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Alycia Sullivan

Health care industry experiencing new demands for nurses

Fri, Apr 25, 2014 @ 02:05 PM

by BPT

Nursing continues to be one of the fastest-growing occupations in the nation, as nurses make up the majority of the health care industry workforce. In fact, recent projections from a January 2014 report published in the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Outlook Handbook estimate the job growth to be 19 percent faster than the average occupation through 2022.

Besides a strong job market, a degree in nursing can be even more rewarding than you may think. A nurse usually has a flexible schedule and the option to work in a variety of establishments, from hospitals to schools, home care facilities and even government agencies. Few professions can provide the same number of options in terms of where to work, areas to specialize in, or degrees to use. The range of nursing specialties is almost as varied as the personalities of the nurses themselves. So no matter what kind of person you are, you’ll have a place in nursing.

However, the industry has changed over the years and this has led to a higher demand of registered nurses. Patient treatments have become more complicated, and with an increased workload, nurse positions require even more critical thinking skills.

Brenda McAllister, the national director of nursing of the Brown Mackie College system of schools, knows first-hand how the industry has changed. "I have watched the industry grow over the years as nurses become more involved than just taking vital signs, giving medications and bathing patients,” she says. “There is a more team-oriented approach which has developed in hospitals, and this naturally makes it a more rewarding career option. As a result, more and more nursing programs are in demand.”

Nurses must be able to work through problems that don't have a standard cookie-cutter 18674671 web resized 600 solution. If a life-threatening problem occurs, the nurse must take action within their scope of practice to save a patient. Nurses must have the ability to think on their feet and assure patient safety.

On the other hand, nurses continue to go the extra mile to help their patients. Many people, especially the elderly, are reluctant to take medicine prescribed by a doctor other than their regular doctor. "Nurses will sometimes even call a patient's regular doctor to explain their current health care needs," McAllister says. "Usually a word from that trusted source will help the patient comply. It’s an additional step, but all the more rewarding when you help a patient out.”

In addition, there are a lot of things a nurse can do other than work at a hospital. In fact, not all aspects of nursing require physical, hands-on care. One employment option, which appeals to those who don't necessarily want to touch every patient physically, is to become a care manager or care coordinator. This position involves managing outpatient care to make sure needs are met and health is maintained when a patient leaves a medical facility.

The home health care coordinator's job is broadly based on patient education. Good health assessment skills and good nursing skills are necessary elements of care. These skills, plus teaching skills, continue to help keep the patient as independent as possible.

Another example would be a care coordinator's position at an insurance company, which is similar to one employed by a hospital. They work with an eye toward keeping treatment aspects in line with guidelines. A knowledge base is essential to perform the job. One must be able to be a manager, have a broad understanding of the body and a scientific background.

Even with attractive career options and expanding nursing programs, there is still a growing nursing shortage. Higher complexity of care, a growing geriatric population, expanding health and disease prevention services, and many other conditions regarding individual health demand more qualified nurses to fill an increasing variety of positions. So if this is a path you choose to follow, research your options and determine which fields and programs meet your needs to have a rewarding career in nursing.

Source: Journal Sentinel

Topics: growing, BLS, demand, nursing, healthcare

Employment Options for Nurses

Posted by Alycia Sullivan

Fri, Apr 25, 2014 @ 01:10 PM

The market for new nursing graduates looking for bedside hospital nursing roles is highly competitive. More experienced nurses are staying in these roles longer and the number of new grad hires has decreased. Networking your way into these hospitals continues to be one of the best ways to connect and be the first to learn of available opportunities. Recent graduates should talk to faculty and alumni of their nursing programs to build a network and to build out LinkedIn contacts.

Source: Boston.com

Topics: Q and A, The Job Doc, nurses, careers

New York nurses share how colleagues inspire them every day

Posted by Alycia Sullivan

Fri, Apr 25, 2014 @ 12:53 PM

By Janice Petrella Lynch, RN, MSN, and Tracey Boyd

In healthcare facilities, it takes a network of teammates to ensure the optimal health of patients who receive care. The most successful teams are those who acknowledge each other’s strengths and work together accordingly where there are weaknesses, inspiring one another along the way.

