Nursing School Grads See Opportunities Shrink

By Lynn Taylor Rick, Journal staff
Article Source: RapidCityJournal.com

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."

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Many Nursing Jobs,

but only the strong need apply

California's 2004 patient-nurse ratio law has helped with the workload in hospitals. But the sick have gotten sicker.

By Lisa Zamosky
Article Source: LATimes.com

Filling open nursing positions is no easy task for hospital administrators these days, and there's every chance the job will get tougher.

This country has a serious nursing shortage: The American Health Care Assn.'s most recent estimates from July 2008 show 116,000 open hospital nursing positions and more than 19,000 vacancies in long-term care settings.

The economic downturn has helped some hospitals as many nurses increase their hours and postpone retirement. But experts say that any lull in shortages is temporary.

A March 2008 report by Dr. Peter Buerhaus of Vanderbilt University Medical Center and colleagues predicted that national nursing shortages could balloon to 500,000 by 2025. Predictions from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are more dire: It anticipates a shortage of 1 million nurses by 2020.

A lack of faculty at nursing schools across the country is preventing many people from entering the profession, thereby exacerbating the shortage. Nearly 50,000 qualified applicants were turned away from professional nursing programs in 2008, according to the American Assn. of Colleges of Nursing.


In California, the outlook may be slightly less grim. It's the only state with legislation requiring minimum nurse-to-patient ratios in acute-care hospitals. The law, which went into effect in 2004, limits the number of patients a nurse can care for on shifts depending on the type of medical unit and the patients' degree of illness.

A nurse working on an intensive-care unit, for example, cares for no more than two patients per shift. A medical and surgical unit nurse cares for a maximum of five.

Linda Aiken, professor of nursing at the University of Pennsylvania, is studying effects of the legislation. She has found that nurses participating in the survey reported overwhelmingly that the ratio law has had a positive effect on their day-to-day work life.

The California Nurses Assn., which sponsored the legislation, credits the ratio law with helping to mitigate the effects of the nursing shortage and points to statistics that show an increase of 100,000 actively licensed registered nurses in California since the law was adopted.

Three nurses talk about what it's like to be a hospital-based nurse today:

Mary Bailey
RN, 59 years old, medical diabetic unit at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center; nurse for 21 years

Fifteen years ago, with a six- or seven-patient assignment, probably four of them could get up and about. A typical patient [today] has totally restricted movement, so we have to keep turning them as much as possible [to prevent] blood clots.

At the same time, this person can require IV medications every six hours and can be taking three different antibiotics every two to three hours and pain medicine every two hours. We are monitoring all of their lab results, making sure any tests that have been ordered have been followed through, and prepping patients for tests.

That's just one patient -- and I can have up to five.

It would be a good day if I had one patient who could get up and walk around and get to the bathroom and take care of washing up [on their own]. More often than not, I have at least three that require total care, meaning that everything has to be done for them.

It's pretty hefty -- a day with four patients is OK, five is pushing it. It only takes one extra person to push you over the edge in terms of trying to manage your day. They don't get into the hospital easily nowadays. Insurance companies won't cover the cost of hospitalization unless the patient is pretty ill.

About 20 years ago, I had nine patients. I think the ratios, by allowing us to only care for a certain number of patients depending on their acuity [degree of illness], has helped immensely. We have more time to see our patients and to do our job adequately.

Martha Kuhl
RN, 57, pediatric cancer and hematology unit at Children's Hospital and Research Center Oakland; nurse for 27 years

As a new nurse in the 1980s, my patient load was probably three to four patients, which is what it is currently in pediatrics, but the patients were not as sick as they are now. There's been a definite change over time to a higher acuity [sicker] patient, requiring more technology, more paperwork, more intensive monitoring. If you had a patient assignment in the past, you might have one sick patient and several patients on the mend. But that has changed.

Ten years ago, before ratios, if I wanted to have a meal break, my employer didn't have to provide additional care while I went for my meal. So you had to make a choice as a nurse: Do I stay and watch my patients? Do I leave somebody who is already really busy with their own patients to watch my patients? You know, a buddy system.

And so what you used to do is try to get everything done you possibly could, make sure everybody was comfortable and safe, and then you would run and take your meal break and ask somebody to listen out. Essentially, your patients would not get care while you were gone.

Whereas now, with the ratio law in effect at all times, the employer provides additional nursing care for breaks so that I can say, "OK, this child needs pain medication, can you give it and I can go to dinner?" That's a huge difference for a family, to not have to wait to get care.

I [used to] go home and be falling asleep and would wake myself up thinking, "Oh my God! Did I do such and such? Did I tell the next nurse about this or that?" Because you're so rushed you would be continually questioning, "Did I get everything done, was everybody safe?"


I didn't consider leaving the profession, but I know a lot of nurses did. I know a lot of nurses told me they wouldn't tell their sons or daughters to become a nurse. But I was one of the people who chose to work hard to get regulations and to make improvements in my collective bargaining agreements so that I could stay a nurse.

Because I like being a nurse, I want to provide patient care, I want to be a patient advocate.

Geri Jenkins
RN, 59, intensive care unit nurse at UC San Diego Medical Center; nurse for 32 years

There are all kinds of complicated procedures and technology that the nurse is responsible for monitoring that didn't exist 10 years ago. A lot of patients are on continuous dialysis with machines. A lot of labs and drugs have to be given on an hourly basis. There are very critical IV drips, and you're titrating the drugs up and down based on the patients' clinical picture, and there is constant bedside decision-making with each patient.

We also have [many more] patients who are on isolation precautions [because of infectious diseases] than we used to, which means gowning and gloving every time you walk into their room. That's very time-consuming, but very, very necessary. There is a much greater risk factor for people who work in healthcare now and it makes the care more complicated. There are a lot of things that have changed over the years that make the delivery of care a lot more complicated.

I still enjoy what I do. I think people who go into nursing don't go into it for the money but go into it for a sense of altruism and wanting to help and be in a caring profession. But it's a very high-stress, physically, intellectually and emotionally demanding job, and that's why I think the ratios are so critical, so that when people go to work they are reassured that they won't have more than five patients, or more than two in the ICU. That may be a heavy load, but it's better than it used to be.

health@latimes.com

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Health Department Nurse: Keep Up With Vaccines

By ALYSSA HARVEY, The Daily News, aharvey@bgdailynews.com
Article Source: BGDailyNews.com

When Susan Rice was considering careers, nursing wasn’t her first choice.

In fact, she had an art degree from Western Kentucky University. But art jobs were hard to find in southcentral Kentucky.

“The only job offers I got were from out of state,” she said. “My husband and I didn’t want to leave Bowling Green.”

After her husband was diagnosed with an illness, Rice thought a nursing degree would help them both. So she returned to Western to earn an associate degree in nursing.

“I was nervous about it at first,” she said of returning to school. “I had always enjoyed biology and had had a lot of classes in biology.”

Rice is now a community health nurse and clinic manager at the Barren River District Health Department, where she has worked for nearly 15 years. Besides helping keep the different clinics in order, she gets to rotate through them, including those for the women, infants and children nutrition program, tuberculosis, family planning and well child.

“Each of the nurses are cross-trained,” she said. “We do something different every day.”

One part of her career that is close to her heart is immunizations. She has been reminding people that next week is National Infant Immunization Week.

“I love kids,” she said. “I don’t want to see them hurting and sick.”

While the health department has a good rate of vaccination for children, less than 10 percent of adults keep up with their immunizations, Rice said. She encourages adults to make sure their vaccines are current, too.

“Adult immunizations are part of keeping children healthy,” she said. “It keeps them from bringing diseases home to their children.”

While pursuing her nursing degree, Rice worked in The Medical Center’s pediatrics unit. She continued working there for about three years.

Rice has worked in various parts of the health department. At first, she was a traveling nurse going to each of the eight counties in the health department’s coverage area. Next, she was contracted out as a school nurse for Dishman-McGinnis Elementary School for five years. She was an educator on the health department’s health promotion team before a need was expressed for more nurses in the local clinic. She has worked in the clinic for four years.

“There’s so much diversity in nursing,” she said

Rice said she enjoys many aspects of her career, but her favorites are her co-workers and clients.

“I work with a great group of people,” she said. “The clients are just awesome.”

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Nurses On The Front Lines

Posted By DAVID NESSETH
Article Source: Standard-Freeholder.com

Inside Belle's Room, Alzheimer's patients are transported into the 1950s, a time when many of them were raising children, and life was clearer.

With its blue carpet, old women's magazines, antique telephone and gaudy drapes, it's like the set from the TV classic "I love Lucy", only it's not for laughs, but designed to diffuse patients when their emotions boil over.

"They can remember themselves as moms and dads," says Debbie Kitchen, director of care at Woodland Villa in Long Sault, where 85 per cent of the patients have dementia or a related illness.

