By Peter
Posted in Permanent Placement, Uncategorized
Showtime has a new series out called “Nurse Jackie”. Here is the synopsis: Nurse Jackie is a half-hour dark comedy that is at turns wicked, heartbreaking and funny. Edie Falco stars as the title character Jackie Peyton, a strong-willed and brilliant — but very flawed — emergency room nurse working in the complicated and frenzied environment of a New York City hospital. A lapsed Catholic with a weakness for painkillers to get her through the days, Jackie keeps the hospital…
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By Kathy
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…
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By Kathy
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…
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By Kathy
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…
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By Peter
Posted in Nursing, Nursing Jobs
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.By Peter
Posted in Nursing
When Allison Frazeur graduates from the University of Portland in May, she won't worry about finding a job. She knows she will be a nurse for the Providence Health System.
Frazeur, 21, is one of 30 UP nursing students selected annually for the Providence Scholars Program, which paid her last two years of college tuition. In return, she agreed to work full time for three years for the Providence system in Oregon.
The program, started in the 2002-03 academic year, is one of several efforts developed in the past eight years by a coalition of educators, health systems and professional organizations to increase the number of nurses and nursing educators in Oregon.
In that time, 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.
The nonprofit center was created in 2001 by the coalition, the Oregon Nursing Leadership Council, with a succinct mission: provide the leadership to solve the nursing shortage in Oregon.
A 2001 Northwest Health Foundation report indicated the state would have 20 percent fewer nurses than it would need by 2010, given changing demographics and population growth.
In 2000, Oregon had 1,325 nursing students, Campbell said. By 2007, the state had 3,009 nursing students.
However, as Oregon increased the number of nursing students, Campbell said, the faculty numbers expanded by only 20 percent.
"The big issue right now is the faculty shortage," she said, noting that nurses who teach receive about half the pay of those in other positions.
Another concern is retirements fast approaching among the more than 44,200 registered nurses in Oregon. Nursing faculty members' average age is 52 and the average age of other nurses is 48, Campbell said.
Although more nurses are graduating, local hospitals are hiring cautiously in all fields because of the national economic slump. That makes many of her classmates nervous, Frazeur said.
"I feel really fortunate to have a contract," she said.
By Peter
Posted in Nursing, Nursing Jobs, Nursing News
Health news from around the Web.
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By Peter
Posted in Nursing
By Peter
Posted in Nursing, Nursing Home, Nursing Specialties
How to select a nursing home
Tips from the industry
In recent months, the Journal has published a series of stories about nursing homes and the rating system used to measure nursing homes against state and federal regulations.
A common thread throughout many of the stories has been the admission by many - including those who are both happy and dismayed with the care a loved one receives in a nursing home - an expression of consternation when the time came to select a nursing home for a family member.
Eric Setzer, information coordinator with the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program of St. Louis, said many people immediately assume an older family member needs assisted living or skilled nursing help. However, that may not always be the case, Setzer said.
"We want to talk about what a person is capable of doing on their own and what kind of things they need assistance with," Setzer said.
Take into consideration an individual's ability to go shopping, bathe, do laundry and perform other daily activities.
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"What I'm trying to determine is whether we are even needed to talk about long-term caregivers," Setzer said of the questions he immediately asks when a person consults the ombudsman program about services for an elderly or disabled loved one.
It is also important, he said, to make sure that if an individual needs long-term care, the choice of facility is made with thought toward the individual's future needs. In other words, Setzer said he tries to steer families away from selecting a facility that works immediately, but is no longer suitable six months or a year down the road.
One should make certain a facility has what Setzer called a "pathway to safety" - a route an individual can take to safety in the event of an emergency. The pathway to safety should not take longer than five minutes.
It also is important facilities conduct regular assessments of a resident's care plan, Setzer said.
Setzer suggested thoroughly evaluating a site. That includes looking at state and federal inspection reports (www.dhss.mo.gov/showmelongtermcare/), the 5-star rating system from Medicaid (www.medicare.gov/NHCompare/) and, most importantly, visiting the facility.
Setzer also warns against visiting more than three or four facilities a day, so as not to get them confused.
