Nurse Mentor

"Unhelpful" is about as nice as I can phrase it.  In the US state of Georgia, a state dominated by Republicans who extol the virtues of small government and less regulation, the party voted in legislation that has made the licensure renewal process for healthcare professionals extra burdensome and requiring additional paperwork.  Of course, since government spending also had to be cut, they reduced the staff that processes licenses. What's going on?   Georgia now requires healthcare professionals to submit proof of legal residence, legal work permit, or citizenship to get their license renewed.   That is ALL healthcare professionals, even those born in the US.   The initiative is supposed to "weed out" anyone who might not actually be qualified to practice and got a "false" license. NPR reports on the consequences to healthcare professionals, especially those who received their education outside the US or who were international students when they...

Sometimes it's nice to see research that confirms a hunch you've had for a few years.  A recent study in Health Affairs , one of the most influential health policy journals in the United States, looked at the effects of 12 hour shifts on patient satisfaction and nurse burnout rates. Turns out, results are not good.  The longer nurses worked in a day, the less satisfied patients were with the quality of care.  In addition, nurses working 12 hour shifts were more likely to become burnt out than those working fewer hours. On the overtime policy front, that's good news for nurses.  The study adds just one more reason why mandatory overtime is bad policy.  It should create incentive for staffing units appropriately and closer to the California standards. From another perspective, we know why nurses like 12 hour shifts.  Let's face it, 3 days a week of work and then a bunch of days off in a row, so many sometimes that you don't have to use vacation day...

The UK's Guardian provides a useful infographic for understanding global critical health worker shortages.  You can get a nice visualization of how severe health worker shortages are and the consequences to infant and maternal mortality.   The countries listed in the infographic are places where recruiters should not actively recruit healthcare professionals because of the devastating consequences those practices have on low and middle income country health systems.  You can read more about fair and ethical recruitment practices here . If you're a Nurse Executive and your facility is considering hiring internationally educated nurses to fill staffing shortages, check this list in the infographic first before entering into agreements with recruitment companies domestically or abroad.  Sustainable recruitment is only possible if it is done ethically. For more information about fair and ethical international recruitment practices, check out the Alliance for ...

Nurses: There is no excuse not to vote .   There is too much at stake this year that affects the health of our patients. Be a smart voter and choose five major issues that affect your job and your patients' ability to get care and services.  Take those five issues and make sure you study how candidates at all levels, from local representation through the president, match up with your perspectives. Voting because of a single issue or stance by a candidate is not good critical thinking.  The world is too complex for your vote to come down to one single thing. Finally, if you experience any voting issues, or are the subject of intimidation from other voters, poll watchers, or election site workers, please call 1-866-OUR -VOTE for legal assistance at no charge.

I had heard the overall evacuation details from former students. This video does real credit to nurses everywhere.  I couldn't be more proud of my profession this week.

Have you wondered how elderly and ill individuals who are stuck in their apartments are doing?  The Visiting Nurse Services of New York City and related agencies are still on the job, even in the midst of the storm!  The New York Times article linked above covers their dedication to their patients, even when it meant climbing the same distance as halfway up the Empire State Building. And special thanks to Stephen Colbert for the kudos to NICU nurses at NYU Medical Center. The Colbert Report Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes , Political Humor & Satire Blog , Video Archive

The New York Times  (photo from the article) details how challenging it may be for coastal hospitals to deal with the new realities brought on by natural disasters.  Bellevue Hospital, the nation's oldest public hospital, had to evacuate yesterday when its generators failed. Hospital staff had been sending fuel up 13 flights of stairs through bucket brigades to keep them running. For all the craziness that happens during disasters, they are also some of the times when teamwork happens at its best.  It would be great if that kind of teamwork could happen all the time, albeit without moving patients down stairs due to non-working elevators and hand pumping respirators.  One of the biggest challenges I hear about from former students is navigating the complexities of teamwork between staff members.  Depending on the institution, in some places it is the nurses; others the nursing assistants.  Physician dynamics vary so much between teaching and community ...