"They feel right at home in this room."

The room was named after a former patient at Woodland who would often lash out when having an episode, Kitchen said. She would often incite others around her when this would happen. But the room relaxed her.

Flashbacks, frustration, tantrums, side effects and mental illness are just some of the reasons patients in care homes can end up in conflict with the nurses who tend to them, says Woodland administrator Michael Rasenberg.

A new study from Statistics Canada shows that one-third of surveyed nurses across the country have experienced physical conflict at the hands of a patient. Of the 12,200 nurses who completed the questionnaire in 2005, 47 per cent reported emotional abuse by patients. That figure jumped to 70 per cent among nurses working in psychiatry and mental health.

The statistics don't surprise Rasenberg, who has worked in nursing for more than 30 years. It's a profession, he said, that requires empathy and compassion.

"It's all about handling the situation properly, which can be diffusing it before things get out of hand," he said.

There are about 150 personal support workers and nurses that work with Woodland's patients.

Rasenberg said dementia is a growing problem with many of the patients that come to long-term care facilities. As seniors have started to live longer, more and more patients struggle with the cognitive issues.

Sometimes you don't approach the patient because he or she could lash out, Rasenberg explained. Other times, putting on music or simply changing the topic of conversation to something innocuous like the weather can make all the difference.

"If they're attacking someone, you have to act to prevent that from happening," Rasenberg said. "Normally when you're coming into an aggressive situation, or when someone appears to be very upset, you try to approach them calmly and always give them a back door to get away from you. They can feel you've encroached in their space. It's just the way you'd want to be approached if you were upset."

Nurses and all Woodland staff, even the hairdresser and custodian, have access to ongoing training for patient intervention, Rasenberg said.

Outside patients' rooms at Maxville Manor, where 77 per cent of the patients live with forms of dementia, photo collages tell stories about their lives. There's also a posted one-page life history that gives nurses background and insight into the lives of patients whose minds have become muddled by disease.

The information, gained from family or the patient when he or she is lucid, helped the manor to understand some of the cultural differences that made one Alzheimer's patient resistant to bathing. The patient had issues with personal space and being touched, but the manor's staff was able to work with the patient's family to change the care plan.

Another nurse was able to learn about a patient's difficult marriage through the life history information. The patient, she learned, was very strong-minded and independent. The information allowed the nurse to be more patient when treating her.

"It's an art in terms of how you connect with people and provide service," said Sally Munroe, Maxville Manor's director of care.

Munroe has been with the facility for 20 years and loves the challenge of the job. But sometimes it's tough.

"The emotional and physical burdens are quite high," she said.

Two years ago, the manor participated in a pilot study for the Journal of Gerontological Nursing. It focused on the care facility's use of the life history information.

Kathryn Wilkins, one of the authors of the Statistics Canada study, noted that female nurses were less likely to have reported violence than male nurses, despite male nurses comprising only about six per cent of nurses in Canada. She said previous studies have found that male nurses are more frequently placed in a position of handling agitated patients, or they jump to the protection of female nurses who are in danger of being assaulted.

"So in fact, it's probably a question of exposure," Wilkins said. "They're exposed to more risk."

After taking gender and job characteristics into account, the report found several factors were linked to patient conflict with nurses. They are adequacy of staffing and resources, nurse-physician working relations, and support from supervisors and coworkers.

(With CP files)

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Being A Male Practice Nurse

by Liam Stephens
Posted on Healthcarerepublic.com Blogs

‘Oh... you're a man.' Patients can get really cross when they've walked down the corridor to the GP's after a male voice calling them.
Other comments include ‘It's you, is it? I wouldn't have bothered with the aftershave if I'd known it was you...' (He wasn't kidding about the aftershave).

I run a potential response through my mind; replying in a Russell Brandish tone. ‘Tis true I'm a maaaan, but not as you know it. Follow me!' Before skipping down the corridor. Lacking Brand's charisma, what I really say is ‘Yes, I'm a man and I am a nurse.'

Being a male nurse afforded some novelty to your arrival on the ward as a student in the early nineties. Now, male nurses especially in the traditionally manly specialities of ITU and A&E are pretty common. At least that's what I thought until I started working as a practice nurse.

After such (ahem), trail blazers as Charge Nurse Charlie in Casualty, Martin Platt of Coronation Street and Robert Powell as Nurse Weird in Holby City, I thought ‘What's the big deal?'

We need more men in practice nursing. I have a plan. I will pitch a new character to the Eastenders' script writers. A male practice nurse who is nothing like Charlie et al. or the last nurse on the square, the simple-minded but big-hearted Sonya.

He'll be a respected, progressive professional portraying practice nursing, and maleness in a shining light. Or perhaps we should just go with the Russell Brand thing....

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Do More to Draw Men to Nursing Profession

The topic of male nurses has recently come up in the media.

There was a time when nursing was seen as a woman's job. However, I am glad that this perception has changed and that society today is more accepting of male nurses.

Nursing is a noble profession. It is also a demanding but meaningful career.

Besides, nursing, unlike any other profession, is a job that calls for passion, care and deep empathy for the sick.

I had the privilege of meeting many male nurses during my recent stay in hospital. These male nurses carried out their jobs with real zeal and passion, alongside their female colleagues.

Anyone, whether male or female, who has the qualities mentioned above would be an ideal candidate for a nursing career. More should be done to draw more men to the profession and to accord male nurses the respect they deserve.

Mr Sebastian Tan
Article Source: AsiaOne.com

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Online BSN Degree

Online Program Helps Nurses Complete BSN Degree

By Laura Raines, Pulse editor

Walden University, a leading provider of online degrees, has a new Bachelor of Science in nursing completion program. It’s designed for working registered nurses who hold a diploma, an associate degree in nursing or a bachelor’s degree in another field.

“Nurses need to know more every day. It takes more knowledge and skills to succeed in today’s workplace,” said Doris Milton, Ph.D., RN, coordinator of the RN-to-BSN program for Walden University’s School of Nursing.

While BSN degrees are not required for entry-level nursing jobs, they are preferred by many employers. Both the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the American Nursing Association have issued position statements recommending the BSN as the minimal preparation to practice.

The earnings gap between nurses who have a BSN degree and those who don’t is growing.

“Walden’s new BSN completion program is designed to prepare students for the increased complexity of patient-care delivery and leadership roles in hospitals and other health care organizations,” said Sara Torres, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, associate dean of Walden’s School of Nursing.

The program’s curriculum is based on the 2008 “Essentials of Baccalaureate Education,” published by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

Online learning for nurses is advantageous for many reasons.

“Most nurses are working 12-hour shifts and are never sure about overtime or shift changes in their schedule,” Milton said. “That makes it difficult to enroll in a traditional classroom program.”

Walden’s accredited program offers nurses the flexibility and convenience of fitting studies around their jobs, families and other responsibilities. The asynchronous format allows nurses to complete the six-week courses on their own schedules. Most nurses take one course at a time so they can focus better.

“Our courses are accelerated, but not abbreviated. Students will get everything they would get in a traditional 15-week semester in those six weeks,” Milton said.

Walden University officials have worked hard to design courses that won’t repeat information that working nurses already know. There’s no clinical instruction, but two of the courses — health assessment and leadership and management — require 45 hours of practical experience.

“We’ll help students find places where they can get this experience close to home so that they don’t have to travel,” Milton said. “We believe this experience will give nurses an advantage when it comes to future employment.”

The program includes 180 quarter-hour credits in general education, lower-division, electives and upper-division courses. Students are required to complete 45 credits at Walden, but the required number of credits will depend on their previous nursing education.

“This program will focus on family health, community health and global health, since disease and health issues cuts across all borders,” Milton said.

Students take courses on trends in nursing, information management in nursing care, pathopharmacology, research and scholarship for evidence-based practice, and leadership competencies in nursing and health care. In addition to instructors, students have access to other nursing experts through DVD lectures.

Another advantage of online learning are the relationships formed with students in other parts of the country.

“Our students are working nurses, so it’s not uncommon for them to pose a nursing practice question to their fellow students in the lounge area [chat room],” Milton said. “This is a friendly environment, where students make strong connections, and the network they form will be a benefit to them in their future.”

Milton said that the university launched the RN-to-BSN program at the request of students who wanted to enroll in Walden’s master’s of nursing program.

“For someone who graduated from a diploma or associate degree program a long time ago, the thought of entering an online master’s program seemed like a huge leap,” she said. “Now, nurses can earn their BSN first, and improve their reading, writing, researching and communicating skills before going on with their education.”

Students may enroll at any time. Walden estimates BSN students to incur average tuition costs and fees of $24,000 to $29,000. For information, go to www.waldenu.edu/bsn or call 1-866-492-5336.

