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There Are Other Masters Degrees Besides a Nurse Practitioner - Part I

It strikes me that many students and nurses do not seem to know about the "other" masters degree options for nurses. Everyone seems to want to be a nurse practitioner these days. Now, that's great news for the primary care provider shortage, but we need nurses with masters degrees who can work in other positions and have other skill sets. Let's review the other masters degrees in nursing. Nearest and dearest to my own heart is Nursing Education. Remember that really cool clinical instructor you had in your entry-level nursing program --that could be you! Do you like precepting new hires? Are you the person on your unit who unofficially keeps everyone up-to-date on the latest evidence? Do you really enjoy patient teaching, whether in the hospital or community setting? Do you just like to teach? Nursing education is the right masters for you. Skills learned in a nursing education masters cannot be learned on the job. Cur...

The 32 Hour Work Week for Nurses

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...

US Nurses: Vote Today!

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.

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