Interdisciplinary Nursing Quality Research Initiative
The primary goal of the Interdisciplinary Nursing Quality Research Initiative (INQRI) program is to generate, disseminate and translate research to understand how nurses contribute to and can improve the quality of patient care. INQRI supports interdisciplinary teams of nurse scholars and scholars from other disciplines to address the gaps in knowledge about the relationship between nursing and health care quality
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Friday, January 23, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Are You Job Trendy?
You heard me right. Are you up on the latest job fashion? And I don't mean interview or work attire... Meaning do you know what your job's trend is? There's another useful tool on SimplyHired.com that will help you in your job search called Employment Trends. This search tool helps you find the number of jobs throughout the nation in your particular field. For example, we did a trend on nursing jobs.
Now the results search listings from May 2007 to today. Here's what this graph shows:RN jobs increased 17%LPN jobs increased 55%CNA jobs increased 50%PN jobs decreased 21%LVN jobs increased 57%Nursing jobs increased 125%As you can see, not all job markets are decreasing. In fact, nursing is booming. Especially the LPN and CNA positions. Check out our Guide to Careers: Nursing Jobs post for more information on what the differences between RNs, LPNs and CNAs are.This is good information for both job seekers and recruiters to know what kind of availability is out there in your field, to stay in the know on your industry and to just see what the market looks like.Related Stories:
Ignite Your Job Search
Recession Recruiting: What to do when they cut the budget- Rosie Reilman
From southtexaslouisiana.blogspot.com
Now the results search listings from May 2007 to today. Here's what this graph shows:RN jobs increased 17%LPN jobs increased 55%CNA jobs increased 50%PN jobs decreased 21%LVN jobs increased 57%Nursing jobs increased 125%As you can see, not all job markets are decreasing. In fact, nursing is booming. Especially the LPN and CNA positions. Check out our Guide to Careers: Nursing Jobs post for more information on what the differences between RNs, LPNs and CNAs are.This is good information for both job seekers and recruiters to know what kind of availability is out there in your field, to stay in the know on your industry and to just see what the market looks like.Related Stories:
Ignite Your Job Search
Recession Recruiting: What to do when they cut the budget- Rosie Reilman
From southtexaslouisiana.blogspot.com
CDH offers scholarships for students pursuing healthcare careers
By Staff reports
Suburban Life Publications
Mon Jan 19, 2009, 04:46 PM CST
Western suburbs, IL -
Central DuPage Hospital’s Auxiliary will be awarding scholarships to high school, college and graduate students interested in pursuing a career in healthcare.
Scholarships will be issued to students attending a college, university or graduate program in the fall of 2009. In order to qualify, applicants must document academic excellence, plan to pursue a career in healthcare and live within Central DuPage Hospital’s service area.
Scholarship guidelines and applications will be available online starting Sunday, Feb. 1, at www.cdh.org. The completed application, personal statement, transcripts and reference letters are due by Tuesday, March 31.
For more information about the scholarship program, leave a message at the CDH Auxiliary voicemail at (630) 933-4119 or TTY (630) 933-4833 and your call will be promptly returned.
From mysuburbanlife.com
Suburban Life Publications
Mon Jan 19, 2009, 04:46 PM CST
Western suburbs, IL -
Central DuPage Hospital’s Auxiliary will be awarding scholarships to high school, college and graduate students interested in pursuing a career in healthcare.
Scholarships will be issued to students attending a college, university or graduate program in the fall of 2009. In order to qualify, applicants must document academic excellence, plan to pursue a career in healthcare and live within Central DuPage Hospital’s service area.
Scholarship guidelines and applications will be available online starting Sunday, Feb. 1, at www.cdh.org. The completed application, personal statement, transcripts and reference letters are due by Tuesday, March 31.
For more information about the scholarship program, leave a message at the CDH Auxiliary voicemail at (630) 933-4119 or TTY (630) 933-4833 and your call will be promptly returned.
From mysuburbanlife.com
New law requires free language services from HMOs
Posted: 01/20/2009 12:15:00 AM PST
For millions of Californians who don't speak fluent English, visiting the doctor or pharmacist just got easier.
A groundbreaking new law requires California heath plans to offer free language services — by phone, video or on-site interpreter — for members who aren't proficient in English.
"We are the first state in the nation to have this kind of law," said Cindy Ehnes, director of the California Department of Managed Health Care. "And I believe this will fundamentally change the fabric of health care in California."
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, more than 40 percent of Californians speak a language other than English at home. Language issues are a huge barrier to health care access in this population, Ehnes said.
The new law, passed in 2003 but not fully implemented until Jan. 1, requires health plans to provide interpretation in doctors' offices, pharmacies and laboratories, as well as in administrative offices. Health plans must also translate official documents into languages that are spoken by a significant percentage of its members.
To ensure compliance with the new law, Ehnes says, the Department of Managed Health Care is using "secret shoppers" — government officials posing as patients — who will call for an appointment and request language services. Plans that don't comply may be subject to fines, she said.
Although many health plans will need to expand the language services
For instance, Kaiser Permanente has been providing comprehensive language services for years, said Gayle Tang, director of Kaiser's National Linguistic & Cultural Programs.
"Our approach is really going beyond simply having someone who speaks the language," Tang said. "We want to make sure people are not only fluent in the language but also culturally sensitive and appropriate."
Consumers say they are glad to hear about the new laws.
"Now I feel more comfortable seeing a non-Chinese-speaking doctor," said Kwan Choy, 81, who speaks Cantonese and lives in San Francisco. "I know there are some kinds of language-assistance programs in place."
Ehnes encourages anyone who might need language help to call the customer service line at their health plan.
"This is a law that every patient who is not English-proficient should actively embrace and use to improve the quality of their health care," she said.
If you're interested Anyone who has trouble accessing language services can complain to the Department of Managed Health Care, by calling (888) HMO-2219 or visiting www.hmohelp.ca.gov.
Contact Hadley Leggett at (408) 920-5064 or hleggett@mercurynews.com.
From mercurynews.com
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Milford school nurse selected best in state
From Connpost.comBy Noelle FramptonSTAFF WRITER
MILFORD -- A teenage girl cried hysterically down the hall. Another waited outside the office to talk about something personal, while still another received physical therapy in the next room.A voice came across the walkie-talkie: Two other students were outside, looking quite sick, but without passes."Just send them in," said Kathy Scarinzi, a public health nurse who's worked as school nurse at Foran High School since 1999.Scarinzi, an Orange resident, loves a challenge.
That's why she relishes each hectic day she spends at Foran, helping kids with ailments that range from minor cuts and the stomach flu to serious emotional and psychological issues.And perhaps that's why she's so respected by her peers that she was named Connecticut School Nurse of the Year by the statewide Association of School Nurses."This is like the highest honor you can get as a school nurse," she said, beaming. "I was totally shocked."
Since she came to Foran from Pumpkin Delight School, Scarinzi has made it her mission to foster respect and kindness, as well as physical health.One way she saw to do that was to start a Gay-Straight Alliance in 2002. With a social worker's help, she worked with students as alliance co-founder and is its adviser."I think we've done a good job "¦ because everybody's pretty nice to each other," she said, adding that the alliance has grown. "I just love my job. At the end of the day, you feel rewarded."