Source: AJC.com

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Health Care Still Strong

in our weak economy

By Erik Potter
Post-Tribune staff writer

Indiana's unemployment rate shifted higher in March, jumping up to 10 percent. But not all sectors of the economy are hurting. While manufacturing, particularly automotive manufacturing, has taken a hit across the state, other fields, such as health care, have fared better.

According to the recently revised list of the 50 fastest growing jobs in Indiana, compiled by the state Department of Workforce Development, health care takes three of the top four jobs, and six of the top 10.

Top growth areas are registered nurses, with an expected job growth rate of 2.4 percent annually, dental assistants with a 2.3 percent growth rate and pharmacists at a 1.7 percent rate.

Health workers wanted

Tony Ferracane, vice president of human resources at Community Healthcare Systems, which is made up of St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago, St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart and Community Hospital in Munster, said he is still hiring for several positions, though at a slightly slower pace than usual due to less turnover among employees.

"People aren't leaving as quickly, so we're not hiring as much as we had in the past," Ferracane said. "(We're getting) a lot more applications, a lot more interest in health care. I'd say (jobs) are concentrated in our nursing areas now. We certainly are always looking at medical assistants to help out in doctor's offices and clinics. We're always looking for certified nursing assistants, which is a pretty good program where people can have a pretty good job in health care."

For Mark Rogers, going into health care was not just a matter of job security, but a matter of what he was passionate about. A semester away from his licensed practical nursing degree, and two semesters away from an associate of science in nursing at Ivy Tech's Gary campus, Rogers is set to work this summer as a nursing fellow at Community Hospital in Munster on the surgical floor, and parlay that into a full-time job after graduation. He'll continue his education while he's working.

Laid off after 15 years at Pittsburgh Tube in Chicago Heights, Ill., Rogers got the chance to go, on the company's dime, for the medical training he had dreamed of since he was a kid sitting in a hospital bed with joint pain from his juvenile arthritis.

"I spent six months (going to) the hospital," Rogers said. "I pretty much lived there. People kept asking me if I wanted to be a doctor, you know, because of the stereotype with male doctors ... but you don't see your doctors. I didn't know my doctors. I knew my nurses.

Medicine not the only thing

Nursing and medicine are not the only safe job fields, however. Jennifer Jones-Hall, interim director of Valparaiso University's Career Center, points to several areas she directs VU students toward, including defense, agriculture and food processing, and oil and gas production.

Jones-Hall stresses the importance of being flexible in a down job market, saying mobility is more important than ever. "They need very flexible people who can drop everything for travel, as well as those who work long and hard hours," she said.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was crafted to pump money into construction and green energy. While those effects have yet to make their impact locally, some projects are in the works.

Lake County commissioners hired a consultant to put together options for using their nearly $3 million in energy efficiency block grant money.

Commissioner Gerry Scheub, D-Schererville, would like to see the money used to hire a firm to install solar panels or a wind turbine to help power the county's juvenile center or jail. Whatever is done, he wants it to be something that will bring down the cost of operating the county's buildings.

The Lake County Sheriff's Department is planning on using, in par, a judicial assistance grant that was given a boost of funding in the stimulus bill, to refill four officer positions that otherwise would have been left vacant.

The Portage Police Department is considering using money from another program, also given a big infusion of stimulus cash, to hire as many as three police officers.

Contact Erik Potter at 648-3120, or epotter@post-trib.com.
Source: Post-trib.com

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Nursing School Programs Under Review

Reporter: Michel Mason
Email Address: michel.mason@wymtnews.com

The Kentucky Board of Nursing finds four schools are not meeting the grade when it comes to the number of R.N. graduates who pass the National Council Licensure Exam.

The Lees College Campus of Hazard Community and Technical College is among those under review.

HCTC officials say as a whole, 87% of its R.N. students passed the national exam last year. They say changes are already taking shape at each of its campuses to make sure those students are better prepared for the test.

Seniors Christy Boyd and Vanessa Bellar are getting ready to graduate from the R.N. program at the Lees College Campus, but the work is far from over.

"After I graduate, I'll probably study for a couple more weeks before I take boards, but i do feel like I've been properly prepared for the NCLEX," said Bellar.

The Kentucky Board of Nursing says for the past three years, the Lees Campus has not met the 85% required pass rate.

"Sometimes they just run into some problems and the board is there to make sure they correct the problems and carry on," said Nathan Goldman, general counsel for the KBN.

HCTC officials say a board member visited the Lees Campus in February to see some of the changes, including a full time nurse that works with students facing difficulty to new guidelines for test writing.

"We want to mirror as closely as we can the NCLEX board exam," said Dr. R. Kathy Smoot, Service Provost.

HCTC officials are planning to ask the board to clarify why it looks at the Lees and Hazard campuses separately and not as the same program.

The KBN is expected to meet April 23rd and 24th to discuss the next step. Members are expected to ask officials from each of the four colleges make presentations on how they can improve the pass rate.

HCTC officials say 100% of its evening class that graduated recently passed the national exam.

Source: WKYT.com

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EarnYourNursingDegree.com

EarnYourNursingDegree.com Offers Online Nursing Degree Programs for Working Nurses

Nurses working full-time can now advance their education and careers by earning advanced nursing degrees online

Working nurses looking to advance their education while still working full-time have a new resource at their disposal. EarnYourNursingDegree.com is a new Internet directory specializing in advanced online nursing degree programs for working nurses. The directory is free of charge for use by all.

Mike Gracen, founder of Loud Market, an Internet marketing company specializing in online education launched the site in February of this year.

“The nursing industry is predicting major shortfalls in the number of nurses with advanced training in the coming years” states Gracen, who has been an online educational advocate for the past six years. “Many current nurses are employed full-time and have families, making furthering their education in a traditional campus setting very difficult.”

“EarnYourNursingDegree.com offers working nurses a free resource to discover online degree programs that offer them a greater amount of flexibility for pursuing an advanced nursing degree.”

EarnYourNursingDegree.com features Bachelor of Nursing (BSN) and Master of Nursing (MSN) degree programs as well as Graduate and Post-Graduate nursing certificate programs. Dozens of schools are included in the directory, such as University of Phoenix, Indiana State University, South University and Walden University – just to name a few.

“We welcome any and all working nurses thinking of advancing their education to stop by the site and see what the schools have to offer” says Gracen, “New schools and programs are added almost daily, and the directory is completely free and confidential to use.”

For additional information on the site, contact Mike Gracen or visit www.earnyournursingdegree.com.

http://www.1888pressrelease.com/earnyournursingdegree-com-offers-online-nursing-degree-progr-pr-112423.html

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Finding Jobs Harder Than Promised

Finding jobs harder than promised for recent nursing grads
By AMY HAMILTON/The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel

Throughout the last 2 1/2 years of nursing school at Mesa State College, students became accustomed to the mantra: Not only would they immediately find work, they’d be able to pick out their dream jobs.

Since graduating in December with a bachelor’s degree in nursing, that’s hardly been the case for Marni Flores and a number of her colleagues now seeking work locally.

“As a new grad, it’s pretty tough right now,” said Flores, who graduated from the college alongside 29 others with similar degrees. “It seems like a lot of nurses who were traveling have decided to come home and land. They’re taking those positions. There’s no longer a shortage of nurses in Grand Junction, and it’s really putting pressure on new graduates.”

Nursing positions for new graduates, positions which have long been considered recession-proof, have all but dried up locally in the past two months. St. Mary’s Hospital’s Web site shows the hospital is hiring only nurses with at least two years of experience. Just three months ago, 15 to 20 nursing openings at the hospital potentially could have been snapped up by new graduates.

Flores said recruiters from hospitals in Delta, Montrose and Rangely courted students still in nursing school, but now those entities are cutting back on hiring new grads.

The new, 15-bed Family Health West hospital in Fruita is slated to open in July, and St. Mary’s Hospital’s expansion should be open by early 2010. While those are healthy indicators of potential jobs, it’s a long time to wait as student loans become due.

Flores said the lack of job prospects has placed recent grads in a bind: Either try to wait out the hiring lull, lower expectations of their first nursing job or relocate.

One fellow grad has been working at a bank since graduating in December. Flores had been offered a job as a manager at a retail store. Others in her class who have found nursing work scored those jobs elsewhere.

Flores said she’s lucky to nab a nursing position at Community Hospital, but, after training, the work is on-call, barely part-time and without benefits and vacation time. She is happy the training, in which she’ll shadow a seasoned nurse, involves six months of full-time pay.

If not for having a family, Flores said she and her husband already would have moved on.

“We’ve lived on one income while I was in school, and now they say we’ll just have to wait,” she said. “You can only go on so long. If we didn’t have kids, we’d be long gone.”

SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT

Cindy Thomas, associate professor at Mesa State College with a doctorate in nursing, said she can see the concerns from both sides: New graduates need work, and companies are trying to rein in costs.

