Despite projected demand for nurses, jobs hard to find

(Post Bulletin) There has been a steady steam of reports predicting a dearth of nurses in the coming years. One recent forecast from The American College of Medical Quality projects a national shortage of 300,000 to 1 million nurses in 2020.

So when Marc Anders decided to switch careers from bartending to nursing, he thought he would have it made.

“There was a perception that you could go into the job and kind of call your shots,” said Anders, 42. “I could go in, pick my hours, see how many days I want to work, get benefits, not work weekends and go where I wanted to go.” [Read more...]

Nurse leaders push for strong teamwork to improve care

(Fierce Healthcare) As new delivery models call for collaboration across the healthcare continuum, the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) and the American Nurses Association (ANA) last week issued principles to improve teamwork between clinical nurses and nurse managers.

The principles offer guidance on effective communication, authentic relationships, and learning environment and culture, which often lead to better workplace culture and patient outcomes. For example, the organizations recommend engaging in active listening, giving accurate information and speaking directly to the person involved to appropriately convey information. [Read more...]

As boomers age, need for nurses increases

(Chicago Sun Times) Yvonne Yacoub has been a nurse for half a century.

In 50 years, she has seen her profession redefine itself to meet the challenges of change, yet continue to struggle with shortages of new practitioners.

Yacoub, 72, is decades older than the 46-year-old average age of employed registered nurses. Some veteran nurses continue to work, but many more have hung up the scrubs for good or are counting the days until retirement. [Read more...]

Nurse practitioners look to fill gap with expected spike in demand for health services

(Washington Post) President Obama’s health-care law is expected to expand health insurance to 32 million Americans over the next decade. Health policy experts anticipate that the wave of new insurance subscribers will lead to a spike in demand for medical services.That has a battle heating up over who will provide that care. Nurse practitioners are rolling out a campaign this week to explain what, exactly, nurse practitioners do — and why patients should trust them with their medical needs.

Nurses balance tech advances with old-fashioned patient care

  • Veteran nurse Cordella Thorney works with Rebecca Madore at Wuesthoff Hospital in Rockledge, Fla., on May 1.(USA Today) Veteran nurse Cordella Thorney works with Rebecca Madore at Wuesthoff Hospital in Rockledge, Fla., on May 1.

In 50 years, she has seen her profession redefine itself to meet the challenges of change, yet continue to struggle with shortages of new practitioners.

Yacoub, 72, who has worked at Cape Canaveral Hospital here for 36 years, is decades older than the 46-year-old average age of employed registered nurses. Some veteran nurses continue to work, but many more have hung up the scrubs for good or are counting the days until retirement. [Read more...]

Panel: Nursing industry continues to evolve

(PostStar.com) Nursing has come a long way from bedside care by family members.

Once considered “women’s work” that was unpaid and lacked training, nursing now plays a pivotal role in the health care system — and it continues to evolve.

Glens Falls Hospital celebrated National Nurses Week with a panel discussion last week about the profession’s history and future. [Read more...]

Groups release guide to collaboration among nurses

(Nurse.com)The American Nurses Association and American Organization of Nurse Executives have released a document to help all who seek to prioritize and sustain better collaboration between nurse managers and clinical nurses.

The joint document is called “Principles of Collaborative Relationships Between Clinical Nurses and Nurse Managers.”

In a news release, the ANA noted that “research in many industries and environments demonstrates the imperative of positive working relationships in achieving goals. Nurses have an increased need for positive relationships, based on the criticality of their work and the emotional and physical nature of nursing practice. The ‘Principles’ should serve as a guide for enhancing good collaboration where it occurs and improving situations where it is sub-optimal.” [Read more...]

Marquette’s new simulation lab will train nurses for emergencies

(Chicago Tribune) Brenda Bowers still remembers her first emergency as a young nurse.

She was working in the cardiac unit when a patient’s heart stopped, the monitor “flatlining.” A co-worker had just gone on break, and Bowers was alone. She began cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, and revived the patient, a rare event even today.

By not panicking and remembering her training, Bowers, now a senior vice president with Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare, passed a test that nearly every nurse will face at some point in his or her career.  [Read more...]

Nurses in physicians’ offices see salary hike

(Healthcare Finance News) Nurses and nurse managers employed in physicians’ offices have begun receiving salary increases even as most other clinical and administrative support staff have seen their pay stagnate or decline, according to a recent survey by communications consulting firm UBM Medica US.

In its recently released “2012 Staff Salary Survey,” the firm reports that nurses and nurse managers in physicians’ offices saw average salary increases of 4 percent and 12 percent, respectively, over the previous year.

The survey includes data from 1,268 medical practices around the country and results were published in Physicians Practice in early May.  [Read more...]

Why Nurses Need More Authority

Allowing nurses to act as primary-care providers will increase coverage and lower health-care costs. So why is there so much opposition from physicians?  

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Think it takes a long time to get an appointment with a primary care provider now? Brace yourself: it will likely only get worse. We’re facing a severe shortage of primary care physicians in the nation. The Association of American Medical Colleges predicts a shortfall of 29,800 primary care physicians by 2015, and 65,800 by 2025, mainly because of the anticipated increase in demand for services from the Affordable Care Act (ACA), deterrents to entering the field, such as relatively lower incomes, and growth in the general population and specifically growth in the elderly population. Should the ACA pass muster with the Supreme Court next month, an additional 30 to 33 million previously uninsured Americans will be covered — and even if ACA is not implemented in full, and in the end merely expands Medicaid, it will add 17 million to the insured ranks by 2020. [Read more...]