Thinking About Your Goals As a Nurse

What You Should Know About Nursing School Policies

The American Nurses Association or the ANA is not only a conglomeration of the US' 2.7 million registered nurses through its 54 constituent member nurses associations. The ANA is a full-service professional organization that actively advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the rights of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and petitioning the Congress and regulatory agencies about the health-care issues affecting both the nurses' practice and the public's health. That is why, with these ideals, the ANA is quick to respond to the recent study of the Health Affairs Journal calling for significant action from the legislators of nursing school policies pursue significant changes in the nurse staffing legislation.

The recent study published by the Health Affairs journal reveals that there are more than 6,700 patient deaths and a total of 4 million agonizing days of patient care in hospitals annually. This called the attention of the president of the American Nurses Association (ANA) Barbara Blakeney, MS, RN, since the study presents new evidence that the current nursing school policies are inadequate in organizing the sufficient staffing of nurses in the hospitals all across the United States. This is parallel to the findings of the ANA's own report, "Nurse Staffing and Patient Outcomes in the Inpatient Hospital Setting", released in May 2000 plus three other studies published in 2002, which found direct links between inadequate nurse staffing levels and critical patients' health outcomes.

The ANA nurses' most important concern nowadays is to delivery quality patient care through adequate nurse staffing because it allows more time to appropriately assess patients and their needs and initiate suitable health-care interventions. This points to the most urgent issue faced by the ANA nurses - the fact that the administrators of nursing school policies have viewed the nursing profession as an expense rather than an investment.

Deficient nursing school policies limiting expansion of the nursing profession disregards the economic value of nursing care as a critical investment for providing quality, cost-effective care of patients by more nurses in order to save more lives. The lack of investment-support for more sizeable nursing school policies encouraging more individuals to practice the profession also eliminates the anticipated financial savings benefits per avoided patient death or hospitalization once there is an adequate nurse staffing in hospitals.

The ANA also pushes the decision-making body of nursing school policies to look at other considerations such as monitoring the experience level of nurses working on specific hospital-units, patient acuity, and support services and resources, additional research exploring more thoroughly the financial implications of nurse staffing investment, as well as accounting for the number of patients dealt with by the mix of nursing staff. Apart from the societal benefits of providing better nurse staffing, all these should be the driver in advancing appropriate nursing school policies that avoid the nursing shortage, and rather to encourage and educate more sufficient numbers of new nurses.

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Nursing Shortage Causes Concern About The Future Of Healthcare

America is in the midst of a nursing shortage that is expected to get worse as baby boomers age and the need for health care increases. Complicating the nursing shortage problem is the fact that nursing schools and universities across the country are having difficulty maintaining enrollment levels that still are not sufficient to meet the projected demand for nursing care.

Based on a recent survey, it is common knowledge that there is a nursing shortage and this is viewed as a serious issue. The study revealed that 75% of Americans think that the nursing shortage is a very real and very important health care concern. The general view is that the nursing shortage will have a negative effect on health care services. The poll indicates that 81 percent of the population is acutely aware of the nursing shortage and fully 65 percent believe that the nursing shortage is nearing crisis levels.

The survey also found that, despite the nursing shortage most Americans are confident that nurses' opinions on medical issues are highly credible and that the nursing profession is generally respected and admired. Because of the nursing shortage there are many more nursing positions available than can be filled. This is despite the fact that average nurse salaries match up quite well with other professions.

Many potential solutions, such as travel nursing, are being developed to address the current nursing shortage.

The position of travel nurse was created more than 20 years ago in order to address shortfalls in staffing in states that experienced dramatic swings in seasonal population. Now, being a travel nurse is regarded as operating in a specialized nursing category and has become a crucial factor in potential solutions to the worsening nursing shortage.

Becoming a travel nurse opens the door to a world of possibilities. Agencies that specialize in travel nurse placement will help you locate a variety of travel nurse positions in areas of the U.S in which you have an interest. A travel nurse assignment will normally last for about 90 days but may continue for up to six months. After selecting the region or state you then must decide which travel nurse position you will accept. It is entirely up to you which type of program and which type of medical facility you will join on your travel nurse adventure.

The compensation for a travel nurse is well above average and is attracting more nurses into the travel nurse profession. The salary or a travel nurse is well above the norm. What's more, the travel nurse package may include complimentary housing. Plus, travel expenses may also be covered. A travel nurse will also receive generous benefits such as health insurance or a retirement plan, if they are working with a good travel nurse agency

Most travel nurse assignments provide a substantial bonus upon completion of atour. The collective compensation for a travel nurse is far greater than permanent, local nursing positions. In many cases being a travel nurse can result in a six figure annual income.