In honor of National Nurses Week, we asked nurses in New York and New Jersey to share the many ways in which their colleagues inspire them in their everyday lives to be better nurses, better teammates and better people. On the next few pages, we share their thought-provoking and heartfelt responses with you.

Benjamin Quinones, RN, coordinator of care, MJHS Home Care, Brooklyn, N.Y.

My network of team leaders helped me transition into nursing after 16 years as a paramedic. I didn’t get to be part of patients’ follow-up care or journey back to independence while working as a paramedic.

As part of MJHS Home Care, I see patients one-on-one, but with the support I get from my special colleagues, I’ve never felt alone. Most important, my team leaders have taught me that at the end of the day, it’s all about our patients.

Stephen R. Marrone, RN-BC, Edd, CTN-A, deputy nursing director, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.

When I was a high school volunteer in the ICU of a community hospital in Brooklyn, I watched the nurses care for patients and knew I wanted to be a nurse. As a nurse for more than three decades, I continue to be inspired by nurses every day, individually and collectively.

Individually, I see nurses work tirelessly to provide excellent care during difficult financial times, and I am determined to make sure they have the resources they need to provide safe care. I am inspired when I see younger nurses become leaders on their units and I know I have made a difference.

Several nurses have mentored and provided a springboard for me to elevate my practice and expand my scope of influence. They did so by recognizing potential in me that was hidden from myself. They helped me gain entry into higher levels of practice and a peer group that role-modeled leadership.

When I am having one of those days when I ask myself, “Why do I do this?,” I think of those nurses and the patients we care for and remember that I am privileged to be touched by others and to touch others’ lives every day.

Sylvie Jacobs, RN, BSN, CPAN, postanesthesia care unit, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York City
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The nurse who remains with me as the most inspiring is Patricia Liang. We worked side by side in the postanesthesia care unit for decades.

She was the go-to resource because she seemed to know what to do in every situation and could impart the information to staff in a kind and supportive way.

Liang was tiny in stature but relayed an enormous, quiet power, always in a respectful way. The new residents got away with nothing when Liang was around. She not only had a seemingly bottomless wealth of knowledge, but she also had an unfailing moral compass. When there was an ethical issue that needed to be resolved, we knew to ask Liang.

She was not a talkative person — she was usually focused on coordinating care — but you somehow felt her support and appreciation for your efforts. I always will remember her for not just being an outstanding nurse, but for also being an outstanding person.

Janice Wright, RN, BSN, staff nurse, 4C med/surg unit, Lutheran Medical Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.

I have been working at Lutheran Medical Center on a med/surg unit for the past four years. I have had the pleasure of working with an extraordinary group of nursing colleagues.

It is hard to single out one particular person because I truly can say my professional life has been enriched and my work ethics validated by each of the nurses with whom I work. I feel empowered and energized in my daily work because of my colleagues.

Mary Farren, RN, MSN, CWOCN, clinical nurse specialist, acute care, VNSNY, Queens, N.Y.

Nearly every morning for the past 10 years, I have been fortunate to have a chat with Marilyn Liota, RN, as we start our day around 7 a.m. Nearly every conversation begins with Liota saying: “Tell me what is good.” From there, we have gone off in many directions. What a way to open a conversation, and what a way to start the day.

I consider myself fortunate to have known Liota, worked under her leadership and guidance, and been a part of the special and historic “Marilyn Liota” years at VNSNY. Liota recently retired and I’m truly happy for her, yet underneath it all, I feel a touch of sadness, too. I will miss her so much.

So typical of a giving soul like hers, Liota’s next steps involve giving generously of herself to help others as a volunteer working with new immigrants for a nonprofit organization called “Literacy Nassau.”

Kathleen Lanzo, RN, clinical practice coordinator, ASU/OR holding/ENDO/PACU, Plainview (N.Y.) Hospital

When I think of the most influential person in nursing who has enriched my life, the answer rolls right off my tongue. Her name is Winnie Mele, RN. I have been blessed to work alongside her for 28 years, and still each new day brings a new experience.

