Surrounded by toxic chemicals, sharp instruments, radiation, heavy lifting and sometimes violent patients, nurses have to defend themselves from physical harm on a near daily basis. Though laws are in place to protect their safety, there are no guarantees in the landmines of clinical settings.
Nurses Strive to Find Safer Working Conditions
By Amanda Sounart, associate editor
Surrounded by toxic chemicals, sharp instruments, radiation, heavy lifting and sometimes violent patients, nurses have to defend themselves from physical harm on a near daily basis. Though laws are in place to protect their safety, there are no guarantees in the landmines of clinical settings.
Read More . . .
Nursing Shortage Continues to Plague U.S. Health Care
By Amanda Sounart, associate editor
One of the greatest challenges in modern health care is a shortage of medical personnel. Across the U.S., the absence of sufficient professional caregivers—especially nurses—is being felt. With the demand high and salaries for the profession increasing, the question remains: Where are all the nurses? Read More . . .
New Year Brings New Nurse-to-Patient Ratios
By Debra Wood, RN, contributor
Four years after California became the first state to implement a safe-staffing regulation and with ratios apparently working well for patients and nurses, the state completed its phase-in, upgrading the ratios as of January 1, 2008. Read More . . .
State of Affairs in Nursing for 2008
By Amanda Sounart, associate editor
Nurses and the nursing community have taken on an increasingly significant role in modern health care. Facing the future and the ceaseless evolution of medicine, the need for more education, greater resources and ultimately more nurses presents a variety of challenges to the nation’s health care providers and their patients.
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Nursing Affairs
More Than One-third of Nurses Satisfied with Their Jobs
By Debra Wood, RN, contributor
Thirty-six percent of the nurses responding to a journal survey reported being
satisfied with their jobs, 32 percent were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, and 32
percent were dissatisfied, according to the Nursing 2007 study.
Read More...
Mishaps & Malpractice: How Nurses Can Protect Themselves
By Amanda Sounart, associate editor
A growing number of nurses across the U.S. are finding themselves forced out of the sick room and into the courtroom as the prevalence of malpractice suits against nurses steadily increases. While lawsuits against nurses are still somewhat rare, nurses are more frequently being brought into civil cases, either as an individual or in conjunction with a suit against a facility.
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Nursing Shortage
California’s Plan for More Nursing Students Could Mean End in Shortage
By Amanda Sounart, associate editor
The nursing shortage that continues to plague health care facilities across the U.S.
may soon be alleviated, at least in California. A new study out of the University of
California, San Francisco (UCSF) found a large increase in nursing student enrollments
over the last few years that, if it continues, will effectively end the state’s
shortage in 10 to 15 years.
Read More...
Nursing Shortage Adds to Gaps in Disaster Preparedness
By Amanda Sounart, associate editor
When disaster strikes, it is often taken for granted that there will be an endless
supply of doctors and nurses to tend to the wounded. However, a recent report by
PricewaterhouseCoopers' Health Research Institute reveals that the shortage of health
care workers combined with a lack of preparedness may leave future disaster victims
without the care they need.
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RNs’ Shortage Perceptions Differ from CEOs’
By Christina Orlovsky, contributor
Ask a registered nurse about the severity of the nursing shortage and compare the
response to that of a facility’s chief executive officer. According to a new report,
you may get an entirely different answer.
Read More...
Where in the U.S. are All the Registered Nurses?
By Christina Orlovsky, contributor
Recognizing that the basic principle of supply and demand expands well beyond
economics, the Center for Health Workforce Studies at the University of Albany, New
York, released a new study examining the supply of health workers in each of the 50
states and encouraged state policy makers to determine whether that supply meets the
state’s patient population demands.
Read More...
Low Wages Contribute to Faculty Shortage
By Nancy Deutsch, RN, contributor
While many older nurses holding faculty positions are nearing retirement age, it’s hard
to pull new nurses into faculty positions, Peterson said, because “they are very
dissatisfied with wages” especially when compared with clinical jobs. The work required
of a nurse educator can be tremendous, she says, when one considers that many nurses on
faculty maintain their own practice, and are then required to publish or do research as
part of their contracts.
Read More...
Nurse-to-Patient Ratios
ICU Nurse Staffing Levels Affect Patient Outcomes
By Christina Orlovsky,Contributor
As the nation continues to face a nursing shortage, abundant research continues to be done on the effect of staffing levels on both nurse and patient satisfaction and access to and quality of care in hospital environments. One of the latest studies examined the link between nurse working conditions in hospital intensive care units and the rates of hospital-acquired infections for patients in these ICUs, and determined a strong correlation between the two.
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Study Finds Nurse-to-Patient Ratios Cost-Effective
By Christina Orlovsky,Contributor
As California hospitals begin to implement controversial nurse-to-patient ratios, and other states aim to follow suit, new research reveals that the effects of limiting the number of patients cared for by each nurse are not nearly as detrimental to hospital budgets as administrators may assume.
Read More...
Some CEOs See Mandated Ratios as Growing Idea
By Kelly Phillips, feature writer
With mandated nurse-to-patient ratios a reality in California, hospital executives in other states are on the lookout for signs of the idea’s spread, according to a recent survey by a health care membership organization.
Read More...
Workplace Safety
New Survey Examines Nursing Health Risks for Chemical Exposure
By Amanda Sounart, associate editor
A landmark survey conducted by the Environmental Working Group (EG) and Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) revealed that nurses with constant exposure to chemicals and radiation while at work are more likely to have health problems including asthma, cancer and miscarriages.
Read More...
Nurses Seek Protection against Workplace Violence
By Christina Orlovsky, contributor
Recognizing the risks they face at the hands of their patients, nurses in Massachusetts
have spoken out about workplace violence and are lobbying for legislation designed to
protect them from on-the-job abuse and assault.
Read More...
Needlestick Injuries Remain among Common Nursing Concerns
By Christina Orlovsky, contributor
With routine exposure to hazardous substances, on-the-job safety is always an issue for
health care workers. Among the most common nursing concerns, according to a recent
survey, is the risk of injury from a needlestick. Read More...
Nurse Staffing Levels Linked to Workplace Injuries
By Christina Orlovsky, contributor
An abundance of recent research has linked nurse staffing levels to patient safety.
Now, a new study shows that nurse-to-patient ratios also significantly affect the
safety of workers. Read More...
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