Students in the Foran alliance also helped Jonathan Law High School across town to start one, too, she said.With kind blue eyes and a ready smile, Scarinzi is a married mother of three grown children who's been a school nurse in Milford and Orange for roughly two decades. She wears a rainbow pin to signify solidarity with gay students and another that says, "Stop the name-calling."On her wall is a plaque stating, "You have the right to be yourself" and the waiting area and hallway are covered with posters illustrating issues like suicide, rape, drugs and safe sex."There's a lot of complex needs that have to be met," she said. "This [age] is when mental illness starts to rear its ugly head. Everyone is treated equally here. They know that it's a safe place -- you can talk about anything."
Scarinzi has written letters of recommendation for students, mentored younger nurses, taught about self-injurious behavior at Southern Connecticut State University, spoken at a statewide conference and more.President of the Milford school nurses union and recording secretary for the state association, she has testified to lawmakers about school nursing issues, advocating a certification requirement for school nurses."She's the smartest nurse I know," said her mentee, Foran school nurse Lisa Skawinski. "I haven't asked her a question she doesn't know the answer to."
Carla McNamara, the school nurse at Meadowside School, said she nominated Scarinzi for the award after planning to for years."I finally just put my foot down," McNamara said. "She deserves this. She goes above and beyond the call of duty. She just does so much, not only for the students at her school but for us, her colleagues. Any little thing that needs to be addressed, she will address it. Her office is a safe haven in the school for anyone."McNamara said she and others put together a portfolio of glowing letters from former co-workers and supervisors to include with the nomination form.Scarinzi brought a drug-prevention program to Foran in response to concern about drug use at the school, as well as inmates from York Correctional Institute to share their stories with preventative intent, her colleague said.
She will be honored Wednesday at a recognition ceremony in West Hartford.At least one person believes Scarinzi deserves an even higher honor. "You are the best nurse of America, not only of Connecticut," a Foran father from Pakistan told her in a thank-you voice mail.
MILFORD -- A teenage girl cried hysterically down the hall. Another waited outside the office to talk about something personal, while still another received physical therapy in the next room.A voice came across the walkie-talkie: Two other students were outside, looking quite sick, but without passes."Just send them in," said Kathy Scarinzi, a public health nurse who's worked as school nurse at Foran High School since 1999.Scarinzi, an Orange resident, loves a challenge.
That's why she relishes each hectic day she spends at Foran, helping kids with ailments that range from minor cuts and the stomach flu to serious emotional and psychological issues.And perhaps that's why she's so respected by her peers that she was named Connecticut School Nurse of the Year by the statewide Association of School Nurses."This is like the highest honor you can get as a school nurse," she said, beaming. "I was totally shocked."
Since she came to Foran from Pumpkin Delight School, Scarinzi has made it her mission to foster respect and kindness, as well as physical health.One way she saw to do that was to start a Gay-Straight Alliance in 2002. With a social worker's help, she worked with students as alliance co-founder and is its adviser."I think we've done a good job "¦ because everybody's pretty nice to each other," she said, adding that the alliance has grown. "I just love my job. At the end of the day, you feel rewarded."
Students in the Foran alliance also helped Jonathan Law High School across town to start one, too, she said.With kind blue eyes and a ready smile, Scarinzi is a married mother of three grown children who's been a school nurse in Milford and Orange for roughly two decades. She wears a rainbow pin to signify solidarity with gay students and another that says, "Stop the name-calling."On her wall is a plaque stating, "You have the right to be yourself" and the waiting area and hallway are covered with posters illustrating issues like suicide, rape, drugs and safe sex."There's a lot of complex needs that have to be met," she said. "This [age] is when mental illness starts to rear its ugly head. Everyone is treated equally here. They know that it's a safe place -- you can talk about anything."
Scarinzi has written letters of recommendation for students, mentored younger nurses, taught about self-injurious behavior at Southern Connecticut State University, spoken at a statewide conference and more.President of the Milford school nurses union and recording secretary for the state association, she has testified to lawmakers about school nursing issues, advocating a certification requirement for school nurses."She's the smartest nurse I know," said her mentee, Foran school nurse Lisa Skawinski. "I haven't asked her a question she doesn't know the answer to."
Carla McNamara, the school nurse at Meadowside School, said she nominated Scarinzi for the award after planning to for years."I finally just put my foot down," McNamara said. "She deserves this. She goes above and beyond the call of duty. She just does so much, not only for the students at her school but for us, her colleagues. Any little thing that needs to be addressed, she will address it. Her office is a safe haven in the school for anyone."McNamara said she and others put together a portfolio of glowing letters from former co-workers and supervisors to include with the nomination form.Scarinzi brought a drug-prevention program to Foran in response to concern about drug use at the school, as well as inmates from York Correctional Institute to share their stories with preventative intent, her colleague said.
She will be honored Wednesday at a recognition ceremony in West Hartford.At least one person believes Scarinzi deserves an even higher honor. "You are the best nurse of America, not only of Connecticut," a Foran father from Pakistan told her in a thank-you voice mail.
Friday, January 16, 2009
CNA/ HHA Training New Haven, CT
The Agency on Aging of South Central Connecticut at 1 Long Wharf Drive, New Haven, is offering CNA/HHA training for people aged 55 and above!
You will be paid minimum wage as you attend this program, and learn the skills for a new career as well.
Contact Effie Nemat-Naficy,Program Manager, Senior Community Service Employment Program
203-752-3059
or
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Nursing students find community
After reopening to address a statewide shortage of nurses, the program will send off its first graduating class since 1995 in spring 2010
Daniel Schonhaut, Bruin Contributor (Contact)
Published: Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Fifty-eight UCLA students currently enrolled in the School of Nursing are on track to graduate in 2010, constituting the first class of students to have completed the undergraduate nursing program since 1995.
The School of Nursing shut down its undergraduate nursing program over 13 years ago due to budget concerns.
The program was reopened in 2006 in response to a growing statewide nursing shortage of as many as 59,000 nurses, according to a 2007 UC San Francisco report.
“California ranks 49th in the nation in nursing-to-patient ratio,” said Lindsay Williams, president of Nursing Students of UCLA, a student group. “I think UCLA recognized the problem, and the late (School of Nursing) Dean Marie Cowan worked really hard to get the nursing program back up and running.”
Few specific changes have been made to the new program, but the school plans to focus more on “the wide use of technology in caring for our patients,” said Courtney Lyder, the current dean of the School of Nursing.
Lyder said that the main goal of the undergraduate nursing curriculum is still to provide a general education in nursing. The general education covers “the arts and science of providing quality care for patients.”
He added that admission into the reopened undergraduate program is “extremely competitive.”
Fifty-five students were admitted to the program last year out of a pool of about 1,700 applicants, Lyder said.
“I think that because our program is relatively small, our students get a lot of one-on-one attention from the faculty,” Lyder said.
“They receive a good foundation in both the liberal arts and sciences, as well as how these are applied to actual patients. It’s a much more intimate learning experience than they would get with other, larger majors.”
Williams, a third-year nursing student, said she agrees.
“The level of support that you get from the School of Nursing is different from any other major,” she said. “I’ve taken chemistry and life sciences and it’s really competitive because everyone is trying to get at one thing and that’s the way they structure the class.”
Williams said that in nursing, “The competition was to get into the program, but once you’re in they want you to succeed.”
“We have small classes that we all take at the same time, so there’s a real sense of collaboration with everyone else,” she said.
The 2010 nursing class is currently preparing to participate in clinical internships, which begin next quarter. They will work intensive 12-hour shifts in hospitals alongside experienced nurses, said third-year nursing student Lindsay Sandberg.
Sandberg described the undergraduate nursing curriculum as “challenging, but worthwhile.”
“It’s not easy to be in all the classes with the medical school kids and to have to take nursing classes at the same time, but it’s definitely a rewarding experience,” she said.
