Impact of the Nurse Practitioner

Every year The Pearson Report by Linda J. Pearson

"enables Nurse Practitioners (NPs), policymakers and other health care professionals to understand and appreciate the major impact that NPs have had on health care in the United States, as well as a to compare and contrast NP practice realities in all 50 states and DC."

To access the 2010 state-by-state national overview of nurse practitioner legislation and healthcare issues click on the post title, to take you to the website for the American Journal for Nurse Practitioners[$].

Job Growth Plan for South African Nurses

And now for something completely different ~ or not!
An interesting opinion article on the state of nursing in South Africa comes to us from Otto Wypkema , CEO of the National Hospital Network NHN (a group of 93 independently-owned, private hospitals) in Southern Africa. Click title for article on MoneyWeb.

TB Online Learning Resources

The International Council of Nurses has gathered a few good links to online learning resources for the care, prevention and management of Tuberculosis. Besides their own interactive e-course, they have included links to the Training Manual from the International Hospital Federation IHF, as well as for the World Medical Association's TB and MDR-TB online courses.

ANA Gauges the Popularity of Advanced Degrees in Nursing

Some interesting results came out of the American Nurses Association's recent poll entitled "Have your Say" [Oct 2010].

Read more about the poll results from the ANA's Nursing World website [click on post title]. For more poll results click here.

Nursing Education in Second Life

Take a second look at what the world of nursing education is virtually coming to!

Nurses, how well are you Communicating with your Patients?

According to a recent exploratory study, there is much room for improvement in the education of patients regarding their health care, with much of the onus falling on nurses. So this begs the question, how well are our nursing students being educated to deliver patient education? In fact, are our nursing students being taught the critical issues surrounding health literacy? The study, published in the ANA's Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, urges:

"...health literacy is a topic that should be threaded throughout the entire nursing curriculum and stressed in each clinical rotation.
New nursing graduates need to be able to:
(a) identify patients at risk for not being able to understand and act on health information,
(b) communicate health information and instructions in a way that promotes patient understanding,
(c) check for patient understanding."

Citation: Sand-Jecklin, K., Murray, B., Summers, B., Watson, J., ( July, 23, 2010) "Educating Nursing Students about Health Literacy: From the Classroom to the Patient Bedside " OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing Vol. 15 No. 3.
DOI: 10.3912/OJIN.Vol15No03PPT02

The Demand for Nurses and Nursing Education Remains Strong

Highlights from a recent NurseZone News Report:

The Current State of Nursing Education Capacity and Demand
by Debra Wood RN

“Workforce analysts all agree that the current easing of the nurse vacancy rate is only temporary.”

Courtney H. Lyder, ND, GNP, FAAN, dean of the University of California, Los Angles (UCLA) School of Nursing, said, “In the next three to five years, demand for nursing is going to continue, especially because of health care reform. Nurse practitioners are stepping into the role left behind by the decrease in primary care physicians. I think you will also see more nurses in alternate settings independent of hospitals.”

“Over the next few years, we expect nursing workforce acute shortage patterns to reappear again, revealing the underlying nursing production shortage related to the aging workforce and increasing demand for health care services. Given the health care reform law, population demographics, and growing demand for care, AACN projects that interest in nursing careers will remain strong as opportunities for practice expand.”

Click on the title to read the full article.

Interprofessional Cooperation & Respect Crucial to Patient Safety

The Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority recently released data which shows that disruptive behaviors among healthcare clinicians is negatively affecting patient care.

"What causes these situations? According to the PPSA, many of these episodes arise because of conflicts between doctors and nurses, and a medical culture that holds doctors' opinions and the wishes of high-ranking staff members in greater regard than those of others."

All you novice nurses take note, successful team building requires your contribution to an atmosphere of mutual respect and cooperation! Patient safety is at stake.

Evidence Based Practice ~ EBP Conceptual Framework

thanks to Arizona State University College of Nursing & Health Innovation.

The 63rd World Health Assembly Establishes Ethical Principles for International Health Worker Recruitment

This years World Health Assembly, held in Geneva in May, saw the adoption of multiple resolutions on a variety of pressing global health issues. The Assembly brought together Health Ministers and senior health officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) Member States.
High on the agenda was the development of a global code of practice to govern the international recruitment of health personnel. The goal was to establish and promote voluntary, ethical principles and practices that strengthen the health systems of developing countries, discouraging states from actively recruiting from developing countries that are facing critical shortages of health workers. The goal was also to encourage facilitation of the "circular migration of health personnel" to maximize skills and share knowledge. The new code also seeks to ensure equal rights for both migrant and non-migrant health workers.
[Photo thanks to WHO / Chris Black]

"Thanks to some all-night efforts, we now have a code of practice on the international recruitment of health personnel," said Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General.