Senior care service experts agree the site visit is the most important part of selecting a nursing home.
Julie Eckstein, the former director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, said it is essential families research facilities before placing a loved one in a nursing home.
"It's sad that in many cases we'll do more research for a car or television rather than health caregivers," said Eckstein, who now runs the Missouri office of the Center for Health Transformation.
Talk to family members, ask facility workers to address violations in reports, talk to the facility director, and take a friend who is likely to address the issue without the emotional connection to your family member. If a facility director seems to dodge your questions about violations, Setzer said a red light should go off in your head.
"I would feel much more comfortable if the response started like this: 'We realize there have been some medication errors in our facility and we are taking the following steps,' with a time, place and those attending," he said.
Setzer recommended people start looking at facilities as their parents age, so they're not caught hurrying if and when the time comes to place their parents in a nursing home.
Also, if financing is a worry, the ombudsman program advises families to ensure loved ones are being cared for by a registered nurse, skilled nurse or occupational therapist. Medicare requires that skilled professionals administer care in order to cover expenses.
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.
Resources:
www.dhss.mo.gov
http://www.ltcop-stl.org/
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By Peter
Posted in Nursing, Travel Nursing Company Reviews
When Whitney Lenz began nursing school in 2007, nurses could basically pick and choose their dream jobs.
Not anymore.
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.
For nursing students who were expecting a smooth transition into the work force after graduation, the situation looks grim for getting their preferred job.
"It's been very nerve-wracking," Lenz said. "It was way different when I first decided to be a nurse."
But Barb Hobbs, head of the South Dakota State University West River School of Nursing in Rapid City, is trying to calm students' nerves with a little history lesson.
"I've seen this cycle happen over and over again. ... Hospitals basically pull back temporarily. ... But as the economy improves, they will re-establish positions, because you know the patients are still going to come," she said. "We try to tell our students that this is a transient thing."
In the mid-1990s, the nursing industry nationwide began warning of a pending nursing shortage. According to a 2004 nursing survey, more than 1 million new and replacement nurses will be needed by 2012 to care for the aging baby boomer generation.
At the time of the survey, 75 percent of hospital openings nationwide were for nursing positions.
In South Dakota, vacancy rates for registered nursing positions were at 5.8 percent in 2005, up from 3.9 percent in 2002.
To fill the jobs, South Dakota nursing organizations formed the South Dakota Center for Nursing Workforce. The alliance promoted solutions to the shortage, including educating the public about nursing and increasing educational options.
SDSU in Brookings and the University of South Dakota in Vermillion increased class sizes and admitted nursing students more often throughout the school years. SDSU added an accelerated one-year program for students who already had an undergraduate degree. Nursing scholarships also were increased and expanded.
The changes worked, said Linda Young, director of the Center for Nursing Workforce.
In 1999, there were 976 students enrolled in registered nursing programs in the state. Last year, that number had risen to 1,699. "It had a good effect," she said.
Now some of those students are wondering what kind of options they will have after graduation.
Lenz, who will graduate May 2, said a lot of her classmates are looking into the military as an alternative to the iffy private job market. Lenz hopes to work in an emergency department, but realizes she might not have her first pick in jobs.
Young admits that during such economic times, employed registered nurses usually keep their positions, and new nurses sometimes have to be a little less picky.
"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.
Despite the current belt-tightening in the medical field, the Center for Nursing Workforce is not planning to change its course. Young said that the average age of nurses in the state is 46. By 2015, many of today's nurses will be nearing retirement age. Without an adequate supply of new nurses to fill the void, the result could be dramatic.
"We just have to be diligent and continue to prepare for 2015 when those nurses will begin retiring in greater numbers," she said.
Hobbs said that the reality of the situation is that hospitals and nursing homes need nurses. "When it comes right down to it, the person they need at the bedside is a nurse," she said. For that reason, she's confident the tide will turn and her students will be just fine.
Although Lenz is concerned, she's decided to take the advice of her instructors and stay positive.
"I know it will turn around," she said. "You just don't know how long it will take."
Contact Lynn Taylor Rick at lynn.taylorrick@rapidcityjournal.com or 394-8414.
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