“This program is one of the best in the country, and it’s right out of high school, which is not that common.”
Sandberg added, “When I graduate, I’ll get my degree and be able to go directly into nursing.”
The undergraduate curriculum includes a number of labs designed to give students hands-on experience in the field.
“Last quarter, we had our nursing fundamentals class where we gave flu shots to students on campus, which was really fun, and we had a hands-on lab where we were able to administer intravenous (therapy) on each other,” said Emma Gauci, a third-year nursing student.
“We did a blood pressure clinic where we set up along Bruin Walk and took people’s blood pressure for practice, which was an amazing, exciting experience,” Sandberg said.
According to Lyder, the undergraduate program is designed to introduce nursing students to all areas of nursing and ready them for a career as general registered nurses.
“Our undergrads are being prepared to go directly into general nursing,” Lyder said.
After they graduate, Williams, Sandberg and Gauci all said they plan to work as registered nurses before going on to graduate school to train in a specialization and receive degrees as nurse practitioners.
UCLA currently offers two degrees in undergraduate nursing, according to the School of Nursing Web site.
The general four-year nursing program leads to a bachelor of science in nursing and eligibility to take the National Council Licensing Examination for certification as a registered nurse.
A two-year master’s-entry clinical nurse program is also available for students who wish to go into nursing but are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in other majors.
Daniel Schonhaut, Bruin Contributor (Contact)
Published: Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Fifty-eight UCLA students currently enrolled in the School of Nursing are on track to graduate in 2010, constituting the first class of students to have completed the undergraduate nursing program since 1995.
The School of Nursing shut down its undergraduate nursing program over 13 years ago due to budget concerns.
The program was reopened in 2006 in response to a growing statewide nursing shortage of as many as 59,000 nurses, according to a 2007 UC San Francisco report.
“California ranks 49th in the nation in nursing-to-patient ratio,” said Lindsay Williams, president of Nursing Students of UCLA, a student group. “I think UCLA recognized the problem, and the late (School of Nursing) Dean Marie Cowan worked really hard to get the nursing program back up and running.”
Few specific changes have been made to the new program, but the school plans to focus more on “the wide use of technology in caring for our patients,” said Courtney Lyder, the current dean of the School of Nursing.
Lyder said that the main goal of the undergraduate nursing curriculum is still to provide a general education in nursing. The general education covers “the arts and science of providing quality care for patients.”
He added that admission into the reopened undergraduate program is “extremely competitive.”
Fifty-five students were admitted to the program last year out of a pool of about 1,700 applicants, Lyder said.
“I think that because our program is relatively small, our students get a lot of one-on-one attention from the faculty,” Lyder said.
“They receive a good foundation in both the liberal arts and sciences, as well as how these are applied to actual patients. It’s a much more intimate learning experience than they would get with other, larger majors.”
Williams, a third-year nursing student, said she agrees.
“The level of support that you get from the School of Nursing is different from any other major,” she said. “I’ve taken chemistry and life sciences and it’s really competitive because everyone is trying to get at one thing and that’s the way they structure the class.”
Williams said that in nursing, “The competition was to get into the program, but once you’re in they want you to succeed.”
“We have small classes that we all take at the same time, so there’s a real sense of collaboration with everyone else,” she said.
The 2010 nursing class is currently preparing to participate in clinical internships, which begin next quarter. They will work intensive 12-hour shifts in hospitals alongside experienced nurses, said third-year nursing student Lindsay Sandberg.
Sandberg described the undergraduate nursing curriculum as “challenging, but worthwhile.”
“It’s not easy to be in all the classes with the medical school kids and to have to take nursing classes at the same time, but it’s definitely a rewarding experience,” she said.
“This program is one of the best in the country, and it’s right out of high school, which is not that common.”
Sandberg added, “When I graduate, I’ll get my degree and be able to go directly into nursing.”
The undergraduate curriculum includes a number of labs designed to give students hands-on experience in the field.
“Last quarter, we had our nursing fundamentals class where we gave flu shots to students on campus, which was really fun, and we had a hands-on lab where we were able to administer intravenous (therapy) on each other,” said Emma Gauci, a third-year nursing student.
“We did a blood pressure clinic where we set up along Bruin Walk and took people’s blood pressure for practice, which was an amazing, exciting experience,” Sandberg said.
According to Lyder, the undergraduate program is designed to introduce nursing students to all areas of nursing and ready them for a career as general registered nurses.
“Our undergrads are being prepared to go directly into general nursing,” Lyder said.
After they graduate, Williams, Sandberg and Gauci all said they plan to work as registered nurses before going on to graduate school to train in a specialization and receive degrees as nurse practitioners.
UCLA currently offers two degrees in undergraduate nursing, according to the School of Nursing Web site.
The general four-year nursing program leads to a bachelor of science in nursing and eligibility to take the National Council Licensing Examination for certification as a registered nurse.
A two-year master’s-entry clinical nurse program is also available for students who wish to go into nursing but are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in other majors.
Monday, January 12, 2009
“General Practice,” I Mean, “Family Practitice,” No, I Mean, “Family Medicine”
Have you ever gone to see your primary care physician, called him or her a general practitioner, or a GP, and had them give you a funny smirk or perhaps even a role of the eyes? Ever been embarrassed to ask what’s the difference between a general practitioner and a family practitioner or a family doctor?
Having been an eye roller and smirker myself let me take the opportunity this quiet Sunday morning to go into the difference between general practice, family practice, and family medicine.
Once upon a time medical students graduated from medical school and would do a one year intership at a hospital doing apprentice like work that we so often see on TV. When this was done they became licensed with the state, hung out their shingle, and went into practice. This is the general practitioner, the GP, that was the bedrock of primary care and provided so much of health care to rural areas for much of the history of the US.
In 1969 the American Board of Family Practice was formed in response to an overall trend toward specialization in American medicine. The percentage of medical school graduates going into general practice had declined from 47% in 1900 to 19% in 1964. Family Practice, changed from general practice, deserved to be a specialty of its own and deserved to have full residency training programs. Upon completion of residency training a test, and if all goes well, they could advertise themselves as “board certified.”
(Of note, many countries still use the term general practitioner and you won’t get any eye rolls there as its still the appropriate title.)
As time went on, family practice found that having its own specialty still wasn’t enough to avoid having sand kicked in its face by the specialists on the beach and decided that re-certification should take place to demonstrate physician currency. On a sabbatical-like cycle, family practitioners would retake their certification exam in addition to the continuing medical education (CME are workshops and lectures that most other specialties required of its members).
Eventually many specialties would come to join in on the re-certification parade, but if you ask around many doc still proudly hold lifelong board certification based on a test they took twenty years ago.Back in 2005 the American Board of Family Practice decided it was time for some other major changes. Mid-levels had impeded on the primary care turf. Specialists salaries really started to take off compared to primary care. It decided to start with the name. I began my residency training in family practice, but I graduated in family medicine. Sounds less mid-level-ish and more like we know what we’re doing. The term family practitioner is also probably outdated. Family physician or family doctor are more appropriate.
The other major change is how doctors maintain certification. The board spaced out the certification test to every ten years, but no requires some type of self-assessment or practice assessment on an annual basis. I’ve done computer modules to test my knowledge on cardiac disease, well child exams, and depression. This year I’m doing a chart review for my patients to look at the way I deliver asthma care. Those CME requirements from before, those haven’t gone away as well.
Now I hear rumblings that the other specialties are going to be changing to a similar model and undoubtedly my board will have to think of something new.