On one hand, it’s difficult for hospitals and clinics eyeing the bottom line to justify hiring new graduates who require about six months of training. Hiring experienced nurses requires only a portion of that training.

However, nurses who are jumping back into the field — for reasons such as earning more money for retirement, riding out the recession, or offsetting the loss of work by a spouse — can just as easily jump back out.

“She’s not going to stay,” Thomas said describing that demographic of nurses. “As soon as the economy gets better, those nurses are going to leave again. It’s a short-sighted strategy.”

As a testament to the downturn in hiring, Thomas said she no longer solicits input from students about where they’ll be working after graduation. Just last year, it was common practice as graduation neared to encourage students to air their success stories.

In contrast, Thomas said she recently counseled a nursing student who came to her in a panic, fretting about not being able to find work and staring down a $50,000 student loan.

When Thomas began teaching at Mess State a decade ago, the nursing program accepted 20 students a semester. Now that number has doubled. Applications still are rolling in at a healthy rate. Usually, she said, twice as many apply as are accepted.

“I do believe this is temporary,” Thomas said of the shift away from hiring grads. “I don’t think the public has any idea that is going on right now. It’s a breaking story. We thought we were insulated here, but we’re not any longer.”

Chief Nursing Officer Beth Bricker at Community Hospital said she absolutely has noticed a trend of experienced nurses returning to the workforce and nurses already in the field keeping their positions longer.

Bricker said it’s important for organizations to hire new nursing grads because they can bring new ideas and vigor, and those nurses tend to stick around for years while they build a foundation.

She said she recently hired three to four nursing graduates who will start work after passing their board certifications.

“All those baby boomers are going to retire at some time,” Bricker said. “This is just a little blip on the radar screen. I sure hope this doesn’t slow people from going to nursing school.”

Just before graduation in May, recruiter Mark Prettyman will talk with some of the nursing students. Prettyman, who has a contract with California to fill 700 nursing jobs, will tell them jobs are available mostly in the metro areas. According to his company, UMS Health, a million nurses will be needed in the nation by 2010, and 75 percent of vacancies in the health-care field are nursing positions.

Even during national nursing shortages, nurses who have specialized training are sought the most, Prettyman said.

“If your speciality is bone-marrow transplant, I could get you a job like that,” he said.

Registered nursing positions in larger U.S. cities pay from $50,000 to $200,000. He suggested graduating nurses seek work elsewhere and return to the area.

“It’s probably the only career that’s recession-proof,” he said. “If it’s truly what you want to do for a living, why not work somewhere else and come back in five years?”

WAITING VS. WORKING GAME

Jeana Vargas, who graduates in May with a bachelor of science degree in nursing, wishes it were that easy.

A native of the area, she likes it here and wants to stick around to be near family.

Vargas, 22, had been putting in internship work in exchange for school credit at St. Mary’s Hospital in the labor and delivery ward. It’s a place she’d love to work after graduation. In years past, an internship at a hospital or a clinic was a kind of get-your-foot-in-the-door exposure that nearly guaranteed students a job after graduation. But that was before the recession.

“People are really surprised when I tell them I don’t have a job,” Vargas said. “They thought I would by now.”

Vargas said she’ll work on passing her board exam, a next step toward certification that is recommended within three months of graduation.

But if July rolls around without any local job prospects, Vargas said she’ll consider moving elsewhere.

Chief Nursing Officer Lori Henderson of Family Health West said the hospital is hiring nurses in anticipation of it opening. Available jobs are in the operating room in pre-surgery and post-surgery roles.

“We do prefer experience, but we don’t rule out new grads automatically,” she said.

Henderson said while jobs in acute care or high-activity, short-term settings are sometimes preferred, jobs in longer-care positions are in high demand in the Grand Valley.

“If I was a nurse, I wouldn’t discount those other opportunities,” she advised.

Thomas echoes that advice. While she understands graduates’ need to find immediate work, she recommends students try securing work in nursing fields, even if it means adjusting expectations. That could mean not being picky or possibly relocating, even out of state.

“I personally haven’t seen anything this dramatic,” Thomas said of the abrupt changes in nursing openings. “My heart bleeds for them. I know how hard they’ve worked.”

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Nursing School a Calling

Florida Hospital nursing school: "a calling"
By Joe Ruble
Source: wdbo.com

We told you that nursing schools are raking in applications these days as people look for a recession-proof new career.

WDBO's Joe Ruble has found one woman with a special reason to start over.

Paulette Dussault is cancer survivor.

Healed at Florida Hospital at a time when she learned her marketing job was being cut.

A very spritual person. Paulette saw a sign...

"When I lost my position at work I was packing up my desk. And as I did I saw a paperweight. So I look at the paperweight and it said 'Embracing the past, Shaping the future, Florida Hospital."

"It was the last thing I packed away. And I said okay, God, this must be where I'm going."

She has been a volunteer, spending time with patients who have no one else to check on them.

After a while, she felt nursing was her calling.

"I had no idea, first of all, the shortage of nurses and really actually the great benefits and pay scale of nursing."

Paulette says while the pay is nice, she wants to do something she can be passionate about.

"I'm glad I made the decision based on what I consider a true calling."

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Filipino Nurses in Saskatchewan

Several Hundred Filipino Nurses in Saskatchewan

Some of the Filipino nurses now in Saskatchewan are not only battling the weather - with the recent long cold winter a not too distant memory - but they're also struggling against homesickness with some having left spouses, children and parents behind. That from Lynn Digney-Davis, the Chief Nursing Officer with the Ministry of Health. She says the biggest difficulty for Filipino nurses seemed to arise from writing the Canadian Registered Nurse Exam. But the situation appears to be improving because, of the last group, which wrote the exam in February - 81 percent passed.

Digney-Davis says they have approached 460 people in total, since about a year ago, and they're anticipating most of those people will take them up on the employment offer. So far about 307 nurses from the Philippines are in Saskatchewan.

Digney-Davis says they've also made employment offers to quite a few male nurses. She points out that nursing is a highly regarded profession in the Philippines with a guaranteed career for life and there are more men employed as nurses in that country than what you'd see in Canada. She says the contract they sign is usually for about a year - until they get their license - with the agreement to take employment when offered. The Filipino nurses are allowed to access Recruitment and Retention Grants so they're expected to stay for at least a year after they've been licensed.

And Digney-Davis says the Ministry is now exploring other options for the nurses who come here from the Phillipines like having them work as a Licensed Practical Nurse or else employed as a Continuing Care Aid. She says Saskatchewan has a great need for people in both those professions.

Source: SaskatoonHomepage.ca

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Types of Nursing Degrees

LPN OR LVN
Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) or Licensed Vocational Nursing (LVN) programs typically involve one year of training at a hospital, vocational technical school or community college. Graduates are eligible for licensure as an LPN or LVN after receiving a diploma or certificate. To earn an LPN license, you must pass a state-administered nursing examination called the NCLEX-PN examination.

ASSOCIATE OF SCIENCE IN NURSING
Two-year associate degree focuses more on technical skills than theory and is a stepping stone to a bachelor of science in nursing degree. Student becomes a registered nurse (RN). It is the entry point for technical nursing practice. Students must pass a national licensing exam to become an RN.

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING (BSN)
The four-year BSN degree (also called a “Prelicensure BSN” program) is preferred by most nursing leaders and provides the best opportunities in today’s job market. It is the entry point for professional nursing practice. Typically the first one to two years of the program are spent fulfilling general education requirements, while the last two to three years are spent on nursing courses.

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN NURSING (MSN)
A master of science in nursing degree is an 18- to 24-month program that allows a nurse to specialize in a particular area, such as an area of advanced clinical training or research. Some students take on joint degrees in related fields like business administration, public health or hospital administration. Most people working toward an MSN already have a BSN. Typical requirements include a BSN from an accredited nursing school, an RN license, minimum GPA and GRE scores, and some period of clinical work experience.

DOCTOR OF NURSING PROGRAMS
ND programs usually require three to five years of full-time study, including summers. While the focus areas of the program will vary by school, the doctor of nursing degree generally builds on the role of the advanced practice nurse and is more focused on developing advanced-practice-nurse specialist skills. The goal is to prepare leaders who can effect change through system redesign and evidenced-based decision making in a variety of clinical, organizational and educational settings.


Source: www.allnursingschools.com

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Nursing: The Recession-Proof Job?

Their fellow students call them "Mom and Pop."

Both 40 years old, Lena Gambill and Bob Mitchell are among the first-year nursing students at Shawnee State University, in the Ohio river city of Portsmouth nearly 100 miles southeast of here. In an Appalachian region that was already struggling with double-digit unemployment before the national recession hit, they both considered a nursing career their best bet for a secure future.

