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| Maria College Practical Nurse program, NY
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| Wednesday
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The Practical Nurse Certificate (PNC), a program within the Department of Nursing, is a 47 credit Certificate Program with up to 32 transferable Nursing credits to the ADN program at Maria College. Upon successful completion of the required coursework, students are eligible to sit for the New York State National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN). Passing the Licensure Exam will make the graduate eligible for LPN positions in the health field.
700 New Scotland AveAlbany,
NY 12208
(518) 489-7436
To enter the Practical Nursing Certificate Program, the applicant must provide evidence of a completed high school program or the equivalent. Applicants who do not have previous college credit or do not meet SAT cut off scores will be required to take a Placement Test to determine the appropriate level of mathematics and language arts. Those scoring below a cut off score will be required to complete remedial course work before admittance into the program so that they will be prepared to complete the program. A complete physical examination, first aid, and Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation Certification (CPR) are required before they will be allowed to take clinical courses.
The PNC Program is offered in three tracks in order to maximize coursework options for students. The program will consist of 46-47 credits (30 Nursing and 16 - 17 Liberal Arts), and is primarily a weekend, part-time program that can be completed within six semesters for qualified applicants.
Practical Nursing courses are offered only in the Weekend College.
What is a Licensed Vocational Nurse?
Is the Vocational Nursing Profession a growing career?
What do Vocational Nurses do? |
posted by blogger @ 08:15
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| For some foreign-trained doctors and dentists, restoring careers can be complicated, costly and long
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Immigrant doctors driving taxicabs or dentists working in construction can get help through a new center at Highline Community College that provides guidance to foreign-trained health-care professionals trying to get their careers back on track.
Immigrant Ismael Nana, 30, works at Old Country Buffet in Federal Way but was a medical professional in Burkina Faso before he moved here. He's applied for hundreds of jobs in labs and hospitals.
Ismael Nana serves roast beef to a customer at Old Country Buffet in Federal Way. He also teaches French at a private school. He was a medical professional in Burkina Faso before immigrating here, where he's been unable to find work in his field.
Ismael Nana is shown working in a lab in his home country of Burkina Faso, in West Africa, before coming to the United States. He holds master's degrees in microbiology and biology.
More information
Highline Community College's Welcome Back Center:
http://welcomeback.highline.edu
For more than 10 years — in private practice and later for the national government — Dr. Rayna Aguila cared for pregnant women and their unborn babies in her native El Salvador.
She counseled families struggling with domestic violence and tried to teach people — rich and poor — how to protect themselves against disease.
"My work involved every aspect of community care," she said in heavily accented English.
When she came to the U.S. nearly seven years ago, she'd hoped to work again as a health professional. But, unable to speak much English, Aguila ended up taking whatever job she could find to help support her family, including waiting tables and cashiering in grocery stores.
In April, she started down a path she hopes will enable her once again to use her medical training. She is among some 70 Puget Sound-area immigrants receiving guidance through a new program at Highline Community College that helps foreign-born and -educated health professionals navigate the state's credentialing process.
Their stories aren't unique. Across the country, doctors, dentists, scientists and engineers wash floors and drive taxicabs to make a living — unable to transcend the language barriers and credentialing rules needed to practice here in the United States.
A recent study by the Migration Policy Institute, an independent Washington, D.C.-based think tank, found more than 1.3 million such immigrants are doing unskilled jobs beneath their levels of education and training.
The Puget Sound Welcome Back Center at Highline helps them identify the additional training they need and how best to get it. It was planned in partnership with the California Welcome Back Initiative, which started in San Francisco in 2001 (www.e-welcomeback.org) and provides a model for this type of work, with centers now in four states.
"This is not a shortcut to get into the health profession," said Kris Mason, center director at Highline.
"It's a way to help immigrants ... get accurate and realistic information about what it's going to take for them to get a license to practice their professions here."
Most who have sought help through Highline's center are from such countries as Ethiopia, Ukraine, Iraq and Mexico. The most common profession: nursing.
Mason said getting medical professionals back on track will help address a need for linguistic diversity among providers of health care at a time when increasing numbers of those seeking services are immigrants.
In her report, Uneven Progress, Migration Policy Institute's Jeanne Batalova found that just over half of the 6.1 million immigrants who held at least a bachelor's degree in 2006 had received their education before coming to the U.S.
And one in four of them is working in an unskilled job.
"Our report challenges the notion that a college education automatically opens up doors of opportunity to everyone," Batalova said.
She said degrees from institutions in Western Europe, Canada and other English-speaking countries are looked upon more favorably than those from Asia, Eastern Europe or Africa.
"It's not stated overtly, but by practice there's the assumption that the other country's education training program might be inferior or not match standards in the U.S.," she said.
"An employer may not know what a degree from the University of Moldova means."
Extra challenges
Ismael Nana holds a master's degree in microbiology and another in biology from the University of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, his native country in West Africa.
Since arriving in the U.S. this past spring, the 30-year-old has applied online for hundreds of jobs in laboratories, hospitals and elsewhere. But job offers have not come, so he's working as a food server at an Old Country Buffet in Federal Way and teaching French to kids at a private school in Madrona.
His wife, who was trained as a physician in Burkina Faso, returned there this summer to complete some course work after being unable to find a job here.
"Right now I try to find a lab job," Nana said. "I don't want to have to start from the lowest level."
Professionals who need a license to practice — dentists, pharmacists, doctors — are required to pass the same tests, whether they were trained in the U.S. or overseas.
Many must also pass the so-called test of English as a Foreign Language (TOFL).
A further complication confronts those whose old careers do not translate neatly into one in the U.S.
For example, in some countries, the job of public or environmental health inspector might be considerably different from what it is in the U.S., and immigrants who want to pursue such a career here may find they need to start over.
For some foreign-trained doctors and dentists, restoring careers can be complicated, costly and long.
"Most of them have been in the country for over 10 years and not been in their professions," said Kao Saechao, educational case manager with the Welcome Back Center. "If you're in your late 40s, mid-50s, that makes returning to your career tough."
Adjusting dreams
Aguila, the El Salvadoran doctor, didn't consider her medical career over when she came to the U.S.
But "the economic situation was no good," she said. "I was caring for my children, taking ESL classes, and I had to work to help my family," she said.
Now, at age 49 and still trying to improve her English, she no longer thinks it's practical to pursue a medical practice here.
In April she enrolled in a Highline course in English for medical professionals and, after completing it, began a phlebotomy program. She is currently completing an externship and "next, I try to get job in lab or a hospital," she said.
"Maybe I can study nutrition. I would like to return to my home country and say to my former classmates: I'm a nutritionist."source
LVN vs RN What is the difference?
Vocational Nursing schools in California 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
Licensed Vocational Nurse LVN program prerequisites
LVN Program Fees
Vocational Nursing schools in Texas
Vocational Nursing schools in Florida
Tips for choosing a vocational school |
| posted by blogger @ 23:58
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| The health care industry reports the lowest unemployment
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Across the nation, as the country shed nearly 3 million jobs during the year, the health care industry has managed to add 369,000 new jobs, according to the Labor Department.
Over the past year the U.S. economy has shed 2.7 million jobs, with more than a half-million lost in November alone, but according to Workforce Solutions of East Texas things are not that bad in Palestine..
With the nation’s unemployment rate at 6.7 percent, the outlook for the Palestine area is looking a little better with the local unemployment rate standing at 6.3 percent for the month ending in November. Those numbers were confirmed by Workforce Solutions of East Texas Area Director Ray Williams.
“We are insulated from a lot of what goes on in the rest of the country because of the oil and medical industry,” Williams noted. “In fact, most places around here are actually hiring right now.”
Another bright spot for the Palestine area are the Texas Department of Criminal Justice facilities in Tennessee Colony.
“Right now, I think there are about 600 openings at the prisons in the Tennessee Colony area,” Williams estimated.
Workforce Solutions of East Texas Communications and Marketing Director John Valent said the labor situation in Palestine is much the same in all of East Texas.
“We’re not near as bad off as other parts of the country,” Valent said. “The jobs are out there, you just have to go find them — and that’s why we’re here.”
Much of the unemployment problem the country is experiencing right now can be traced back to the financial industry and a steep loss in manufacturing jobs. Some East Texas cities, like Tyler, also have lost manufacturing jobs, Williams noted, but overall the area is still doing well.
“The major manufacturers have been hit the hardest,” Williams said. “Tyler has had quite a few layoffs with (the closing of) Goodyear and layoffs at Tyler Pipe and Trane.”
The U.S. Department of Labor, in its November report released earlier this month, reported there are 10.3 million unemployed people in the United States.
Unemployment rates were highest, according to Labor Department statistics in the construction field, which saw a non-seasonally adjust unemployment rate of 12.7 percent in November.
Underscoring those numbers, the U.S. Commerce Department reported that construction of new homes fell 18.9 percent in November, which pushed construction down to an annual rate of 625,000 homes.
Other job fields seeing high unemployment rates include those in leisure and hospitality, with unemployment rates nearing 10 percent.
There are sectors of the economy doing well and even expanding.
The health care industry reports the lowest unemployment along with education, and also government jobs, the Labor Department Reported.
“A lot of little ‘Maw and Paw’ operations have shut their doors because of the financial situation and the difficulty in getting financing and loans,” Williams said, but there are other opportunities available locally, including an abundance of health care jobs.
Across the nation, as the country shed nearly 3 million jobs during the year, the health care industry has managed to add 369,000 new jobs, according to the Labor Department.
Here locally the demand for certified nurses aides has gone through the roof, Williams noted, saying those positions at retirement homes and assisted living facilities are open in abundance.
“With our aging population, the medical industry is really strong right now,” Williams continued. “A lot of the nursing homes are willing to pay for CNA training for the right person, maybe even to the point of getting RN (registered nurse) certification.”
While there may be a lack of high paying jobs around East Texas, Valent said if people are willing to make an effort they will find a job.
“People just need to look,” Valent stressed. “You don’t have to flip burgers to get a job. You may have to go to Tyler, but there are good jobs out there that can be found if you are persistent.”
As for the future for the community, Williams said while there will be cutbacks here and there, he doesn’t foresee anything major on the horizon.
“We haven’t had any major layoffs in the (Palestine) area,” Williams said. “We really don’t expect any either.”
Valent and Williams both urged people looking for work to utilize the services of Workforce Solutions, located at 500 E. Murchison in Palestine.
“We are here to help,” Valent said. “Our goal is to get people back to work.”
To learn more about what Workforce Solutions offers, give them a call at 903-729-0178.
For those still in school and looking to enter into the labor market soon, Williams offered this bit of advice.
“Stay in school as long as you can,” Williams said. “You need to get as much education as you can these days.
“We are to the point now where even a high school diploma is not going to help you. People really need to focus on math and science because that is where the future is. This is a global economy and you are competing with the rest of the world for jobs.
“For vocational training, you need to get certified,” Williams added. “Whether it’s a welder or plumber, you need to be certified.”
For the people who have the proper training, Williams said there will be jobs out there. source
LVN vs RN What is the difference?
Vocational Nursing schools in California 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
Licensed Vocational Nurse LVN program prerequisites
LVN Program Fees
Vocational Nursing schools in Texas
Vocational Nursing schools in Florida
Tips for choosing a vocational school |
| posted by blogger @ 20:08
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| Destination for Filipino nurses
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NURSING jobs are simply not there for thousands of Filipinos hopeful of going to the United States. At the moment.
“The US still needs nurses but it’s not giving out visas for nurses now. It needs to legislate to provide additional work-related permanent visas for nurses,” says Dean Josefina Tuazon of the University of the Philippines Manila-College of Nursing.
Observers believe visas for foreign-trained nurses will be issued again next year when the US Congress, upon the urging of patients and the health-care industry, approves the quota for foreign-trained nurses that has already been filled up.
“Although the US still needs more nurses, in view of the recent US recession and financial crisis, working nurses there now put in additional hours while others are going back to nursing, thus local nurses are filling local demand.”
Instead, for the first time, she says, Canada is aggressively recruiting Filipino nurses to the extent of even going here for direct hiring. Called “provincial nominees,” nurses are now a priority there. “A boom is ongoing and Canada needs to populate and provide nursing services to their rural and remote areas,” Tuazon explains.
Currently, the Philippines through the Department of Labor and Employment has a Memorandum of Agreement with the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, British Columbia and Alberta. Saskatchewan invited a Philippine delegation last month to discuss terms of the agreement for more ethical recruitment and assistance to the source country.
Each province has different terms of contract and potential recruits should check these out, says Tuazon.
‘Practical Nurses’
For example, she says, Alberta is hiring Filipino registered nurses as “practical nurses,” a sort of aide who assists registered nurses in, say, giving medication. It is a vocational level below that of a registered nurse.
“Alberta is recruiting our nurses for a lower position with lower pay,” Tuazon points out.
A practical nurse is not recognized in the Philippines and by the Philippine Nurses Association, she explains. The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) has graduated several practical nurses but they cannot be absorbed locally.
“Nurses should apply for jobs as nurses, and nothing less than that,” Tuazon says. “They should be patient because there are better options for nursing positions abroad.”
The Middle East, for instance, is still the number one destination for Filipino nurses, especially Saudi Arabia. “Tuloy-tuloy ang deployment doon [Deployment there is continuous], although the terms of recruitment need improvement,” Tuazon says, adding the demand in Saudi Arabia in the early 1980s almost depleted the nursing pool in the Philippines.
Then there is the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) that opens Japan to Filipino nurses. Initially, about 400 slots will be available, Tuazon says, but this is expected to increase as Japan’s life expectancy lengthens and the number of elderly needing nursing care increases.
“The [JPEPA] terms are not so favorable to Filipino nurses who, after six months of culture and language training, are required to pass a nursing exam conducted in Japanese,” she says. “The training period is not enough to learn competency in technical terms, and the likelihood of passing is low.”
Glut in Philippines
There is a glut in available positions for nurses here. It is estimated by the Department of Labor and the nursing community that up to 100,000 nurses are currently unemployed. Add to that the 90,000 new graduates who took the board in late November alone—half of whom are not expected to pass—and you have something like 140,000 nurses looking for jobs, here and now.
“Nurses looking for jobs abroad should weigh the situation,” Tuazon says. “In negotiating for contracts, they need to get the best terms and not to accept any jobs below that of nursing as this will compromise the negotiating power of government and nurses—for example, if others are willing to get low-paying jobs, it will bring down wages.”
“Get better terms abroad that will hire you as a nurse, and don’t accept jobs below your credentials,” she says. “Anything less will impact on employment and brings down the value of Filipino nurses. One has the social responsibility to prevent this.”
“Filipino nurses should not look for jobs abroad right away,” she continues. “Get jobs here first because a good employment agency will look for nurses with experience. And don’t delay the work experience because local positions are quickly taken. Prepare by developing local credentials that are relevant to a nursing job abroad.”
“Potential recruits should be more astute,” she says. “Get information from correct sources like embassy and immigration websites, check out if recruiters are licensed, you know, the basic facts. And be careful with aggressive recruiters and check out fantastic offers.”
“The Commission on Higher Education should check the lack of regulations and monitoring of nursing schools that are diploma mills,” she says. “For instance, it has to address the fact that less than half of graduates pass the board examination while before the passing rate was over 80 percent.” source
Provide more foreign nurse visas
US to increase work visas to ease strains of nursing shortage
Medical Careers Salary Best Medical Careers Top Medical Jobs |
| posted by blogger @ 16:04
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| Job security in the health care field.
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In an economic climate in which banks are collapsing, homes are in foreclosure and the nation's Big Three automakers are asking for as much as $34 billion in bailout funds, many Californians have lost their jobs.
California's unemployment rate hit 8.2 percent in October, up from 7.7 percent the previous month and well above the 5.7 percent of a year earlier, according to the state Employment Development Department.
Bad news to be sure.
But EDD statistics reveal there's still a strong demand for workers in California's health care industry.
In Los Angeles County alone, continued growth in health care will necessitate the hiring of 713 new licensed vocational nurses per year, the agency reported.
To become an LVN in California, you must complete a one-year certificate program. A state-issued license is also required.
The annual median wage for LVNs in Los Angeles County is $46,372.
Other health care jobs that are in high demand in L.A. County include:
Emergency medical technicians:
113 new EMTs are needed each year. They earn an annual median wage of $26,191.
Nursing aides, orderlies and attendants:
881 are needed each year. The median annual wage is $23,886.
Radiology technicians:
144 needed per year. The median annual wage is $56,965.
Health care support workers:
196 needed each year. The median annual wage is $30,925.
Registered nurses:
2,481 additional nurses are needed each year. The median annual wage is $77,300.
In the health care arena, Matt Poore is a success story.
The resident initially became certified as an emergency medical technician with plans to become a firefighter.
But after working in a hospital emergency room, he decided he liked the field of health care and opted to continue his studies. Now he has three jobs.
"I work as an emergency room nurse at Placentia-Linda Hospital, and I also work part time doing critical care transport in the Rancho Cucamonga area," he said. "We work on an ambulance, transporting patients from one ICU to another."
Poole is also a clinical instructor at Mt. San Antonio College.
"I like this industry because there's plenty of room for moving into different departments," he said. "If you work in ER for a couple years and get tired of that, you can go to labor and delivery. And if you don't like that, you can go to critical care; there's real job security."
Sara Jackson has also gained job security in the health care field.
Jackson, 29, of Upland, used to work in a hospital cafeteria but later became certified as a monitor technician. Now she works at Inter- Community Hospital in Covina and is studying nursing at Mt. San Antonio College.
"I'm just finishing up my first semester at Mt. SAC and I love it," she said. "I feel that I'm contributing something back to the community."
Jackson's story is particularly impressive in light of the many demands she juggles. Aside from her work, she also is the mother of eight children, ranging in age from five months to 10 years.
And she has chosen to home-school them. So working toward a better career in the medical field shouldn't be out of anyone's reach, she said.
"When I hear people say they can't do this, I don't want to hear that," she said. "I've been in labor taking my finals and have had to go back to the hospital."
Jackson feels that the nursing profession is a noble one.
"I just want to become the example that was set for me," she said. "As nurses, we're held to a higher standard ... and we should take great pride in that."
The following Web sites offer information on careers in the health care industry:
28-year-old Glendora HealthJobsStartHere.com:
A one-stop resource for health careers, including job postings and training programs by zip code.
icanaffordcollege.com: Financial aid information for California community colleges.
www.mtsac.edu
Information on classes available at Mt. San Antonio College
www.pasadena.edu
Information on classes at Pasadena City College
www.citruscollege.edu
Classes at Citrus College
www.riohondo.edu
Classes at Rio Hondo College
www.elac.edu
Classes at East Los Angeles College source
Licensed Vocational Nurse working conditions
What is the typical salary for a Licensed Vocational Nurse ?
How do I prepare for the job?
Benefits of Vocational Nursing |
| posted by blogger @ 12:53
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| Porterville College
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The 100 Porterville College mid-year graduates had plenty to celebrate recently as they graduated from the college’s Fire Academy, Psychiatric Technician, Psychiatric Technician, Vocational Nursing, Registered Nursing and the Entrepreneur programs.
The firefighters were required to finish 360 hours of training in a variety of topics, among them firefighter safety, wildland fire behavior, building search and rescue, fire investigation, vehicle collision rescue, Jaws of Life and many others.
The psychiatric technician and vocational nursing graduations took place at the Burton Middle School gymnasium with Karen Boriak, director of nursing, announcing several awards including the academic achievement award source
What do Vocational Nurses do?
Important skills, knowledge, and abilities for LVNs
How to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse |
| posted by blogger @ 08:49
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| Texas Careers offers diploma and certificate programs in the allied health
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Texas Careers offers diploma and certificate programs in the allied health and legal fields. Students can learn how to become medical assistants, medical office specialists, nurse aides, vocational nurses or paralegals.
Texas Careers has moved to a new, larger location on San Antonio’s Northwest Side that will allow the school to serve more students.
The new campus — which occupies 34,000 square feet of a 40,000-square-foot office building can accommodate more than 1,000 students between day and evening classes. The building is located at 6441 N.W. Loop 410.
The new building has more classrooms, larger vocational nursing and medical assistant labs, space for new programs, better accessibility with on-site parking and a location adjacent to the Ingram Park Transit Center.
Officials with the school say the move will not affect any program offerings, state licensing or accreditation. Classes will begin in the new building after the winter break.
Texas Careers is part of Kaplan Higher Education — which serves 80,000 students through more than 70 campus-based schools across the United States and Europe.
Angela Worth, a spokeswoman for Kaplan Higher Education, says the school is continually evaluating its programs and looks “to add programs that are responsive to the labor needs of the San Antonio area.”
Texas Careers offers diploma and certificate programs in the allied health and legal fields. Students can learn how to become medical assistants, medical office specialists, nurse aides, vocational nurses or paralegals. It also offers online programs through Kaplan Virtual Education, Kaplan University and Concord Law School of Kaplan University. source
Medical Careers
Licensed Vocational Nurse Jobs
What is a Licensed Vocational Nurse?
Is the Vocational Nursing Profession a growing career? |
| posted by blogger @ 04:11
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| continuing nursing education provides nursing career advancement opportunities
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With the current nursing shortage and demand for qualified nurses, continuing nursing education not only provides nursing career advancement opportunities and updated industry expertise, it also provides a gateway to a thriving nursing career. All Nursing Schools now offers a Nursing Continuing Education Resource Center to help students learn more about the benefits of nursing continuing education, as well as to provide access to both online and campus-based program providers.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects substantial employment growth for nurses at all levels, such as a 23 percent increase for registered nurses by 2016—making this an excellent time to either start or advance a nursing career. Nurse practitioners (NPs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and registered nurses (RNs) alike will find the Continuing Education Resource Center a helpful resource for their nursing career-catered needs.
The resource center gives students and nurses insight into how to get a raise, promotion or added career expertise through continuing nursing education. It also gives a detailed look at what kinds of continuing nursing education courses are needed for each type of program—all outlined to create a one-stop shopping center for nurses, or the "heartbeat of health care."
For those interested in a rewarding nursing career, the Nursing Continuing Education Resource Center offers a myriad of career opportunities. Product manager Herman Chiang comments: "Continuing education is critical in a nurse's career development as students can improve skill-sets, acquire new ones, and increase their overall marketability for nursing positions. Educating our nurses ultimately leads to a higher level of health care across the board, which we think is a very good thing for the community. Through this new Continuing Education Resource Center, our intent is to better bridge our prospective students with the educations providers." All Nursing Schools serves the nursing community once again with this informative, and free, online resource and schools directory.
About All Nursing Schools
All Nursing Schools is a comprehensive online publisher of accredited nursing degree programs and nursing career resources. Since 2001, All Nursing Schools has been helping match millions of highly qualified prospective students with the schools that best meet their educational needs. All Nursing Schools strives to be the finest resource available to prospective students and nurses, and is one of several unique Web sites owned by All Star Directories, Inc. source |
| posted by blogger @ 23:58
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| He watches his wife nurse via the web
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They may be over 65 hundred miles apart.
It's daytime here, and nighttime there.
But today, a Knoxville man got to see a proud moment for his wife, her graduation.
Thanks to the Internet and a notebook web cam, Sgt. James Caldwell gave his wife the thumbs up after she walked across the stage.
Much like marriage, then children, so too is the special time that comes with college graduation.
But for Courtney Caldwell, her husband couldn't be present because he's serving in Iraq or could he?
"Everybody says Hi, babe!," says UT nursing graduate Courtney Caldwell.
Courtney used her skills as an electronics technician in the Navy to make sure he got to see it all via the web.