Being board certified is not equivalent to delivering quality care. In fact no study, to my knowledge, has ever shown board certified docs deliver better care than non-board certified and the same is true of family physicians that have been part of this new maintenance of certification pathway. Having said that, as board certification becomes more and more the norm and the expectation I would want a pretty good reason for a family member to see a doctor of any specialty that wasn’t board certified.
So if you find yourself fumbling around trying to remember if it’s the GP or family practitioners I recommend just sticking with “the doctor.”
The Country Doc
From thecountrydocreport.com
Having been an eye roller and smirker myself let me take the opportunity this quiet Sunday morning to go into the difference between general practice, family practice, and family medicine.
Once upon a time medical students graduated from medical school and would do a one year intership at a hospital doing apprentice like work that we so often see on TV. When this was done they became licensed with the state, hung out their shingle, and went into practice. This is the general practitioner, the GP, that was the bedrock of primary care and provided so much of health care to rural areas for much of the history of the US.
In 1969 the American Board of Family Practice was formed in response to an overall trend toward specialization in American medicine. The percentage of medical school graduates going into general practice had declined from 47% in 1900 to 19% in 1964. Family Practice, changed from general practice, deserved to be a specialty of its own and deserved to have full residency training programs. Upon completion of residency training a test, and if all goes well, they could advertise themselves as “board certified.”
(Of note, many countries still use the term general practitioner and you won’t get any eye rolls there as its still the appropriate title.)
As time went on, family practice found that having its own specialty still wasn’t enough to avoid having sand kicked in its face by the specialists on the beach and decided that re-certification should take place to demonstrate physician currency. On a sabbatical-like cycle, family practitioners would retake their certification exam in addition to the continuing medical education (CME are workshops and lectures that most other specialties required of its members).
Eventually many specialties would come to join in on the re-certification parade, but if you ask around many doc still proudly hold lifelong board certification based on a test they took twenty years ago.Back in 2005 the American Board of Family Practice decided it was time for some other major changes. Mid-levels had impeded on the primary care turf. Specialists salaries really started to take off compared to primary care. It decided to start with the name. I began my residency training in family practice, but I graduated in family medicine. Sounds less mid-level-ish and more like we know what we’re doing. The term family practitioner is also probably outdated. Family physician or family doctor are more appropriate.
The other major change is how doctors maintain certification. The board spaced out the certification test to every ten years, but no requires some type of self-assessment or practice assessment on an annual basis. I’ve done computer modules to test my knowledge on cardiac disease, well child exams, and depression. This year I’m doing a chart review for my patients to look at the way I deliver asthma care. Those CME requirements from before, those haven’t gone away as well.
Now I hear rumblings that the other specialties are going to be changing to a similar model and undoubtedly my board will have to think of something new.
Being board certified is not equivalent to delivering quality care. In fact no study, to my knowledge, has ever shown board certified docs deliver better care than non-board certified and the same is true of family physicians that have been part of this new maintenance of certification pathway. Having said that, as board certification becomes more and more the norm and the expectation I would want a pretty good reason for a family member to see a doctor of any specialty that wasn’t board certified.
So if you find yourself fumbling around trying to remember if it’s the GP or family practitioners I recommend just sticking with “the doctor.”
The Country Doc
From thecountrydocreport.com
OU-C partners with VA to offer nursing support classes
Collaboration gives more class space for program prerequisites
Nursing education in Ross County is growing again, this time through a partnership between Ohio University-Chillicothe and the Chillicothe Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Classes started earlier last week at the VA, providing 30 additional people the ability to start prerequisites needed to be eligible for selection to the associate's of applied science degree in nursing at OU-C. Math, chemistry and English evening classes are offered on the VA campus by OU-C staff. Currently, a dozen of the openings are filled.
"I think it's an advantage to the VA because you have the hospital facility and you're training onsite," said Joyce Atwood, resource development coordinator.
The arrangement also makes it convenient for VA staff interested in the program, added Charlotte McManus, associate director of OU-C's nursing program.
"There are several LPNs out there who might be interested to go into our LPN to RN program. We could get them in a little sooner with the collaboration with the VA," McManus said.
The extent of the partnership still is being determined, but it is possible the nursing classes and labs could be offered at the VA as well, McManus added.
"They have what we need if we do offer it there," she said, adding her students already do some clinical work at the VA.
Jeff Gering, VA director, is excited about the partnership as well as another venture that beings this summer. Starting in July, the VA will be assigned a group of students doing their medical residencies, a first for the Chillicothe VA and unusual for a smaller VA facility, Gering said.
"They find 17 to 20 percent of residents stay in the area where they complete their residency, so this will help the whole community as well," Gering said.
Although OU-C has graduated more than 600 nurses since beginning the program in 1993 and the long waiting list for those interested in the program, neither McManus nor Atwood feel there is any danger of the industry getting flooded.
"I've never seen it flooded; I've been in nursing since 1978 ... I've never had any of my students turned away from a job. All of them get jobs before graduating or a few weeks after graduating," McManus said.
Actually, the need is continuing to grow as baby boomers become older and have more health care needs. However, the higher demand is for RNs, McManus added, and many places are encouraging and providing incentives for their LPNs to continue their education.
In recent years, OU-C has utilized partnerships to expand its program. The nursing program works with Adena Regional Medical Center, Berger Hospital and Ohio Christian University, to name a few.
(Ison can be reached at 772-9367 or via e-mail at jison@ChillicotheGazette.com)
Spiritual journey chronicled in new memoir
Thursday, January 8, 2009 9:09 PM EST
By DAVID SCALES,Special to Weekend
MIDDLETOWN — Picasso once said each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again.When Eleanore Milardo discovered a new personal universe in her life, it brought a new sense of clarity and the words to shape her book, "Sacred Journey: Healing Ourselves and our Planet," (Running Water Press, $20, July 2008).
Milardo may be known to residents as the owner of the house on Sisk Street with the spiral gardens, which was recently nominated for placement in the Smithsonian Institute’s landscape division. The gardens were selected by the Garden Club of America, the only organization who can nominate gardens for such an entry for their innovativeness and naturalness.
"I started on the gardens in 1996, when I attended a conference and walked into this room which had a spiral rope and candles and signs next to each candle telling the story of the universe," Milardo said. "I was so impressed with reading the story and I said to myself, ‘I must bring this to the people.’Filled almost exclusively with native New England trees, shrubs and plants, the gardens are sustainable (balancing resources) and educational.Visitors walk through 14 gardens, from the Peace Garden, the 60-foot spiral of the Sacred Universe Garden, the Rain Garden and the Robins’ Corner.Milardo’s two years of effort literally bore the fruit of recognition — for not only her reputation as a gardener, but her spiritual growth.
But it came at a high price.Milardo, a former registered nurse who began her career as an operating room supervisor in a local hospital, began practicing homeopathic medicine, a relatively new field in 1985.A nurse with a master’s degree and a specialty could be a nurse medical specialist."In the state of Connecticut, you weren’t allowed to practice homeopathic medicine unless you are an M.D.," Milardo said. "I was given a piece of paper to sign and promise never to practice this again and nobody would be the wiser.
But the way it was written, it didn’t really tell quite the truth. I said, ‘No. If I’m going to lose my license over this, I want it to be truthfully known why.’"Milardo chose to go before the Board of Nursing Examiners, which suspended her nursing license for six months."After that," she says, "I got interested in spiritual direction and my whole life took a completely different path. ""Even though the president of the Homeopathic Physicians approved of me and got me to go through the training, he had a heart attack and couldn’t defend me," Milardo said.Still, Milardo claims this potential disaster was the best thing to ever happen to her.
