research state and federal inspection reports and Medicare 5-star ratings for facilities you are considering.

3. Visit multiple homes. Be sure to speak with family members of residents, the director of nursing, and have the director of nursing address violations of regulations cited in inspection reports.

4. Take a friend or someone else who is not emotionally attached to the individual who needs assistance. He or she may provide a different perspective on each nursing home you visit.

Fewer Job Prospects for Nursing Grads

Posted in Nursing, Travel Nursing Company Reviews

It wasn’t that long ago that a student in nursing program could be confident that a good job was waiting upon graduation. However, two factors have combined to decrease the likelihood that a new graduate will easily find a nursing job.

First, the projected nursing shortage in the mid-90’s led to various recruitment efforts that worked very well. For example, in 1999 there were 976 students enrolled in nursing programs in the state of South Dakota. By last year, that number was up to 1,699.

That means that there are more new graduates just as the demand for nurses has actually gone down.

Under the weight of a worsening economy, hospitals nationally are cutting pay, eliminating raises and laying off employees. Rapid City Regional Hospital, which employs 777 registered nurses, hired 64 nurses last year. This year, the hospital expects to cut back to just 40 to 50 new hires.

While this is bad news for new graduates, there may be some overall benefits:

“At this point, new graduate nurses may not get to pick exactly where they want to go for their first job,” Young said. “But we know … this economic downturn will turn around. … Historically, nursing is a very secure profession.”

That push to second- and third-choice jobs could even be a bonus for South Dakota. New nursing graduates might take jobs in rural areas, which often struggle to keep nurses, Young said.

One current nursing student, Whitney Lenz, remains optimistic. “I know it will turn around,” she said. “You just don’t know how long it will take.”