"When graduation was looming and I knew he wasn't going to be here, I just well, I could take the computer over there. There's wireless," says Caldwell.
Sgt. James Caldwell was home up to six months ago, and Courtney wanted to make sure he didn't miss her big day.
Courtney says, "He did a lot of the cooking and cleaning while he was over here while I was studying late hours."
"She's been doing a good job taking care of my daughters. She's been working real hard and finally it's paid off. It's good to see that. Very proud of you," says Sgt. James Caldwell.
The pride was evident as Courtney made her way across the stage after four hard years of studying and a husband thousands of miles away who gave her the thumbs up via a web cam.
"It was awesome. I was practically there," says James.
Courtney waved goodbye as she left with the rest of her classmates. James wasn't there physically, but for Courtney, technology is the next best thing.
"It's different but I'm just excited and glad that he got to watch and that's all I really care about," says Courtney.
Of course, both Courtney and her husband say it will be better when they get to be together again when he gets a leave in early 2009.
Courtney, meanwhile, says she's hoping to eventually go back to active duty navy later and practice nursing. source
Benefits of Vocational Nursing
How do I find the job?
LPNs and RNs-similarities and differences |
| posted by blogger @ 20:11
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| Yale University School of Nursing
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In a $34 million land deal, Yale University has bought a permanent home for its School of Nursing.
The deal was sealed on Nov. 26, according to land records. The sale had two components.
Yale had been renting the nursing school’s current building, formerly Lee High School, at 100 Church St. South, from Church Street Development Association. The property sits on the block between Amistad Street, Cedar Street, Church Street South and Columbus Avenue. When the property became available, Yale snatched it up for $33,250,000.
Yale bought the property “so the school would continue to have a home,” according to Yale Vice President for New Haven and State Affairs Michael Morand. That means the school will continue at the same spot, but Yale will be the owners, not the tenants.
Yale also paid $1 million for a parking lot at 39 Prince St./214 Lafayette St., from Hamstead Properties LLC. The lot will continue to be used for parking, Morand said.source
Licensed Vocational Nurse working conditions
What is the typical salary for a Licensed Vocational Nurse ?
How do I prepare for the job? |
| posted by blogger @ 16:09
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| Many nurses who had left the field are returning,
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Even in the health-care industry, carving out a niche will be important to survival. While medical care is always in demand regardless of what happens in the economy, people's ability to spend for services is sensitive to downturns.
Some hospitals have been cutting jobs in response to weaker demand for services related to more people being out of work. Hospital chain HCA, for instance, recently cut more than 100 information technology jobs in a move attributed in part to the economic downturn.
But with the baby boomer population aging, specialized services, such as disease management and home health care, are still expected to grow in 2009. And these services depend heavily on nurses.
Many nurses who had left the field are returning, said Colleen Conway-Welch, dean of Vanderbilt University's nursing school. A refresher course that the school offers for those whose licenses had lapsed has drawn 24 enrollees this month.
A total of 36 nurses took the course all of last year.
"It's an imperfect short-term resolution because as soon as the economy stabilizes, those nurses will likely leave the work force again," Conway-Welch said. "They're only working under duress."
Nashville-based CareAll Home Care has hired 197 people in the past three months, including certified nurse technicians or personal sitters and licensed practical nurses, said J.W. Carell, its chief executive. The provider of in-home care hopes to add 500 more people to its current staff of about 1,200.
Helping businesses that are already in the region expand is the centerpiece of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce's strategy to weather the recession, said Schulz, the chamber's presidentsource
Important skills, knowledge, and abilities for LVNs
How to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse |
| posted by blogger @ 12:03
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| Fields with the greatest shortages include nurses, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians,therapists in physical and occupational therapy
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Michigan industry offers stable option in shaky economy as hospitals grow desperate to fill critical shortages
That may include you -- autoworkers, social workers, accountants, computer technicians and others laid off in one of the nation's worst recessions.
As jobs evaporate, the health care industry remains a field with job growth, benefits and, usually, stability.
"It's a very strong forecast for health care for a long time to come," said Andy Levin, deputy director of Michigan's Department of Labor and Economic Growth.
But as word has spread, many college health programs are full, the Free Press found in interviews with state labor forecasters, job bank coordinators, hospital human resource officials and deans of community colleges and four-year degree programs.
Now, just to get into a college program, students may first need to take online or community college courses, or volunteer to get health care experience, educators and hospital officials suggest.
"The problem is that so many people decided health care would be a great thing to get into right now that they have overloaded our education system; there are waiting lists," said Carole Stacy, director of the Michigan Center for Nursing, part of the nonprofit Michigan Health Council.
But once accepted into a training program, many fields offer graduates a choice of positions, both in Michigan and around the country.
More than a dozen health care fields are in particularly high demand. "We call them critical occupations here," said Barb Medvec, senior vice president and nursing officer at Oakwood Healthcare in Dearborn. "In many of these fields, we have vacancies."
Besides doctors and nurses, fields with the greatest shortages include pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, technologists and technicians of all kinds, and a wide range of therapists in physical and occupational therapy.
The shortages exist all over the country, fueled by retirements and an aging health care workforce, a growing number of older Americans and technology advances that demand more specialized workers.
By 2016, jobs for health care practitioners and technical workers such as nurses and physical therapists will grow 15% to 283,390 jobs, according to the Michigan labor and economic growth department.
Health care support positions, a category that includes a wide range of medical assistance help, will increase 20% to 164,500 positions, the department says.
Overall, Michigan's health care industry now directly employs 472,300 people, more than Michigan's agricultural and automotive manufacturing sectors, the department says.
"We need people very badly" in critically-short fields, said Andrea Ferrario, director of talent acquisition for St. John Health in Warren.
The system, which laid off 300 people earlier this year in nonclinical care areas, needs people in a dozen areas, including nurses with specialty training, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians and others.
"We just opened a new hospital" in Novi and "we need to maintain employment at all the rest" of the system's hospitals, she said.
Something for everyone
Experts suggest calling a hospital or visiting its Web site's career pages, then following up with interviews with hospital job recruiters.
Not all hospital jobs require training or an interest in science. Others, such as radiology technician positions, may be good for autoworkers who enroll in two-year training programs, said Deloris Hunt, vice president of human resources for the Detroit Medical Center.
Another possible fit for people with manufacturing or business backgrounds might be a position in patient financial services, which provides benefits and $10- to $15-an-hour wages and requires no prior health care training, Ferrario said.
In January, St. John plans an event to try to find jobs within the St. John system for laid-off family members of current St. John workers. It also gives bonuses of as much as $2,000 to any St. John staffer who helps recruit a person to a critically short field, if the recruited worker stays with the health system at least six months.
The Detroit Medical Center has a similar program that pays $2,000 to $5,000 to staffers who refer people for critically short jobs.
Charlene McPeak, dean of health and human services at Macomb Community College, encouraged people to volunteer in health care to boost their chances of getting into a training program.
The school's physical therapy assistant program accepted 32 people last year among 250 applicants. Those with the highest grades and test scores had the best chances of getting in, along with those who had 40 hours of experience in the field, she said. Some volunteer just to get the requirement in.
Prospects after graduation
Already, graduates in critically short fields often finish school with good prospects.
"Our students pretty routinely are considering two to three serious job offers on graduation," said Rose Higgins, clinical coordinator of the University of Detroit-Mercy physician assistant program.
Last year, more than 500 students applied for 40 positions in the program.
Jobs for physician assistants -- who work under a doctor's supervision to provide a wide range of medical care -- have grown in the University of Michigan Health System in five years, increasing from 52 to 177 today, said Marc Moote, chief physician assistant with the health system.
Though the average annual wage for a physician assistant in Michigan is $79,240, specialists in the field can earn as much as $150,000 a year in areas such as cardiovascular medicine, Moote said.
"The demand continues to exceed the available supply," he said.
Once in health care, some advance further by getting a second degree.
Anna Kostaroff, a registered nurse for nearly 30 years, returned in 2003 to Madonna University for a master's degree in hospice and palliative studies, a field caring for terminally ill patients at home and in hospitals.
"It's an open field for people in social work, chaplaincies and nursing," she said. source
Is the Vocational Nursing Profession a growing career?
What do Vocational Nurses do? |
| posted by blogger @ 08:13
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| Nursing is a viable option for any ex-autoworker
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Kenneth Kidd, Veronica Williams and Angela Davis doubt they ever will get a layoff notice again.
All three are part of a 52-person class in a unique, two-year Oakland University/Henry Ford Health System nursing program for displaced autoworkers.
For now, the program is a one-time opportunity.
"I don't think anyone anticipated the auto companies would have so many more layoffs" when the program was designed three years ago, said Mary Kravutske, interim administrator for nursing development and research at Henry Ford.
"If it works and if we are very successful, we'll look at having" another program, she said.
Waiting lists exist for all of the state's nursing programs, said Carole Stacy, director of the Michigan Center for Nursing, part of the Michigan Health Council, a nonprofit health care jobs agency. The waits are due to lack of PhD-trained faculty, classrooms and hospital training spots for clinical rotations.
Still, once in, nursing school graduates have their pick of positions, particularly in highly specialized areas.
"We've never heard a student say, 'I've got my degree, now what do I do with that?' " said Jim McFarlin, spokesman for the Wayne State University School of Nursing.
WSU accepted 96 students among thousands of applicants last year for this fall's two programs for people with and without bachelor's degrees.
Second chances
Kidd, 42, of Ypsilanti says he believes nursing will provide stability and an example to his four children of why it's important to go to school.
He worked 10 1/2 years doing a variety of assembly-line jobs at Ford Motor Co. plants in Wayne and Novi before taking a buyout in 2007.
"I want them to look at me, raising a family, supporting them, going to school, as an example of the not-to-go-that-route," Kidd said. He dropped out of college and entered the military because he says he "would rather work than go to class."
Pregnancies interrupted the dreams of Williams and Davis, both Chrysler LLC assembly-line workers who took buyouts in 2007.
"I had to do what was right for me and my daughter," said Williams, 39, of Auburn Hills.
Tough requirements
Kidd, Williams and Davis had to take at least a year of prerequisite science classes to get into the nursing program.
Kidd took organic chemistry twice before passing. "I had to challenge myself, but I did it."
He works in a rehabilitation facility to help support his family and took out loans to pay for his education. He also supported his wife through her nursing training at Wayne County Community College.
All three students say nursing is a viable option for any autoworker who commits himself or herself to the work.
"I always tell people, 'You have to have a plan,' " said Davis, 36, a mother of three from Detroit. "This was a big adjustment, and it still is."
She tells her autoworker friends: "It's not too late for you."
Williams said too many people are afraid to take on the challenge. "But if you are committed, you can do this."
"People need to know there's life after the plant," Williams said. "I know I'll be secure in nursing." source
Medical Careers
Licensed Vocational Nurse Jobs
What is a Licensed Vocational Nurse? |
| posted by blogger @ 04:33
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| nurses tend to seek jobs in urban areas where salaries are higher
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A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital in Oneonta had nine job listings for registered nurses on its website Thursday. The Bassett Healthcare website had twice as many RN positions listed.
The ads offer jobs but don't reflect that local hospitals have an educational pipeline to train new nurses and advance its employees' careers.
Such a pipeline is key to quelling the area's nursing shortage, said Jeanne-Marie Havener, Hartwick College nursing department chairwoman, who is developing a nurse training program.
The New York State Health Foundation, a private organization, recently approved an $83,000 grant for Hartwick's ``Strengthen the Rural Nursing Workforce'' program.
Havener, who proposed the program, said the 18-month course will be for local adults with bachelor's degrees who wish to become nurses.
``Nursing is a very, very exciting career,'' Havener said Wednesday.
However, nurses tend to seek jobs in urban areas where salaries are higher and professional and social opportunities abound, she said.
A Center for Health Workforce Studies study, prepared by the School of Public Health at the State University at Albany, said that between 2005 and 2020, the number of registered nurses in Delaware, Otsego and Schoharie counties could drop from 1,257 to 734, or 42 percent.
The area's greatest challenge is to stem projected losses from nurses leaving, plus an increase in attrition from retirements, disability and death, the recently released study said. The median age of nurses in this area is 45, it said.
Robbin Scobie, Fox vice president of nursing, said the organization has a RN shortage. However, this year's vacancy rate was 4.9 percent as of Nov. 30, down from 7.4 percent in 2007.
Of 172 nurses employed in the Fox organization, 130 work at the hospital, she said.
Several nurses have worked at Fox for 30 or more years, with an average of 12 years, she said, but with the aging work force, leave requests and other factors, the employment picture changes daily.
``We've been able to cope with it through our programs,'' Scobie said. ``Compared to many institutions, we're much better off.''
The educational programs are geared to improving patient care and recruiting and retaining nurses, Scobie said.
At Fox, 38 people are enrolled in nursing programs at some level, she said, and the Susan Remillard Scholarship program and Fox Foundation provide support.
Bassett Healthcare employs 352 registered nurses and has a vacancy rate of 5 percent, said Connie Jastremski, vice president of nursing and patient services. The nursing vacancy rate nationwide is 8.5 percent, she said, and the Healthcare Association of New York State in May reported the state rate was 8.8 percent.
Local educational programs are available
About 13 licensed practical nurses will complete a partnership program at the State University College of Technology at Delhi in May and become the more-highly trained registered nurses at Bassett, she said.
Jastremski said that because of such efforts to ``grow our own,'' there aren't RN vacancies, except to find or train operating room nurses.
Bassett also has partnerships with Hartwick and the SUNY Institute of Technology, is assigning nurses to mentoring roles and is offering jobs in patient care with limited hours for nurses seeking changes.
Bassett doesn't have a shortage, Jastremski said, but the overall picture is worrisome because of declines in nursing school enrollment and the aging work force.
Havener said the local shortage of nurses and faculty had to be met by developing a pipeline of students and professionals.
In addition, the ``Rural Nursing Workforce'' project will ``give back'' to local health-care organizations that provide clinical opportunities for Hartwick students, she said.
Hartwick College, a four-year private liberal arts college, has an undergraduate nursing program as well as an accelerated summer course, Havener said.
In 2007, enrollment was 187, according to a media release.
Students enrolling in the ``Rural Nursing Workforce'' program face prerequisites, including a required science background, Havener said, and the first class will have 10 students. Students may continue working part time or full time, she said.
Havener said the college is waiting to hear about other grant applications and is seeking program approval from the state Education Department. The NYS Health Foundation grant will pay for curriculum development and other start-up costs, Havener said, and the program will be supported by tuition.
Also this week, the New York State Nursing Association warned that the governor's proposed budget threatens state education funding for nursing and consequently will worsen the shortage.
The demand for registered nurses across New York will exceed supply by at least 37,000 by 2015, a release said, and the state would need to see 4,000 more nurses graduate annually to eliminate the shortfall.
"The nursing shortage is a critical issue,'' Hartwick President Margaret L. Drugovich said. ``Hartwick-educated student nurses stand to make a significant positive impactsource
'I didn't know there were guys in nursing
" Army Nurses
Male nursing students -Male-friendly" nursing school |
| posted by blogger @ 23:56
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| Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing.
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Emory University has appointed Linda A. McCauley, a renowned environmental health researcher and member of the Institute of Medicine, as dean of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. McCauley will begin her tenure on May 1, 2009.
McCauley, Ph.D., FAAN, RN, is associate dean for research and the Nightingale Professor in Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing in Philadelphia. McCauley is a national leader in the study of pesticide exposure and its impact on vulnerable populations.
McCauley holds a BSN degree from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, an MSN degree from Emory University and a doctorate degree in environmental health and epidemiology from the University of Cincinnati.
At Emory, she will lead a team of nursing faculty that ranks in the top 20 of more than 700 U.S. collegiate schools of nursing and the top 10 among private institutions.
CAPITOL IDEA: Registered nurses and nursing students in Georgia will have an opportunity to meet and lobby state legislators on Jan. 27 at the Georgia Nurses Association’s annual Legislative Day Event.
Nursing students will meet for a morning workshop to learn about the nuts and bolts of political action at the Georgia State University Student Center from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Then they’ll walk to the Capitol building to meet with GNA members, visit the Senate and House chambers, and meet with elected officials.
GNA members are encouraged to gather at 10 a.m. on the Capitol’s second floor to meet with GNA leaders and lobby their legislators.
There’s a 400-seat limit for the morning workshop. Faculty members must register their students by group before Jan. 16.
For information and registration forms, go to Georgia Nurses Association.
OT AWARDS: The Georgia Occupational Therapy Association has selected Susan Schriber Orloff as the Barbara Grant Award recipient for 2008 for her contribution to the continuing education and professional development of association members.
Other honors awarded include: Outstanding Occupational Therapist of the Year, Debi Hinerfeld; Outstanding Occupational Therapy Assistant, Susan Wise; Outstanding Occupational Therapy Student, Kate Baley; and Outstanding Occupational Therapy Assistant Student, Charlene Hardy.
Honoring an non-OT who has helped promote the field, the association awarded a certificate of appreciation to Clay White.
HEARTS ONLINE: You can learn your risk for heart disease with a simple, seven-minute risk evaluation available free at the Piedmont Heart Institute’s Web site. The HEARTaware cardiovascular evaluation enables visitors to assess and identify their potential risk of heart disease and learn about other health concerns.
Statistics from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute show that 50 percent of men and 64 percent of women who died suddenly from coronary heart disease had no previous symptoms of the disease. Those who participate in the evaluation will receive a customized confidential report that explains their risk factors, as well as recommendations for lifestyle modifications to reduce those risks. source
male nurses are leaving the profession more quickly than female nurses One of the biggest obstacles to attracting more men to nursing Why not become a male nurse? |
| posted by blogger @ 20:03
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| a new four-year nursing program at Manatee Community College
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A paperwork glitch that could have jeopardized the start of a new four-year nursing program at Manatee Community College has been resolved.
A day after the Herald-Tribune reported that MCC might have to push back the program's start date until 2011, state regulators responded by easing their paperwork requirements to keep the school on pace to begin enrolling students next fall.
"I think we'll be in pretty good shape now," said MCC President Lars Hafner.
Although the school had completed a required needs assessment and lined up community support for a bachelor's degree program in nursing, MCC had missed a June deadline to submit a "letter of intent." Hafner said part of the reason for the missed deadline was that MCC was in transition after getting a new president.
The two-year community college could have been forced to wait until 2010 for the state to even review its proposal for the four-year program. That had political leaders from the region up in arms, which resulted in a lot of long distance behind-the-scenes political wrangling on Tuesday.
Florida Education Commissioner Eric Smith, who is spending the holidays in Seattle, called state Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, who is spending the holidays in Iowa, to assure him the state would not so strictly enforce the rules that it could damage what appears to be a big need for the local economy.
Bennett said the one thing the government has to do in the current economic environment is to reduce the obstacles to create more jobs. He said the nursing program is an example where dozens of workers could enter the economy each year if the government does not get in the way.
Despite the crumbling economy, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the number of nursing jobs in the United States will continue to grow through 2012.
Enrollment in the MCC program is expected to be between 50 and 75 students per year.
Although MCC is primarily a two-year school, it is among a growing number of schools petitioning the state to offer four-year programs, especially with state universities limiting their enrollment in the face of reduced state funding. source
Vocational nurse training-Vocational nurse job
Licensed Vocational Nurse Salary in California
Vocational Nursing schools in California |
| posted by blogger @ 17:41
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| Madison Area Technical College is about $4,000, while Herzing College costs about $15,600 a year, and students at ITT Tech pay about $20,000 a year
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The man's smiling face overlooks Madison Area Technical College from a canary yellow billboard high above the Truax campus, next to the words, "The Smart Choice."
The placement of the billboard advertising Herzing College near a competitor's turf was no accident, said President Donald Madelung. The for-profit college wants to attract the same type of student who might typically attend MATC, making the case that it can help students change careers or retool skills just as well as the technical college.
The number of career colleges, like Herzing, increased by about 50 percent in Wisconsin in the past 10 years.
In the Madison area, a branch of ITT Technical Institute opened earlier this year and Woodbury, Minn.-based Globe University is planning to open a Middleton location next year.
All three of those schools, like many career colleges, are for profit.
"It's a global phenomenon and it has made its way to Wisconsin," said Noel Radomski, director of the Wisconsin Center for Advancement of Post-Secondary Education. "Partly, they can find niche degree programs where there's high demand. We're at capacity at most existing private and public colleges."
But such schools tend to have a higher price tag than state-subsidized public programs, and critics question whether the for-profit model in education is best for students.
The colleges are regulated by a state board but don't need to be accredited to operate in Wisconsin.
"This is full-time capitalism in higher education," Radomski said. "It really is the evolution of higher ed in the U.S."
Students say they come to for-profits, rather than a state technical college or a University of Wisconsin System campus, for convenience and flexibility.
The number of students who were enrolled at career colleges increased from around 33,000 in 2005 to about 45,000 in 2008, according to the Educational Approval Board, the state oversight agency.
UW System colleges and universities and Wisconsin technical colleges are exempt from the board's oversight, as well as private nonprofits that existed before 1992.
Career colleges — postsecondary institutions that provide professional and technical career-specific programs — are mostly for-profit: only about 20 career colleges out of 152 operating in the state are not-for-profit.
The schools typically cost more than a UW System school or technical college. Average annual tuition at Madison Area Technical College is about $4,000, while Herzing College costs about $15,600 a year, and students at ITT Tech pay about $20,000 a year.
But unlike state schools, which need to go through lengthy approval processes, career colleges can identify a market need and quickly offer a program to fill it.
For instance, Herzing College started a nursing program in 2006 after school administrators saw a nursing shortage and long-waiting lists at colleges to get into those programs.
At MATC the waiting list is about two years long.
Katharine Skelly, a Herzing nursing student, said she was in the nursing program at Edgewood College but it was too expensive and she's still on a waiting list at Blackhawk Technical College. "I've been wanting to do nursing forever and it was just a matter of getting in and getting going," she said.
Career colleges often boast high job placement rates, often at 80 or 90 percent.
Because the programs are sometimes not as well-established as traditional colleges and universities, students may be taking their chances when they enroll.
Several students filed a lawsuit against Herzing College earlier this year alleging it failed to follow through on promises that the nursing program would be accredited.
While Herzing is accredited as an institution, the nursing program had not yet earned specialized accreditation from the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission when the first class of students graduated.
The students involved in the lawsuit said that prevented them from getting jobs at some Madison hospitals.
Sarah Dewey, one of the plaintiffs, said she couldn't get a job at a Madison hospital after graduation and commutes to Janesville, a drive that takes between 40 minutes and an hour.
"Unfortunately, because they didn't do what they said they were going to do, my options are limited despite getting a good education," Dewey said.
David Dies, executive director of the Educational Approval Board, said accreditors like to see a program up and running before it is approved.
The nursing program recently got an initial recommendation for accreditation, Herzing President Madelung said.
Before a program can operate in Wisconsin, it must get EAB approval, but it doesn't need to be accredited. "We sometimes need to be the bad guy and play the cop," Dies said. "We hope those instances are few and far between."
WISCAPE's Radomski said people tend to think of higher education as a public good that should be supported by federal and state governments, which has led to a debate over whether for-profit college students should receive financial aid from the state.
Students can get federal financial aid at accredited for-profit schools but not state grants.
Herzing College President Madelung has lobbied the Legislature for a change, arguing that, unlike nonprofits, schools like Herzing contribute to the state by paying taxes. Students attending for-profits should receive the same benefits, he said.