"The reason I decided to do it is no matter where we go, no matter what happens economy-wise, this is an occupation I can count on and I can take with me," said Gambill, a mother of three who had been a full-time teacher's aide.

"There is always something you can do with nursing," agreed Mitchell, a former state prison guard.

A field that has long seen staff shortages is getting another look from people who are out of work, fear they soon could be or need to replace a laid-off spouse's income.

But there are barriers to overcome, from getting the needed education to meeting the profession's sometimes exhausting demands.

"The most difficult thing has been budgeting between my family and schooling to get to my goal," said Gambill, estimating she spends 40 hours a week studying and doing clinical work in a two-year program to become a registered nurse.

Industry experts say the recession is reducing nursing vacancy rates because more nurses are delaying retirement, moving from part-time to full-time status for the extra income, or coming back from retirement.

But plenty of need remains, especially as the Baby Boom generation ages and requires more health care. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected more than 1 million nursing openings over the 10-year period ending in 2016.

Among the benefits of becoming a nurse, besides employment security, is yearly pay that usually ranges in hospitals from around $50,000 into six figures, depending on experience and skills. Nursing offers flexible scheduling that can include three-day weeks (12-hour shifts) and weekends-only positions. And workplaces are as varied as physicians' offices, nursing homes and health-related corporate jobs.

The bureau also projects strong job growth for some faster routes into health care. They include licensed practical nursing; the degree takes about a year to earn, and jobs usually pay about two-thirds what registered nurses earn. Growth also is projected for lower-paying jobs such as home care aides, which do not require college study.

Universities and nursing schools have been scrambling to keep up with growing interest, but they face a shortage of qualified instructors — in most cases, nurses can earn much more working in a hospital than teaching.

At Shawnee State, with about 200 nursing students, twice that number of qualified applicants get turned away each year, said Mattie Burton, who heads the nursing program. Of the first-year students, about 15 percent each year don't make it through a demanding combination of classes, clinical studies and work.

"We have people who made straight A's coming out of high school who find it's too difficult," Burton said. She said nurses need good a background in sciences such as biology and chemistry and in mathematics.

Some students are unprepared to see illness and pain up close on a regular basis.

"They haven't had experience with sick people like that before and decide that's not what they want to do," Burton said.

Debbe Endres, who heads human resources for the Cincinnati-based Health Alliance's five hospitals, said nurses must work well in teams, be respectful, and set high standards for themselves and for care. The job can be physically and emotionally demanding, and doesn't lend itself to a 9-to-5 mentality.

"It's 24-7," she said.

"For anyone considering nursing, my best recommendation is to sit down and talk with a nurse, find out what are the positive aspects, and what are the challenging aspects," said Endres, adding that some places offer job shadowing for those thinking about the field.

As for advancement, some employers will underwrite additional training and education for nurses who commit to stay.

Gambill will pay for her two years of school with some $15,000 in education loans. Her husband's income as an ironworker disqualifies her from grants, she said.

And unlike many young students, she and her husband are busy raising children — ages 11, 14 and 15. Her mother-in-law has pitched in on housework and helped teach the kids how to handle more of their own daily needs.

"Without a good support system, this wouldn't work," Gambill said.

Mitchell's wife is also in health care, working full time as a phlebotomist. They have two children, ages 9 and 12.

"There's lots of times I have to go to the library and study to get quiet, a lot of times I don't see my family," Mitchell said, saying his wife has accepted the extra burden while he earns his degree.

Mitchell, who had first aid training and experience as a prison guard, said he thinks that having had children who get sick or injured is a plus in nursing studies.

"My life experiences help out," he said.

Mitchell stands out on campus. A 6-foot-3-inch, 250-pound bald man who likes interacting with people, he also sees a lot to like in nursing.

"The variety — it challenges your mind. You have to be observant," he said. "You have to earn your pay, but it is fulfilling. It makes you feel good to help somebody else."


Article Source: Foxnews.com

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Scholarship Money Available

Patsy Joyner

Announcement: If you are interested in a Scholarship Directory that has been helping parents and students from various countries to find the best scholarships since 2003, Click Here!

A recent column described scholarships available for Fall Semester 2009 at Paul D. Camp Community College that are earmarked for graduating high school students. Today’s column features a sample of fall 2009 general scholarships, which are geared to all students meeting the criteria for eligibility.

American Association of University Women, Suffolk Branch

Persons enrolling in a degree program after having been out of school or college for at least two years are eligible for this $750 scholarship. Other criteria include two letters of reference, a short essay explaining why you consider attending PDCCC to be a “second chance” at education and why this award would be financially beneficial to the applicant; Suffolk residency; and prospective, current or former PDCCC student.

Kiwanis Club of Suffolk Scholarship

Criteria for this $500 scholarship include 3.0 GPA or higher; Suffolk residency; and prospective, current, or former PDCCC student.

RE/MAX Career Grant

Established and funded by RE/MAX AcrossTown, Inc., in Suffolk, this scholarship fund provides two annual $500 Career Preparation Grants for Suffolk students. Criteria include interest in career/job preparation; Suffolk residency; enrollment in at least 6 semester hours of an Associate or Applied Science degree or certificate program at PDCCC.

Suffolk Ruritan Mona Eby Driver Memorial Nursing Scholarship

One scholarship, up to $3,600 per associate’s degree Registered Nurse class, is given to cover tuition for five semesters, contingent on maintaining a minimum 2.5 GPA (full tuition for first two semesters and half tuition for remaining three semesters). Selection criteria include service area residency, preferably Suffolk; acceptance into the RN program at PDCCC; financial need; plan to work in service area upon graduation; three recommendation letters, referencing character and community work; and essay explaining why applicant merits the scholarship, including financial need.

Bertella C. Westbrook Memorial Scholarship for Nursing Students

This $750 nursing scholarship (awarded both fall and spring semesters) was established in memory of Bertella C. Westbrook, RN. Selection criteria include a letter of acceptance into the RN Program at PDCCC, residency in the college’s service area, three recommendation letters (referencing character, potential for leadership in school activities, community work, financial need), and a short essay on choosing the nursing profession.

For information on other scholarships, call 569-6700, or visit our website at www.pdc.edu.

The application deadline for fall semester general scholarships is June 26. For details on establishing a scholarship, call 569-6791.

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Nursing Opens Doors To Better Life

‘Necessity’ opens doors to a better life for Carson man

Announcement: If you are interested in a Scholarship Directory that has been helping parents and students from various countries to find the best scholarships since 2003, Click Here!

A difficult economy and a lack of jobs in the construction industry have turned 34-year-old Joshua Pierce in a whole new direction. And even though he’s doing something he never imagined, the Western Nevada College student is pleased that he’s now involved in the healing arts.

“It fits like a glove,” he says of his new career in nursing.

He’s been called an inspiration to his fellow students, several of whom are a decade younger than him. And he’s impressed others along the way, including the Carson City Rotary Club, which named him a Scholar-Steps scholarship winner two years ago, an award worth up to $12,000 over four years of college.

Pierce has now received another honor, this one for the entire state. He has been chosen as the Nevada representative in the All-USA Academic Team sponsored by Coca-Cola and USA Today. The honor carries a $2,000 stipend and the possibility of being named a national winner.

Pierce will be in Phoenix on Saturday through Monday with a chance at a bigger scholarship if he is chosen to the All USA First Team.

He is an honors student in WNC’s nursing program with a 3.87 grade point average.

But his life didn’t start out with much success.

Alcoholism, abandonment and abuse were a part of his childhood, and led to teenage behavioral problems.

Living on his own at 18, Josh worked in construction for years, but when the economy slowed in 2006, he needed a new option.

A friend who attended WNC convinced him to come up to the college for an aptitude test. It was a big step, and an intimidating one, to enter Western for the first time.

“I hadn’t had any education since graduating from Carson High in 1992.”

Pierce’s scores showed an aptitude for careers in the clergy, social sciences, teaching, nursing and physical therapy.

“I’d never had an interest in health sciences, but I’m glad I tried it,” Pierce said. “I took the CNA course (Certified Nursing Assistant) last year and I’ve been working as a CNA ever since. It’s been a good decision.”

He’s now on track to earn his nursing degree in the summer of 2010.

“I’m surprised how this whole thing has played out,” he said. “It seems like it is all laid out for me and I need to put one foot in front of the other. It seems if I concentrate on what needs to be done today, I can get it done.”

“I appreciate everyone’s help here. I didn’t know anything about financial aid, and I’d never talked to a counselor. Everyone was really helpful and made it much easier for this to happen.”

Pierce and his wife, Denise, have a 7-month-old, and it looks as if the former construction worker will be juggling family, work and education for the foreseeable future.

“After I earn my nursing degree, if things go as planned, I want to earn a bachelor’s degree, perhaps in biology.” Pierce said he’ll take whatever courses are needed to eventually become a nurse practitioner.