Click for PDF: WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel.

Insider's Guide to your First Year in Nursing

Medi-Smart has made this great new resource guide available online for free to help novice nurses survive their first year on the job! Click here to go directly to the guide [downloadable PDF version], or click on the post title to access Medi-Smart's Nursing Resources section. As you embark on this challenging new career, it's important to know you have resources to access and expert advice available, because at times you will feel overwhelmed.

Countdown to 2015: Maternal, Newborn and Child Survival

Countdown to 2015: Decade Report (2000-2010): .pdf released
Taking stock of maternal, newborn and child survival
The Countdown to 2015 Initiative tracks coverage levels for health interventions proven to reduce maternal, newborn and child mortality. It calls on governments and development partners to be accountable, identifies knowledge gaps and proposes new actions to reach Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5, to reduce child mortality and improve maternal health.

Reality Check for New Graduates

The American Journal of Nursing [AJN] provides a surprising forum on their blog site, Off the Charts, reflecting the reality of the current economic downturn's impact on the supply of nursing jobs. True, there is a tremenous shortage of nurses, however at present it seems their is also a shortage of nursing positions!
Click on the title to read "Prospects for New Nurses: Thoughts on Graduating into a Downturn" by Christine Moffa [ANJ Clinical Editor]

British Brain Drain Looming?

The Guardian is reporting that health workers and teachers are getting ready to join the brain drain as home grown job prospects deteriorate.

"One in six doctors and nurses...plan to move abroad amid fears of spending cuts and pay freezes in the public sector"

Unions say this could place Britain in the "absurd position of hiring staff from abroad to fill the gap."
by Randeep Ramesh, Jessica Shepherd and Allegra Stratton

Are all RN's Created Equal? 3 paths /1 license

Stacey Burling from the Philadelphia Inquirer takes a hard look at the nursing profession as increasing numbers of US health systems are notifying nursing schools of their hiring requirement or strong preference for nurses with bachelor's degrees.

"Those who prefer nurses with bachelor's degrees say that nurses today work with increasingly complex machines and patients. Hospitals are moving toward evidence-based medicine - translating scientific studies quickly into new procedures at the bedside - and that sort of thinking is not emphasized in the more technically oriented associate-degree programs. Victoria Rich, chief nursing executive for the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center,.. also thinks nurses need more education to get respect from other medical professionals, all of whom have at least a bachelor's degree."

New legislation in New Jersey and New York will require nurses to earn their bachelor's degree within 10 years of licensing.

"One of the greatest mistakes we've made as a profession is that we've allowed all these different ways into the profession and still only have one licensing examination," said Andrea Hollingsworth, dean of Gwynedd-Mercy College's nursing program. "It's been a divisive issue for 40 years."

Beware of Interrupting your Nurse!

"Distracting an airline pilot during taxi, takeoff or landing could lead to a critical error. Apparently the same is true of nurses who prepare and administer medication to hospital patients. A new study shows that interrupting nurses while they're tending to patients' medication needs increases the chances of error. As the number of distractions increases, so do the number of errors and the risk to patient safety. Experts say the study is the first to show a clear association between interruptions and medication errors."
Johanna I. Westbrook [Professor of Health Informatics, and Director of the Health Informatics Research and Evaluation Unit, University of Sydney, Australia.] did add that not all interruptions are bad. "If you are being given a drug and you do not know what it is for, or you are uncertain about it, you should interrupt and question the nurse," she said.
Read full article from Health Day.

Computer Game Helps Novice Nurses Adjust

"Your Future in Nursing" is an interactive video game of real-life nursing scenarios designed to help new nurses transition from the classroom to hospital rooms!

"One of the greatest challenges facing the nursing profession is helping new RN graduates acclimate to the real world of healthcare delivery and thus, reduce the turnover rate for entry-level nurses," said Diane Mancino (NSNA). "This new program will help develop new nurses' communication skills which are critical in their first work experience. It will foster the transition from the nursing student to the staff nurse, improve interaction with co-workers and interdisciplinary staff, and increase job satisfaction."

The new program was unveiled at the National Student Nurses' Association (NSNA) Convention [April 7-11, 2010 in Orlando]. Click on the post title to download the game from the Discover Nursing website.

More on the Caribbean 'Brain Drain'

The Economist recently published this thought-provoking article on an old, yet persistant problem ~ the impact at home in the Caribbean of nurse migration to 'greener pastures'!
With the World Health Organization and the Global Health Workforce Alliance currently developing a 'code of practice' to bring before the General Assembly next month, this blog will continue to keep it's ear to the ground on this topic! Click on the post title to read the full article published in The Economist on April 8, 2010.