Madelung said the for-profit status can be a stigma. "If you took that label off, we'd be the same as any liberal arts college," he said. source
About 6 percent of nurses today are male
Male nurses continue to tell stories about unfair treatment
Being a male RN in a female-dominated field can be rewarding |
| posted by blogger @ 16:53
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| Fayetteville State University nursing program-demand for good, skilled nursing care remains high
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Nationwide demand for good, skilled nursing care remains high, despite the flagging economy. Here in North Carolina, where population is on a skyward trajectory, demand is even greater.
Fayetteville State University was right on the money in 2005 when it implemented a new nursing program. A nursing program will provide job-seekers a secure future right here in our own community.
Any fledging academic program will have some kinks in it. It takes years to attract and build a respectable curriculum and attract a noteworthy faculty. It’s no surprise that the FSU nursing program’s first few steps were a bit unsteady.
Four years is the average time it takes to complete a degree program in nursing. Students are then expected to take a state exam to earn their license. Administrators hope their students pass with flying colors.
The reality is the exams separate the best and brightest from the lax and lazy.
So far, the nursing program at FSU is failing. FSU’s nursing graduates set the record for the worst passing rate on the 2008 exam, according to preliminary data from the state licensing board. Only 22 of the 52 students who took the exam passed it on the first try. That’s only a 42 percent pass rate. That’s a big drop from even the previous year’s low 64 percent pass rate. The state average is 89 percent.
Phyllis Morgan, chairwoman of the nursing program, has her work cut out for her. Morgan says the university is taking steps to rectify the problems. The school is beefing up the faculty and offering students more time in hands-on clinical settings.
Those measures will undoubtedly help, but it may be too little, too late. North Carolina policy states that any nursing program that fails to pass 75 percent of its students for two consecutive years should be closed. The state nursing board and state’s university system will decide in January whether to allow the program to continue.
We hope that the program is allowed to continue for the sake of the students enrolled and for the community in need. But Chairwoman Morgan’s latest warning to not expect too much too soon from student performance might underscore an unresolved issue that the university needs to address — the program’s leadership.
A program that started off low and has plunged even lower should not be defended. It should be corrected, immediately. source
Men in the nursing field have a promising future.
A man chosen nursing as his life’s work
everyone in the hospital loves male nurses. |
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| ASU's College of Nursing and Healthcare Innovation
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Arizona State University's nursing school capped a historic and challenging year this week, honoring a record-breaking graduating class.
"It's been an unbelievable journey," graduate Gina Dioguardi, 24, said Wednesday as she helped fellow graduate Leticia Medina, 22, put on her cap and gown. The two were part of 276 graduates from ASU's College of Nursing and Healthcare Innovation who were recognized at the Phoenix Convention Center.
Like any new degree-holder, the nurses are worried about jobs
Because of the economy, there aren't a lot of places that are hiring," Medina said.
Even though the state has a nursing shortage, some employers have a limited number of slots for entry-level nurses because they cost more to train, Medina added.
The economic downturn is also taking a toll on the school.
As the nursing school celebrated its 50th year, the college was one of several ASU divisions hurt by university-wide budget cuts.
Officials say enrollment will be cut from 80 students to 40 at ASU's Polytechnic campus this spring and by the same amount at the West campus next fall.
Enrollment at the downtown Phoenix campus will remain the same. ASU plans to cut enrollment because it expects to lose some state funding.
The nursing school has 1,800 students. The college is based in downtown Phoenix, but students can take nursing classes on several ASU campuses.
The nursing cuts would come at a time when Arizona is struggling with a nursing shortage.
Last year, the state had 681 registered nurses per 100,000 people, below the national average of 825 registered nurses per 100,000, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. source
Army Practical Nurse course, Texas
Once you become a registered nurse your employment opportunities are excellent |
| posted by blogger @ 08:14
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| increasing the quality and quantity of nurse training in South Africa
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Nursing education in South Africa is to receive a R70-million boost in the next four years with a donation from international donor organisation Atlantic Philanthropies.
The grant is targeted at increasing the quality and quantity of nurse training in South Africa and to provide possibilities for career development and specialisation. The aim is not only to improve the quality of nursing care in South Africa, but also to make it attractive enough to retain nurses and perhaps even draw others in.
Four universities will receive grants of between R16-million and R17-million: the University of the Western Cape (UWC), the University of Fort Hare, the University of the Free State (UFS) and Tshwane University of Technology (TUT).
In addition, there are three other institutions: Stellenbosch University; North-west University and the University of KwaZulu-Natal will receive small grants of R1-million each as "seed money" for their nursing programmes. These will be used to start programmes, while universities look for additional funds.
The grants will be administered through the University-based Nursing Education South Africa (Unedsa) programme, which is managed by the Inyathelo Trust.
The Adelaide Tambo School of Nursing Science at TUT will use its funding to create mobile clinics, which will allow nurses to be trained in the community, thus giving greater experience to the healthcare workers and benefiting the communities.
The School of Nursing at UFS will develop a virtual facility to train students across the Free State and Northern Cape and to create a new unit to provide professional development and facilitate research training among nurses.
The School of Nursing at UWC will use its funding to create a Centre for Teaching and Learning Scholarship to develop nurses' research capacity.
Fort Hare University will use its grant to develop doctor and research master's programmes and to increase the number of staff and students involved in postgraduate education. The university will provide an extra R40-million in funding to create a centre for expanding post-graduate training for nurses.source
Nursing-a recession-proof job for men
Save A Life, Be A Man Nurse
Being a Male Nurse Funny Video |
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| national program brings new trends in patient care and the total patient experience to the bedside
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With a goal to enhance the quality, safety and service of the patient experience in their hospitals, three nurses from Conejos County Hospital (CCH) and one nurse from San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center recently attended a patient quality seminar in New Orleans. CCH was the recipient of a national scholarship award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that allowed the four nurses to go.
“Transforming Care at the Bedside” is the focus of the national program which brings new trends in patient care and the total patient experience to the bedside. A team concept provides for continuity of care across the entire patient stay.
CCH was one of 14 hospitals nationwide to receive this opportunity. “With our focus on patient quality, safety and service, we strongly feel that Transforming Care at the Bedside will greatly enhance the overall experience and care that the patients receive at our facilities,” said Denise Stong, Director of Nursing.
CCH has recently taken steps on its own to enhance patient quality, safety and service. New radiology equipment and digital radiology puts CCH at the forefront of diagnostic capability. A newly re-designed entrance and re-model work has changed the inner appearance of the hospital. The advanced training of staff gives CCH a completely new level of patient-focused, quality care. source
everyone in the hospital loves male nurses.
Male nurse’s decision to become a nurse and to remain a nurse |
| posted by blogger @ 23:59
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| patients didn’t feel the impact of the shortage because nurses put in extra hours
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According to a study from the American Health Care Association, 20 percent of registered nurses’ positions remain vacant in Nevada nursing homes.
Area facilities, however, have not experienced any difficulties, yet.
“It hasn’t had a direct effect on us,” said Dave Ayoob, owner of Bee Hive Homes, an assisted living facility in Fernley.
Fallon’s assisted living facility, The Homestead, hasn’t experienced any issues either, said Administrator Debbie Ridenour. She added this is probably occurring because assisted living homes don’t have full-time nurses.
Both Bee Hive Homes and the Homestead acquire nurses from Home Health Services of Nevada which provides personnel to assisted living homes and personal homes.
The local branch of Home Health Services did experience the nursing shortage during the summer and fall, said Ann Petersen, branch manager. They just recently overcame it after hiring a few part-time nurses.
“I think we’re just lucky,” Petersen said adding that other branches, like Carson, haven’t resolved the problem yet.
She said Fernley and Fallon area patients didn’t feel the impact of the shortage because nurses put in extra hours.
“I think it worked out pretty well, even though the nurses got really tired,” Petersen said.
Patients in Fallon’s skilled nursing facility, Highland Manor, also haven’t experienced the shortage. They employ 24 full-time nurses.
“I don’t see a high turnover,” said Administrator Dave Gibson.
Gibson thinks Highland Manor hasn’t experienced a shortage because they take care of their employees, and they work with the nursing program in town at Western Nevada College, where they advertise jobs directly.
“We’re really fortunate to have quality staff in our own community,” Gibson said. “It’s a real luxury.”
Unfortunately, if allowed to continue, the shortage will impact local facilities eventually, especially because it isn’t specific to elderly care.
“We have shortages at all levels,” said Charles Perry, executive director for the Nevada Health Care Association. “Essentially, it affects everybody.”
There are several factors causing the shortage, Perry explained. Part of the problem is a lack of nursing instructors, which forces colleges to put applicants on waiting lists. Additionally, high numbers of nurses are retiring right now, Perry said, and programs can’t produce enough to replace them.
“That’s an inherent problem,” he said.
To deal with this problem, a variety of solutions are in the works, like paying for nurses’ education and cutting back their duties.
“To give them more time to be nurses,” Perry said.
Currently the Fallon and Fernley areas have not felt the nursing shortage, but if solutions do not lessen the burden and it does reach here, Petersen and Gibson agree the communities will suffer because they would be forced to cut services.
“We would have to refuse patients, which would really impact the community,” sourcePetersen said.
Being a male RN in a female-dominated field can be rewarding
Men in the nursing field have a promising future.
A man chosen nursing as his life’s work |
| posted by blogger @ 20:37
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| Best Recession- Proof Jobs: medical-related jobs
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Ever thought of becoming a pharmacist? Or an economist? How about a veterinarian?
These are some of the highest paying recession-proof jobs, according to Laurence Shatkin, author of “150 Best Recession- Proof Jobs,” a new book by JIST Publishing.
“Each recession is a little different than the one before in terms of sectors of the economy. The technology bubble in 2001 affected a lot of technology jobs. But construction was going well,” he says. “This time, the tech jobs are doing fairly well.”
What’s not on the list? Notably absent are jobs in real estate, construction, banking and finance.
The book is most useful for people making long-term career plans, young people or those making a mid-career changes, the author says. Some jobs take a larger investment of time and money to pursue than others.
Industries with the highest concentration of recession-proof positions are transit and ground passenger transportation, hospitals and ambulatory care services.
The best recession-proof job is computer systems analyst, an occupation that typically earns nearly $70,000 a year. New positions in that field are growing 29 percent a year. Other fastest-growing jobs are network systems and data communications analysts, veterinary technologists and medical assistants.
People seek certain jobs for reasons that go beyond their interests or talents, the author says. “Income, leadership, independence, lifestyle and security matters to some people,” Shatkin says.
If you’re looking at pay, the national average earnings for a pharmacist is more than $94,000 a year. Economists make an average of $77,000 and veterinarians about $72,000, according to the book, which uses U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Barry Brown, president of Effective Resources, a Knoxville, Tenn., firm that tracks salary information, says if he was giving advice to a student or someone changing careers, it would be to pursue a medical-related job.
“If you’re a nurse, you’ll have a job for life in any country. The shortage of nurses is not going away,” he says. source
Why not become a male nurse?
About 6 percent of nurses today are male
Male nurses continue to tell stories about unfair treatment |
| posted by blogger @ 16:31
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| She was a nurse by day and a fiddle player by night
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By day, Merideth H. Northcutt is the director of recruitment at Gwinnett Hospital System in Lawrenceville. By night and on weekends, she just fiddles around.
Northcutt is the fiddler and a singer in Keltic Kudzu, a band that plays “contemporary Celtic music with a Southern accent” at international festivals, pubs and private parties.
Until about two years ago, Northcutt kept her music separate from her workplace. But when she gave a CD by the Divas — an all-female a cappella singing group that she performs with — to a colleague, word got around. Her boss asked Keltic Kudzu to play for the hospital’s awards banquet.
“We performed for about 200 people, and have been asked back for this year, so I guess now the cat’s out of the bag,” she said.
Music and health care have been strong influences on Northcutt’s life.
“Dad was a doctor, so we grew up hearing blood-and-guts conversation at the dinner table. It never bothered me, but my friends would turn green when they came over,” she said.
Northcutt remembers her father taking her to then-Georgia Baptist Hospital in Atlanta when he went on rounds and letting her hang out at the nurses’ station. Sometimes the whole family went on house calls.
“I guess I knew I’d probably go to nursing school at some point in my life, but music came first with me,” Northcutt said.
She started playing the piano when she was 6, and in the fifth grade she discovered the violin, which was much easier to haul around, she joked.
In high school, Northcutt became assistant concert mistress for the Atlanta Youth Symphony and earned a scholarship to the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver.
She planned to be a concert violinist, but that changed when she began listening to bluegrass bands jamming in Denver.
“It was wonderful music. I’d never heard fiddle players before and didn’t know that the violin could be played more than one way,” she said.
Learning to play bluegrass
Northcutt began buying bluegrass records and teaching herself to play in a different style.
“I could sight read, had good bowing skills and a great ear, which made it easy to switch to a new genre,” Northcutt said. “People say that I’m lucky to be able to sight read and pick things up easily, but I give my mother credit for honing my skills.
“Believe me, I paid my dues. I spent half my high school years grounded, because I couldn’t go out until I had practiced. My mom recognized that I had been given a gift and she made sure I developed it.”
Northcutt dropped her music scholarship, but stayed at the University of Denver and earned a degree in psycho-logy with a minor in music. She played with various bluegrass bands.
After she graduated, a job in a doctor’s office renewed Northcutt’s interest in health care, so in 1976, she moved back to Atlanta and enrolled in Georgia Baptist’s nursing school.
“My mom heard about a band that was looking for a fiddle player, and I auditioned and got the job,” she said. “That’s where I met my first husband [Dewey Northcutt]. He was the guitar and mandolin player.”
After she graduated from nursing school in 1979, the couple married and helped to form Cedar Hill, a well-known Atlanta bluegrass band.
“I was a nurse by day and a fiddle player by night,” Northcutt said.
She worked in the recovery room and in the emergency room at Georgia Baptist Hospital. When he was a baby, their son, Drew, would sit in the middle of practice sessions, Northcutt said.
Professional advancement
When her husband died in 1987, Northcutt took some time off from music and became the director of nursing quality assurance at Northlake Regional Hospital. In 1992 she became the employment manager of Shepherd Center; then the employment manager of Scottish Rite Hospital in 1996.
She helped merge Scottish Rite with Egleston Hospital in 1998 and served as employment manager at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta until 2003, when she took her current job.
While Northcutt’s nursing career took her to increasingly higher levels of responsibility, she was also adding to her musical chops. Northcutt learned to play Irish/New England Contra dance music, Celtic music and attended a voice camp in Tuscany, Italy. She began singing with the Divas four years ago.
She also met and married Don Blackman, a musician and epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Music has always been an important part of my life,” she said. “It’s the part where I can relax and be creative, and is a wonderful balance to my role in health care.”
After busy St. Patrick’s Day weekends each year, when Keltic Kudzu travels to play four or five gigs and hauls and sets up its own instruments, Northcutt remembers why she doesn’t play for a living. When it gets busy, it’s a lot of work.
“I’ve never thought of giving up nursing. I have a great job where I get to use my clinical and health care knowledge every day,” she said. “But music informs my whole approach to the world and to relationships. There’s a special bond when people share a love of music.
“I’m a high extrovert and get my energy from people anyway, so I need both in my life source
Male nursing students -Male-friendly" nursing school
male nurses are leaving the profession more quickly than female nurses
One of the biggest obstacles to attracting more men to nursing |
| posted by blogger @ 12:12
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| Spanish nurses were rigorously tested and all spoke good English
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AN NHS hospital spent £30,000 on a recruitment drive in Spain because of the spiralling cost of finding nurses in the UK, it has emerged.
Chiefs at Hinchingbrooke Hospital sent six senior staff members to Madrid to cash in on the country's surplus of qualified nurses.
They hired 25 English-speaking nurses - and a further seven in reserve - who will start work at the Cambridgeshire hospital in the new year.
The trip cost taxpayers £30,000, but the hospital claims it would have had to spend a further £7,000 on a similar recruitment drive in the UK.
A spokesman for the hospital said the cost of advertising and agency fees were "considerably less" overseas.
But Susie Squire, campaign manager at the TaxPayers' Alliance, condemned the move and called for urgent improvement in UK NHS recruitment.
She said: "It seems ridiculous that precious funds are being spent on this sort of trip. The NHS must improve conditions for nurses, so that trips like these are no longer necessary."
But a spokeswoman for Hinchingbrooke said the hospital advertised extensively first, but did not gain enough recruits. The Spanish nurses were rigorously tested and all spoke good English. source
A male trainee nurse
The specific needs of male nursing students
Male nurses have a better chance of getting into the nursing program |
| posted by blogger @ 04:45
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| pioneering approach to improving nurse recruitment and retention in hospitals nationwide
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| Friday
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Hansten Healthcare PLLC, a healthcare firm dedicated to transforming organizations through relationship enhancement and skill development, today announced its pioneering approach to improving nurse recruitment and retention in hospitals nationwide.
Hansten Healthcare's Relationship and Results Oriented Healthcare (RROHC ) is changing the way healthcare providers evaluate, educate, and implement best practices. As the healthcare workforce continues to encounter new challenges, the RROHC (pronounced "rock") relationship-centered and results-oriented philosophy and delivery of healthcare is vital to creating ongoing positive health outcomes regardless of budget constraints.
Ruth Hansten's groundbreaking new book, Relationship and Results Oriented Healthcare Planning and Implementation Manual, is the foundation for a three-level certification program for professional practice. The RROHC education strategy improves clinical outcomes by combining real-world applications with time-tested techniques. The RROHC program improves patient, staff, and physician satisfaction, provides better clinical outcomes across a spectrum of care categories, and dramatically increases nurse recruitment and retention.
"Budget efficiencies in these volatile times require laser-like focus on best practices and efficient implementation of human capital," said Ruth Hansten, president of Hansten Healthcare. "Retention of engaged and enthusiastic employees has been achieved by providing a purpose-driven bundle of best practices focusing on the patient and family outcomes."
The RROHC program couldn't have come at a better time. With healthcare institutions in the middle of a financial crisis, more and more hospitals are looking for ways to improve the bottom line. Unfortunately, many hospitals believe that downsizing staff is their best strategy to cut costs in this difficult economic climate. In reality, the opposite is true. Scarce staffing leads to less productivity and, eventually, burnout.
Furthermore, the loss of the best nurses is not only costly from a care perspective. The financial losses can be devastating as well. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual healthcare staff turnover rate is 20%. That is a staggering statistic in an industry that continues to face nurse shortages and is looking for strategies to optimize the workforce and the budget.
So how do hospitals combat this nurse turnover? How do they make nurse recruitment and retention a solution to hospital challenges rather than an area of constant concern? They need to focus on human capital optimization, and they need to implement the RROHC program immediately. RROHC processes directly address hospitals' significant economic challenges and shortage of nurses by transforming the culture, refining expert practice skills, and improving nurse recruitment and retention.
The RROHC Certification Program:
• Transforms patient outcomes
• Shows evidence that nurse recruitment and retention are at the core of a hospital's bottom line
• Helps employees restore their sense of purpose
• Improves staff engagement, creates efficient systems, and builds team cohesiveness
• Demonstrates that a hospital's financial health is related to the quality of its care
Hansten adds that "the cost for the RROHC program is often less than the recruitment fees for one or two RNs." That's a powerful ROI for hospitals needing to improve financial viability in these difficult economic times. Cost savings truly can be achieved without cutting staff. In fact, the benefits of the RROHC program are being seen in hospitals across the U.S. as they strive to improve nurse recruitment and retention, patient satisfaction, and the bottom line. source
Licensed Vocational Nurse LVN program prerequisites
LVN Program Fees
Vocational Nursing schools in Texas
Vocational Nursing schools in Florida
Tips for choosing a vocational school |
| posted by blogger @ 23:57
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| a medical mission trip: team members will perform general surgeries and provide medical, dental, eye and orthopedic care to the people
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Despite working as a nurse for more than 45 years, Jackie Hunter had never been interested in serving on a medical mission trip until she retired this year.
"I have never felt compelled to go, but everything just fell into place this time," the 65-year-old said.
In February, Hunter will join 72 doctors, nurses and support staff from all over the country for an 11-day trip to rural Guatemala. The medical mission trip is done through Jackson-based Michigan Helps Medical Team and its partnership with Helps International.
During their time in Guatemala, team members will perform general surgeries and provide medical, dental, eye and orthopedic care to the people who could not otherwise afford it.
Wes Kimble has been organizing the Michigan Helps Medical Team trip for the past several years. As the co-team leader, he understands the important role that nurses play on the team.
"We always need nurses," Kimble said. "We couldn't do everything we do without them."
Hunter expects this experience will have a permanent impact on her.
"A nurse who went last time told me, 'You think you are complete as a person, as a Christian. You never are until you go on a trip like this,'" Hunter said. "I think it's going to be one of the most memorable things I've done in my nursing career. I hope to gain a new fulfillment of myself."
Before retiring in June, Hunter worked as a registered nurse for Jackson Outpatient Surgery Center for 11 years. She still works on an on-call basis for the center.
Hunter and her husband, Jack, have been married for 46 years. The couple have two daughters and five grandchildren.source
LVN vs RN What is the difference?
Vocational Nursing schools in California 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
Licensed Vocational Nurse LVN program prerequisites |
| posted by blogger @ 20:34
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| Jirapa Community Health Nurses Training School
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The government has constructed a new hostel and a classroom for the Jirapa Community Health Nurses Training School in the Upper West region. Mr George Hikah Benson, the Regional Minister who inaugurated the buildings said that despite the financial constraints, the government was committed to improving the health sector so that the people could have easy access to medical care.
The school hitherto, had only two classrooms for the 190 students there.
These classrooms were originally built to accommodate 50 students each and one of the facilities is currently being used as a library and the other as an office and a demonstration room.
Principal of the school, said they could not admit even 10 per net of the total number of qualified applicants for the 2008/2009 academic year due to inadequate accommodation.
Madam Dabuoh cautioned that there could be an outbreak of communicable diseases among the students because of congestion in the classrooms and hostel.
“Our school has no permanent kitchen facility, no supportive staff due to the ban on recruitment, no computer laboratory and no internet facility,” she said, and expressed worry that there was not supervisor at the female hostel due to the lack of residential accommodation for staff.
Madam Debuoh said the school has only three tutors, including the principal and a preceptor.
Despite these challenges, the school had been performing creditably in the final examinations, that 60 students scored 99 per cent in 2004, and 72 scored 100 per cent with two distinctions and 33 credits in 2005.
She commended the government for providing the school with the hostel, classroom and a 62 – seater bus, but appealed for more vehicles to convey students to remote areas for their practical work and for administrative purposes.source
What is the typical salary for a Licensed Vocational Nurse ?
How do I prepare for the job?
Benefits of Vocational Nursing
How do I find the job? |
| posted by blogger @ 16:31
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| 28 per cent of nurses said that they had been physically assaulted by a patient, while 19 per cent reported emotional abuse at the hands of physicians
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An Ontario nurses’ group has issued new guidelines aimed at tackling workplace violence just weeks after a major Toronto psychiatric hospital was charged with violations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
“Preventing and Managing Violence in the Workplace,” developed by the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO), sets out “comprehensive recommendations to promote violence-free environments,” says a release from the association. These include calls for:
governments to enact legislation that promotes violence-free workplaces, with mandatory reporting requirements and whistle-blower protection;
organizations to ensure safety as a “strategic priority” by developing and implementing a violence prevention policy and program; and,
individual members of health-care teams to collaborate “in a manner that fosters respect and trust,” avoiding “gossiping, bullying, harassment, socially isolating others, pushing, throwing things or any other aggressive behaviours.”