Pierce said it is ironic that a downturn in the economy has led him to where he is today.

“It seems like if someone had suggested this to me I would have been afraid to do it.” he said. “What I’ve done is out of necessity, and it’s worked out better than I imagined.”

Article Source: NevadaAppeal.com

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Rapper Wants to be a Nurse

By Tony Maghirang
Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines - In the world of hip-hop, guys always look tough and ready to rumble. But dig this — the Pinoy rapper who named himself after a lethal weapon is also studying to be ... a nurse!

Gloc-9 — acknowledged as the “fastest rapper” hereabouts and whom the late Francis M had described as “one of the brightest hopes of Pinoy rap” — is on his third year at the STI School of Nursing.

Contradiction
He doesn’t mind the contradiction in his double life: as a musician his name connotes a firearm, the Glock 9 mm pistol; offstage he’s Aristotle “Aris” Pollisco, who is looking forward to a second career where he gets to help save lives.

Rap has been Gloc-9’s passport to fame and recognition. “Simple Man,” an early hit, hinted at the depth of his talent. FrancisM took him under his wing and lobbied hard for Sony BMG to sign him up after the protege spent two years at Star Records. He was voted Best Rap Artist at the Philippine Hip Hop Music Awards from 2005 to 2007. “Lando,” a single from his “Diploma” CD, was widely heard on radio and featured FrancisM and Parokya ni Edgar front man Chito Miranda on backup vocals. Two recent concerts — one of Gary Valenciano and the other, of American singer Craig David — had Gloc-9 as a guest and front act, respectively.

But when he and wife Thea started raising their twins, Shaun and Daniel, the head of the family realized he needed a backup profession for when his hip hop days are over.

Right now his music career helps pay the bills, provides savings for the kids, and sustains his hobby of collecting expensive toys. Thea works as a writer at a TV network.

“I chose nursing because I want to help others, especially the needy and sick children,” says Aris. “To me, serving others is very rewarding. Plus, it can help me later on to provide a good life for our twins.”

One ride away
The nursing school is just a jeepney ride away from his home in Zabarte, Quezon City. He chose to enroll there because it is lenient towards working students, especially performing artists.

As a third-year nursing major, Aris is required to spend eight hours of evening duty in a Bulacan hospital.

Some nights, Aris says, he skips this duty due to gigs. But he makes up for it by reporting for two shifts and paying a P500 fine.

Thea, who also acts as his booking manager, picks only those gigs that will allow him to report for hospital duty the following day; or, where his fee will be commensurate with his missed duty.

As much as possible, though, he puts priority on his studies.

Nobody in school took a second look at him — until one student mentioned that he resembled Gloc-9.

He’s known as a likeable dude, always ready with a smile even for strangers. He has an easy-going disposition, possibly enhanced by a Personality Development subject in his course.

Training at the nursing school is rigorous and fully prepares the student for the profession. Aris is particularly fond of hours spent at Return Learning Experience, a practicum laboratory where a student could practice the theory right after the lecture.

The RLE Lab is equipped with dummies on which the student can apply his nursing abilities prior to formal internship. Aris says most male students have fun attending to the maternity patient.

But the situation at the hospital can be emotionally draining. He has witnessed enough heart-wrenching scenes to conclude, “It’s really so hard to be poor in this country.”

On a bright note, he says he has “written a lot of songs about my duties at the hospital. My twin lives as artist and nurse inspire each other.”

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Scholarships For Nursing Available

Announcement: If you are interested in a Scholarship Directory that has been helping parents and students from various countries to find the best scholarships since 2003, Click Here!

Applications for the James G. and Nancy W. Barrett Nursing Scholarship Program are now available. The scholarship program provides selected nursing students with full payment of tuition and books, health care benefits and flexible work schedules.

Upon completion of their degree program and after passing the appropriate state licensure exams, scholarship recipients are required to work full-time at Atlantic General Hospital/Health System for one year for each school year in the scholarship program.

Nursing scholarships are available to students enrolled in local community colleges, including Wor-Wic Community College and Delaware Technical Community College, and to Salisbury University juniors and seniors pursuing a bachelor's degree in nursing. Students enrolled in Salisbury University's "Fast Track" Bachelor of Science in Nursing program are also eligible for the scholarship.

E-mail Alice Kalinowski at akalinowski@atlantic general.org, indicating "Scholarship Application" in the subject line. Include your name, mailing address, telephone. Applications can also be requested by calling 410-641-9935. Completed applications must be returned to Atlantic General Hospital by May 1.

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The Thorn Among The Roses

With Florence Nightingale as the most iconic symbol of the nursing profession, it is no wonder that the association between nursing and women is almost an instinctive one. But guys are bucking tradition and saying that they too, can shine as caregivers.

by KONG YEN LIN



Lal Babu Giri has seen all facets of human personalities during his 13 years as a male nurse in Nepal Police Hospital.

"But mainly you'll find four categories of patien ts- the tender, the talkative and the dramatic," then he adds with a laugh," and, of course, there are the normal ones."

But regardless of whom they are, the father of three, treats them with equal respect and dedication, and demands the respect to be reciprocated.

"Whenever I first tell others about my occupation, they'll laugh. While serving in Terai regions I often get mistaken as a doctor because of gender stereotypes," he tells WAVE, "my job has been a cultural struggle against conservative mindsets."

Besides, he has encountered female patients who refuse to cooperate in services like catheterisation, gynaecology and maternity care.

With around 65 males practicing nursing in Nepal, it is not hard to see why such reactions are common. There used to be a male nursing programme at the PLC level from 1986 to 1989 in seven nursing colleges enrolling a fixed quota of 90 per cent females and 10 per cent males annually.

Although male nurses now are still able to pursue further education in Nepal, a specific training program for them has since been scrapped due to enrolment complications. According to Chandrakala Sharua, a member of the Nepal Nursing Association, the main reason is that most male nurse graduates seem unwilling to be mobilised to periphery areas where they are most needed.

"If most of them prefer to stay in core zones doing administrative work, what's the point of continuing the program?" she says. However, some male nurses beg to differ. Lila Nath Pandey, who was the only male appointed in the government public health nurse position in 1996, served nine years in villages. He is now an associate professor of nursing and public health at Asian College in Satdobato.

The 37-year-old used to work as a bedside nurse at Koshi Zonal Hospital in Biratnagar but switched career scopes because he was tired of the monotony. "Unlike hospital settings which are static, treating people in their unique lifestyle settings is more challenging," he says, "We have to adapt and improvise to varying situation and cultures and also manage patients' expectations." One particularly memorable experience was his encounter with an irate father who sent two sick sons for treatment. The diagnosis and medications that Lila Nath gave weren't what the man expected and he was beaten up. Fortunately, the management committee intervened to resolve the issue.

Aside from obstacles at work, the sense of satisfaction derived is great. Guru Bahadur Thapa who has been a male nurse at Nepal Police Hospital for 24 years feels gratified when his patients recover.

And, despite the lack of facilities to train male nurses, there is still a growing interest in this field. Most Nepali males turn to pursue nursing education overseas in countries like India and Bangladesh where not only cultures are less adverse to male nursing, but also where medical infrastructures are more developed.

"This was the best career option to me rather than MBBS as it has a great potential and global demand. Nursing shortage is going to continue for decades and it also gives a 100% job guarantee with good income," says Navaraj Kafle, a 2nd year nursing student at Dhaka University who intends to return back to Nepal to serve.

Some also feel that there should be more facilities in Nepal to train male nurses and provide them with opportunities to continue with their further studies. "The industry has to be competitive and there should be policies to deploy male nurses to peripherals," says Lal Babu, who went on a peacekeeping mission with his police unit in Haiti for a year. But there are female nurses who want the status quo maintained. "Nursing is one rare field where females dominate and succeed in. This advantageous domain should be retained to give women opportunities that they're lacking in broader society," says Chandrakala, who is also a lecturer at Maharajgunj Nursing Campus.

Yet, others believe in giving credit when it's due. Not only can males contribute in serving periphery regions, they are also capable of breaking traditions in the nursing industry where strong hierarchies between junior and senior nurses exist. "Females are expected to conform to gender norms of obedience and deference, and some senior nurses are not committed to passing down their skills and knowledge," says Raj Devi Adhikari, the assistant campus chief of Maharajgunj Nursing Campus. "If more males enter the profession, they may bring about radical change to the nursing sector."

Article Source: Wavemag.com

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Online Degrees in West Virginia

WVNCC and WVU Going Online With Degree Plan
By JOSELYN KING

West Virginia Northern Community College students now can pursue certain bachelor's degrees at West Virginia University without having to leave the Wheeling area.

