Volume 2, Issue 5 |
March 28, 2005 |
Past the media frenzy about the shortage of nurses, what is done to compensate it and reduce it in the long term? People at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) are clear that there isn't a shortage of people willing to be nurses! What is lacking is the faculty to teach them. And they have been saying that for the last 6 years now! But who is listening?
Yes, the nation's population is aging, and that means that the nurses population is too! Five years ago 81.7% of RNs were over 35 years old. The average age was 45.2 years old, and 11.1% were over 60! More recent statistics (10/24/01 to 3/13/02) show that 87% of all surveyed RNs were active and that none who were not active were because they couldn't find a job, but rather by choice.
According to the AACN more than 32,000 qualified applications were turned away from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs last year, including almost 3,000 students who could potentially fill faculty roles.
Amongst the problems sited for not allowing more students in nursing school are:
A doctoral degree is an appropriate and desirable credential for a nurse educator, yet an increase of only 2% (8 students) nationwide of additional graduates last year is very disappointing news. Worst, the average age for full-time nursing faculty is now 49, and a wave of retirements is expected to peak in just 4 years! Some point out low salaries for faculty. Others say it is the difficult working conditions in nursing schools that make private practice or administration more desirable for qualified teachers.
Because of budget constrained, some nursing schools which depends on Universities pre-filled their programs with students that are already on campus and have done the pre-requisites classes.
To increase faculty, there are incen-
tives for students to go directly from BSN to MSN and PhD with financial aid and having these full-time students teach undergraduates. But they get little clinical experience and that could impair their teaching credibility.
Some school have master’s-prepared nurses as faculty with lots of experience but the quality of teaching is lower.
For undergraduates, the trend is the “Accelerated Program” where individuals with a prior degree can get their RN licensure through a 12-18 months fast track.
In review, there is nothing done really in the long-term perspective to compensate and prevent a shortage of qualified medical professionals. And that is bad news for patients!
| Ingredients | 18 dried jumbo pasta shells |
| 1 tablespoon butter | |
| 1-1/4 pounds ground beef | |
| 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, cut up | |
| 1 teaspoon chili powder | |
| 1 16-ounce jar salsa | |
| 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 oz.) |
David Green, OT is ready to make a presentation as long as it is on a Wednesday or a Friday morning; we will let you know well in advance so you can reschedule your appointments. Soon there will be a HIPAA Refresher published that will count for 1 credit, with news from the Privacy Rule, and also about the new Security Rule. I have calls out for “Respiratory Therapy: Spacers, O2 safety, nebulizers, etc.”
Charlotte Popovich, RN will make a presentation on Monday, May 9 at 1:30PM about Wound VAC. Please plan to attend.
| Take a look at the new Educational Materials for Paraprofessional Healthcare Worker: Stroke, when your client has had a stroke! Now available in Jill’s office for your continued education credits. |
Daylight Saving Time (DST) begins Sunday, April 3. On that night you will have to forward your clocks one hour. Today’s official answer to DST is that it allows to use less energy in lighting by taking advantage of the longer and later daylight hours.
Arizona, Hawaii, parts of Indiana, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa do not observe Daylight Saving Time.
All European nations and close to 60 other countries observe it, but equatorial and tropical countries don’t since daylight hours are similar during every season. There is no DST in China and Japan either.
Mother’s day is on Sunday, May 8. The idea of a special day to honor mothers is not new, since ancient Greeks and Romans had Spring festivals where they would make offerings to their respective Mother of Gods: Rhea and Cybele. Later on Christians started celebrating on the 4th Sunday in Lent in honor of Mary, the mother of Jesus. In the United States, Anna Jarvis, about 150 years ago, organized a day to raise awareness of poor health conditions in her community through mothers: “Mother’s Work day” was born. To honor Mrs. Jarvis, her daughter lobbied to have a holiday recognized, and in 1914 the 2nd Sunday of May was set as a national holiday: “Mother’s Day”.
Memorial Day is on Monday, May 30. Memorial Day was first widely observed on May, 30 1868 to commemorate those who died during the Civil War. Officially though, it is Waterloo, NY that first celebrated Memorial Day on May 5, 1866.
Father’s day is on Sunday, June 19. Father’s Day is likely to be a very much All American celebration since only few other countries celebrate it too. The idea may have very well sprung up from the one of Mother’s Day. In June 1909, Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington approached her minister about having a church service dedicated to fathers. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the 3rd Sunday of June as Father’s Day.
Summer begins on Tuesday, June 21. It is also known as the summer solstice, when the day is the longest of the year and subsequently the night the shortest in the northern hemisphere.
1 serving is:
Sample for 1 day: 1 slice of bread at breakfast, lunch and diner + 1 cup of pasta at lunch + 1 medium muffin for snack + 1 cup of rice at diner.
1 serving is:
Sample for 1 day: breakfast: ¾ cup of carrot juice + lunch: 1 cup of green in a salad + diner: ½ cup of cooked green beans.
1 serving is:
Sample for 1 day: lunch: 1 medium banana + snack: ¼ cup dried fruit.
1 serving is:
Sample for 1 day: breakfast: 1 cup milk + lunch: 1 ½ oz. natural cheese on a pasta dish + snack: ½ cup yogurt – plain + diner: 1 slice of cheese in a sandwich
1 serving is:
Sample for 1 day: lunch: 1 egg in a salad + diner: 1 small fish filet