Consider that 28 per cent of nurses who responded to a Statistics Canada survey in 2006 said that they had been physically assaulted by a patient in the past year, while 19 per cent reported emotional abuse at the hands of physicians and nurse co-workers.
The guidelines — which were in development for over a year-and-a-half before their announcement on December 4 — were motivated in part by the 2005 killing of nurse Lori Dupont at the Hotel Dieu Grace Hospital in Windsor, Ontario, says Irmajean Bajnok, the RNAO’s Director of International Affairs and Best Practice Guidelines Program. Dupont was murdered in the hospital by her former boyfriend, anaesthesiologist Dr Marc Daniel, on November 12, 2005.
“We had already developed a policy related to violence in the workplace, a zero-tolerance policy. Then with the Lori Dupont situation we felt it really was timely to move into a guideline so that we could in fact have some really clear recommendations,” Bajnok says.
Guidelines looking to “equalize power bases”
One goal of the guidelines is to “look at ways to equalize power bases” in hospitals, she suggests. Currently, issues of physician violence toward nurses are often dealt with by hospital medical advisory committees, which “in many cases, consist only of physicians and senior management,” she says. Instead, the guidelines support the creation of interprofessional advisory committees under the Public Hospitals Act to give nurses a greater voice in managing violence issues, she says.
Vicki McKenna, first vice president of the Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA), welcomes the new guidelines. “Anything that any group does that helps support improving the health and safety of our members is helpful to us,” she says.
The announcement comes about a month after Ontario’s Ministry of Labour laid nine oh&s charges against Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) (COHSN, December 1, 2008). CAMH was accused, among other things, of failing to implement a violence prevention program and ensure security personal were appropriately equipped. “We shouldn’t be in situations like that,” says McKenna of the situation at CAMH, “but I can tell you that I’m glad that the legislation is there.”source
How to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse
Licensed Vocational Nurse working conditions
What is the typical salary for a Licensed Vocational Nurse ? |
| posted by blogger @ 12:28
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| Rutgers College of Nursing: the effects of a series of soap opera videos designed to reduce HIV sexual risk behavior in young women
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Rutgers College of Nursing faculty member, Rachel Jones, has been awarded a four-year, $2 million grant from the National Institute of Nursing Research at National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the effects of a series of soap opera videos designed to reduce HIV sexual risk behavior in young women living in urban areas. The videos will be accessed on video-capable cell phones.
Jones, assistant professor at the College of Nursing at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and her team, are currently filming the urban soap opera series with a $154,400 grant from The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey. "With funding from the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey, we are able to create this series of 12 soap opera videos with a professional staff of filmmaker and actors. The grant from the National Institute of Nursing Research at NIH will allow us to evaluate the effectiveness of this approach in reducing HIV risk in women," said Jones.
The series of video vignettes is based on content analysis of several focus group discussions with women between the ages of 18 and 25. By presenting realistic stories, via a soap opera format, women can identify with the heroines' emotionally charged process of change, according to Jones.
"The videos will be viewed over cell phones so that women may view them repeatedly and in privacy. If the aims of this study are achieved, the use of cell phones to view videos could change the paradigm of how health promotion is communicated between clinic sessions," Jones, a Boonton Township, N.J. resident, said. "The popularity of the cell phone and use of the Internet offer a new communication channel to address the health disparities in young urban women."
Jones previously was a recipient of a National Library of Medicine (NLM) grant to create a computer-based interview that would categorize level of HIV risk and provide a version of a pilot soap opera video entitled, "A Story about Toni, Mike and Valerie" that was tailored to participant's specific risk level. The pilot video is now available online at http://www.stophiv.newark.rutgers.edu/.
Jones was recently awarded the New York Times Tribute to Nurses, Educator of the Year Award and the Zonta Club of Essex County as Woman of the Year. She was selected as the first recipient of the Rutgers-Newark Provost's Community Engagement in Research Award for her AIDS/HIV research and she was also named by Nursing Spectrum as its 2008 New York/New Jersey regional finalist for its Nursing Excellence program.source
Is the Vocational Nursing Profession a growing career?
What do Vocational Nurses do?
Important skills, knowledge, and abilities for LVNs
How to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse |
| posted by blogger @ 08:24
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| Francis Marion University nursing program
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McLeod Health announced a $100,000 donation Tuesday afternoon to the Francis Marion University nursing program.
The money mirrored a donation the medical facility donated to Florence-Darlington Technical College in October that was meant to help foster the nursing programs, creating scholarships and funding the curriculum at each school.
McLeod Health CEO Rob Colones said making donations to local nursing programs helps the medical facility to have access to each new crop of graduating nurses in the Pee Dee.
“We enjoy the relationship we have with the university here,” he said.
Leanne Huminski, chief nursing officer for McLeod, said the hospital constantly needs nursing students ready to step into the role of nurses in the community.
“This is particularly to offset the state and national shortage of nurses,” she said. “Thanks to area nursing programs such as the one at Francis Marion University, coupled with strong recruiting effort from the McLeod Health human resources department, we are very happy to have a much lower vacancy rate than other hospitals in the state.”
Without nurses, the hospital would not be capable of caring for the patients, Huminski said,
“They are the lifeblood of patient care here in our area,” she said.
FMU President Dr. Fred Carter said the gift would be used to create scholarships and to further improve the nursing program at the university.
During the past six years, Carter said, McLeod has made significant contributions to the university, helping it to grow.
“We’re in our last year of a seven-year campaign for excellence at the university ...” he said. “I can’t thank them enough for this gift.”
This donation by McLeod Health reflects continued financial support of the nursing program at FMU, according to the university. This is the third time McLeod has provided this level of support directly to the nursing program at FMU, in addition to its previous contributions to nursing education through the Medical University of South Carolina satellite nursing program at FMU for six years.
Carter presented Colones with a bust of Revolutionary War Gen. Francis Marion to signify the hospital’s extended support of the university over the years.
Every dollar of the money goes to the development of instructional and outreach programs to foster better health care in the Pee Dee, Carter said.
In the coming years, Carter said, he hopes to be able to add a physician’s assistant and a nurse practitioner program to the nursing curriculum source
Medical Careers
Licensed Vocational Nurse Jobs
What is a Licensed Vocational Nurse? |
| posted by blogger @ 04:14
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| Nursing vacancies are down
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| Thursday
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Health professionals across Saskatchewan were buoyed by news Tuesday the province may have finally bucked a trend toward nursing shortages.
According to a recent survey conducted by the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN), the province has 50 fewer full-time nursing vacancies than at this time last year.
"There are a few less vacancies. So I think it is good news that we appear to have turned the tide and the vacancy numbers are not increasing," SUN president Rosalee Longmoore said.
"But we must be diligent because we have about 1,600 nurses who can retire between now and 2012. So we really need to be fairly aggressive to fill current vacancies and be prepared for future retirements."
Nursing vacancies in the Saskatoon Health Region are down by 61 spots, says Bonnie Blakely, a health region vice-president.
Last year at this time, the health region had 196 nursing vacancies. Currently there are 135 open spots, 100 of which are full-time equivalents, Blakely says.
The drop is even more impressive given the health region also created and filled more than 50 new nursing spots in the same time frame.
Blakely attributes the drop in shortages to provincial funding for recruitment, a strong collective agreement for nurses and a working relationship between the health regions and SUN.
Although much has been made of the province's international recruiting efforts in countries such as the Philippines, Blakely says the Saskatoon region has been able to hire predominantly local nurses.
"With very little international recruitment, we've closed that gap," she said, noting the region retains 80 per cent of its nursing grads.
Although happy to see the tide turning, Blakely says there's still a lot of work to do if the province expects to meet its target of 800 new nurses by 2010.
"I think Saskatchewan is very fortunate but we need to go back and continue to focus on those other hard-to-recruit areas," she said, noting that gains in regions such as Saskatoon are still offsetting less than stellar recruitment figures in rural areas.
Under a SUN-government recruitment and retention partnership agreement signed earlier this year, a $60-million fund was established to address the nursing shortage.
On Tuesday, $4.35 million of that fund was provided to health regions to help them reach their newly established nursing targets and to continue working on the province's nursing shortage through recruitment and retention initiatives developed by a joint SUN-health authority committee source
Important skills, knowledge, and abilities for LVNs
How to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse
Licensed Vocational Nurse working conditions
What is the typical salary for a Licensed Vocational Nurse ? |
| posted by blogger @ 23:59
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| Registered nurses will be replaced by cheaper, less-qualified nurses
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REGISTERED nurses will be replaced by cheaper, less-qualified nurses and unqualified assistants, in the latest round of cost cutting by the State Government.
The plan to substitute university-trained registered nurses with enrolled and trainee nurses contradicts a $1.2 million study commissioned by NSW Health last year, which found that increasing the proportion of less-qualified staff in hospitals caused a range of preventable complications and deaths.
Hospital managers have been ordered to save $32 million within four years by downgrading nursing cover at small and rural hospitals. The ratio of assistants-in-nursing will increase to 50 per cent of the combined registered and enrolled nurse numbers.
Assistants-in-nursing have no minimum level of education and are not regulated by any nursing body. Some are students and others have a TAFE certificate in aged care. Since 1993, registered nurses have been university trained.
NSW Health says the cuts are justified because many hospitals are, in effect, working as aged-care facilities due to a shortage of nursing home places.
But the lead author of the Glueing It Together study, Christine Duffield, said the plan flew "in the face of the evidence that shows the more RNs you have, the better the patient outcome".
The three-year study used data from 27 NSW hospitals and found that a higher proportion of registered nurses produced lower rates of bed sores, intestinal bleeding, sepsis, shock, pulmonary failure, pneumonia and death of patients from a hospital-acquired complication.
"In the mini-budget [the Government] said no frontline services will be cut, but nursing is a frontline service," said Professor Duffield, from the Centre for Health Services Management at the University of Technology, Sydney. "They're just doing it to save money."
Area health services have been identifying registered nurse positions that can be replaced since August, pre-empting the $32 million edict in the mini-budget last month. source
Medical Careers
Licensed Vocational Nurse Jobs
What is a Licensed Vocational Nurse?
Is the Vocational Nursing Profession a growing career?
What do Vocational Nurses do? |
| posted by blogger @ 20:35
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| A mannequin is mechanized to deliver a baby
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Keyano College has a new tool to help acquaint nursing students with the labour process before they even step foot into a hospital room.
And her name is Noelle.
“She is a mannequin that actually is mechanized to deliver a baby,” said Barb Reitz, practical nurse program co-ordinator, of Noelle the birthing simulator. “It prepares the students before they actually get into the clinical setting to experience that birth process. (They realize) that (labour) doesn’t happen all the time the way it does in movies.”
Noelle has been delivering for about three months now and can be set up to birth in a variety of ways, including by Caesarian, head-first or breech. After she has delivered, the fundus — the uterus in an afterbirth state — can be set to different sizes for students to palpate. She can also be hooked up and have the vital signs for both infant and mother monitored.
“The students get to see what happens if, say, the cord is around the neck,” said Reitz. “So (then) they know what to look for and what’s normal or considered normal or acceptable tracing (of vital signs) and what is unacceptable.”
Although Noelle can be programmed to simulate crisis situations, Reitz said she is used more regularly to mimic normal birthing processes.
Part of the simulator’s “realistic portrayal” is that the stage of labour can also be set.
“We can set it to be 10 hours, four hours, (but) obviously we’re not going to do that in the lab setting because students would be waiting until tomorrow for the baby to be born,” Reitz said. “So (instead) we could put her into the later stages of labour and then go through the process of having her go through the pushing stage and … they can see (for example) how the baby’s head rotates to accommodate the pelvis to deliver. It’s quite a realistic portrayal for them and it gives them some idea before they go in completely unprepared.”
Reitz said the desire to simulate a clinical setting has also led to the college acquiring a new birthing bed that disassembles so the mother doesn’t have to move, an infant warmer — a heated environment newborns are placed in so they don’t catch a chill — and a infant mannequin, which simulates a newborn and can coo and cry.
“Then … when they get into a clinical setting they’ll know exactly what they’re supposed to do,” Reitz said.
The students — who will also be using the equipment during clinical testing — are excited to try it out.
“I just did a demonstration actually for fourth years because they’re disappointed that they’re not going to get to use any of this simulation equipment … but they were very happy to get in,” Reitz said. “The first years are actually really quite excited and they’re going to be the first group to actually work with this simulation equipment all the way through.”
The maximum number of students working with the simulator at one time would be eight, but Reitz said groups of four or six would be ideal.
With the benefits of having the realistic new equipment, Reitz said she is left wondering one thing.
“She doesn’t make any noise when she delivers, and I’m wondering if I should take some video tapes and audio recordings,” Reitz said. “But I’ve worked maternity and not all of them were screamers.”source
LPNs and RNs-similarities and differences
LVN vs RN What is the difference?
Vocational Nursing schools in California 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
Licensed Vocational Nurse LVN program prerequisites
LVN Program Fees
Vocational Nursing schools in Texas
Vocational Nursing schools in Florida
Tips for choosing a vocational school |
| posted by blogger @ 16:29
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| About two-thirds of all qualified applicants to nursing programs in North Florida are turned away.
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Inserting a catheter into a medical mannequin, a group of Florida Community College at Jacksonville nursing students begin to talk their futures.
With a shortage of nurses, none of them worry about finding a job. Some want to get their master's degrees so they can earn more money. But the one thing few of them want to do is teach.
"There's not enough money in it," first-term student Holly Smith said. "I'll make way more in the field than I could teaching."
"I might consider teaching later on in life," student Elmedina Halilovic interjected.
"Please do!" FCCJ nursing instructor Stacey Burns yelled across the room. "I need help!"
The shortage of faculty is one of the main reasons there is a shortage of nurses in the health-care industry. About two-thirds of all qualified applicants to nursing programs in North Florida are turned away. Schools would love to accept more, but they are bound by student-faculty ratio requirements.
Mostly, it's about pay. Starting faculty with master's degrees can make $45,000 to $65,000, but out in the field the same graduates can get up to $90,000.
Still in demand
Nursing is one of the few job fields today that is still open for hiring. Some areas of nursing are seeing 10 to 20 percent of their needed positions vacant, according to a report by the Florida Center for Nursing.
There is a need for nurses locally, but Debra Hernke, chief nursing officer at Mayo Clinic, believes the need is even greater in other parts of Florida.
As baby boomers retire from the workforce in the next 10 years, a greater number of nurses will be required for the influx of patients. At the same time, baby boomers working as nurses will also be retiring.
The nursing shortage could have a huge impact on patients' health now, too. As JU Dean of Nursing Judith Forker said, nurses aren't just glorified assistants.
Nurses are the ones doing tests and checking a patient's status," she said. "They are the ones who know when something is wrong and how to act quickly to solve problems."
With jobs available, students are flocking to nursing programs at FCCJ, University of North Florida, St. Johns River Community College and Jacksonville University. And they have plenty of competition.
In 2006-07, 42 percent of the 25,357 qualified students applying to nursing programs statewide were turned away, according to the Florida Center for Nursing. In North Florida, 65 percent of the 4,610 qualified applicants didn't get in.
Accreditation and Florida Board of Nursing standards mandate a 12-to-1 student-faculty ratio for clinical classes and a 36-to-1 ratio for classroom instruction. Without increases in faculty, there can't be increases in the number of students.
Full-time nursing faculty vacancy rates for Florida during were about 3 to 8 percent for Northeast Florida and 6 to 11 percent statewide in 2007.
Schools say they can't hire more faculty because of budget cuts, hiring freezes and the job pool. And administrators say they can't afford to offer starting salaries that are competitive with other professional opportunities.
UNF offers nursing faculty about $65,000 for a nine-month starting salary. FCCJ offers $46,500.
"I heard some nurses make $90 an hour in some fields," Smith said during her class work. "I think [her instructor is] very valuable, but I don't think Miss Burns makes that much."
Burns lets out a big laugh.
"Oh, that's funny," she said. "I needed a good laugh."
Statewide, only 103 master's students specializing in nursing education and 32 Ph.D. students graduated in 2006-07, according to the FCN report, and there were 144 faculty vacancies. Very few students were turned away from the educator specialization: Only 5.5 percent of master's applicants were rejected.
Many will end careers soon
The problem might be getting worse, too.
About half of all nursing faculty in Florida are between the ages of 50 and 60, which will mean a lot of retirements over the next 10 years.
"When I started teaching so many years ago, you'd look around and everybody was my age," UNF Dean of Nursing Pam Chally said. "The problem is that today everybody is still my age."
Administrators see pay increases as the remedy.
Chally suggests a starting bonus of $10,000 to $20,000 for new faculty to improve recruitment. UNF is looking at funds from the Legislature or private organizations to help pay for the bonus.
FCCJ has been able to up its starting salary by $7,000 more than the faculty union standard because hospitals have chipped in with money to address the problem.
Barbara Darby, president of FCCJ's North Campus, said the school hopes to lobby state legislators to help pay for higher salaries, selling it as an economic development issue.
Asking local health-care companies to help pay salaries is one option, but it's a tricky one. Hospitals and other companies already give generously, Chally said, and the schools don't believe it's appropriate to keep relying on them.
The First Coast Nurse Leaders, a consortium of educators and health care providers, is working on a program to help nurses work as adjunct professors while still working in the professional field, but in today's economy, who will ultimately foot the bill is the big question.
To recruit educators, JU's Forker suggests highlighting the other benefits of teaching: the stable hours and low-stress environment can be appealing compared to working long hours and holidays in hospitals and clinics.
Chally said whenever she notices students who appear to be natural teachers, she tries to encourage them to think about academia.
"Teaching is one of those things," she said, "where once you get it under your skin it's hard to get out." source
Licensed Vocational Nurse working conditions
What is the typical salary for a Licensed Vocational Nurse ?
How do I prepare for the job?
Benefits of Vocational Nursing |
| posted by blogger @ 12:24
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| Shenandoah University's Division of Nursing
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Shenandoah University's Division of Nursing announced that 10 students in its accelerated second-degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at its Leesburg campus each received a $10,000 scholarship.
The awards come from a grant funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program, which provides financial aid to students enrolled in fast-track nursing degree programs. The foundation focuses on health and health-care issues in the country.
"The scholarship program is designed to ease the shortage of nurses and nurse faculty -- an urgent national problem that potentially jeopardizes the health of all Americans," Dr. John Lumpkin, senior vice president and director for the Health Care Group at the foundation, states in a press release from Shenandoah University.
Shenandoah University's accelerated second-degree BSN track is a 15-month program designed for students who already hold a baccalaureate in another field of study. source
Important skills, knowledge, and abilities for LVNs
How to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse |
| posted by blogger @ 08:02
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| Cumberland County Technical Education Center’s Licensed Practical Nursing program
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The Cumberland County Technical Education Center’s Licensed Practical Nursing program scheduled entrance examinations for admission to its 2009 class, according to a news release.
The LPN entrance test is the first step in the admission process to the career-training program.
Prospective students may test on January 13, February 10, March 10 or April 7. The test fee is $20 and may be paid in cash or money order only, the release said. No pre sign-up is necessary.
Test takers should arrive at the technical center, located at 601 Bridgeton Avenue, by 7:45 a.m.
“Cumberland County TEC’s Practical Nursing program is alive and well and will continue to serve our County residents’ health training needs,” said Health Occupations Coordinator Joy Wood, who was questioned if the program was closing. “For the past five years, nearly 100 percent of our graduates have passed the national license exam on their first try. We also have a 100 percent placement rate with our graduates finding jobs in local health care facilities.” source
Medical Careers
Licensed Vocational Nurse Jobs
What is a Licensed Vocational Nurse?
Is the Vocational Nursing Profession a growing career?
What do Vocational Nurses do? |
| posted by blogger @ 04:14
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| Doña Ana Community College nursing program
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A Doña Ana Community College official confirmed Monday that eight students in the school's associate's degree in nursing program fulfilled the program's requirements and participated in a pinning ceremony Saturday.
A total of 21 students could have participated in the pinning ceremony, had they passed a final exam, said a 25-year-old nursing student, who wished to remain anonymous. She reported that a list of students in her preceptorship course confirmed that there were 21 students total, a number DACC officials refused to confirm.
A Sun-News story published Saturday incorrectly stated that a majority of students had passed the exam.
Anna Chieffo, DACC vice president for academic affairs, confirmed that eight students had fulfilled their requirements, and said students who failed to score an 850 or better on the HESI, or Health Education Systems, Inc., exam were recently offered the option to take a free refresher course.
Chieffo explained that students who agree to take the eight-week course during the spring semester, a free Kaplan review course, followed by the HESI exam, will receive an incomplete instead of an F on their transcripts.
"We're hoping the students will take advantage of this opportunity and complete the requirement," Chieffo said. "During the pinning ceremony, the students are inducted into their nursing careers, although they still need to pass the (NCLEX-RN exam) for licensure."
Chieffo confirmed that the exam was made a requirement for the about 100 students in the associate's degree in nursing program at the beginning of the fall semester.
"(The fourth-semester students) were told in August that they would have to take the exam," she explained. "A syllabus was given to each student explaining the requirements."
Chieffo reported students were expected to sign the syllabi to ensure understanding of the program's requirements.
Although students anticipating completion of the program this fall had less time to prepare for the exam than students beginning the nursing program in August, Chieffo said students wouldn't be made aware of the required exam until their last semester.
"Students go through orientation and are told to learn as much as they can in the four semesters," she explained.
According to Chieffo, fourth-semester nursing students were able to take the HESI exam in October.
"Those who were unable to pass the exam were given guidance," she said. "Each student was given an individual report with the areas they were deficient in."
Margie Huerta, DACC president, explained Monday that New Mexico State University requires that all nursing students pass the exam before graduation. "If they don't, we just can't let them graduate," she said. source
How to Become a Nurse
Faster than average job growth for registered nurses
Possible Solutions for Nurse Shortages
Top Medical Jobs
Why I became a nurse |
| posted by blogger @ 23:56
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| Rockland Community College: many of the students are adults who returned to school to get a nursing degree
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A pinning ceremony will be held today, marking the beginning of new careers for students graduating from the nursing program at Rockland Community College.
But it's unclear even to many of this year's students exactly how many will receive their class pins or even graduate.
Numerous students in the associate degree program failed the final exam last week in a required class. The test counts as 50 percent of their grade.
"Half the class failed by one or two points," said student Marisa Ruiz, who was leading an effort to have the college re-evaluate the exam.
Ruiz and other students maintain that several questions on the test in pediatric nursing were ambiguous or could have had more than one correct answer.
"It was a real zinger," she said. "The test was very unfair."
She and more than 30 other students who failed the test met with RCC President Cliff Wood late Friday to protest the exam.
"We're not asking for a curve or anything like that," said Ruiz, who got a 74 on the test, one point shy of a passing grade. "We just want them to throw out the bad questions."
The students had another meeting late yesterday with nursing faculty members. Ruiz said 35 students who failed the test attended. There are 54 students in the class.
RCC spokeswoman Zipora Reitman said yesterday that after reviewing the exam, nursing faculty decided to eliminate several of the questions that raised objections.
"A few questions were eliminated that might be ambiguous or subject to different interpretation," Reitman said.
The nursing faculty was rescoring the tests last night, but students might not know until today if they passed or not.
"I'm sure it's very unnerving for the students," Reitman said. "But we have to do this very carefully."
She said the faculty and administrators at the college were working hard to make the process fair.
Ruiz said she was relieved to hear the college is eliminating three questions on the test. Students who still fail will have an opportunity to take it again.
"It's a fair solution," she said. "All we were asking was for the college to be fair. Now they are being very reasonable."