WVU and WVNCC on Thursday announced an agreement by which WVNCC's associate degree graduates can transfer seemlessly to WVU to obtain bachelor's degrees in nursing, multidisciplinary studies and accounting.

The classwork will be done online through WVNCC, said Georgia Narsavage, dean of the WVU School of Nursing. She said enrolled students will be e-mailed a link to "synchronous" online classes, during which they will interact with the instructor and classmates, participating in discussions and asking questions - just as if they were in an actual classroom.

Other online lessons from the nursing school will be available to the students at their leisure, according to Narsavage.

To be eligible, students first must obtain their associate's degree from WVNCC, she said, and then pass the registered nurse licensure exam. After this, they can be accepted into WVU's program to obtain a bachelor's degree in nursing.

There already are 150 students throughout the state seeking a WVU nursing degree online, according to Narsavage.

"We have had some from West Virginia Northern Community College," she said. "But before this agreement, they may not have had the necessary pre-requisites and might have had to take other classes first."

The WVU School of Nursing has no similar agreement with other colleges in the state.

Narsavage said WVNCC has been doing "an excellent job" in its associate degree programs of giving students the basics needed for nursing education.

WVNCC already has an existing articulation agreement with WVU for a bachelor's degree in social work.

"Northern is partnering with many higher education institutions to assist our students in their quest for a bachelor's degree,"said Martin Olshinsky, president at WVNCC. "We are working with other institutions to provide residents of the area a buffet of opportunities."

"Anytime we can make it easier for students to access education, we'll do it," Olshinsky said.

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Who Says Nursing is For Sissies?

By Nur Dianah Suhaimi

Twenty years ago, then trainee male nurse Edward Poon put up with jibes of how he was a 'sissy'. On the other hand, some patients called him 'doctor' even when he was in his nurse's uniform.

Men cannot possibly be nurses, they told him.

Now the nursing director at Dover Park Hospice, Mr Poon, 45, is glad more men are becoming nurses, with the number rising rapidly in the past few years.

Of the 18,400 nurses actively practising here, about 7.5 per cent are men. Singapore Nursing Board statistics show that there were 1,363 registered male nurses in 2007. In 2001, there were 998.

Male nurses account for more than 20 per cent of the 3,000-plus members of the Singapore Nurses Association. Said its president, Ms Penny Seet: 'We are seeing more men joining nursing and taking up key positions.'

The three institutions which offer nursing programmes - Nanyang Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic and the National University of Singapore - are also seeing more male students enrolling.

Ngee Ann saw its male nursing student figure shoot up to 21 per cent last year, from 12 per cent when its diploma programme started in 2005. At Nanyang, the figure was 13 per cent in 2007 and 16 per cent last year.

The National University of Singapore started a degree programme for nursing in 2006. Seven male undergraduates enrolled last year, compared to two the year before.

Said Ms Seet: 'Our society has become more accepting of male nurses now compared to 20 years ago. There are still people who feel nursing is a woman's job but the stereotyping is not so bad now.'

Nanyang Polytechnic nursing lecturer Goh Yong Shian - a former male nurse with nine years' service - said more people are aware that nursing is a professional job with career advancement paths.

'The Ministry of Health (MOH) has made clear the possible career tracks that nurses can take. It's not a dead-end job,' he said.

Indeed, salaries are competitive. A diploma-holder's starting pay is about $1,800. University graduates can expect a starting salary of about $2,200 to $2,300.

Shift allowances have also been increased and flexible work arrangements implemented to improve work-life balance. Special awards are given to those who shine.

With an ageing population, demand for public health-care nurses is expected to increase by 34 per cent in the next five years.

In the case of male nurses, there are situations where they may be more handy. For instance, they can help lift heavier patients, especially in orthopaedic wards.

In mental health facilities, male nurses may better restrain violent patients.

Said Mr Jeffrey Ng, 45, a senior nurse at the National Kidney Foundation who has been in the industry for 25 years: 'Aggressive patients tend to be more intimidated by male nurses than female nurses.

'Sometimes, when a male patient is lecherous and is known to molest female nurses, the male nurses will attend to him instead.'

Because male nurses are hard to come by, they are posted to where they are needed most - in the military, emergency wards and the Institute of Mental Health.

On the other hand, at KK Women's and Children's Hospital, less than 1 per cent of the nurses are male.

Parents seem to be less resistant now to their sons taking up nursing. Said Dr Phang Chiew Hun, director of the School of Health Sciences at Ngee Ann Polytechnic: 'More parents now realise that nurses are not the doctors' handmaidens but they are the doctors' partners in health care.'

But much needs to be done to banish the belief that nursing is only for women.

Male nurses The Sunday Times spoke to said what gets them the most is the lack of respect that people have for the profession.

A male nurse in his 40s, who asked not to be named, said: 'Many of my male batchmates left nursing. They get tired of not being appreciated and respected.'

Although the attrition rate for nurses, male and female, is high, the figure has been declining. Last year, public health institutions lost 9.7 per cent of their nurses. In 2001, 14 per cent left.

Mr Poon said nurses have to earn the respect due. He said: 'We have some of the best nurses in the world. But they need to brush up on their communication skills and learn to make some decisions. Only then will people look at them differently.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times.

Article Source: Asiaone.com

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Male Nurse Defies Stereotypes

Posted by Cindy Atoji Keene in Boston.com

As a male nurse, Robert Connelly admits he’s had his share of embarrassing situations, like the occasional female patient who doesn’t know how to put a hospital johnnie on correctly (the opening is in the back, he adds.) And as a big, strapping 6’2”, 250 lb. man in light blue scrubs, he’s frequently also mistaken for being a doctor.

But Connelly, who is an emergency room nurse at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), is a former EMT and paramedic who became a nurse three years ago when he decided he wanted to ramp up his medical training yet another notch. His wife and three sisters are also nurses.

“I was the only guy in my nursing program, and on the job, I’m almost always outnumbered by 10 females to one,” says Connelly, who is a rarity in a profession where just six percent of nurses are men.

But like many nurses, he was lured to nursing by the salary, steady work, and demand; he says the average nurse can earn between $60,000-$80,000 or more. Employment of registered nurse is expected to grow 23 percent to 2016, fueled in part by a rise in aging baby boomers. And the stereotype that nursing is women’s work? Well, Connelly says, “Men bring something special to the field, and besides, chicks love a guy in uniform.”

Q: Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. How many times a day do you have to wash your hands?
A: Hundreds and hundreds of times. My hands are so red and chaffed from using all the soaps and alcohol. And you have to watch out – there’s a hospital Hand Patrol that walks around and checks to make sure staff are washing their hands like they’re supposed to.

Q: What’s a typical day on the job like in ER?
A: Anyone can walk into the emergency room door, from a patient with minor chest pains to a guy who stabbed himself in the chest. Recently we had a man who fell off the back of a truck and literally split his head open. You could actually reach in and touch his scalp but he lay there, just talking to us as plain as day.

Q: In situations like this, is it hard to keep an emotional distance?

A: I’m in awe of the skill and training of the medical team when you see the efficiency and speed with which they work. I wouldn’t be in this job if I didn’t like anatomy and physiology and all the other pieces to it. In this case, I stood by as the neurosurgeon operated, drilling through the skull, putting in a drainage for bleeding in the brain. I was amazed, as always, at what modern medicine can do.

Q: You work long hours, 3 p.m.-3 a.m. Is it tough to unwind when you come home so early in the morning?
A: I watch a lot of late night TV, old dumb movies, or I’ll work out, and ride the bike in the basement. And I’ll bake, all sorts of pastries, like cookies, brownies, cake, or blueberry buckles, and bring those to work to share with the other nurses.

Q: What was one misconception about nursing that you had before you started?
A: I thought I’d get to wear one of those white nursing caps. Boy, was I disappointed. Of course, I’m only kidding … I can even wear my Patriots shirt to work, with scrub pants ... Nursing has come a long way in that regard.

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Muirhead Nursing Scholarship

Announcement: If you are interested in a Scholarship Directory that has been helping parents and students from various countries to find the best scholarships since 2003, Click Here!

A shortage of nurses could threaten our medical system, but one local woman knows how important nurses can be. And, she's using her bank account to add to the number of trained nurses in our area.

Checkout the video clip below:

Source: www.wxyz.com

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Stressed Out?

Stressed out? Relieve the pressure here!

We have all the stresses the rest of the world has and then some! Here are some of the things that cause nurses stress:

• The critical nature of our work with its potential for serious injury to others if we are careless for even a moment.
  
  
• Staffing shortages requiring us to care for more patients with less help.
  
  
• Working double shifts or returning to work 8 hours after our shift ends to meet the needs.
  
  
• Inadequate rest because of working rotating schedules so that our bodies have difficulty knowing when to sleep.
  
  
• Working closely with deadly diseases. Knowing that an accidental needle-stick or body fluid splash can easily infect us.
  