UPDATE April 23/2010:
More on this topic from the Trinidad & Tobago Guardian.

HRSA Nursing Scholarship Program

The Nursing Scholarship Program [a US government program] aims to help alleviate the critical shortage of registered nurses experienced by certain types of health care facilities. The program assists needy students with the financial support they need to complete their nursing training. In exchange the new grad's agree to work at these types of facilities for at least 2 years.

Scholarship application intake happens once per/year, beginning NOW until May 6, 2010. Applicants selected to receive the scholarship are notified by the end of July. Click on the post title to learn more about the benefits, eligibility, criteria, and online application procedure.

Medpedia adds Media

The Medpedia Project is dedicated to advancing access to freely available, high-quality, health and medical information. In pursuit of that goal they continue to work hard to collaboratively growing the knowledge base of this online medical platform.

Their latest addition are hundreds of medical and health videos from respected sources including the CDC, the FDA, other institutes of the NIH, etc. The videos cover topics ranging from diabetes and H1N1 education, to medical/surgical procedures and health care reform.

In addition to the videos, the Medpedia platform includes a medical encyclopedia, directory for health professionals and organizations, clinical trials information, Medpedia Answers for medical and health questions, and Medpedia Alerts to enable you to stay current.

You can even read the Anne Ross Library Blog posts in the Medpedia News & Analysis section were they are picked up, under 'General Medicine' ~ Check it out here...

Oncology Nursing Resource

Thinking of exploring Oncology Nursing?
or looking to further yourself in this specialization?
Clinical Care Options Oncology has developed this special resource to support Oncology Nurses. The site includes a wealth of information, interactive cases, CE, slide sets, etc.; which may inspired you to move your career in this direction.
Check it out!

Mosby's Nursing Consult for ANA Members

Good news for members of the American Nurses Association (ANA) ! If you needed another reason to become a member, or renew your membership, then here is it!
ANA and Elsevier have worked together to provide all ANA members customized access to Mosby's Nursing Consult; a comprehensive, online clinical information tool designed for nurses!
Click on the title to read the press release.

World Bank Report on CARICOM Nursing Shortage

According to the new World Bank report released last week ~ “The Nurse Labor and Education Markets in the English-Speaking CARICOM - Issues and Options for Reform,” the region is facing a rapidly growing shortage of nurses as demand for quality health care increases due to an aging population, and high numbers of nurses emigrate drawn by higher paying jobs in Canada, the UK and the US. The data indicates that approximately 21,500 CARICOM trained nurses are working in Canada, the UK and the US; three times higher than the workforce in the CARICOM region itself. Just between 2002 and 2006 alone, more than 1,800 nurses left the region to work abroad.
Click on the title to read the World Bank Press Release and note the key policy recommendations to try to address and reverse this situation.

The Regional Nursing Body (RNB) Meets in St. Kitts

The Caribbean Regional Nursing Board met over three days in February 24-26 in St. Kitts & Nevis.
The order of business stated by Principal Nursing Officer Mrs. Henrietta Douglas-Christmas "..was to share knowledge, expertise, experience and creativity so that nurses would be better equipped to address the issues impacting the health of the region".
Mrs. Douglas-Christmas stressed that “the nursing profession faces unprecedented change, driven by globalization, migration and aging populations, the HIV/AIDS Pandemic and changes in nursing education and practice.”
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Mr. Elvis Newton pointed to "the challenges faced by the nurses could be within the education aspect itself. He encouraged the RNB to probe the education provided to the region’s nurses and noted that challenges faced locally and elsewhere included the influx of off-shore nursing schools which often challenge nursing practices where they are situated."
Click on the title to read the full news article in the Nevis Blog.

Assessing and Addressing Health Literacy

A new CE module has been made available from the Online Journal of Issues in Nursing (OJIN) called "Assessing and Addressing Health Literacy".
The American Nurses Association (ANA) is freely offering this course online to it's members. Non-members may still read the article and take the post-test.

"The ability to communicate effectively with patients who have low health literacy depends on our ability to recognize this problem and to create a patient-centered and shame-free healthcare environment."

New Report Points to Some Possible Benefits of Caribbean Nurse Migration

Much has been said about the impact of nurse migration in the Caribbean. Now a new report by UWI (Jamaica) Research Fellow, Natasha Mortley, presented to the Global Development Network, provides us with further insight and analsysis with which to approach and tackle this situation.
In this blog post I have provided links to the report itself, as well as to a commentary on the report published in Panos London magazine entitled "Nursing exodus could benefit Caribbean in long term." [quote below taken from this commentary].