Many of the students taking the class are adults who returned to school to get a nursing degree, one of the few fields where job demand remains strong despite the recession.
The shortage of registered nurses nationwide could reach as high as 500,000 by 2025, according to figures from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The demand for new nurses is expected to grow by 3 percent annually, the group said.
It's a similar situation in the Lower Hudson Valley, where hospitals and other health-care providers are still scrambling to fill nursing jobs.
As a result, many local nursing schools, including RCC, have seen enrollment surge as students flock to a career where they know they can get jobs despite the poor economy.
Ruiz, 35, who works as a pediatric occupational therapy assistant, said she, like many of her classmates, balanced jobs and other responsibilities with their education in the hopes of becoming nurses.
"We worked so hard," she said. "It's not fair that we could lose it all over one point on a bad test."
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RNPROFFESOR wrote: I am a nursing professor, I am discouraged that the school is reviving the test based on students complaints. If every student fails, that does not mean it is a bad test, it means you have bad students. Here is a clue for everyone reading this not involved in a nursing program- it is normal and expected for more than one answer to be correct on an exam. It is called prioritization. I will give you an example- A nurse walks into a client room to find the client on the floor bleeding out. Would you A)put on gloves. B) call for help. C) assess the client D) put pressure on the site. All answers are right. What is the most important thing to do? You see to work as a nurse you have to juggle multiple responsibilitie and are expected to know every drug and every side effect, every lab value, every sign or symptom of potential problems, (much more too numerous to write here)and manage a load of 8-10 patients on a normal shift. Patients do not present with only one course of action. I am sorry to those who wish to be a nurse and who are not cut out for it, it is not for everyone. I am sorry that the public's perception of nursing is so different than what it really is. I am not sorry for students who think since they pay tuition and come to class they deserve to graduate. I understand that this program has alot of adult learners, probably single parents working multiple jobs to make it. This isn't new- almost every nursing program across the US has the same students. So please do not give me that as an excuse. If I can have a mother of 5 who just lost her husband in Iraq, and has to work night shift 6 nights a week pass with a 93%, these students can pass an exam at 75% expectation. These students will not pass the NCLEX. The school of nursing that I teach has a 85%- not 75% that the students need to pass in every course to move on. Do you even want a nuse treating you that has a 15% chance of screwing up? With all of the unrealistic demands and responsibilities that RN's hve today, you have to understand that nursing school is tough for a reason. This is not an english or math degree, this is life or death. The purpose of nursing school is to prepare the students for a minimum knowledge to practice safely, and that is so difficult. The normal drop out rate per semester is 20%, for a good reason. This isn't Grey's Anatomy here- this is real world nursing, and these students who now "passed" I would not want caring for anyone I know. (that is if they pass the NCLEX)
Thanks for reading this lengthy post. source
How to Become a Nurse
Faster than average job growth for registered nurses
Possible Solutions for Nurse Shortages |
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| the oldest campus-based nursing program in Luzerne County, Misericordia
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Misericordia University recently received an Appalachian Regional Commission grant to expand its Nursing Learning Resource Laboratory.
Misericordia University recently received an Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grant that was facilitated by the Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) to expand its on-campus nursing learning resource laboratory.
ARC is a federal-state partnership that works with the 13 Appalachian states, including Pennsylvania, to create opportunities for self-sustaining economic development and improved quality of life. NEPA Alliance is the Local Development District in the seven-county region for ARC and DCED. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is represented at ARC by Gov. Edward G. Rendell and his alternate, Deputy Secretary Lisa A. Atkinson.
Misericordia University will match the $27,752 grant to improve equipment, technology and training so the institution can continue to provide quality instruction to students while also addressing the critical nursing shortage in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The university is positioning itself to respond to the need for additional nurses by improving its nursing resource laboratory and equipping it with state-of-the-art technology.
“As the oldest campus-based nursing program in Luzerne County, Misericordia takes great pride in the number and the quality of nursing professionals who are among our alumni,’’ said Misericordia University President Michael A. MacDowell, who also acknowledged the important role alumna Mary Erwine, president of Home Health & Hospice Inc., Kingston, played in securing the grant.
“The majority of our nursing graduates have decided to stay here in our region and provide the health care and support patients and their families need. The state-of-the-art nursing lab will help us provide even better nurses for NEPA and the Commonwealth,’’ Dr. MacDowell added.
The laboratory will be upgraded to include equipment, supplies and training to support the recently purchased Laerdal SimMan, a portable, advanced patient simulator that has realistic anatomy and clinical functionality. SimMan enables Misericordia to provide simulation based on education to challenge and test students’ clinical and decision-making skills during realistic patient care scenarios.
Pennsylvania health care providers are currently experiencing a 9 percent vacancy rate for nurses, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The state anticipates a shortage as high as 16,000 registered nurses and 4,000 licensed practical nurses by 2010, HRSA data states.
Misericordia University’s nursing department is committed to providing an educational experience which produces competent nurses who are critical thinkers and educated consumers of research. The longest-tenured program in NEPA prepares its graduates for productive careers in nursing and to be advocates for life-long learning.
The nursing department offers programs for people who want to enter the profession or enhance their careers.
Nursing opportunities at MU begin with the traditional undergraduate program that is designed for recent high school graduates who are interested in full-time study or adult students who want to attend class in a full-time traditional day format. The institution’s Expressway RN to BSN program with an RN to MSN option is for students with a diploma or an associate’s degree and an RN license. It is intended for professionals who want to return to college for advanced study in nursing. The Part-Time Accelerated Evening program for non-nurses is designed for adults with a second degree or a number of college credits who wish to obtain a BSN degree in only two years and one semester of part-time evening study.
The Graduate Nursing program allows nurses to engage in an advanced practice clinical specialization. Students may earn a master’s degree as a family nurse practitioner. This program prepares graduates for the advanced practice role which is being promoted in Gov. Edward G. Rendell’s Prescription for Pennsylvania.
Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with advanced education in health assessment, diagnosis and management of illnesses and injuries, who can order tests and prescribe drugs. They practice in ambulatory, acute and long-term care settings, and diagnose, manage and treat acute and chronic health problems. These professionals are able to diagnose as well as treat many common health problems and therefore they allow doctors to spend more time with patients who have complex medical problems.
MU also offers a post-master’s certificate in nursing education and family nurse practitioner for nurses who already have a master’s degree. Misericordia designed the Nursing Education Certificate to address the national demand for nurse educators.
“There is an urgent need for universities and colleges throughout the state to respond to the nursing as well as nursing educator shortage,’’ said Cynthia Mailloux, Ph.D., associate professor and chairwoman of the nursing department. “Misericordia University is meeting this need by providing a variety of programs to help nursing students enter into the profession of nursing at various levels.’’ source
How to Become a Nurse
Faster than average job growth for registered nurses
Possible Solutions for Nurse Shortages |
| posted by blogger @ 16:19
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| Filipino nurses problems
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Nurses problem greeted newly-arrived ambassador to Norway Elizabeth P. Buensuceso who arrived on Dec. 11 to assume her post vice Ambassador Victoria S. Bataclan who went back to Manila after completing her tour of duty.
Members of the first batch of 2002 Filipino nurses in Oslo who took the Drug Administration test during that year met at the embassy on Friday, Dec. 12, the day Ambassador Buensuceso reported for work, to draw plans how to counter the cheating charges leveled against them.
Speaking before the nurses, Ambassador Buensuceso advised them to plan thoroughly their course of action and promised that the embassy will assist them in the best way possible to bring their action to the proper channel.
The ambassador also called on the other members of the Filipino community who came to welcome her to do away with the Filipino crab mentality and instead help each other to progress.
Meanwhile, the nurses deplored the charge leveled against them saying it has greatly affected the good reputation they had built difficultly. A nurse related the racial discrimination she had experience saying that local patients shun black-haired nurses.
On the other hand, Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) President Cynthia Baluyot said that Filipino nurses in Norway are highly regarded adding that it was very unfortunate that the old issue on cheating came out again.
Mrs. Baluyot called on her fellow nurses to continue dispensing their duties diligently and prove that they are competent and efficient workers.
In a story published in a local Norwegian paper recently, a certain “Romeo” approached the paper and reported that Mrs. Rizalina Jenssen, general manager and owner of ASOR recruitment agency, was allegedly responsible in the cheating.
ASOR is responsible for bringing in nurses to Oslo and reports have it that since the signing of agreement with the Oslo government in 2003 to provide health workers, ASOR has earned close to NOK 40 million.
Romeo told the paper that Ms. Jenssen copied all his answers and distributed the same to all the examinees adding that she took the answers from him because she knew that he had the competency and experience in drug administration.
“(And) the proctor did nothing to deny Jenssen’s access to the school or even stop her from talking with the examinees,” the paper reported based on Romeo’s narration.
A member of the batch vehemently denied Romeo’s allegation saying that Mrs. Jenssen was not present when they took the exam.
“She was nowhere to be seen while we were taking the exam,” Cesar dela Cruz said. A fellow nurse corroborated his statement saying that she only saw Mrs. Jenssen when she unlocked the door where the exam took place.
Fifty examinees took the test administered by Hogskolen i Vestfold. The school management denied the allegations and said that Mrs. Jenssen was possibly there before the examination but she was not present during the examination.
And contrary to Romeo’s report that almost all passed the exam, the school said that only half passed the test administered during that time. (PNA)source
Why I became a nurse
What it Takes to be a Nurse
Why a Nurse?
MyCoolJob: Nurse
Critical Care Nurse |
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| Nurses who have left the profession are encouraged to consider returning as there is now more flexibility to accommodate part-time employment
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THE State Government is encouraging nurses to return to the workforce in a bid to reduce nursing shortages worldwide.
“Nurses who have left the profession are encouraged to consider returning as there is now more flexibility to accommodate part-time employment so that a work-life balance can be achieved,” Health Minister Daniel Andrews said.
Since last year, the State Government funded 1500 additional training places for division two nurses over four years and, earlier this year, launched a $4.4 million recruitment campaign in the United Kingdom, Mr Andrews said.
“We also allocated $74.1 million in the recent State Budget to help develop a more flexible workforce with initiatives such as the use of nurse practitioners,” he said.
Kilmore and District Hospital has significantly increased the number of nurses since 1999 with more than 25 extra nurses employed in full-time positions.
Kilmore and District Hospital spokesperson Amanda Edwards said an Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) for nurses in 2000 meant a substantial increase in nurse numbers.
“This was the year that nurse-to-patient ratios were introduced in Victoria, and the subsequent implementation of the EBA resulted in increased numbers of nurses at the hospital and nursing home,” Ms Edwards said.
Further EBAs had resulted in more nursing positions, such as clinical support nurses to fill educator support positions, cancer care co-ordinator nurses, dedicated infection control nurses and an assistant director of nursing to co-ordinate risk management throughout the organisation.
In a bid to address global nursing shortages, the Brumby Government recently announced funding for up to 30 new postgraduate nursing scholarships and refresher courses for up to 20 nurses to return to intensive care.
Mr Andrews said public hospitals, mental health agencies and public aged care services now employed 29,981 nurses, with more than 10,400 working in rural and regional health services. source
Doc and Nurses of ER-video
What it Takes to be a Nurse
Nurses documentary-video |
| posted by blogger @ 08:01
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| Sydney’s West Area Health Service’s inaugural Higher School Certificate `Nursing Studies’ program
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Up to 70 young people from across western Sydney proudly graduated from Sydney’s West Area Health Service’s inaugural Higher School Certificate `Nursing Studies’ program today.
The two-year course has given the chance for young people to begin their nursing career while studying the HSC, gaining qualifications in first aid, a NSW Tafe statement of attainment in nursing studies and two units of a Bachelor of Nursing degree.
The students will now go on to complete their degrees at university or enter the trainee enrolled nurse program.
Premier Nathan Rees met with a group of students ahead of the graduation ceremony to see their new skills in action.
“This is what education and training is all about – providing our students with the skills to set them up for the future,” Mr Rees said.
“This is part of our plan to address the global shortage of doctors and nurses and provide young people with a pathway to employment.
105 Year 11 and 12 students from 24 government and 15 non-government schools from across Western Sydney participated in the program through the following hospitals:
• Auburn • Blacktown/Mt Druitt • Nepean • Westmead • Hawkesbury • Blue Mountains
The NSW Government has committed $2.8 million over four years to expand the program. source
How to Become a Nurse
Faster than average job growth for registered nurses
Possible Solutions for Nurse Shortages
Top Medical Jobs |
| posted by blogger @ 04:55
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| A nurse specializes in psychiatric assessment, medication management and psychotherapy
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Courtney Kondos, a board certified clinical nurse specialist for Dakota Family Services in Minot, held a longtime interest in psychiatry and mental health. Kondos specializes in psychiatric assessment, medication management and psychotherapy for a variety of patients and began her work with Dakota Family Services in June.
Kondos works with individuals from children to the elderly, who have a variety of mental health diagnoses.
"I always knew, when I was getting my undergrad (registered nurse) degree at Minot State, that I wanted to pursue my masters. Psychiatry has always been an interest of mine, along with geriatrics. I'm lucky to be able to do both," Kondos said.
Shortly after becoming an RN, Kondos began working for Trinity Health's inpatient psychiatric unit. It was during her student clinical hours at the unit and her later time as an RN there that she met Dr. Wayne Martinsen, who introduced her to Dakota Family Services.
"I had a great learning experience with Dr. Martinsen, and I'm glad I got the chance for employment where the people are kind, and they take good care of their patients," Kondos said.
Kondos was born and raised in Minot, and has enjoyed staying close to her family. She credits family support and the support of other professionals in the mental health field for helping her achieve her goals.
"I've had people encouraging me all the way. The community of mental health providers have offered guidance and knowledge, and they've helped me get where I'm at today," Kondos said.
Kondos always knew she wanted to pursue a career in the healthcare field. At age 15, she began work as a nurse's aide.
"I've always been involved in the (healthcare) field, and I've always been somebody who enjoyed relationship building and people-oriented careers," she said.
During her work in the psychiatric unit, Kondos' interest in the psychiatric field grew, and she saw a need for practitioners in the state.
"In my work at the psychiatric unit, as people were being discharged from the hospital, we as nurses were trying to get them into outpatient care. With the shortages, you really saw the need out there. I wanted to help in that way," Kondos said.
In her work for Dakota Family Services, Kondos gathers information about her patients and presents them with treatment options.
"It's (psychiatric assessment) all-encompassing. We look at lots of different aspects - their symptoms, their history of mental health problems and their social history. We look at a lot of different pieces so we can get a picture of the individual as a whole, not just focusing on the symptoms the individual is experiencing at the time," Kondos said.
"I like to offer them (patients) options, and include them in making decisions about their own care. I see myself as a facilitator for that, helping people make their own decisions," she added.
Kondos works with patients at the Dakota Family Services clinic and joins Dr. Martinsen one day a week working at the Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. She's enjoyed helping many individuals on their mental health recovery paths.
"I like helping people achieve their goals, and achieve wellness. I like feeling and seeing the changes that they are looking for in their life. I'm really grateful for the experiences I've had at Dakota Family Services, and with the providers I work with. I'm grateful to be where I'm at, and to be serving people," Kondos said. source
LVN vs RN What is the difference?
Vocational Nursing schools in California 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
Licensed Vocational Nurse LVN program prerequisites
LVN Program Fees
Vocational Nursing schools in Texas
Vocational Nursing schools in Florida
Tips for choosing a vocational school |
| posted by blogger @ 23:56
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| After beating cancer, a young woman is ready to take nursing classes
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Her short brown hair covers the scar left from the orange-size tumor that doctors removed.
Since the operation to remove a brain tumor a year and a half ago, Maria Silva has undergone untold hours of rehabilitation, along with some setbacks, like the epilepsy she developed since the surgery.
As she prepares to return to school to pursue a nursing degree, the 22-year-old needs few things: a laptop computer for school work; prescription glasses or contact lenses since her vision changed after surgery, and orthopedic shoes to steady her left leg, a result of the tumor affecting her balance.
''I don't want to stay at the house and have my parents pay, I want to be independent,'' Silva said, of her desire to take classes at Miami Dade College in January and become a nurse.
''I like helping a lot,'' she said. ``The way they treated me was really nice and I want to be like them.''
Just two summers ago, Silva was driving to class when she felt a tingling in her left foot. Her leg went numb. She made it to school, but when she tried to walk her leg gave out.
Silva realized she needed to see a doctor. She went to the emergency room, where she waited for several hours and then returned the next day.
Without insurance, the wait to see a neurologist was months long, she said.
So her boyfriend's family, who lives in North Carolina, suggested a hospital close to their house that helps people without insurance. There she could have a quicker consultation.
''I knew something was wrong,'' she said. ``I just didn't think it would be big.''
Once in North Carolina, the news was far more serious than she anticipated.
''It was horrible,'' she said. ``No one in my family had cancer. I didn't know a tumor meant cancer.''
Over the summer, she underwent radiation treatment, but it was unsuccessful. She had surgery to remove the tumor and then to put in a shunt to create a passageway. That was followed by chemotherapy.
Her mother, Maria, and two younger sisters moved to North Carolina to be with her. The four would spend the year there, with the younger girls enrolling in a year of school.
Her father, Alvaro, a handyman, stayed in Miami to work. Every few weeks he would make the roughly 14-hour drive to visit.
''It's been really hard,'' said the elder Maria Silva. ``I never imagined it could happen.''
''She cried a lot,'' the younger Maria said.
In July, the family moved back to the Southwest Miami-Dade apartment complex where they lived before the surgery.
Three months ago, Maria got the ``good news.''
''I have no cancer anymore,'' she said on a recent evening. ``But it can come back. Before I was depressed, but I learned it's just better to stay calm.''
Since the surgery, Maria developed epilepsy. Sometimes her seizures are weekly; other times, they come more frequently.
''I think it's amazing how after all that's happened she still wants to go to school and be a nurse,'' said Tony Barcelo, her case manager at the Epilepsy Foundation of Florida, which nominated her for the Miami Herald Wish Book program.
''She's trying to go to school and better herself and help her family,'' he said. ``That's very courageous.''
The Epilepsy Foundation pays for her medication, and while the health concerns have eased some, the illness has put a strain on the family's finances.
The weak economy cut into her dad's income; he says he's making about $1,800 a month.
Last month's rent was 20 days late, and another rent payment is soon due again.
Maria can't drive because of her condition and relies on the county's Special Transportation Service, which costs $6 a day. She uses it to get to therapy and she'll use it when she starts classes.
''The work is very down,'' said Alvaro, whose car was recently repossessed. ``It's very, very hard to support my family.'' source
LPNs and RNs-similarities and differences
LVN vs RN What is the difference?
Vocational Nursing schools in California 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, |
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| Texas Christian University nursing students
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About 70 Texas Christian University nursing students majoring in public health have seen the fruits of their labor as an initiative between the Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences, the Mansfield Independent School District and Arlington resulted in $4.6 million being dedicated to road safety improvements.
The students have been working for three semesters to implement the Safe Routes to School initiative, a federal program giving funds to repair infrastructure around schools so children can better walk or bike to school. The students looked at an area containing three schools and sent their survey and research data to a Dallas engineer who will create a formal recommendation and action plan to be sent to SRTS to apply for additional funds. The study the students completed would have cost about $30,000 if a consulting engineer or municipal body performed all the services, said Larry Cervenka, the engineer drafting the plan for SRTS.
The project let students understand how difficult it is to gain support for changes and to change policies, said Sharon Canclini, clinical instructor at TCU and project supervisor.
The proposition for improvements in the three-school area passed, and there is an additional $4.5 million of reprogrammed funding added to the passage of the bond based on the data and testimony given by the students.
Arlington Memorial opens
diabetes center
Arlington Memorial Hospital recently opened a new Center for Diabetes Self-Management Education as a service to those with diabetes and pre-diabetes in the Metroplex.
The hospital saw more than 4,500 patients with diabetes in 2007, and the center will be available to help them by following standards set by the American Diabetes Association. After a patient is referred to the program, he or she will receive an assessment of his or her educational needs. Patients may attend group or individual education sessions lead by nurses or registered dieticians over several weeks and will be presented with information about nutrition, physical activity, disease process, treatment options, medication use, glucose monitoring, complications and lifestyle changes.
Patients with Type 1, Type 2, gestational diabetes and pre-diabetes may participate in the program. For more information on the center, please call 817-960-6025.
Boenker family donates
to women’s center
Gloria Boenker and the Boenker family donated $250,000 to the Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital’s Center for Women and Infant’s Health Center and 250 baby blankets to the neonatal intensive care unit in honor of her first-born son, a 24-week premature baby who died.
The donation was given to Harris in honor of the care Boenker and her family received while at the NICU, and she personally delivered the check and the baby blankets Dec. 9. The Texas Health Resouces endowment fund is matching her donation to make the gift total $500,000.
Baylor announces board members
Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine recently announced two additions to its board of trustees.
Jana Waters, owner of Waters Financial Planning in Southlake, and George McCleskey, senior executive vice president of PlainsCapital Corp. and president of PlainsCapital Banks in Dallas, each joined the board.
Waters is a certified financial planner and opened her own firm in 2005. Prior to that, she worked as a staff accountant with Ernst & Young in Dallas and was affiliated with a Grapevine-based wealth management firm. McCleskey previously has served as board chairman for the Texas Department of Health and as general counsel and interim CEO for Methodist Hospital in Lubbock.
Stylemakers offers Hair Audit
Stylemakers Salon, which offers a wide range of salon services including prostheses for cancer patients and others with hair loss, is offering clients a free Stylemakers Hair Audit from Dec. 26 through Jan. 10. The promotion is to raise awareness for the American Cancer Society’s “Look Good ... Feel Better” program in Tarrant County.
Clients are asked to make a voluntary donation to go directly to the local program. The service includes a shampoo and styling session as well as a full evaluation of the client’s hair condition, texture and style and opportunity to discuss hair challenges, likes, dislikes and possible changes. Participants are not obligated to purchase any products or services.
“Look Good ... Feel Better” is a free, product-neutral, non-medical program that teaches beauty techniques to women cancer patients to help them combat the appearance-related side effects of cancer treatment and is a partnership with the American Cancer Society, the National Cosmetology Association and the Personal Care Products Council Foundation. source
What is the typical salary for a Licensed Vocational Nurse ?
How do I prepare for the job?
Benefits of Vocational Nursing
How do I find the job? |
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| Laurentian University's nurse practitioner class
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Thousands more patients, many of them orphan patients, will be able to access primary health care in the North with the graduation of 11 students from Laurentian University's 2008 nurse practitioner class.
The first nurse practitioners graduated from Laurentian's School of Nursing in 1996 and 24 more are expected to graduate in 2009.
Offered via distance education, the nurse practitioner program attracts nurses from northeastern Ontario who qualify by having a university nursing degree, years of relevant professional experience and meeting the requirements for previous academic achievement.
Each graduate of a Nurse Practitioner Education program must pass a gruelling licensing exam to practise as an NP.
"Nurse practitioners order laboratory tests, diagnose illnesses and prescribe medication and treatments, independently," said Marilyn Butcher, a nurse practitioner and clinic director of the Sudbury District Nurse Practitioner Clinics.
Nurse practitioners work in a team, consulting with health-care providers such as physicians, pharmacists, social workers, midwives and more, "ensuring that the individual and family receive the best possible care," said Butcher.
All 11 graduates from the 2008 class are employed as nurse practitioners.