Embarking upon a journey of self-discovery, she began keeping a journal. As the years went on, she realized not too many people really knew her or her story. Considering how others might be helped by her insight; especially her grandchildren, who she wanted them to know, she embarked on a quest to have her work published.
Milardo later joined the International Women’s Writers’ Guild, which gave her a list of editors to contact who might assist in getting the book off the ground.She eventually reached Hazel Dawkins in Greenfield, Mass., who read the manuscript and said it definitely needed to be published. It gave Milardo the courage to keep going. Her interest in helping people know who they truly are and their connection to the divine mystery continued, like her gardens, to bloom.
And so the book was born."I learned how to walk people through difficult times and it’s called spiritual focusing," Milardo said."As children, we need to have our ego get strong as we’re growing up so we can survive our peers, family and culture. Then as an adult, we have to pass through that to the ‘True Self’ so we don’t do what everyone else thinks we are supposed to do. So we come to know what we are supposed to be doing."That’s the message of the book. Once you get past the expectations applied to you, then you understand the truth for yourself."It chronicles Milardo’s personal tragedies, including the loss of her son, and her departure from the Roman Catholic Church."I try to help people recognize the divine is everywhere and in everyone," Milardo said.To purchase the book, see www.spiraloflifegardens.com.
From Middletown Press
By DAVID SCALES,Special to Weekend
MIDDLETOWN — Picasso once said each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again.When Eleanore Milardo discovered a new personal universe in her life, it brought a new sense of clarity and the words to shape her book, "Sacred Journey: Healing Ourselves and our Planet," (Running Water Press, $20, July 2008).
Milardo may be known to residents as the owner of the house on Sisk Street with the spiral gardens, which was recently nominated for placement in the Smithsonian Institute’s landscape division. The gardens were selected by the Garden Club of America, the only organization who can nominate gardens for such an entry for their innovativeness and naturalness.
"I started on the gardens in 1996, when I attended a conference and walked into this room which had a spiral rope and candles and signs next to each candle telling the story of the universe," Milardo said. "I was so impressed with reading the story and I said to myself, ‘I must bring this to the people.’Filled almost exclusively with native New England trees, shrubs and plants, the gardens are sustainable (balancing resources) and educational.Visitors walk through 14 gardens, from the Peace Garden, the 60-foot spiral of the Sacred Universe Garden, the Rain Garden and the Robins’ Corner.Milardo’s two years of effort literally bore the fruit of recognition — for not only her reputation as a gardener, but her spiritual growth.
But it came at a high price.Milardo, a former registered nurse who began her career as an operating room supervisor in a local hospital, began practicing homeopathic medicine, a relatively new field in 1985.A nurse with a master’s degree and a specialty could be a nurse medical specialist."In the state of Connecticut, you weren’t allowed to practice homeopathic medicine unless you are an M.D.," Milardo said. "I was given a piece of paper to sign and promise never to practice this again and nobody would be the wiser.
But the way it was written, it didn’t really tell quite the truth. I said, ‘No. If I’m going to lose my license over this, I want it to be truthfully known why.’"Milardo chose to go before the Board of Nursing Examiners, which suspended her nursing license for six months."After that," she says, "I got interested in spiritual direction and my whole life took a completely different path. ""Even though the president of the Homeopathic Physicians approved of me and got me to go through the training, he had a heart attack and couldn’t defend me," Milardo said.Still, Milardo claims this potential disaster was the best thing to ever happen to her.
Embarking upon a journey of self-discovery, she began keeping a journal. As the years went on, she realized not too many people really knew her or her story. Considering how others might be helped by her insight; especially her grandchildren, who she wanted them to know, she embarked on a quest to have her work published.
Milardo later joined the International Women’s Writers’ Guild, which gave her a list of editors to contact who might assist in getting the book off the ground.She eventually reached Hazel Dawkins in Greenfield, Mass., who read the manuscript and said it definitely needed to be published. It gave Milardo the courage to keep going. Her interest in helping people know who they truly are and their connection to the divine mystery continued, like her gardens, to bloom.
And so the book was born."I learned how to walk people through difficult times and it’s called spiritual focusing," Milardo said."As children, we need to have our ego get strong as we’re growing up so we can survive our peers, family and culture. Then as an adult, we have to pass through that to the ‘True Self’ so we don’t do what everyone else thinks we are supposed to do. So we come to know what we are supposed to be doing."That’s the message of the book. Once you get past the expectations applied to you, then you understand the truth for yourself."It chronicles Milardo’s personal tragedies, including the loss of her son, and her departure from the Roman Catholic Church."I try to help people recognize the divine is everywhere and in everyone," Milardo said.To purchase the book, see www.spiraloflifegardens.com.
From Middletown Press
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Retraining offered to retired RN's
updated 2:47 p.m. ET, Thurs., Jan. 8, 2009
offers training to retired RN's who may want to get back into the field. The training would allow them to get up to date on methods and technology.
The program was unveiled during a news conference at the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce Thursday morning. Chamber President Austin Burke says training would be offered through Luzerne County Community College at the Scranton Community Medical Center's School of Nursing. On the job trainingwould also be offered at several hospitals in Lackawanna County.
With funding from five participating hospitals and a grant from the Workforce Investment Board of Lackawanna County the course will be offered for $225.00 per participant.
Applications are being accepted now. The course will begin on February 20th.
From MSNBC
Psychiatry
This is not a career listing, but an interesting article that psychiatric care providers may find interesting!
Video Game May Help to ReducePTSD, Psychologists SayUPI Science News - January 09, 2009
British researchers say the video game "Tetris" may reduce the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
A study by psychologists at Oxford University suggests the game can help erase bad memories and reduce flashbacks, the Daily Telegraph reported Wednesday.
Emily Holmes of the Department of Psychiatry at Oxford University, said volunteers exposed to traumatic images and then half of the group played Tetris for 10 minutes, while the other half did nothing. The volunteers who played the video game experienced significantly fewer flashbacks over the next week, the report said.
Holmes said the findings suggest the game helps block the brain from storing painful memories.
"Tetris may work by competing for the brain’s resources for sensory information," she said. "We suggest it specifically interferes with the way sensory memories are laid down in the period after trauma and thus reduces the number of flashbacks that are experienced afterwards."
From Connecticut Network of Care
Video Game May Help to ReducePTSD, Psychologists SayUPI Science News - January 09, 2009
British researchers say the video game "Tetris" may reduce the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
A study by psychologists at Oxford University suggests the game can help erase bad memories and reduce flashbacks, the Daily Telegraph reported Wednesday.
Emily Holmes of the Department of Psychiatry at Oxford University, said volunteers exposed to traumatic images and then half of the group played Tetris for 10 minutes, while the other half did nothing. The volunteers who played the video game experienced significantly fewer flashbacks over the next week, the report said.
Holmes said the findings suggest the game helps block the brain from storing painful memories.
"Tetris may work by competing for the brain’s resources for sensory information," she said. "We suggest it specifically interferes with the way sensory memories are laid down in the period after trauma and thus reduces the number of flashbacks that are experienced afterwards."
From Connecticut Network of Care
Friday, January 9, 2009
Cost containment focus could have consequences for health care delivery
BOSTON – The drive toward containing health care costs could have the unintended consequence of reducing physician productivity, impairing quality and perhaps even increasing costs, two Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center physicians suggest in a New England Journal of Medicine "Perspective."Citing studies in behavioral economics and psychology, Pamela Hartzband, MD and Jerome Groopman MD, express the fear that assigning a monetary value to every aspect of a physician's time could prove to be self-defeating."There is also a communal relationship, an expectation and obligation to help when assistance is needed," Hartzband and Groopman write in NEJM's Jan. 8, 2009 edition.