  
• Struggling with aches and pains from lifting and pulling on patients.
  
  
• Seeing some of our co-workers permanently disabled because of on the job back injuries.
  
  
• Watching people suffer. Being in the front lines of human need. Coping with family grief.
  
  
• Losing patients we've grown close to in death.
  
  
• Touching, bathing, applying dressings and wound care to those who are indecent toward us.
  
  
• Giving physical care to those who are physically unclean.
  
  
• Job layoffs, mergers, company failures, job insecurity.
  
  
• Difficulties with co-workers or supervisors.
  
  
• Unfair evaluations or expectations.
  
  
• Lack of experience or knowledge in some areas of our nursing practice.
  
  
• Potential for lawsuits.

If you are frustrated with all the trying nursing encounters you are required to deal with daily, you've come to the right place. Sometimes we just need to get away. We need a hideaway to unwind. We need CareNurse online nurses' retreat.

We write care plans for patient care all the time. We need a care plan written just for us.

Article Source: CareNurse.com

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Where Are The Top Nursing Schools

Submitted to Bestsyndication.com by Cathy Somers

The standard for ranking nursing schools is U.S. News and World Report, which asks deans, administrators, and faculty members to evaluate other schools based on the quality of academic programs and how well students are prepared for a career in nursing. Professionals who hire new graduates also are surveyed to help create the list of the best nursing schools.

There are two more common levels of nurses: ADN (Associate Degree Nurses 2 years of study), and BSN (Bachelor of Science Nurses 4 years of study. Accelerated programs are available for both degrees, especially if you have college credits or a degree in another field. Those with bachelor’s degrees can expect to make more money the national average for a BSN is $52,000 and advance to supervisory or management positions more quickly than those with an ADN.

In its most recent rankings for the top nursing schools, U.S. News and World Report put the University of Washington in Seattle at the top of the list, followed by the University of California-San Francisco, the University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Nursing. Close behind were the Oregon Health and Science University, the University of Illinois-Chicago, the University of Maryland-Baltimore, the University of Pittsburgh, and Yale University. A total of 395 college nursing programs were examined in the ranking process.

The University of Washington School of Nursing has ranked Number 1 since 1984, when the first national survey on the best nursing schools was conducted (U.S. News and World Report began its rankings in 1993). What sets it apart from the other schools is a good guide to use when choosing what nursing school you wish to attend.

The University of Washington has partnerships with local hospitals that provide on-the-job training, which is perhaps the most important part of learning to become a nurse. Pick a school that is close to at least one good hospital and has an active training program. Other important factors to consider are research opportunities, nursing board passing rates, and class

If you see nursing in your future and would like to find out more about the best nursing schools. Or visit http://nursing.resourcesandinfo.net/Articles/Nursing_Schools.php for more information about nursing schools and careers.

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Nursing School Programs Under Review

The Kentucky Board of Nursing finds four schools are not meeting the grade when it comes to the number of R.N. graduates who pass the National Council Licensure Exam.

The Lees College Campus of Hazard Community and Technical College is among those under review.

HCTC officials say as a whole, 87% of its R.N. students passed the national exam last year. They say changes are already taking shape at each of its campuses to make sure those students are better prepared for the test.

Seniors Christy Boyd and Vanessa Bellar are getting ready to graduate from the R.N. program at the Lees College Campus, but the work is far from over.

"After I graduate, I'll probably study for a couple more weeks before I take boards, but i do feel like I've been properly prepared for the NCLEX," said Bellar.

The Kentucky Board of Nursing says for the past three years, the Lees Campus has not met the 85% required pass rate.

"Sometimes they just run into some problems and the board is there to make sure they correct the problems and carry on," said Nathan Goldman, general counsel for the KBN.

HCTC officials say a board member visited the Lees Campus in February to see some of the changes, including a full time nurse that works with students facing difficulty to new guidelines for test writing.

"We want to mirror as closely as we can the NCLEX board exam," said Dr. R. Kathy Smoot, Service Provost.

HCTC officials are planning to ask the board to clarify why it looks at the Lees and Hazard campuses separately and not as the same program.

The KBN is expected to meet April 23rd and 24th to discuss the next step. Members are expected to ask officials from each of the four colleges make presentations on how they can improve the pass rate.

HCTC officials say 100% of its evening class that graduated recently passed the national exam.


Reporter: Michel Mason
Article Source: wkyt.com

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Bracing for Hard Times

At Nursing School, bracing for hard times

Raymond Carlson and Florence Dethy

Staff Reporter, Staff Reporter

Published Wednesday, March 25, 2009

An increase in applications does not always spell steady enrollment, and the Yale School of Nursing is embracing this fact. Staff reporters Raymond Carlson and Florence Dethy investigate.

As the decline in Yale’s endowment continues to affect budgets across the University, the Nursing School is crafting a conservative budget for the coming year, in case enrollment at the highly tuition-dependent school declines. While the school has a seen a 10 percent increase in applications this year, Yale School of Nursing Dean Margaret Grey said the school is planning for a possible decline in enrollment.

“While we have extraordinarily strong applications this year,” Grey said, “It’s not clear we will be able to bring in the size of class we have for the past five to 10 years.”


UNABLE TO PAY

Indeed, the lucky students accepted to the Yale School of Nursing this year may also decline to attend in greater numbers.

Given the credit crunch, many prospective Nursing School students who would need to take out loans to finance their education may not be able to get the necessary loans or be willing to shoulder the debt they would face upon graduation, Grey said.

As such, the School of Nursing’s business office is laying out a budget for next year based on conservative enrollment numbers, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Frank Grosso said.

“Just in case a number of applicants don’t come for whatever reason, [the Nursing School] is trying to put together a budget based on lower numbers,” Grosso said. “We’re trying to be very conservative, very strategic.”

On average, nursing students graduate with about $100,000 of debt, Grey said, a figure that is marginally lower than that physicians face.

For this reason, though the Nursing School is making budget cuts of 7.5 percent, consistent with Yale-wide policy, Grey said the school is tentatively also planning to increase the amount of financial aid available to its students by 5 percent.

Still, even if aid does increase, the fact remains that at the School of Nursing, like at several other Yale professional schools, scholarship funds can be “limited,” said Director of Student Financial Services Caesar Storlazzi. Additionally, many of the scholarship funds available to nursing students are merit-based, rather than need-based, he said.

Nonetheless, Grey said, as the Nursing School increases its financial aid, it hopes to dispel students’ worries that they will be unable to finance their nursing education.

“My largest concern is that students who rely on loans are worried they will be more difficult to get,” Grey said.


LOOMING LOANS

Despite the planned increase in financial aid, many nursing students will inevitably need to take out loans.

Ironically, Storlazzi said, it is the certainty of nursing students’ future income that reinforces the notion they can borrow to finance their education.

“There’s the thinking that once a nurse graduates, there’ll be a stronger stream of income,” he said. “So a nurse can borrow heavily and end up paying back the loan.”

Still, while private student loans may be difficult for students to acquire, there is no funding shortage for federal student loans, said Justin Drager, vice president for development of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

Drager said the majority of students take federal student loans as opposed to private student loans.

But not all students can take out federal loans, Storlazzi said. Some students, such as international students, are ineligible for federal loans and could run into difficulties, he added, although Yale has an international loan program of $6-7 million to support international students.

When asked what options are available to students if they are unable to find lending sources, Storlazzi said students have limited resources. “Unless students can find another way to pay, they’ll need to tap out family members [for money],” he said.


SAFE FROM THE ECONOMIC STORM

On the other hand, the nursing profession has been relatively insulated from the recession, Grey said, a fact that may be behind the 10 percent increase in applications the school has seen this year. Because of the nationwide nursing shortage, nursing school students are essentially guaranteed employment upon graduation, Grey said. (To meet the nursing need in the United States, an additional 30,000 nurses should be graduating annually, according to a statement released in March 2008 by the Council on Physician and Nurse Supply.)

Still, as the Nursing School continues to determine how it will cut its budget, it is waiting to find out if any of its researchers will benefit from federal stimulus funding that is being doled out by the National Institute of Health.

Since the extra funding the NIH receives from the stimulus must be spent on one- to two-year grants, Grey said the body is looking to fund high-cost, quick turnaround projects it was unable to fund given its previous budget. At present, a number of Nursing School faculty have projects that are candidates for the additional funding. If their research is funded, it could also create jobs for residents in the greater New Haven community, Grey said.

Budget cuts notwithstanding, the School of Nursing is in a much better position than many of its peers in terms of its finances, Grey said.

“Many other places are looking at salary cuts in the 5 to 10 percent range and looking at staff reductions and hiring freezes,” Grey said. “We are nowhere near as bad off as many other places.”


Article Source: Yaledailynews.com

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