Jennifer Clement, originally from McKerrow, has accepted a position with the Sudbury District Nurse Practitioner Clinics. Making history as the first NP-led clinic in Canada, its impact on access to care is significant since only orphan patients are accepted. source
How to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse
Licensed Vocational Nurse working conditions
What is the typical salary for a Licensed Vocational Nurse ? |
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| There will be no registered nurses for nursing homes by 2025
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There will be no registered nurses for nursing homes by 2025 if the current rate of decline is not addressed, a Catholic Health Australia statement has warned.
According to a report released two weeks ago by Minister for Ageing Justine Elliot, at the current rate of decline there will be no registered nurses in Australian nursing homes by the year 2025, the CHA statement says.
"We've reached crisis point," Catholic Health Australia chief executive Martin Laverty commented.
"This is not a theoretical problem to be handled some time in the future, we need effective action now."
News that universities are struggling to attract student nurses is further evidence that Australia urgently needs a national health workforce commission, Mr Laverty said.
The National Health Workforce Taskforce has revealed that fewer than half the 500 extra university places for nurses were taken up this year.
"There is an urgent need to take a comprehensive national approach to health and medical workforce planning, for today, next year, and into the years ahead," Mr Laverty said.
"We have been sharing with the Government for more than six months our plan for a national health workforce agency to bring together all governments, professional bodies, and the private sector.
"It is important that this agency is not a toothless tiger. It must be able to allocate funds, be independent of governments, and be accountable to parliaments and the public.
"As our society ages and demand on the health and aged care sectors increases exponentially, a National Health Workforce Commission would ensure that these kinds of crises are averted in the future."
The Garling Report into the NSW health system recently found that nearly one quarter of all nurses in NSW will reach retirement age in the next three years.
CHA is working with its network of 20 public and 55 private hospitals to improve the way hospitals and universities coordinate the clinical placements that ensure student nurses have the experience they need to enter the workforce.
"CHA is taking what action we can take," Mr Laverty said.
"We invite governments and professional bodies to work together to solve the health workforce crisis and ensure that all Australians have access to quality health and aged care, now and into the future." source
What do Vocational Nurses do?
Important skills, knowledge, and abilities for LVNs
How to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse |
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| The survey of over 4,500 nursing students across the UK
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MEASURES have been put in place to help Scarborough nursing students who are struggling during the current economic climate.
The issue of money worries was raised in a recent report by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), which stated that almost three quarters of students had to get a second job just so they could afford to study and nearly half had considered leaving
their course altogether.
The survey of over 4,500 nursing students across the UK found that paid work was having seriously negative consequences on the time they could devote to their studies. More than half of students – 57 per cent – said that they were working more than ten hours a week in paid employment alongside their studies in order to make ends meet.
Kevin Austerberry, regional director for the RCN in Yorkshire and the Humber, said: "It's clear that nursing students across Yorkshire and the Humber and nationally are struggling to keep their heads above water because they're saddled with debt and the support on offer is far from ideal.
"We all want a first class health service and nurses are absolutely integral to achieving this, but the Government need to realise that the inadequate bursary system is a factor in people dropping out of courses."
A spokesman from Scarborough and North East Yorkshire NHS Healthcare Trust said: "This issue has been recognised and addressed by the trust and for the past 10 years there has been a strategy agreed with the University of York to support a number of locally-based students who are allocated practice placements within the Scarborough, Malton, Whitby and Bridlington areas for the majority of their programme.
"This means that the students have less distance to travel to their placement, less travelling expenses and can live at home rather than moving into rented accommodation.
"There are also opportunities for employees of trust who wish to study on a pre-registration nursing or midwifery programme to apply for sponsorship from the Strategic Health Authority."
The trust also works in partnership with universities to support its students and to encourage them to find out what financial support is available. source
Licensed Vocational Nurse Jobs
What is a Licensed Vocational Nurse?
Is the Vocational Nursing Profession a growing career? |
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| Licensed vocational nurses — or LVNs and RN
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For two decades they've been fixtures at the bedsides of new mothers and babies at Kaweah Delta Medical Center
Licensed vocational nurses — or LVNs — staffed the hospital's second-floor post-partum unit, providing hands-on care. The employees taught new moms about nursing and other skills, including how to properly fit a diaper using the "burrito-wrap" technique.
That teaching now must come from someone else. The unit's eight LVNs have been gone since late October, when they learned in a 10-minute Friday afternoon meeting that they'd been laid off.
"At the time I thought, 'This is not happening,' " said Lisa Manley, who had worked for Kaweah Delta for 13 years.
"I was speechless," said Linda Connolly, an 11-year veteran.
"All these years of service, and this is what we mean to this department?" said Josephine Melo, who had been with the post-partum unit since its beginning in 1995. She worked at the hospital for 19 years.
Like many in the current recession, members of the group have spent the last month and a half searching for new jobs. But they're also looking for answers they said they never got from Kaweah Delta.
"We did a lot for these mommies, babies and daddies," Melo said. "Just to let that experience go ... ."
Rise in acute care
Budget cutbacks, for once, were not to blame, a Kaweah Delta nursing manager said this week. In June the hospital laid off 51 employees, including clerical, maintenance and personnel workers, as part of a bid to save more than $7 million, the expected reduction in state MediCal payments.
This time around, the layoffs were because of a recent increase in the number of post-partum patients requiring acute or advanced medical care, said Jon Knudsen, who oversees the nurses in the unit.
Those patients — mothers suffering from diabetes or heart and blood-pressure problems — require attention from registered nurses, Knudsen said. RNs have several additional years of training and can administer all medications and plan patient care from admission to discharge, duties LVNs aren't permitted to handle, he said.
"It was a very difficult decision to make," Knudsen said. "But it was the right decision for the mere fact that we've got more patients that need what RNs can do."
A statewide trend
Knudsen said he made the decision after calling five local hospitals. Among them, they employed a total of five LVNs in their post-partum units, he said.
That small number is indicative of a statewide trend. Hospitals — obstetric units in particular — are laying off, or never hiring, LVNs, said Joyce Wright, an LVN since 1968 and board member for the Licensed Vocational Nurses Association of California.
It's a problem that could exacerbate the current nursing shortage, Wright said.
"That's why LVNs came into being, to bridge that gap between nurses assistants and registered nurses," she said.
Gain vs. loss
Wright questioned Kaweah Delta's claim of a rise in acute-care patients, saying it's a common excuse given by other hospitals in staffing shake-ups.
The fired nurses said they'd noticed no such increase. They were always careful to defer to registered nurses on any high-risk cases, they said.
"We knew what we could do and what we couldn't do," said Melo, the 19-year veteran.
Wright and the nurses also questioned the financial logic behind getting rid of lower-paid nurses during hard economic times. The average total compensation among five of the post-partum Kaweah Delta LVNs in 2007 was about $47,000, hospital records show. Among five obstetric RNs it was $83,185.
But Knudsen said the hospital has actually saved money by hiring only one additional registered nurse in the aftermath of the layoffs. That wasn't a factor in the firings, he said, but it has enabled the hospital to "maximize productivity" from the six to eight RNs who now staff the unit at all times. Previously, the unit had been run by approximately six RNs and one or two LVNs.
That staffing level is unlikely to change in the near future, and neither it nor the loss of the LVNs will affect care in the post-partum unit, he said.
"We lost some friends. We lost some experience," he said. "But there wasn't a particular skill or model of care that was lost by not having the LVNs."
Meanwhile, of the eight fired nurses, four took severance pay — one has found a job — and four remain on 90-day leave, searching for open positions within the health district.
Salina Ramirez, at 30 the youngest of the group, with seven years at Kaweah Delta, said she's hesitant to return to a company that she feels pushed her out.
But the job itself, she loved.
"I'd do it again in a heartbeat," she said. source
LVN vs RN What is the difference? |
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| the future template for Philippine nursing education
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A Filipino doctor based in Fresno, California, has radically changed the concept of a nursing school, which may become the future template for Philippine nursing education.
Dr. Johnny Fong, a University of the Philippines graduate, is pioneering an innovative nursing education model which cuts by half the period for nursing degree courses, dramatically reduces tuition cost, and awards US diplomas without the aspirant actually going to the US. Here is how it works.
A regular Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing (BSN) takes four years. Add one more year for the local board exam, and you have five years. Johnny’s concept reduces this to two years based on an Associate of Science Degree in Nursing (ASDN), which involves an intensive trimester system and includes taking the board exam, not the local but the US one called National Council Licensure Exam (CLEX). The difference between the BSN and the ASDN are the non-clinical courses added to the BSN curriculum. Beyond that, it is the same training in terms of skills for nursing, demanding the same salary and job description. It must be clarified that the ASDN course produces not Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs) but licensed Registered Nurses (RNs).
Johnny’s fast-track model involves two affiliated nursing schools, one in Metro Manila, the St. Ignatius Health Science College, and one in Saipan, the University of Loyola (UOL). A key ingredient in the model is that Saipan is part of the US Commonwealth of Northern Marian Islands (CNMI), where nursing courses are accredited by the US nursing education system based on a US curriculum. In other words, one ends up with a US diploma, not a local one. With a US degree, nursing graduates are given first preference in hospital hiring. There is also no need to take the English proficiency exam.source
LVN vs RN What is the difference?
Vocational Nursing schools in California 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
Licensed Vocational Nurse LVN program prerequisites
LVN Program Fees |
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| 44 percent of the nursing jobs at the Austin State School remained vacant
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Despite an effort to bulk up medical staffs at Texas' schools for people with mental retardation, 44 percent of the nursing jobs at the Austin State School remained vacant in a tally this fall.
In September, the state institution had 72 open nursing positions, according to a school organizational chart obtained by the American-Statesman through a request under the Texas Public Information Act. The facility is budgeted to hire 165 registered and licensed vocational nurses.
The shortage comes a year after state investigators found that staffers with no medical training were dispensing drugs and helping with medical care at the Austin facility and a month after a U.S. Department of Justice report concluded that staffing shortages have "compromised care" at all 13 state schools and centers.
The Department of Aging and Disability Services — which runs the state schools — is working hard to recruit and retain nurses at all of the schools, said spokeswoman Laura Albrecht. The agency says it uses contract nurses to temporarily fill empty jobs, but Albrecht would not say how many currently work at the school.
The department is in the process of hiring more than 700 nurses across the state, according to statistics released by the agency. Officials have asked legislators to approve a 15 percent pay increase for all school nurses.
A State Auditor's Office report released in July said the average turnover rate for all 13 schools and centers in fiscal year 2007 was 30 percent for registered nurses and 31 percent for licensed vocational nurses. Austin's turnover rate, however, is significantly higher, with 49 percent of registered nurses and 54 percent of licensed vocational nurses leaving that year. The Austin State School has 474 beds.
Albrecht declined to discuss possible reasons behind the turnover, citing potential litigation with the U.S. Justice Department. The department has also refused to release information about staffing, injuries and disciplinary action taken at the Austin State School — decisions that were upheld by the Texas attorney general's office, which rules over public information disputes.
Addie Horn, commissioner of the Department of Aging and Disability Services, told senators earlier this year that luring medical staffers to the state schools is difficult in metropolitan areas.
"Austin is a big city, and there are a lot of other opportunities," she said.
The starting salary for registered nurses at the Austin State School is almost $53,000 . That's comparable to the pay local hospitals offer, said Clair Jordan , executive director for the Texas Nurses Association .
Money isn't the problem, she said. It's the working conditions. Some nurses refuse to work at the schools because of high patient loads and poorly trained support staffers, she said.
Many school residents have complex medical problems and nurses have too many patients to give them anything beyond basic care, Jordan said. Nurses often have to provide care usually handled by nurse's aides — such as caring for skin and rotating patients in their beds — because staffers aren't well-trained, she said.
"There are a lot of (nurses) who feel the problems there are overwhelming," Jordan said.
The Justice Department began investigating possible civil rights violations in the state schools in 2005, starting with the Lubbock State School. That inquiry documented problems with services, including medical and psychiatric care.
This summer, the agency expanded its inquiry to all state schools.
Its findings were released earlier this month and included criticism of nursing care at the facilities.
"It is clear that staffing shortages have greatly compromised care and contributed to service delivery problems," the report states. "Inadequate recruitment and poor retention, due in part to inadequate training, have been major issues for nursing at most of the facilities."
The state disability agency and the Justice Department are negotiating changes at the schools.
The Justice Department report echoes the conclusions of a 2007 review of the Austin State School by the disability agency's inspectors .
Investigators reported that nurses were so overwhelmed that staffers without medical training were administering tube feedings and dispensing drugs to patients.
One staffer interviewed told her supervisors "that she did not feel this is safe nursing."
In that same report, another employee disagreed that the nurses were overworked and said that "she had observed nurses sitting and reading paperback books." In response, the disability department agreed to monitor its employees more closely and provide them with more training.
"Nursing in any environment is going to be challenging," Albrecht said.
"I'd venture to guess that any nurse who chooses to work for us will find it challenging but rewarding. Certainly many nurses have made their career with us." source
Benefits of Vocational Nursing
How do I find the job?
LPNs and RNs-similarities and differences |
| posted by blogger @ 16:40
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| Nurse Aide Training Course and other adult education courses at the Blue River Career Programs center
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Nurse aide training, welding technology and other adult education courses will be taught at the Blue River Career Programs center, starting with Microsoft training in late January.
Introduction to Welding Technology is a 30-hour course that teaches the basics of MIG welding. Classes last 10 weeks beginning Feb. 3 for a $200 fee.
The Nurse Aide Training Course is available collaboratively from the vocational school, IVY Tech Community College and Shelby County Life Long Learning. CNA certification is available with the successful completion of the course and a state test. For more information, contact SCLLL at (317) 398-1332 or IVY Tech at (317) 921-4487.
Beginning, intermediate and advanced courses in Microsoft software become available in late January.
English as a Second Language, Adult Secondary Credit, Basic Education and GED preparation are also available at the vocational school. source
Licensed Vocational Nurse working conditions
What is the typical salary for a Licensed Vocational Nurse ? |
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| Porterville College Fire Academy, Psychiatric Technician, Psychiatric Technician, Vocational Nursing, Registered Nursing and the Entrepreneur programs
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The 100 Porterville College mid-year graduates had plenty to celebrate recently as they graduated from the college’s Fire Academy, Psychiatric Technician, Psychiatric Technician, Vocational Nursing, Registered Nursing and the Entrepreneur programs.
The firefighters were required to finish 360 hours of training in a variety of topics, among them firefighter safety, wildland fire behavior, building search and rescue, fire investigation, vehicle collision rescue, Jaws of Life and many others.
Special recognition and awards were given to Juan Ambriz, academic excellence award; Jacob Reveles, leadership award; First Lt. David Goforth, U.S. Army Reserve and Sgt. Adam Basconcillo, U.S. Marine Reserve, for “Commitment to Duty”; and Hillary Paul — the only female graduate — who won the “Can Do Award.”
In addition, certificates of appreciation were awarded to Ryan Wood, academy cadet battalion chief; and cadet company captains Chad Billingsley, Adam Basconcillo, Joshua Martin, Jarod Steele, Adolf Garcia and Paul Martinez.
The psychiatric technician and vocational nursing graduations took place at the Burton Middle School gymnasium with Karen Boriak, director of nursing, announcing several awards including the academic achievement award to Damion Rhodes and Sheila Urbanek; and outstanding clinical performance award to Kris Munoz for the psychiatric technician classes.
Vocational Nurse award recipients were Vanessa Galo, academic achievement, and Alejandrea Cerna and Laura Padilla for outstanding clinical performance.
The new Entrepreneur Training Program graduated its first class of students after they spent eight weeks studying business topics such as marketing and operations, and putting together a business plan.
The class was guided by instructors and staff from the Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, California State University Fresno.
The class consisted of local people, including business owners and other who are in the planning stages of opening their first business.source
Important skills, knowledge, and abilities for LVNs
How to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse |
| posted by blogger @ 08:28
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| American Career College offers a Vocational Nursing (VN) program at its Ontario Campus.
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American Career College has gained the approval of the Bureau of Vocational Nursing & Psychiatric Technicians (BVNPT) to offer a Vocational Nursing (VN) program at its Ontario Campus.
Currently, American Career College offers VN programs at both their Orange County and Los Angeles campuses and graduates the largest number of vocational nurses in the state. The initial class of 50 students filled quickly and began studies in the newly approved, Ontario VN program on November 24, 2008 with a projected graduation date of November 23, 2009.
"We are very pleased that American Career College has earned the approval of the BVNPT. With the current shortage of nurses, including vocational nurses, in the state, it is imperative that high quality educational programs thrive so we can continue to produce nurses to meet the current and oncoming demand," commented Wendy Maleki, Director of Nursing at American Career College, Ontario. "The addition of our Ontario program will enable students from the entire Inland Empire region to access our vocational nursing program with ease."
The VN program curriculum is challenging, consisting of 1,560 hours of course work, including 580 hours of theory and 980 clinical hours. Students who graduate are then eligible to take the NCLEX-PN exam, and, upon passage, practice under the supervision of a Registered Nurse, licensed Medical Doctor or Dentist. The scope of practice for LVNs includes: provisions of basic hygienic and nursing care; measurement of vital signs; basic patient assessment; documentation; performance of prescribed medical treatments; administration of prescribed medications; and, with separate board certification, performance of non-medicated intravenous therapy and blood draws. LVNs are often found practicing in skilled nursing facilities and out-patient clinics providing care to some of our most vulnerable community members.
"American Career College provides students a bridge to higher learning. Increasingly, we are seeing our graduate LVN students move on to study for their degree as a Registered Nurse. Our affiliate school, West Coast University, now offers an Associate Degree Nursing program as well as an opportunity to earn a Bachelor's in Science in Nursing (BSN). American Career College prepares students to enter the health care professional community ready to make a difference," Maleki remarked.
About American Career College:
With three campuses in Southern California, American Career College has been helping students succeed for over 30 years. Known for helping thousands of students pursue careers in a number of varying disciplines within the healthcare arena, American Career College's Ontario campus now offers a variety of courses in addition to the newly added Vocational Nursing program, including Optical Dispensing, Medical Assistant, Massage Therapy, Pharmacy Technician, Surgical Technology and Health Claims Examiner/Medical Biller. source
Licensed Vocational Nurse Jobs
What is a Licensed Vocational Nurse?
Is the Vocational Nursing Profession a growing career?
What do Vocational Nurses do? |
| posted by blogger @ 04:54
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| Experienced nurses could be replaced by less qualified staff
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| Sunday
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EXPERIENCED nurses at Albury Base Hospital could be replaced by less qualified staff according to a leaked memorandum from the Greater Southern Area Health Service.
The memo from the embattled service says it has identified 53 full-time equivalent registered nursing staff, including 18 at the Albury Base Hospital, which could be filled by enrolled nurses.
It said the changes at Albury would save about $360,000 and result in a saving of more than $1 million across the health service.
Other hospitals targeted in the region include Corowa, Berrigan and Denili-quin.
Opposition health spokeswoman Jillian Skinner said the move would “dumb down” the service and was a decision based purely on the basis of saving money.
“These changes will put lives at risk with regional hospitals forced to rely on locum or overseas trained doctors and now inexperienced nurses,” she said.
“With smaller hospitals already having trouble recruiting full-time doctors, in many cases it is the experienced registered nurses holding them together. “Getting rid of them (nurses) makes no sense. With many smaller hospitals in regional areas, the State Labor Government is seeking to create a second-class health system that has fewer experienced clinicians in rural areas.”
Greater Southern Area Health Service has responded by saying the changes would ensure a mix of skills that would better cater for patients’ needs.
Director of Nursing and Midwifery Karen Lenihan said the changes were practical and would not affect services.
“The quality of care and patient safety has to remain our number one priority,” she said.
“Enrolled nurses are still qualified, they are just a different level of nurse.
“There will still be registered nurses on duty on each shift.
“The skills mix will ensure our hospitals have the right number of nurses with the right skills, providing the right care in the right place.”
Ms Lenihan said the changes would be implemented through natural attrition, not through redundancy, and progressive staff changes during 2009.
“Nurses are our most valuable resource and there is a shortage of them,” she said. source
Important skills, knowledge, and abilities for LVNs
How to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse
Licensed Vocational Nurse working conditions
What is the typical salary for a Licensed Vocational Nurse ? |
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| UW-Oshkosh's College of Nursing
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A program that would allow Janesville-area residents to earn a bachelor's degree in nursing in Rock County could be up and running by fall 2009.
The degree would be a collaboration between UW-Oshkosh's College of Nursing and UW-Rock County.
UW-Oshkosh recently received University of Wisconsin System approval to fund a faculty member who would help establish and teach a nursing program at UW-Rock County.
Those working as registered nurses with an associate's degree could earn a bachelor's of science degree in nursing by taking UW-Rock County and UW-Oshkosh courses in Janesville.
New nursing students could start courses at UW-Rock County and Blackhawk Technical College and, after earning an associate's degree in nursing, move on to the bachelor's degree courses. source
Licensed Vocational Nurse Jobs
What is a Licensed Vocational Nurse?
Is the Vocational Nursing Profession a growing career?
What do Vocational Nurses do? |
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| The roles of a registered nurse, registered practical nurse and personal service worker
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As Quinte Health Care embarks on a change in staffing, a clear definition of the roles of a registered nurse, registered practical nurse and personal service worker is importnat to understand.
* Registered Nurse (RN) --Until 2005, registered nurses needed a twoyear post-secondary diploma. Since then, the requirement is a four-year university degree. RNs are the right hands of doctors and are responsible for high-risk -- the most critically ill -- patients. They work in hospital emergency departments, Intensive Care Units and only RNs work in dialysis units. RNs are regulated by the Ontario College of Nurses. RNs at the top of the pay scale at Quinte Health Care earn $39.31 per hour.
* Registered practical nurse (RPN)--once called registered nursing assistants, RPNs now require a two year nursing diploma, up from one year. They are responsible for low-to-moderate risk patients who are stable. Should a patient's condition worsen or they move into the higher-risk category, the RPN consults with an RN and often the patient care is transferred to the RN. Registered Practical Nurses are also under the regulation of the Ontario College of Nurses. At the top of the QHC pay scale, RPNs earn $24.98 per hour.
* Personal support worker (PSW) --fill the role of the old orderly position, which was phased out of hospitals years ago. PSWs who work for QHC must be graduates of an accredited six-month course. They assist patients with activities of daily living, such as feeding and bathing, but have no responsibility for the medical health of patients. They are a staple in nursing homes and have begun to assume duties in hospitals. They earn about $20 per hour. PSWs are not nurses and are not regulated by the college. source
Vocational Nursing schools in California 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
Licensed Vocational Nurse LVN program prerequisites
LVN Program Fees
Vocational Nursing schools in Texas
Vocational Nursing schools in Florida
Tips for choosing a vocational school |
| posted by blogger @ 16:46
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| A registered nurse or a registered practical nurse?
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Who best to care for patients on a one-on-one basis in hospital?
The answer varies depending on whether it's a registered nurse or a registered practical nurse, but while many are uncomfortable with the shift from the former to the latter, still others see it as a good solution to staffing and money shortfalls.
A shortage of registered nurses has seen QHC embark on a plan to shore up the RN vacancies by inserting more registered practical nurses into patient care scenarios that had previously been the area serviced by RNs. This also accomplishes another goal -- to help reduce QHC's burgeoning deficit, predicted to reach $15.1 million by March 31, 2010 -- since RPNs make about half the annual amount of RNs.
At the same time, personal support workers (PSWs) -- roughly the equivalent of the old orderlies who were a hospital staple for years but were phased out a few decades ago -- have been hired to fill the gap left by RPNs who are assuming a larger nursing role. The change was recommended in the Murphy Walsh consultant's report, also known as the self-improving system for hospitals.