Her style of leadership motivates and inspires all who know her to be successful in their careers. She gets out and circulates among the troops. No matter how dark the day, I always can count on her to make it a learning experience without being punitive.

We share the same vision and passion for nursing. There is never a day when she won’t sit and have coffee, share a story, sing a song or just listen. “Every patient, every time” is the mantra she taught me and her staff. I am a better person professionally and spiritually because of this special outstanding woman.

Compassion, honesty, fairness and loyalty are what I have taken from this extraordinary nurse who, throughout my career, has been my role model. Everyone should have someone like Mele in their life. I thank God for her every day.

Nydia White, RN, critical care unit, South Nassau Communities Hospital, Oceanside, N.Y.

I was 21 years old when I was a new RN on a med/surg floor. On that unit there was no such thing as being alone as a nurse — we worked together as a team. It was scary, overwhelming and exciting at the same time.

Lisa Williams, my first nurse manager, did more than just her job. If there was a sick call, she would take a section of patients. If we needed some extra hands, she would give bed baths. Williams exemplified confidence, leadership and teamwork with a touch of color and a twist of enthusiasm that would radiate to her staff.

The quality that amazed me most was her compassion for people. It wasn’t just about your abilities as a nurse; it was about tapping into the kind of person you were and helping you grow. She could sense if something was wrong, take you to the side and support you through the challenge.

Williams’ specialty was to identify a nurse’s potential and mentor her to be a better nurse and a better person. She encouraged me to be the charge nurse and join committees when I didn’t think I was ready, but she assured me I was. Now I am a critical care RN and even host a CCRN review class. I volunteer for many committees. I am a better person and nurse because of Williams, my first nurse manager, mentor and friend.

Erica Zippo, RNC-OB, BSN, C-EFM, staff nurse, labor and delivery, White Plains (N.Y.) Hospital

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I was a new graduate nurse when I started working on the labor and delivery unit at White Plains Hospital. In nursing school, we heard that nurses eat their young, so the support, camaraderie and familylike atmosphere I felt on the unit was something I never expected.

My colleagues took me under their wings and enthusiastically shared their knowledge and individual experiences, most of which were things I had not learned in school. When observing my colleagues in action, I learned how to make a patient and his or her family feel comfortable, calm and welcome; how to complete an efficient history and physical while admitting a woman in labor; and how to make the delivery of every baby special despite the paperwork and nursing tasks.

This shared knowledge from my colleagues continues to enrich my professional life and has shaped me into the nurse I am today. My colleagues also have supported me in my personal life through many important moments, such as relationships, break-ups, moves, graduate school, marriage and the birth of my daughter. I am thankful for the positive influences of my strong, intelligent and caring colleagues.

For more responses, visit www.Nurse.com/Article/NJThankYou.

Source: Nurse.com

Topics: New York, colleagues, inspire, nurses

Degrees matter

Posted by Alycia Sullivan

Fri, Apr 25, 2014 @ 12:43 PM

By Lisette Hilton

Nurse researcher Linda H. Aiken, RN, PhD, FAAN, FRCN, has published a study that presents the latest in growing body of evidence to suggest a more highly educated nursing workforce saves lives.

“Our research shows that each 10% increase in the proportion of nurses in a hospital with a bachelor’s degree is associated with a 7% decline in mortality following common surgery,” said Aiken, professor of nursing and sociology and director of the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
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“More education, and particularly university education, enhances critical thinking. Professional nurses are called upon to quickly synthesize a large amount of clinical information about acutely ill patients, process this information in the context of scientific evidence, reach evidence-based conclusions, communicate salient information and their conclusions to physicians, and act in the absence of a physician at the bedside, which is most of the time.”

Aiken said the study, published Feb. 26 on the website of The Lancet, was designed to account for other possible explanations for lower mortality, including patient-to-nurse ratios, presence of physicians, availability of high technology and how sick the patients are on admission.

“After taking into account these other factors, nurses’ education is a very important factor in patient outcomes,” Aiken said.

The researchers combed through more than 420,000 patient records of discharged patients following common surgeries, such as knee replacements, appendectomies and vascular procedures.

This isn’t the first such finding for Aiken.