"We believe that in the current environment, the balance has tipped toward market exchanges at the expense of medicine's communal or social dimensions."The physicians, an endocrinologist and hematologist-oncologist respectively, note the environment in which they work has long been one where a colleague would not hesitate to stop in a corridor and offer a colleague his or her thoughts on a complex case."Now imagine that they had just left a departmental meeting where a divisional budget was reviewed and goals for individual relative value units (RVUs, the monetary metric of physicians' time and effort) were presented. Would their interaction be different?"The physicians cite studies that suggest the answer is yes. Experiments found money-primed subjects were consistently less willing to extend themselves to those who needed help.In one study, a control group asked to do a favor without compensation was significantly more willing to help move a sofa than those offered a token payment.These experiments have a greater meaning in a profession where marketplace and communal relationships live side by side."Many physicians we know are so alienated and angered by the relentless pricing of their day that they wind up having no desire to do more than the minimum required for the financial 'bottom line,'" they write. "In our view, this cultural shift risks destroying some essential aspects of the medical profession that contribute to high quality health care, including pride of profession, sense of duty, altruism and collegiality."Extending oneself to patients, families, trainees and colleagues not only is a traditional element of care, but translates into more effective care."Hartzband and Groopman suggest that new trends in primary care may offer an opportunity to restore balance. The "patient-centered medical home" is being envisioned as a "compassionate partnership" between caregivers and patients, with compensation for what is now unreimbursed time."Caregivers should be appropriately reimbursed but should not be constantly primed by money. Success in such a model will require collegiality, cooperation and teamwork – precisely the behaviors that are predictably eroded by a marketplace environment."
Hartzband is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Groopman is the Dina and Raphael Recanati Chair of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and is Chief of Experimental Medicine at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. No potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported.Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School, and consistently ranks among the top four in National Institutes of Health funding among independent hospitals nationwide. BIDMC is clinically affiliated with the Joslin Diabetes Center and is a research partner of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center. BIDMC is the official hospital of the Boston Red Sox. For more information, visit www.bidmc.harvard.edu.
"We believe that in the current environment, the balance has tipped toward market exchanges at the expense of medicine's communal or social dimensions."The physicians, an endocrinologist and hematologist-oncologist respectively, note the environment in which they work has long been one where a colleague would not hesitate to stop in a corridor and offer a colleague his or her thoughts on a complex case."Now imagine that they had just left a departmental meeting where a divisional budget was reviewed and goals for individual relative value units (RVUs, the monetary metric of physicians' time and effort) were presented. Would their interaction be different?"The physicians cite studies that suggest the answer is yes. Experiments found money-primed subjects were consistently less willing to extend themselves to those who needed help.In one study, a control group asked to do a favor without compensation was significantly more willing to help move a sofa than those offered a token payment.These experiments have a greater meaning in a profession where marketplace and communal relationships live side by side."Many physicians we know are so alienated and angered by the relentless pricing of their day that they wind up having no desire to do more than the minimum required for the financial 'bottom line,'" they write. "In our view, this cultural shift risks destroying some essential aspects of the medical profession that contribute to high quality health care, including pride of profession, sense of duty, altruism and collegiality."Extending oneself to patients, families, trainees and colleagues not only is a traditional element of care, but translates into more effective care."Hartzband and Groopman suggest that new trends in primary care may offer an opportunity to restore balance. The "patient-centered medical home" is being envisioned as a "compassionate partnership" between caregivers and patients, with compensation for what is now unreimbursed time."Caregivers should be appropriately reimbursed but should not be constantly primed by money. Success in such a model will require collegiality, cooperation and teamwork – precisely the behaviors that are predictably eroded by a marketplace environment."
Hartzband is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Groopman is the Dina and Raphael Recanati Chair of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and is Chief of Experimental Medicine at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. No potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported.Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School, and consistently ranks among the top four in National Institutes of Health funding among independent hospitals nationwide. BIDMC is clinically affiliated with the Joslin Diabetes Center and is a research partner of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center. BIDMC is the official hospital of the Boston Red Sox. For more information, visit www.bidmc.harvard.edu.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
LPN vs NP
I have had several people ask me the difference between an LPN and NP this week. So, here it goes:
LPN = Licensed Practical Nurse: an LPN is a nursing degree that is more of a technical degree. It requires about 2 years of schooling and is often what people do before going on for their RN (Registered Nurse).
NP = Nurse Practitioner: an NP requires additional schooling following an RN license. Being an NP does not always require a Master's degree but typically nurse practitioners have a Master's degree.
Hopefully this helps those of you who were wondering.
Have a great day!
Posted by The Peppler Family at 1:17 PM
From Peppler Family Blog
LPN = Licensed Practical Nurse: an LPN is a nursing degree that is more of a technical degree. It requires about 2 years of schooling and is often what people do before going on for their RN (Registered Nurse).
NP = Nurse Practitioner: an NP requires additional schooling following an RN license. Being an NP does not always require a Master's degree but typically nurse practitioners have a Master's degree.
Hopefully this helps those of you who were wondering.
Have a great day!
Posted by The Peppler Family at 1:17 PM
From Peppler Family Blog
Hospital Scrubs Are a Germy, Deadly Mess
Bacteria on doctor uniforms can kill you.
By BETSY MCCAUGHEY
You see them everywhere -- nurses, doctors and medical technicians in scrubs or lab coats. They shop in them, take buses and trains in them, go to restaurants in them, and wear them home. What you can't see on these garments are the bacteria that could kill you.
Dirty scrubs spread bacteria to patients in the hospital and allow hospital superbugs to escape into public places such as restaurants. Some hospitals now prohibit wearing scrubs outside the building, partly in response to the rapid increase in an infection called "C. diff." A national hospital survey released last November warns that Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infections are sickening nearly half a million people a year in the U.S., more than six times previous estimates.
The problem is that some medical personnel wear the same unlaundered uniforms to work day after day. They start their shift already carrying germs such as C.diff, drug-resistant enterococcus or staphylococcus. Doctors' lab coats are probably the dirtiest. At the University of Maryland, 65% of medical personnel confess they change their lab coat less than once a week, though they know it's contaminated. Fifteen percent admit they change it less than once a month. Superbugs such as staph can live on these polyester coats for up to 56 days
Do unclean uniforms endanger patients? Absolutely. Health-care workers habitually touch their own uniforms. Studies confirm that the more bacteria found on surfaces touched often by doctors and nurses, the higher the risk that these bacteria will be carried to the patient and cause infection.
Until about 20 years ago, nearly all hospitals laundered scrubs for their staff. A few hospitals are returning to that policy. St. Mary's Health Center in St. Louis, Mo., reduced infections after cesarean births by more than 50% by giving all caregivers hospital-laundered scrubs, as well as requiring them to wear two layers of gloves. Monroe Hospital in Bloomington, Ind., which has a near-zero rate of hospital-acquired infections, provides laundered scrubs for all staff and prohibits them from wearing scrubs outside the building. Stamford Hospital in Connecticut recently banned wearing scrubs outside the hospital.
Across the pond, a British study found that one-third of medical personnel did not launder their uniforms before coming to work. One British surgeon who specializes in hip and knee replacements reduced postoperative infections by two-thirds at her hospital by protecting patients from contaminated uniforms. Before approaching any patient's bed, nurses put on disposable, clear plastic aprons that were pulled off rolls like dry cleaning bags. Each one costs a nickel.