The shuffle was not palatable to all concerned.
"There was a lot of controversy," admitted Kim Hennessy, an eight-year RPN who worked on the 58-bed acute-care floor (Quinte 5) at Belleville hospital until moving recently to Trenton Memorial.
But during an interview, she said the controversy was overblown because RNs and RPNs were too busy to do all the things necessary to improve a patient's stay in hospital. Now, PSWs can spend time with patients, talking, washing them -- doing the tasks needed for daily living, Hennessy said, while nurses can tend to the medical care of patients. The system was installed on Q5 this past June. The change has been remarkable, she said.
"Quality of care drastically improved," Hennessy said. "We were being pulled in so many directions. We were doing it all. It was burning us out. We didn't feel good about the care."
Hennessy was blunt in her assessment.
"They are balancing the budget on our backs," Hennessy said, but added that doesn't change the fact that the Murphy Walsh provisions have improved nurses' work lives and patient care.
But the fallout -- as many as 45 RN positions have received layoff notices to take effect April 30 (about 30 per cent of the positions are already vacant) -- came as a surprise to some. The Murphy Walsh report was to improve the work life of nurses, but it also recommended replacing RNs for tasks that could be done by RPNs and PSWs as a cost-saving measure. Other departments were given layoff notices, too, including five at the lab at Picton hospital
Kelly Pound, a 27-year RN who is the team leader on Q5, agreed the changes improved the situation -- for awhile.
That was when alternate level of care patients (ALC) filled almost half the beds on the floor. Those patients are usually elderly who are ready for discharge from hospital but there are no nursing home beds available. They require less care, so cutting RNs to six from 10, bringing the RPN complement up to six from five and adding four PSWs during the day when things are more hectic, worked fine. No one lost their jobs, either, because the RN positions were vacant due to the nursing shortage, said QHC spokeswoman Susan Rowe.
But in September, the ALC numbers dropped to about 10 from 24, and the beds were filled with acute-care patients, many with a high degree of medical problems, Pound said.
Vice-president of patient services and chief nursing officer Katherine Stansfield said the staff changes regarding nurses was given to the Ontario College of Nurses and the college saw no problem with the plan.
Several studies conducted by the Ontario Nursing Association -- the nursing union -- have shown that mortality rates go down when RNs are the primary care nurses.source
Licensed Vocational Nurse working conditions
What is the typical salary for a Licensed Vocational Nurse ?
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LPNs and RNs-similarities and differences |
| posted by blogger @ 12:38
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| MedCentral College of Nursing
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Painting, drywall and other tasks kept 26 nurses of the Scrubs Group busy Friday during a volunteer project to benefit Habitat for Humanity.
The MedCentral College of Nursing student community service group was refurbishing a house at 26 Florence Ave.
Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Veronna Drane said the project is funded by Richland County Foundation and First Energy/Ohio Edison donations and Community Development Block Grant money.
"They are awesome," Drane said of the nurses. "They are a very hard-working group."
The local nonprofit organization has worked on two homes this year. The other is at 311 Newman St.
Nursing student Nikita Stankiewicz, a senior from Millersburg, said students finished finals this week and were ready to lend a hand. Their task was to spruce up a three-bedroom, 1 1/2-bath house that also has a full basement.
Habitat volunteer Tammy Crider said construction began in May and is scheduled to be completed Dec. 31.
"They work so fast I'm trying to keep up," she said.
MedCentral students Abby Brown, Kelly Payne, Jordan Reff and Jarad Hayes worked in one of the bedrooms Friday before noon. Students enjoyed the time together.
"We've been singing," said Brown, 21, of Bellville. "We're second-year mudders."
Inside a hallway, seniors Tarah DePolo, 24, of Mount Vernon, and Hayley Baker, 21, of Lexington, also worked to texture a wall.
"I now appreciate carpenters a lot more," DePolo said.
Students Kerrie Schiefer of Bucyrus and Erica Sigler of Wooster were busy putting down sub floor in the kitchen. Both nursing students said they were learning a lot, having fun and helping people who need it.
Scrubs advisers Tina Cunningham and Kelly Kossick, who both work in the college's Admissions Office, said the group is composed of student ambassadors.
"They're leaders of the college and do community service projects including blood drives and adopting families. One main goal is to promote leadership and service," Cunningham said.
Drane said selection of a Habitat partner family is based on need and willingness to work. Each partner family agrees to give 500 hours of "sweat equity," volunteer labor on Habitat projects that includes their own home. The partner family also pays for all materials. But the house is sold at no profit, and because virtually all labor is donated, the cost is less than half that of a privately contracted home.
Contact the Habitat office at 419-524-8361 to lend a hand at the site as the project wraps during the next few weeks. source
Licensed Vocational Nurse Jobs
What is a Licensed Vocational Nurse?
Is the Vocational Nursing Profession a growing career? |
| posted by blogger @ 08:36
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| CNA program: There are so many fields you can go into after this
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Megan K. Baker stumbled on Training Resources of America Inc.'s office here and went on to complete its certified nurse aide-home health aide program.
"I was raising my daughter and I thought it was time to do something," the 23-year-old Holyoke woman said following her graduation ceremony Friday in the program's High Street office. "Actually, I was walking down the street one day and I saw them."
She was one of 11 from the area to complete the eight-week course.
Baker, who brought her 1-year-old daughter Lilliana E. Santiago to the ceremony, said she hopes to get a job as a certified nurse assistant at Wingate nursing home in South Hadley. She and other program participants did classroom work and training there.
"There are so many fields you can go into after this. This is a foot in the door," Baker said.
Becoming a registered nurse is Baker's ultimate goal.
"I enjoy helping others. This is my calling," Baker said.
"They thought they were never going to get through it, but they all graduated and they did a great job," said Maryellen M. Ciocca, a registered nurse and the program's instructor.
All 11 participants passed their state examination also.
The program's job developer, Judie D. Seigiel, said she hopes to have all the graduates placed in employment within a month.
Desiree M. Leclair, Western Massachusetts regional manager for Training Resources of America Inc., said such programs are important in difficult financial times like these. They help people get jobs so they can improve their economic circumstances, she said.
The program is funded by the state Department of Transitional Assistance through the Hampden Regional Employment Board. Participants get intensive classroom instruction along with laboratory and clinical work and work readiness training. The program has graduated more than 460 students since its inception in 1994. source
Where to find a free CNA training?
What is a Nursing Assistant and Certified Nursing Assistant?
What nurse assistants do
Certified nursing assistants in a hospital environment |
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| Doña Ana Community College nursing students
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LAS CRUCES — Several Doña Ana Community College nursing students will not participate in today's graduation ceremony with other members of their class after failing a newly implemented comprehensive exam.
The students alleged they were not given adequate time to prepare for the test.
"We were told in August that we would have to take an exit exam and it would be pass or fail," explained 23-year-old Brandy Quintana. "Even if we fulfilled all of our other requirements, if we failed this test, we wouldn't be allowed to graduate."
Quintana and other graduating students were issued the Health Education Systems Inc., or HESI, exam recently as a final, comprehensive test in their preceptorship requirement. Students were required to score 850 out of 1,500 total possible points on the test in order to graduate.
Quintana reported only about 15 out of the 21 potential graduating nursing students in the college's associate's degree program passed the exam.
"Now I have an F on my transcripts, and I won't be able to start working at Memorial (Medical Center) Monday," she said after learning she had failed the HESI exam. Quintana explained she was offered a position with the hospital, and was scheduled to begin her new job Monday pending her graduation.
Kristina Soto, 22, also failed to score at least an 850 on the test. Soto explained students are typically informed of requirements upon entering a degree program, semesters in advance. "If I had known from
the beginning I would have had to take this test, that wouldn't have been a problem," she said.
Both said that students newer to the program will have more time to prepare for the test.
Margie Huerta, president of DACC, said the students cannot graduate without passing the test.
"These students have not completed the course requirements given to them in August," she said.
Huerta did not disclose how much time other nursing students were given to prepare for the comprehensive test, or whether the HESI exam was a newly implemented requirement. "Students are always given final exams," she said.
Huerta said the test was listed as a requirement on syllabi the students were issued at the beginning of the fall semester.
She reported the HESI exam is recognized by the National League for Nursing, and was taken by more than 46,000 nursing students last year. She declined to say how many potential DACC graduates this fall did not pass the test.
"We're working with those students to provide them with additional instruction at no expense to them," Huerta said. "We're planning an eight-week course for them, to help prepare them for the test, and provide other course work."
A special graduation ceremony will be held in March if the students pass the exam, she said.
"We are always thinking of how we can help these students, and how we can train students to become highly successful nurses," Huerta said. source
How to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse
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Benefits of Vocational Nursing
How do I find the job?
LPNs and RNs-similarities and differences
LVN vs RN What is the difference? |
| posted by blogger @ 23:52
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| MSU Billings College of Technology-Nursing program
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MSU Billings College of Technology officials watched Friday night as their first group of registered nurses walked across the stage and received their pins. The 9 women made up the first class of registered nurses to graduate from the new program
Before the program was approved in 2007, Nursing Director Cindy Rossmith says there wasn't a school in the state where students could come in as licensed practical nurses and continue their education to become registered nurses.
Rossmith says nursing programs are especially important because of Montana's ageing population. "The workforce needs staff in the hospitals and communities. Community based care will be huge in Montana. Because many of our elderly live on ranches and farms and they're going to need a different idea of how to care for the ageing population." says Rossmith.
Twenty-three licensed practical nurses also graduated Friday evening. source
Licensed Vocational Nurse Jobs
What is a Licensed Vocational Nurse?
Is the Vocational Nursing Profession a growing career?
What do Vocational Nurses do?
Important skills, knowledge, and abilities for LVNs |
| posted by blogger @ 20:36
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| Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (JHUSON)
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While America’s overall health is looking up, not everyone has shared equally in the good news. Millions, including many minority and low-income individuals of all ages, remain on the outskirts of the health care system, resulting in significant and often untreated acute and chronic illnesses. Consider: African-American men experience AIDS at 7.4 times the rate of white men; diabetes and high blood pressure are more common among Korean Americans than among their white counterparts; and, compared with white women, twice as many African-American new mothers and 2.5 times as many Hispanic women received late or no prenatal care. These inequities extend beyond access to care; they are implicated in the process and even in the outcomes of care.
Working and learning in urban East Baltimore, the faculty and students of the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (JHUSON) have been battling to reduce and, ultimately, eliminate disparities in health care access and outcomes through its programs of community-based research, clinical care, and health education. The faculty works to translate its new research knowledge into best practices in community care, often focusing on underserved populations. In fact, the School of Nursing’s renowned community health program—with its center of activity in urban, underserved, and predominantly low-income areas of Baltimore and around the world—is ranked second in the nation. Its approach is grounded in core nursing and public health values, prevention and early intervention, an approach increasingly valued by leaders in health reform and health care economics today. source
Vocational nurse training-Vocational nurse job
Licensed Vocational Nurse Salary in California
Vocational Nursing schools in California
Vocational Nursing schools in Texas
Vocational Nursing schools in Florida |
| posted by blogger @ 16:32
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| one area almost sure to keep growing is health care
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The coming months and years will be uncertain ones for many industries, but one area almost sure to keep growing is health care.
With that in mind, Apollo Colleges Director of Campus Operations Chuck Ericson says it was a great time to expand the nursing program at the 10-campus system’s Albuquerque campus. The school, which has been offering an associate degree in nursing since the summer of 2006, is now adding faculty and coursework to give working nurses the opportunity to pursue a bachelor’s degree in their field.
“The associate degree is intended for a traditional nurse, a bedside nurse,” explains Mary Moser-Gautreaux, director of the Albuquerque campus’ nursing program. “The RN/BSN program offers a wider variety of career options.”source
Vocational nurse training-Vocational nurse job
Licensed Vocational Nurse Salary in California |
| posted by blogger @ 12:28
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| the nurses wear skirts, with white bonnet and aprons
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The Andalucian High Court of Justice has ruled that a clinic can oblige its nurses to wear skirts as it gives a good image of the company.
The Andalucian High Court of Justice, TSJA, has supported the Pascual Clinics in Cádiz where the management has been insisting that the nurses wear skirts, with white bonnet and aprons. The court agreed that the uniform conveyed a good image of the clinic to the patients.
It follows a claim presented by the CCOO union last July which declared the uniform requirement to be sexual discrimination, as well as acting against the dignity of the nurses and causing hygiene and safety problems.
But the TSJA noted that the seven Pascual clinics across Andalucía had been using skirts for 15 years without there being any complaints.
Union CCOO has vowed to continue the fight and now they will take the case on to the Supreme Court.source
Anesthesia Technologist Training Anesthesia Tech Job and Salary |
| posted by blogger @ 08:24
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| pregnant women are in high demand by nursing students
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If you're a pregnant woman who will be having her baby in a Fraser Valley hospital before early April, you're in high demand by nursing students from the University of the Fraser Valley.
Volunteer mothers and their partners are urgently needed to help educate nursing students while receiving extra support during their pregnancy and labour.
Mothers-to-be who will be having their babies in the Fraser Valley are once again invited to help a UFV nursing student learn about pregnancy and childbirth from the patient's perspective. Women having their babies at Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Surrey Memorial, or Langley Memorial hospitals are eligible for this program.
Countless UFV nursing students have had the opportunity to shadow a pregnant woman through doctor visits, prenatal classes, labour and delivery, and the postnatal period through the Mums-to-be program over the past 13 years.
"It's been a wonderful opportunity for our students. It gives them a chance to experience the pregnancy and birth process up close from the perspective of the mother and her family," says UFV nursing professor Marlene Upton.
The students complete this component of the program before they study the theory of maternity nursing and before they take clinical training in maternity wards.
Women who are due between January and April and who will be having their babies at Fraser Valley hospitals are eligible to participate in the Mums-to-be program. UFV has two classes of nursing students starting each year. Additional pregnant volunteers will be needed for September to December, 2009.
If you agree to participate, the student nurse will meet you (and your partner if applicable) for a "get to know you chat," come with you on one visit to the doctor, come with you to one prenatal class, give you and your partner support during all of your labour and delivery, and visit you afterwards. source
Dental Assistant training-Dental Assistant job-Dental Assistant salary |
| posted by blogger @ 04:29
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| Newman-Kansas Association of Nursing Students
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| Friday
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When the members of the Newman-Kansas Association of Nursing Students realized a local family lost nearly everything in a home fire and are around the students’ age, they said they felt compelled to help because the same thing could easily happen to any one of them.
The Crowell family’s home at 614 Garfield St. caught fire last month. The family includes the parents, Amanda and Dustin, and three children, Rylan, Taylor and Caleigh.
Students in the organization, who are known for giving back to the community through service projects, decided to help the Crowell family by collecting donations. The family needs everything from money to clothes and furniture.
Students Erin Casey, senior in the nursing program, and Siobhan Cassidy, also a senior, said a large outpouring of donations streamed in for the family the first day of the drive, which they kicked off on Friday. Donations have ranged from gift cards to money and clothes and toys and more continues to pour in. The drive ends on Friday.
“They are so young,” Casey said. “We could all be there. It just really hit close to home for us because they are so young.”
The staff sponsors at the Newman School of Nursing at Emporia State University are Linda Wendling and Kari Hess. Hess said times are hard for many people, but the family still needs help.
“We know people are really tightened down,” Hess said. “But we need to do something. I would encourage the community and organizations to really look at this family and their needs.”
Casey agreed.
“With the holidays coming up, it’s going to be a really crazy time for their family,” Casey said.
Hess said the N-KANS group often is focused on helping the community.
“This is what this group tends to focus on,” she said. “They just get task-oriented and do a great job. It really stimulates our division to have a group of young professionals that really put forth the effort.”
Donations can be dropped off at the Emporia State University, Newman Division of Nursing, 1127 Chestnut. For more information call the division at 343-6800. source
One of the biggest obstacles to attracting more men to nursing
Why not become a male nurse?
About 6 percent of nurses today are male
Male nurses continue to tell stories about unfair treatment |
| posted by blogger @ 23:59
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| more than 5,000 nursing students were turned away from nursing schools across Alabama
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These are our future nurses.
Some are new to the workforce.
Others—- like Jim Moyer—are seeking a second career.
“I wanted to do something that gave back to the community and to others so I decided that I would go into nursing because I always loved the health sciences.“
And once they graduate from UAB’s School of Nursing—
They’ll be in high demand.
Fact—by the year 2015 Alabama will be facing a nursing shortage of 15 to 25 percent.
And statistics show a direct link between nurse staffing and the quality of patient care.
“If I’m a patient in a hospital should I be concerned about this 15 percent shortage we’re going to see soon? I think we all should be concerned about that shortage.“
Fact: Tens of thousands of hospital deaths every year are caused by the nationwide nursing shortage.
From 1996 through 2002 nurse staffing levels contributed to 19 percent of all medication errors.
“Our patients in hospitals today are very sick and need nurses more than ever.“
But nursing schools—like this one—- have more prospective students than teachers—- forcing them to turn many qualified applicants away.
Fact: last year more than 5,000 nursing students were turned away from nursing schools across Alabama simply because there aren’t enough faculty members to teach them.
Many qualified teachers have retired—and recruiting new educators is tough since most nurses can make more money in the field than in the classroom.
Nursing is also a high stressed job—filled with long hours and patients requiring complex care.
Fact—30 to 50 percent of new nurses don’t make it past the first year—because the job is so challenging.
“It’s very difficult sometimes and you know sometimes the nurse to patient ration make it a little bit harder but i think all in all it’s a great profession.“ source
'I didn't know there were guys in nursing"
Army Nurses
Male nursing students -Male-friendly" nursing school
male nurses are leaving the profession more quickly than female nurses |
| posted by blogger @ 20:58
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| A record 88,750 nursing graduates
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A record 88,750 nursing graduates are scheduled to take the Nursing Board Examinations on November 29 and 30, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) said Wednesday.
The PRC said this month's examinees are the largest in history.
However, the PRC said despite the increasing number of examinees, the passing rate for the Nursing boards continues to go down.
In the June 2001 board exams, a little over half of the total examinees - 54.29 percent - passed the exams. Compare this to June this year, where only 43 percent of all examinees passed the boards.
The PRC said this could be attributed to the increasing number of nursing schools, as well as the lowering of admission standards of some nursing schools.
"Open-door policy ng mga paaralan. Hindi siya puwedeng 'admit all' eh. There should be qualifications na tama para kung ano at sino ang pwedeng pumasok sa mga propesyon. Hindi lahat puwede mag-nurse," PRC Board of Nursing member Dr. Marco Sto. Tomas said.
Even some nursing board review centers are noticing the decline in the quality of nursing graduates, saying many graduates are poor in critical analysis.
"Critical thinking. Sa isang binigay na sitwasyon, ano yung dapat mong gawin na unique doon sa sitwasyon na 'yon. 'Yun ang nakikita kong kahinaan ng mga estudyante," Carl Balita, a review center owner, said.
Nursing review centers also say that if less than half of all examinees pass the local nursing boards, there are even fewer Filipino nursing graduates who pass foreign nursing boards, particularly US nursing examinations.
Currently, 39 percent of Filipino nursing graduates pass US nursing examinations - or less than four passers for every ten examinees.
Because of this, the PRC said nursing students should not be merely taught the concepts of the profession, but also be honed in the practical applications of these concepts source
A male trainee nurse
The specific needs of male nursing students
Male nurses have a better chance of getting into the nursing program
Increase in male nurses |
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| A NURSE-turned-artist
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A NURSE-turned-artist is celebrating after she was awarded a First in her degree.
Joanne Guite, aged 46, of Clay Street, Egerton, gained a Textiles degree from the East Lancashire Institute of Higher Education at Blackburn College. After 20 years in nursing, she is now working as a freelance artist and hopes to start up her own art and design business. Her work is already attracting interest from the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, and Leigh’s Turnpike Gallery.
The mother of three said: “It has been a remarkable journey and a really exciting time for me. I can’t thank Blackburn College enough.” source
Nursing assistant training-Certified nursing assistant job
Free CNA programs:Free CNA training |
| posted by blogger @ 12:16
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| Russian nurses
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Russian nurses are visiting the Twin Cities exchanging ideas about nursing practices. Five nurses are at BroMenn Regional Medical Center learning about BroMenn's center for wound healing. The Russian nurses learned about the center's hyper baric oxygen chambers which heal diabetic wounds, post-radiation tissue injuries, ulcers and much more. Patients enter the pressurized chamber which is filled with 100 percent oxygen, when we are used to breathing in about 20 percent oxygen. The method increases the presence of oxygen in the wound which encourages the growth of new tissue. The nurses are in the Twin Cities until next Monday. They've already visited Illinois State's nursing program and will continue to stop by other medical facilities while they are in town. source
Anesthesia Technologist Training Anesthesia Tech Job and Salary |
| posted by blogger @ 08:24
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| The Nursing Program at Misericordia University
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| Thursday
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Members of the Misericordia University nursing faculty recently hosted a pair of seminars for Pennsylvania State Nursing Association (PSNA) District #3 to help registered nurses understand the new state regulations regarding mandatory continuing education in the nursing profession.
The program, “The 1, 2, 3’s of Mandatory Continuing Education” was presented by Patrick Kenny, Ed.D., R.N.-B.C., A.C.R.N., A.P.R.N.-P.M.H., president of the PSNA.
Kenny provided insight into the various modalities a registered nurse can complete to fulfill the 30-hour continuing education requirement for licensure. The 55 local nurses who attended the event were given the opportunity to ask questions related to educational programs in their individual health care institutions, formal education courses and regional and national programming. Participants received 1.5 continuing education units. The nurses in attendance were from a variety of medical organizations including Wyoming Valley Health Care System, Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre Medical Center, Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, John Heinz Institute of Rehabilitative Medicine and the Veterans Administration Medical Center, where the seminars were held.
PSNA is a non-profit organization representing more than 205,000 practicing nurses in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The organization works to advance the profession of nursing through education, advocacy, practice and legislation. District #3 is the Luzerne County Chapter of the PSNA.
The Nursing Program at Misericordia University is part of the College of Health Sciences, and offers programs for beginning undergraduates; diploma or associate’s degree graduates with an R.N. license; second degree students; graduate students interested in advanced practice, and those who already have a master’s degree in nursing who are interested in post-master’s certification. Misericordia offers degree programs that lead to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) and the Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.). The campus also offers post-masters certificate options including Nursing Education and the Family Nurse Practitioner. source
LVN vs RN What is the difference?
Vocational Nursing schools in California 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
Licensed Vocational Nurse LVN program prerequisites
LVN Program Fees
Vocational Nursing schools in Texas
Vocational Nursing schools in Florida
Tips for choosing a vocational school |
| posted by blogger @ 23:53
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| Bethel College: nursing students at Bethel College have been inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society of Nursing
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Sixteen nursing students at Bethel College have been inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society of Nursing.
Sigma Theta Tau International is one of the largest and most prestigious nursing organizations in the world. The honor society is a group of nurse scholars and leaders recognized for their superior achievement, leadership qualities, high professional standards and commitment to the profession of nursing. Sigma Theta Tau chapters are found around the world, in Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, the United States and parts of Africa, Europe and South America.
Each undergraduate candidate for membership must meet the following criteria: have completed half of the school’s nursing curriculum; have achieved academic excellence (at schools such as Bethel that use a 4.0 grade point average, this equals 3.0 or higher); rank in the upper 35 percent of the graduating class; and meet the expectation of academic integrity.