Considering the severe nursing shortage, a qualified nurse can fill a crucial need and be handsomely compensated for it.

J. Terrence McDermott is the administrator of Travel Nurse Source, at http://www.travelnursesource.com, a resource center for the travel nurse industry. Travel Nurse Source helps identify medical staffing needs and find qualified nurses to meet those needs.

The Truth About Per Diem Nursing

There are many great aspects to a career in nursing. You get to help people, you get to meet people, and since nurses are needed across the United States, you have the opportunity to work just about anywhere you want.

But one oft-overlooked advantage of nursing careers is the opportunity to schedule your career around your life. That's exactly what per diem nursing provides. If you want or need to schedule your own working hours, but still earn a good salary, then this type of non-contract job may be the ideal career choice for you.

With daily nurse jobs there is an opportunity to partner with medical staffing agencies and work in temporary assignments at hospitals and clinics. RNs that sign on for these nursing positions may sometimes work on-call and will typically be scheduled week to week. A per diem nurse will also be responsible for any last-minute requests to fill in for sick hospital staff or for those who simply can't make it to work. In some cases, someone with a per diem nursing position won't be called in until the day he or she is needed. And there may be no guarantee that the per diem nurse will be called at all. Some assignments can be part-time and some can be full-time. In other words, per diem nursing is a good career choice for nurses who can remain flexible.

Choosing a day-by-day nursing career doesn't necessarily mean that a nurse has to work at a single hospital, either. Those involved in per diem nursing careers can work at several different hospitals within a single area. Someone in a per diem nursing job also has the option of taking on preferred specialty roles-as a critical-care nurse, for example, or they can choose to work in more general per diem nursing roles.

Per diem nursing is often described as shopping for nursing shifts. Those who work on a daily basis can choose to work shifts that are as regular or as irregular as they like. For those that love to travel, that can be a big plus. By being able to set their own hours, the weeks that they are available to work, per diem nurses can plan for short or extended vacations far more easily than those working on a regular schedule.

Per diem nursing offers a taste of adventure that may not be available to nurses with full-time jobs at a hospital or clinic. It's a good resource for nurses who haven't quite found their niche or specialty area. The opportunity to work in clinics and hospitals of all different sizes and the opportunity to discover what it's like in new departments makes finding that right nursing specialty easier than ever.

Others who can benefit from per diem nursing careers include new moms and nurses close to retirement. Per diem nursing is also an excellent choice for nurses who are taking continuing education classes and other nurses who don't want to work full time, but want to work intermittent shifts in order to keep their experience current. In some cases, per diem nursing gives nurses the chance to test a hospital in order to get a feel for the work culture and environment before signing on for a permanent position.

While per diem nursing can be a good part-time job and a career booster for a wide range of people, it's not for everyone. Taking a per diem job means nurses may be scheduled to work in several different hospitals within a single week, which means dealing with several different hospital systems, different doctors, and different colleagues. While those with per diem nursing positions have some control over how many different situations they have to deal with, it's still important for every per diem nurse's well-being to be comfortable in their position as a temporary staff member.

While flexibility is a crucial trait for people pursuing per diem nursing careers, they can look forward to being well-compensated. Those working with a good medical staffing agency that places people in per diem positions can make $30 to $40 per hour. And those willing to take daily nursing positions during late-night shifts or in intensive care can make as much as $50 an hour.

The best medical staffing agencies can also place those with per diem jobs in positions that offer an inclusive benefits package, which may include health insurance and a retirement plan.

A good medical staffing agency will only want the most qualified per diem nurses representing them that includes a thorough registration process is usually required. Basic qualifications for per diem positions include an RN license, one year of critical-care experience, good references, and good credentials. Those pursuing per diem nurse positions should also have up-to-date immunizations. Competency tests may also be distributed by medical staffing agencies looking to place per diem nurses.

Initially, nurses that have several specialties will likely be offered with a wider choice of available positions. That's especially true for nurses who have experience in critical-care assignments. The per diem nursing jobs in highest demand are the positions that experience the largest number of shortages, which include positions in cardiac care, intensive care and in the emergency room.

Many of those who decide to pursue per diem nursing positions find the variety of options exciting and engaging. For qualified nurses who want more freedom and more flexibility, nursing presents an unbeatable opportunity.

Molly Harris is the President and CEO at Advantage Medical Staffing, Inc. one of Texas' medical staffing companies which specializes in career placement for per diem nursing, allied professionals, and permanent placement nurse positions.