In response to this evidence and public outrage over infections, the cash-strapped British National Health Service is providing nurses with hospital-laundered "smart scrubs." The smart design includes short sleeves, because long sleeves spread germs from patient to patient.
The new British policy will protect patients and prevent superbugs from being carried outside hospitals. In one study, more than 20% of nurses' uniforms had C. diff on them at the end of a shift. The germ can cause extreme diarrhea, dehydration, inflammation of the colon, and even death.
In a hospital, C. diff contaminates virtually every surface. It spreads when traces of an infected person's feces get in another person's mouth. Patients who touch objects in their room and then eat without washing their hands unknowingly swallow the germ. Many otherwise healthy patients who go into the hospital for elective surgery, such as hip replacement, have contracted C. diff and died.
Outside the hospital, C. diff is also difficult to control. It isn't killed by laundry detergents or most cleaners. Researchers at Case Western Reserve and the Cleveland Veterans Administration Medical Center found that even after routine cleaning, 78% of surfaces still had C. diff. Only scrubbing with bleach removed it. That's not the kind of cleaning restaurants are prepared to do after serving hospital workers.
Imagine sliding into a restaurant booth after a nurse has left the germ on the table or seat. You could easily pick it up on your hands and then swallow it with your sandwich. Hospitals should provide workers with clean uniforms and prohibit wearing them in public.
Ms. McCaughey, former lieutenant governor of New York state, is a fellow at the Hudson Institute and chair of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths.
from wsj.com
By BETSY MCCAUGHEY
You see them everywhere -- nurses, doctors and medical technicians in scrubs or lab coats. They shop in them, take buses and trains in them, go to restaurants in them, and wear them home. What you can't see on these garments are the bacteria that could kill you.
Dirty scrubs spread bacteria to patients in the hospital and allow hospital superbugs to escape into public places such as restaurants. Some hospitals now prohibit wearing scrubs outside the building, partly in response to the rapid increase in an infection called "C. diff." A national hospital survey released last November warns that Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infections are sickening nearly half a million people a year in the U.S., more than six times previous estimates.
The problem is that some medical personnel wear the same unlaundered uniforms to work day after day. They start their shift already carrying germs such as C.diff, drug-resistant enterococcus or staphylococcus. Doctors' lab coats are probably the dirtiest. At the University of Maryland, 65% of medical personnel confess they change their lab coat less than once a week, though they know it's contaminated. Fifteen percent admit they change it less than once a month. Superbugs such as staph can live on these polyester coats for up to 56 days
Do unclean uniforms endanger patients? Absolutely. Health-care workers habitually touch their own uniforms. Studies confirm that the more bacteria found on surfaces touched often by doctors and nurses, the higher the risk that these bacteria will be carried to the patient and cause infection.
Until about 20 years ago, nearly all hospitals laundered scrubs for their staff. A few hospitals are returning to that policy. St. Mary's Health Center in St. Louis, Mo., reduced infections after cesarean births by more than 50% by giving all caregivers hospital-laundered scrubs, as well as requiring them to wear two layers of gloves. Monroe Hospital in Bloomington, Ind., which has a near-zero rate of hospital-acquired infections, provides laundered scrubs for all staff and prohibits them from wearing scrubs outside the building. Stamford Hospital in Connecticut recently banned wearing scrubs outside the hospital.
Across the pond, a British study found that one-third of medical personnel did not launder their uniforms before coming to work. One British surgeon who specializes in hip and knee replacements reduced postoperative infections by two-thirds at her hospital by protecting patients from contaminated uniforms. Before approaching any patient's bed, nurses put on disposable, clear plastic aprons that were pulled off rolls like dry cleaning bags. Each one costs a nickel.
In response to this evidence and public outrage over infections, the cash-strapped British National Health Service is providing nurses with hospital-laundered "smart scrubs." The smart design includes short sleeves, because long sleeves spread germs from patient to patient.
The new British policy will protect patients and prevent superbugs from being carried outside hospitals. In one study, more than 20% of nurses' uniforms had C. diff on them at the end of a shift. The germ can cause extreme diarrhea, dehydration, inflammation of the colon, and even death.
In a hospital, C. diff contaminates virtually every surface. It spreads when traces of an infected person's feces get in another person's mouth. Patients who touch objects in their room and then eat without washing their hands unknowingly swallow the germ. Many otherwise healthy patients who go into the hospital for elective surgery, such as hip replacement, have contracted C. diff and died.
Outside the hospital, C. diff is also difficult to control. It isn't killed by laundry detergents or most cleaners. Researchers at Case Western Reserve and the Cleveland Veterans Administration Medical Center found that even after routine cleaning, 78% of surfaces still had C. diff. Only scrubbing with bleach removed it. That's not the kind of cleaning restaurants are prepared to do after serving hospital workers.
Imagine sliding into a restaurant booth after a nurse has left the germ on the table or seat. You could easily pick it up on your hands and then swallow it with your sandwich. Hospitals should provide workers with clean uniforms and prohibit wearing them in public.
Ms. McCaughey, former lieutenant governor of New York state, is a fellow at the Hudson Institute and chair of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths.
from wsj.com
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Hartford Hospital, University of Connecticut Health Center discuss merger
Hartford Courant, November 24, 2008
Hartford Hospital and the financially-troubled University of Connecticut Health Center are proposing a merger. Many of the details are still being worked out, but a statement envisions one entity situated on two campuses. The facility in Farmington will be owned by UConn and run by Hartford Healthcare; the one in Hartford will continue to be owned and operated by Hartford Healthcare.
Full Story
Hartford Hospital and the financially-troubled University of Connecticut Health Center are proposing a merger. Many of the details are still being worked out, but a statement envisions one entity situated on two campuses. The facility in Farmington will be owned by UConn and run by Hartford Healthcare; the one in Hartford will continue to be owned and operated by Hartford Healthcare.
Full Story
Sunday, January 4, 2009
EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY FOR F/T RNs!
As Connecticut's premier Home Health Care Agency with over 1,000 employees throughout all areas of the state, opportunities abound for
F/T Medical and Behavioral RNs
in the Greater New Haven Area!
Excellent Salary, Hourly and Per Diem Rates
Shift and Weekend Differentials
Paid Orientation and In-Services
Medical, Dental, Life and Disability Insurance
401(k) with Employer Match
Direct Deposit
Employee Credit Union
Payroll Deducted 529 College Savings Plans
Shift and Weekend Differentials
Paid Orientation and In-Services
Medical, Dental, Life and Disability Insurance
401(k) with Employer Match
Direct Deposit
Employee Credit Union
Payroll Deducted 529 College Savings Plans
Cohesive Team
Call New England Home Care at 203-874-6667 today to learn more!
Or on the web newenglandhomecare.com
Join a dynamic, patient-centered team!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
College prepares students for nursing career
Patsy Joyner
Published Friday, January 2, 2009
Responding to a critical need, Paul D. Camp Community College established an associate of applied science degree in nursing. This five-semester program prepares selected students to qualify as practitioners of technical nursing in a variety of healthcare facilities.
After successful completion of the program, students will be eligible for the National Council Licensure Exam-Registered Nurse for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Employment opportunities for the registered nurse include staff positions in hospitals, nursing homes, health departments, physicians’ offices, clinics, day care centers, industry, hospices, mental health facilities, rehabilitation centers and home health care agencies.
The program also provides a background for maximum transfer opportunities to four-year colleges and universities.