Bethel College’s Sigma Theta Tau inductees are Lindsey Elder, senior from McPherson; Peni Ens, senior from Hillsboro; Munna Godfrey, senior from Wichita; Brittany Goertzen, senior from Newton; Amy Hulse, senior from Peabody; Salma Ebrahim Juma, senior from Wichita; Lynnet Njambi Maidhi, senior from Wichita; Punyawati Neupane, senior from Wichita; Jane Wanijiku Njagi, senior from Wichita; Lindsey Oliver, senior from McPherson; Michelle Parks, junior from Marion; Sunita Pudasaini, senior from Newton; Breanna Sauerwein, senior from Newton; Laura Schlabach, senior from Wichita; Brittany Scogin, senior from Derby; and fifth-year student Jacy Suttlemyre.
Bethel College is a four-year liberal arts college affiliated with Mennonite Church USA. Founded in 1887, it is the oldest Mennonite college in North America. Bethel is known for its academic excellence and was the only Kansas private college to be ranked in Forbes.com’s listing of “America’s Best Colleges” for 2008 source
Benefits of Vocational Nursing
How do I find the job?
LPNs and RNs-similarities and differences |
| posted by blogger @ 20:21
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| Fairfield University's School of Nursing
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The elderly patient was trying to climb from her sick bed when she slipped. The moment found her clinging precariously to the side of the bed.
When the nursing students entered, it presented a somewhat dramatic situation. As well as tending to the woman's immediate needs in the most practical manner, they would have to assess what might have been behind her accident-disorientation and confusion, dementia, or perhaps some physiological response.
While this may seem like a scenario that's not uncommon in the medical community, this time it was merely a simulation designed to train nursing students at Fairfield University's School of Nursing. While those who responded were given a chance to see, feel and react as if this were the real thing, in actuality their actions were closely monitored by teaching staff and observed by fellow students watching on a closed-circuit monitor.
Over the past year two years the nursing school has made the Robin Kanarek Learning Resource Center a reality, thanks to generous donations from school trustees, as well as the work of key staff members. The center, into which the school has put approximately $1.6 million, offers students not just simulated experiences with faux patients, but state-of-the-art technical equipment that does everything from provide details for mock medical emergencies, to monitor student progress.
"The old day of the lecture at the front of the classroom is gone," said Dr. Suzanne Campbell, associate dean for academic programs, and project director for the center.
Campbell was instrumental in creating the center at Fairfield University, which offers a "Level-Five" nursing school-the most stringent program. About 500 students attend the four-year undergraduate program, which began in 1972, with around 100 attending at the master's level.
"By 2015, all nurse practitioners will need to have a doctorate to practice," Campbell said, explaining the necessity to better train students to meet increasingly stringent requirements.
But not only are requirements tough, opportunities for hands-on training are hard to come by. Fairfield University is only one of several nursing schools in southeastern Connecticut, which means intern-type placements are sought after. So while some students may not have the chance for as full a range of real-life training experiences as might be beneficial, working with hi-tech simulations is the next best thing.
"It has made a significant difference in our ability to work with our students and provide them with opportunities to experience situations that they might never experience," said Dr. Philip Greiner, associate dean for public health and entrepreneurial initiatives, who helped Campbell start the center.
"And we're not looking just for them to recall stuff," he said about the training. "We're looking for them to think critically and anticipate what may be happening with that patient."
Another example of the center in action was a recent simulation involving a 12-week pregnant woman arriving at the hospital having a miscarriage. Stationed in an adjacent observation room, Campbell was able to provide the voice of the patient, acting and reacting according to student responses. A human patient simulator-in essence a life-like dummy equipped with a wealth of human response, which costs approximately $40,000-served as the patient, offering a range of lifelike characteristics, including vital signs.
"You make it as realistic as possible," said Campbell, noting that vital signs for both the patient and the unborn baby can be controlled from the booth, as are curveball anomalies, such as a random asthma attack.
"You're giving (students) the live feedback they need to make (their) decisions," she said.
Further, while the simulation unfolded, students in a nearby classroom were able to watch the entire enactment, also being privy to a screen showing the vital signs of the patient and her baby. Provided with different study questions, they observed how their fellow students dealt with the emergency. Later, the whole class was able to analyze the event and critique reactions and choices.
Video recordings also put the simulation into an archive, enabling students to review it at their leisure. And long-distance technology even allows students in other locations to participate, as is sometimes the case.
"Faculty are still getting used to all the technology," Campbell said, complimenting her fellow teachers for their dedication to training and practice.
Such simulations as the ones presented in the center also expand the focus from technical medical issues, to the broader needs that a good nurse must one day address. "How do we meet the patient's emotional, physical, (and) spiritual health needs," Campbell said.
"Ultimately, the center is about preparing our students so they can provide the best in patient care," said Dr. Jeanne Novotny, dean of the nursing school.
She noted the contribution of namesake Robin Kanarek, as well as other key contributors. "Together, we have created cutting edge classrooms and laboratories equipped with an integrated system of technology," she said. "They are fully equipped with sophisticated teaching tools."
Aubrey Gershenson, a senior in the undergraduate program, has found learning with the simulations invaluable.
"The simulations we do reflect real-life scenarios, particularly in the way that we go into the simulation not knowing everything that is wrong with the patient, or the potential side effects that can occur from our own interventions," she said. "(That) allows us to develop that nursing intuition needed for the real world."
Gershenson called the simulations "vital to the transition into the real world."
"On top of that, many hospitals now are using the same type of simulations to test/further prepare their newly hired nurses, so having already experienced this type of learning really puts you at an advantage," she said.
Campbell said many schools are doing simulations, but most don't offer anything as involved and cutting edge as Fairfield University. source
Licensed Vocational Nurse working conditions
What is the typical salary for a Licensed Vocational Nurse ? |
| posted by blogger @ 16:18
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| Chuckawalla Valley State Prison's (CVSP) Medical Department "Nursing Skills Day"
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On Dec. 8, Chuckawalla Valley State Prison's (CVSP) Medical Department, a model for health care services provided to inmates incarcerated in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), hosted their first annual "Nursing Skills Day".
Participants in the "Nursing Skills Day" were CDCR Medical Staff assigned to CVSP, Ironwood, Centinela, and Calipatria State Prisons. The four prisons are all located in the southern desert region of the state, specifically Riverside and Imperial counties.
The "Nursing Skills Day" was developed in support of the CDCR's mission to provide quality medical care to incarcerated individuals. The subject content included medication management, spinal immobilization, airway management, patient assessment, splinting and bandaging techniques, departmental radio use, defensive driving, and emergency medical response equipment.
A unique training program utilizing individual teaching stations was developed for each subject to reduce the student to instructor ratio. Students at each teaching station were provided the opportunity to participate in hands-on training before moving on to the next teaching station.
Instructors of each subject consisted of CDCR staff, with extensive experience and knowledge of the specific subject they taught. Additionally, Blythe Ambulance Service provided two certified paramedics to teach hands-on emergency medical skills.
CVSP's Medical Department is dedicated to maintaining the highest level of inmate health care, which has earned them an excellent reputation throughout the state.
The "Nursing Skills Day" will be hosted each year by CVSP's Medical Department to promote quality health services to inmates incarcerated in the CDCR and network with community health care providers.
CVSP provides long-term housing and services for male felons classified as medium and low-medium custody inmates. Two of the four Level II Facilities at CVSP are Sensitive Needs Yards. The other two are general population Level II yards. CVSP was opened December 1988 and covers 1,735 acres.
Requests for further information should be directed to Lt. Debbie Asuncion, public information officer, CVSP, at (760) 922-9710. source
Important skills, knowledge, and abilities for LVNs
How to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse |
| posted by blogger @ 12:14
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| “humourobic” sessions for nurses: nurses enjoy their jobs using laughter and humour
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Nurses are being sent on laughter workshops to cheer up patients.
The lessons are being run by the HumourUs company, which arranges “humourobic” sessions costing hundreds of pounds.
Founder Kate Hull Rodgers said: “Nurses are now doing more prescribing and paperwork and some have difficulties juggling patient contact with their new role.
“I help them to enjoy their jobs using laughter and humour. And that has a positive effect on patient care.”
Husband Bill, who calls himself a humour specialist, said: “It’s not about nurses telling jokes on the wards.
“It’s about going to work in a better perspective, because if you’re in a bad mood in the morning you will bring it into work.
“If you’ve got a patient who is ill, if you talk to them with a smile on your face, that will make them feel better instantly.
“We coach people to reclaim the habit of laughter, because laughter is infectious and it’s better to have infectious laughter than an infectious superbug on the wards.”
But there are fears cash is being wasted on Barbara Windsor-style Carry On Giggling wards.
Matthew Elliott, of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: “It’s outrageous that precious funds are being put towards unnecessary training.
“Every penny of public money is precious, and teaching nurses to be nice to patients is both patronising and a disrespectful use of our hard-earned cash.”
The Department of Health said: “This is a useful tool that trusts can use to help staff work more effectively source
Is the Vocational Nursing Profession a growing career?
What do Vocational Nurses do? |
| posted by blogger @ 08:56
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| a mechanical mom, complete with a mechanical baby - created to train nurses to deal with emergency situations
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In the health alert, delivering a mechanical baby from a robot. It sounds like a sci-fi movie, but the high tech training could benefit patients and their babies in South Jersey.
Every day, doctors and nurses are presented with real life emergencies when delivering a baby.
Preparing for that is key, and now the staff at Lourdes Hospital has a high tech way to do just that.
Labor and delivery nurse Melissa Rosenberg is busy preparing her patient to have a baby, but this is no ordinary mother.
"Help, I need something for the pain," says the mother.
The patient, Noelle, is a mechanical mom, complete with a mechanical baby - created to train nurses like Melissa to deal with emergency situations, like when a patient has a seizure.
"You never really know what's going to happen, things can change in an instant, so you just always have to be prepared," said Melissa Rosenberg.
"She's made a tremendous difference, we have a very young staff here, and we have been able to show the nurses in labor and delivery and the nursery how to care for babies," said Lori Abad, nurse trainer.
With the help of commands from a supervising nurse, Noelle takes the trainees through the full birth experience, with either a c-section or vaginal birth.
In today's training, the baby had an emergency.
"Baby's not breathing, we're going to have to suction the baby," said one nurse.
And staff has to respond - just like they would in real life - without the risks.
"The last thing you want to do is train for a situation like this where a real mom and real baby are in danger," said Wendy Marano, Lourdes Health Systems.
Lourdes Hospital in Willingboro and Camden are state designated as level 2 and 3 prenatal centers, so they have a higher likelihood of seeing emergency situations.source
Licensed Vocational Nurse Jobs
What is a Licensed Vocational Nurse? |
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| patients will be assessed by the nurse in the ER
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Barry’s Bay will soon adopt a new assessment and decision-making procedure for people seeking emergency care at night.
Using guidelines adopted by the Society of Rural Physicians, the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians and the National Nurses Affiliation, nurses at St. Francis Memorial will now practise a broader scope of decision-making.
In the past, nurses referred all patients to the doctor on call; under the new system, patients will be assessed by the nurse. Those with minor problems may be advised to seek health care services the next day during the physician’s regular office hours or return to the ER. They will be advised that, should their condition worsen or they have other problems, they may return to the ER. This new protocol will not affect patients reporting to Emergency with an illness assessed at a higher level of need. The ER physician is still available to tend to emergency cases, but the new plan allows them to focus on the higher-needs patients.
The emergency room at St. Francis Memorial is staffed during the week with its own local physicians. They provide services to the ER and to the admitted hospital patients as well as operate their offices. When they are on call in the ER, they provide 24-hour service and may be wakened a number of times through the night and still be expected to be in their office the next day. This delegation of responsibility to the nurses is an attempt at easing the physicians’ night time burden and reserve their services for more urgent cases.
Dr. Ray Dawes says the physicians and hospital have been considering a number of options in an effort to keep the Emergency Department functioning.
“We have a shortage of physicians, and the doctors we have are at the stage in their careers where being awakened several times a night is not easy,” he says. “If we want to continue to offer full services, we have to find ways to balance them.”
Most people understand that they should come to the Emergency Department late at night only if it’s absolutely necessary; there are some, however, who come in for a minor problem because they think it will be less busy.
“To be wakened for someone who has had a cold for a few weeks is very frustrating,” Dr. Dawes says. “The doctors are not on site overnight – they are on call. By demanding that level of service, we could all lose.”
Some small hospitals are losing their Emergency departments, partly because they can’t find doctors to work in them and partly because they are close to larger facilities. The LHINs are looking for ways to save money and some of the small hospitals are suffering, Dr. Dawes adds. Having the nurses assess the patients in the ER is one positive step; other ways of improvement may be looked at in the future.
“Performing these types of assessments is not new the nursing staff,” says Joan Kuiack, Director of Patient Care. “Nurses assess all patients who present to the Emergency using the Canadian Triage Acuity Scale (CTAS) System. Through this process, criteria are applied and patients are identified as Level One through Five, with Level One being the highest priority and Five being the type of patient who can be deferred to another setting. In this new night time protocol, only patients over six months of age and those assessed at CTAS Level Five would be asked to return the next day.”
“We all know physicians are an extremely important resource, not only to the hospital, but to the entire community,” says CEO Randy Penney. “We also have very capable nurses; if we can collaborate to use both professionals where their expertise is best utilized, it will benefit both our physicians and our patients.” source
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LPNs and RNs-similarities and differences |
| posted by blogger @ 23:57
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| Wow! fake nursing diplomas for Italian nurses
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Italian police placed 68 people under house arrest on Wednesday on suspicion of working illegally as nurses – some in operating rooms – after buying fake diplomas, an official told AFP.
Two of the four alleged perpetrators of the fraud were also arrested, he said.
The suspects allegedly paid between 8,000 and 10,000 euros (10,000 and $13,000) each for the fake diplomas to a ring based in southern Calabria.
They worked as nurses "with no training whatsoever, sometimes since 1975," police Colonel Ernesto di Gregorio said.
They worked in both public and private medical settings in Calabria as well as central Tuscany and northern Lombardy, said Di Gregorio, who is in charge of police investigations of health services in southern Italy.
Police also seized property worth 20 million euros, the estimated total earnings of the impostors, Di Gregorio said.
The ANSA news agency said the fraudsters provided basic nursing training to their "pupils" including how to measure blood pressure and take blood samples source
Vocational Nursing schools in California 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
Licensed Vocational Nurse LVN program prerequisites
LVN Program Fees
Vocational Nursing schools in Texas
Vocational Nursing schools in Florida |
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| Owens Community College Nursing program
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Over 170 Owens Community College students were recently bestowed honorary pins by the School of Health Sciences signifying their graduation from the registered nursing program during a ceremony on the Findlay-area campus.
The pinning ceremony is part of a traditional nursing practice, which honors students prior to beginning their careers within the health care community.
"Owens' registered nursing program is proud to acknowledge our graduates' impressive accomplishments and commend them for their academic excellence," said Cynthia Hall, Owens chair of nursing.
"The pin, through its symbolism, reminds nursing professionals of what it truly means to care for others. It is only fitting that the college recognize the rite-of-passage for these future caregivers."
The nurse pinning ceremony originated in the 1860s at St. Thomas Hospital's Nightingale School of Nursing in London, England. Having been recently awarded The Red Cross of St. George for her selfless service to the injured and dying in the Crimean War, Florence Nightingale chose to extend the honor she received to her most outstanding graduate nurses by awarding each of them a medal of excellence. The practice of awarding nurses a badge was soon after adopted, and the first pin was awarded to the Class of 1880 at the Bellevue Hospital School of Nursing in New York City.
Local graduating nurses include Jeffrey Burnside of Millbury, Miranda Casey of Genoa, Julie Gagnet of Millbury, and Norma Jenkins of Millbury. Local registered nursing program graduates also include Sandra Pierce of Elmore.
Established in 1969 as the first associate degree program of its kind in Northwest Ohio, the School of Health Sciences' registered nursing program has graduated more than 4,100 nurses. The program was implemented on the Findlay-area Campus in 1991.
Owens' registered nursing program requires 73 credit hours of coursework, which includes nutrition, nursing concepts, pharmacology, life span psychology, nursing skills, adult health issues, and anatomy and physiology. Following graduation, students are eligible to take the NCLEX-RN licensure examination to become a registered nurse.
The registered nursing program is designed to prepare graduates for nursing positions in a variety of health care settings. Among the various locations are acute care agencies, physician offices, long-term care agencies and outpatient ambulatory areas. The program combines studies at Owens with planned and guided clinical experience in client care for health care facilities and community agencies. source
Licensed Vocational Nurse working conditions
What is the typical salary for a Licensed Vocational Nurse ?
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Benefits of Vocational Nursing |
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| a lowering of the standards of nursing profession.
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Nurses are outraged at Government for failing to hear their concerns over what they believe is a lowering of the standards of their profession.
Currently the Bermuda Nursing Council encourages applicants from the United States, Canada, and the West Indies to have a four-year Bachelor of Science degree.
According to a United Kingdom career website, a nurse must complete at least three years of training in general nursing, half of which must be clinical or practical training and they must register with the regulatory body.
And the Bermuda College offers a core curriculum in liberal arts, science and nursing courses which after two years students can transfer to Hampton University in the United States, to complete a Bachelor of Science.
According to angry nurses who contacted this paper however, this is going to change.
The nurses, who spoke on condition of anonymity, spoke on behalf of several in their profession who believe Government is planning to introduce a two-year Associate in Nursing at Bermuda College, after which students will be allowed to sit exams qualifying them as registered nurses and practise on the Island.
The nurses insist this will undermine those professionals who have qualified with four-year Bachelor's degrees.
And they say that although they have raised concerns with the Ministry of Health that the proposed change will lower the standard of their profession, they have been ignored.
One nurse who spoke to this paper said: "Certainly we are not opposed to a nursing school but we are opposed to the level of degree being an Associate's degree.
"No other profession has been dictated that you (now only) have to do two years. No other profession has been shortened by a shortage.
"We are not being listened to and why should we be dictated to (by having two different levels of training)? That's going to create another set of problems with the nurses from abroad and the local nurses.
"And if they do an Associate's degree, they may not go back (to train for four years). It's like we are not being taken seriously as a profession.
"We feel like we are not being heard and we are opposed to this idea. Why should we create new levels of nursing?"
Two years of education training is certainly not enough, said a second nurse.
She maintained that anyone can cram for the board examination, the NCLEX exam, but it is the extra two years that ensures quality.
She said the nurses previously had to finish a four-year Bachelor's degree which gave them four full years of training — not two.
"Any student can get the study guides and learn the material. They will not have four years of educational training behind them; just two," she said.
"You cannot get the training you need in two years. But it's not about having a nursing school in Bermuda – we are all for that – it's about not lowering the standards."
Permanent Secretary of Health Warren Jones said the nurses would be met with if they desired to and that a press conference would be held which would provide more information.
He said: "The Minister intends to hold a press conference on this initiative very shortly. Additionally, the Nurses' Association has requested, and the Minister has agreed (to a meeting).
"We will deal with their concerns at those times."
However Shadow Health Minister Louise Jackson said that lowering standards was not the way to increase the number of nurses and urged the Minister not to take this step.
She said: "They are lowering their standard in doing a two-year process. We feel this is regressing. No other profession is treated like this.
"And we would obviously not want a doctor with two years of training. Why should you get an architect with that type of training or anybody else?
"They are lowering the standard and we need fully trained nurses and doctors and medical professionals at the hospital.
"They want a quick fix. They obviously need nurses, but we can't fix something like this.
"It would be better to give them better salaries and places to live." source
What do Vocational Nurses do?
Important skills, knowledge, and abilities for LVNs
How to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse |
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| Victoria College: a mother of four became a nurse
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Elizabeth Rocha has spent the past two years driving from Luling to Victoria, an hour and a half drive, and raising four kids.
She is enrolled in Victoria College Associate Degree in Nursing program and will receive her ADN pin, along with 30 other students, on Thursday.
The 32-year-old decided to become a nurse when she assisted in an accident she saw while living in Iowa.
"The adrenaline rush I got while helping made me want to be a nurse," Rocha said.
But being a mother, wife and full time student was not an easy job, she said.
"There were times when the drive seemed too long and I started to think that if I got a job, things would be a lot easier," Rocha said.
But with the help of her husband, Maximo, and their babysitter, juggling school and parenting was made easier and she was able to achieve her goal of becoming a nurse.
"We have been living paycheck-to-paycheck and I know once I get this degree, I will be able to help provide a better future for my children," she said.
Tough times hit the family when gas prices were on the rise, at almost $4 a gallon this summer. Rocha didn't know how she was going to keep up with the high prices of gas and food and, continue her education.
"I just kept telling myself things would get better," she said. "I knew that if I just stayed focused, I could achieve my goal."
Her determination to provide a better future for her family motivated her to keep going. Rocha's two older children, ages 12 and 10, had to wake up on their own while her two younger children ages three and 11 months were dropped off with a babysitter.
"I had to leave the house at 4 a.m. to make it to the clinical's and when I got home, it was time to study and do homework," she said.
The support of her children and classmates helped her get through the program.
"These students are together for two years and form special bonds," Marilyn Hamilton, program coordinator, said.
Rocha and her classmates worked together in study groups to get through the classes and program. Before those bonds were formed, the dream of becoming a nurse was out of reach for Rocha.
"I applied at Austin Community College and when they put my application on hold I didn't know what I was going to do," she said.
Rocha heard good things about the VC nursing program and decided to take a trip to Victoria and see for herself.
"After meeting with the people at VC I knew everything was going to be all right," she said.
She has driven so far and come a long way to get to this point, Hamilton said. The students will be pinned Thursday at the VC Fine Arts Auditorium.
"By working with each other and their families all the students have been able to make graduation possible," Hamilton said. source
Licensed Vocational Nurse Jobs
What is a Licensed Vocational Nurse?
Is the Vocational Nursing Profession a growing career? |
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| 'laughter workshops' for nurses
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Listen carefully and you might hear Barbara Windsor's saucy giggle or Sid James's guffaw echoing along the hospital corridors.
For it seems the spirit of Carry On Doctor could be making a return to a National Health Service which has rarely been in more need of a good laugh.
Nurses are being sent on 'laughter workshops' to encourage them to lighten up and make hospital stays more pleasant for patients.
HumourUs, a company with a name likely to reduce even a Carry On fan to a groan, is also putting on 'humourobics' sessions - described as an anatomical breakdown of all the muscles used when someone laughs.
Founder Kate Hull Rodgers told Nursing Standard magazine: 'Nurses are now doing more prescribing and paperwork and some have difficulties juggling patient contact with their new role.
'I help them to enjoy their jobs using laughter and humour. And that has a positive effect on patient care.'
Her husband Bill Rodgers, who calls himself a humour specialist, said: ' When you laugh, you release endorphins, you use lots of muscles, so your whole body gets a workout.
'It's not about nurses telling jokes on the wards. It's about going to work in a better perspective, because if you're in a bad mood in the morning you will bring it into work.
'If you've got a patient who is ill, if you talk to them with a smile on your face, that will make them feel better instantly.'
He added: 'Children laugh 400 times a day but as adults we do it just 40 times. We coach people to reclaim the habit of laughter, because laughter is infectious - and it's better to have infectious laughter than an infectious superbug on the wards. Above all, we tell nurses that humour is a very serious business.
It is understood the company charges several hundred pounds to hold the sessions - although it would not give figures and said it had provided the services free for some mental health trusts. But Matthew Elliott, of the Taxpayers' Alliance, said: 'It's outrageous that precious funds are being put towards unnecessary training.
'Every penny of public money is precious, and teaching nurses to be nice to patients is both patronisi | | |