"The migration of nurses to wealthier countries could potentially benefit Caribbean healthcare systems if managed properly, a report claims. The report, written by Natasha Mortley, a research fellow at the University of West Indies in Jamaica, estimates it costs Caribbean governments US$ 35,000 to train a nurse – an investment that is lost when nurses leave to work abroad. However, the report argues that as many nurses eventually return to their original counties, there can also be important gains as a result of migration." by Tania Ghosh

International Cost of Living Ranking

Looking to expand your horizons and let your nursing career take YOU places?
The Xpatulator website will help you with the research and decision making process of finding employment around the globe.
The January 2010 cost of living figures are published here for 276 global locations based on calculations using the prices of goods and services, and expatriate spending patterns. Included for each location is a relative hardship comparison as well. For a fee further calculations and comparisons made be had, but much information is freely provided.

Cochrane Nursing Care Network

The Cochrane Collaboration is an international non-profit, independent organisation dedicated to making up-to-date, accurate information about the effects of healthcare readily available worldwide. It produces and disseminates systematic reviews of healthcare interventions and promotes the search for evidence. Free access in the Caribbean is provided through the Virtual Health Library [PAHO ~ BIREME].

"The Cochrane Nursing Care Network is one of 16 Fields and Networks within the Cochrane Collaboration. The purpose of a Field or Network is to support the conduct, dissemination and utilization of the systematic reviews relevant to the field."

The core functions of this newly formed Cochrane Nursing Care Network:

(1) support Cochrane Review Groups in the preparation of reviews relevant to nursing.
(2) introduce cross-cutting, non-specialised perspectives relevant to all those providing nursing care (nurses and others).
(3) improve health outcomes through increasing the use of the Cochrane Library by nurses and others, engaging them with the Cochrane Collaboration, and supporting its role in providing an evidence base for nursing care.

To become a member click here...

The Cochrane Nursing Care Network is also developing a number of important resources over the next year and invites members to assist in developing review summaries, podcasts and other materials. To become involved, please click here to register your interest.

Nursing CE via the Nursing Reference Center

CINAHL in partnership with EBSCO's Nursing Reference Center provides easy access to continuing education opportunities for Nurses. CINAHL [the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature] is accredited as a provider of continuing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET).

With your login access to EBSCOhost and the Nursing Reference Center (NRC) database, you can easily stay current in your profession by working through the interactive modules online. They contain the latest topics on patient care and drug administration. This resource can also earn you contact hours toward re-licensure.
Read more about this opportunity by clicking on the title; or just login to EBSCO [3rd link in left sidebar on Library Home page), then go to the NRC and click on the tab called 'Continuing Education'.

Nevis puts Health Personnel Recruitment at Top of 2010 Agenda

Caribbean News Net reported ~ Thursday, January 14, 2010.

CHARLESTOWN, Nevis -- Minister of Health in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) Hensley Daniel, has underscored the need for additional medical staff on Nevis and said that 2010 would see a renewed effort in the recruitment process. Daniel told the Department of Information in a recent interview that the Ministry of Health would endeavour to do all it could to attract students toward careers in health.... Click title to read rest of article.

International Summit on Nurse Faculty Migration

To develop a fuller understanding of global nursing faculty migration, thirty global nurse leaders will convene with key stakeholder organizations such as the World Health Organization, International Organisation on Migration, International Labour Organisation, and the World Trade Organization next July (2010).
An Elsevier Foundation grant has been awarded to the International Council on Nurses (ICN) and the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) to hold “The International Summit on Nurse Faculty Migration”. It is hoped that the outcomes from the summit will advance this pressing issue at the global level; while consulting, coordinate and implementing results at the local level.

“Learning from past lessons, we know that nurse faculty migration may pose a high risk problem for many countries,” said David Benton, CEO, International Council of Nurses. The goal is to "proactively manage the looming crisis and improve healthcare delivery by preparing sufficient numbers of nurses to meet the needs of the future.”

Watch for further information about this event...

Call for Radical Change in Nursing Education

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has joined it's voice to several other scholarly studies since 2003, with the release of it's report “Educating Nurses: A Call for Radical Transformation".

“Redesigning nursing education is an urgent societal agenda," the authors write. "The profound changes in nursing practice and health care call for equally profound changes in the education of nurses and the preparation of nurse educators. Unfortunately, the current climate rewards short-term focus and cost-savings over the quality of nursing education and patient care."

Click on the links to read the report's findings and recommendations.