Following is a sample course schedule:
SEMESTER 1
NUR 111: Nursing I; BIO 141: Human Anatomy and Physiology I; ENG 111: College Composition; SVD 100: College Success Skills; NUR 136: Principles of Pharmacology I.
SEMESTER 2
BIO 142: Human Anatomy and Physiology II; PSY 201: Introduction to Psychology I;
NUR 170: Essentials of Medical/Surgical Nursing; NUR 180: Essentials of Maternal/Newborn Nursing; NUR 137: Principles of Pharmacology II.
SEMESTER 3
NUR 201: Psychiatric Nursing; BIO 150: Introductory Microbiology; SPD 100: Principles of Public Speaking.
SEMESTER 4
NUR 212: Second Level Nursing II; PSY 230: Developmental Psychology; HUM Elective.
SEMESTER 5
NUR 246: Parent Child Nursing; NUR 202: Medical Surgical Nursing I; NUR 254: Dimensions of Professional Nursing.
ADMISSION ROUTES
In addition to starting from scratch, students who qualify for admission can be accepted into the program through the following routes:
CNA-RN Bridge Program: This option provides an opportunity for certified nurse aides to enter the nursing program to advance their careers and, at the same time, recognize the skills and knowledge they have already obtained through their Nurse Aide Program. A transition course is offered (NUR 106) for Certified Nurse Aides (CNAs) who have graduated from certain regional Nurse Aide programs within two years. Candidates must meet all criteria for the nursing program, including maintaining a grade of “C” or better in all nursing and general education course requirements.
LPN-RN Bridge Program: This option provides an opportunity for licensed practical nurses to enter the nursing program to advance their careers and at the same time recognize the skills and knowledge they have already obtained through the Practical Nurse Program. Those who apply for this program must have graduated from an accredited practical nursing program within five years and have completed BIO 141-142, ENG 111, STD 100, and PSY 201. Applicants must currently hold an unrestricted license in the Commonwealth of Virginia. In addition, candidates must meet all criteria for the nursing program, including maintaining a grade of “C” or better in all nursing and general education course requirements. A transition course (NUR 115) is offered for Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) who have graduated from a regional LPN program.
Advanced Placement: LPNs may apply for advanced placement in the nursing program sequence. Those who apply for this program must have graduated from an accredited practical nursing program and currently hold an unrestricted license in the Commonwealth of Virginia. In addition, candidates must meet all criteria for the nursing program, including maintaining a grade of “C” or better in all nursing and general education course requirements.
Transfer of Previous Nursing Credits
Students seeking to transfer credit received from nursing courses at other institutions will be considered on an individual basis by the nursing faculty. Students may be asked to provide course descriptions, course syllabi, pre-admission testing or achievement test scores, and selected data from the course instructor in order to determine placement in the nursing program, subject to space availability. Since there are frequently differences among nursing programs, students desiring to transfer should be aware that there might be an interruption in program progression.
DR. PATSY JOYNER is the vice president for institutional advancement at Paul D. Camp Community College. Her e-mail address is pjoyner@pc.vccs.edu.
From Tidewater News
Published Friday, January 2, 2009
Responding to a critical need, Paul D. Camp Community College established an associate of applied science degree in nursing. This five-semester program prepares selected students to qualify as practitioners of technical nursing in a variety of healthcare facilities.
After successful completion of the program, students will be eligible for the National Council Licensure Exam-Registered Nurse for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Employment opportunities for the registered nurse include staff positions in hospitals, nursing homes, health departments, physicians’ offices, clinics, day care centers, industry, hospices, mental health facilities, rehabilitation centers and home health care agencies.
The program also provides a background for maximum transfer opportunities to four-year colleges and universities.
Following is a sample course schedule:
SEMESTER 1
NUR 111: Nursing I; BIO 141: Human Anatomy and Physiology I; ENG 111: College Composition; SVD 100: College Success Skills; NUR 136: Principles of Pharmacology I.
SEMESTER 2
BIO 142: Human Anatomy and Physiology II; PSY 201: Introduction to Psychology I;
NUR 170: Essentials of Medical/Surgical Nursing; NUR 180: Essentials of Maternal/Newborn Nursing; NUR 137: Principles of Pharmacology II.
SEMESTER 3
NUR 201: Psychiatric Nursing; BIO 150: Introductory Microbiology; SPD 100: Principles of Public Speaking.
SEMESTER 4
NUR 212: Second Level Nursing II; PSY 230: Developmental Psychology; HUM Elective.
SEMESTER 5
NUR 246: Parent Child Nursing; NUR 202: Medical Surgical Nursing I; NUR 254: Dimensions of Professional Nursing.
ADMISSION ROUTES
In addition to starting from scratch, students who qualify for admission can be accepted into the program through the following routes:
CNA-RN Bridge Program: This option provides an opportunity for certified nurse aides to enter the nursing program to advance their careers and, at the same time, recognize the skills and knowledge they have already obtained through their Nurse Aide Program. A transition course is offered (NUR 106) for Certified Nurse Aides (CNAs) who have graduated from certain regional Nurse Aide programs within two years. Candidates must meet all criteria for the nursing program, including maintaining a grade of “C” or better in all nursing and general education course requirements.
LPN-RN Bridge Program: This option provides an opportunity for licensed practical nurses to enter the nursing program to advance their careers and at the same time recognize the skills and knowledge they have already obtained through the Practical Nurse Program. Those who apply for this program must have graduated from an accredited practical nursing program within five years and have completed BIO 141-142, ENG 111, STD 100, and PSY 201. Applicants must currently hold an unrestricted license in the Commonwealth of Virginia. In addition, candidates must meet all criteria for the nursing program, including maintaining a grade of “C” or better in all nursing and general education course requirements. A transition course (NUR 115) is offered for Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) who have graduated from a regional LPN program.
Advanced Placement: LPNs may apply for advanced placement in the nursing program sequence. Those who apply for this program must have graduated from an accredited practical nursing program and currently hold an unrestricted license in the Commonwealth of Virginia. In addition, candidates must meet all criteria for the nursing program, including maintaining a grade of “C” or better in all nursing and general education course requirements.
Transfer of Previous Nursing Credits
Students seeking to transfer credit received from nursing courses at other institutions will be considered on an individual basis by the nursing faculty. Students may be asked to provide course descriptions, course syllabi, pre-admission testing or achievement test scores, and selected data from the course instructor in order to determine placement in the nursing program, subject to space availability. Since there are frequently differences among nursing programs, students desiring to transfer should be aware that there might be an interruption in program progression.
DR. PATSY JOYNER is the vice president for institutional advancement at Paul D. Camp Community College. Her e-mail address is pjoyner@pc.vccs.edu.
From Tidewater News
Friday, January 2, 2009
EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY FOR F/T RNs!
As Connecticut's premier Home Health Care Agency with over 1,000 employees throughout all areas of the state, opportunities abound for
F/T Medical and Behavioral RNs
in the Greater New Haven Area!
Excellent Salary, Hourly and Per Diem Rates
Shift and Weekend Differentials
Paid Orientation and In-Services
Medical, Dental, Life and Disability Insurance
401(k) with Employer Match
Direct Deposit
Employee Credit Union
Payroll Deducted 529 College Savings Plans
Shift and Weekend Differentials
Paid Orientation and In-Services
Medical, Dental, Life and Disability Insurance
401(k) with Employer Match
Direct Deposit
Employee Credit Union
Payroll Deducted 529 College Savings Plans
Cohesive Team
Call New England Home Care at 203-874-6667 today to learn more!
Or on the web newenglandhomecare.com
Join a dynamic, patient-centered team!
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