“In U.S. research, we have established a causal linkage between better-educated nurses and patient deaths by studying hospitals over time, showing that hospitals that actually increase their hiring of bachelor’s nurses have greater declines in mortality than hospitals that have not increased BSN employment over the same time period,” she said.

American Association of Colleges of Nursing President Jane Kirschling, RN, PhD, FAAN, said the fact Aiken publishes in such high-end journals as the Journal of the American Medical Association and The Lancet shows her findings stand up to rigorous scientific reviews.

The message for associate degree-prepared nurses, according to Kirschling, is to continue their education.

“We’re the largest single group of healthcare providers in the United States, and we’re there 24-7, 365 days a year for the care that’s provided,” Kirschling said. “That’s in hospitals, community settings and long-term care settings. So, we have to make that commitment as a discipline and as professional nurses to continue to expand our knowledge and our critical thinking skills, and we do that through advancing nursing education.”

Donna Meyer, RN, MSN, president, National Organization for Associate Degree Nursing, said that while the N-OADN supports higher-education initiatives in nursing, community colleges are crucial to meet the nursing care needs of the U.S. healthcare system. Community colleges graduate quality nurses representing 60% of the nursing workforce, according to Meyer, who is dean of health sciences at Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey, Ill.

“Community colleges provide entry points for students moving into the nursing profession to practice, [and] provide a pathway to higher education and advanced practice, research and faculty positions,” Meyer said. “Many community colleges are embedded in rural and-or medically underserved communities, and without them and the nursing graduates they produce, healthcare provider shortages would continue to impair access to care.”

Meyer said N-OADN is working with the National League for Nursing, AACN and the American Nurses Association to find ways to encourage students to continue their education. A-OADN also is working with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action to support recommendations in the Institute of Medicine report, “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health.”
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The study supports the importance of IOM recommendations that 80% of the U.S. nursing workforce be bachelor’s-educated by 2020, Aiken said. Nurses should help their institutions use this strong evidence base to improve nurse staffing adequacy and facilitate the transition to a BSN workforce.

“There are now quite a few large, well-designed studies by different research teams and in different countries documenting the relationship between more BSNs in hospitals and better patient outcomes,” Aiken said. “These studies were mentioned in The Lancet article and include at least multiple studies in the U.S., research in Canada, Belgium, China and now in nine countries in Europe. That is a substantial evidence base, sufficient to guide policy and practice decisions.”

To hospital and other employers, this and other studies show that nursing education really does matter, Kirschling said.

Healthcare stakeholders need to “make the investment in our associate degree-prepared nurses by providing tuition support for them to go back to school … [and] to provide flexibility in the workplace” to allow them to continue their education, Kirschling said.

Lancet study abstract: http://bit.ly/1k7O3nR

For further reading, see “An increase in the number of nurses with baccalaureate degrees is linked to lower rates of postsurgery mortality,” by Ann Kutney-Lee, RN, PhD, Douglas M. Sloane, PhD, and Linda H. Aiken, RN, PhD, FRCN, FAAN, Health Affairs, March 2013 (study abstract):http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/32/3/579.abstract?sid=32bce161-cc20-4fd2-837b-577d651033f0

Engaged in education

This article is part of a series that will periodically examine issues affecting the future of nursing education in the U.S.

Previous articles:

RWJF offers funding for 'Future of Nursing' implementation
http://news.nurse.com/article/20140317/NATIONAL05/140314005#.U0v7j1eRceU

Study looks at implementation of recommendations on BSNs
http://news.nurse.com/article/20140120/NATIONAL05/140117004#.UyMdfYWRceU

Source: Nurse.com

Topics: higher ed, bachelor's degree, Workforce, nurses

Project Hope sends nurse to hard-hit Philippines

Posted by Alycia Sullivan

Wed, Apr 16, 2014 @ 12:28 PM

By Elaine Tassy

When Wally Winter, a nurse and retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, boards a plane at Albuquerque International Sunport today, he won’t touch ground for about two days.

When he does, he’ll pick up where he left off a few months ago, nursing those touched by one of the worst typhoons in history, which ravaged the Philippines last November.

Wally Winter is shown at his home in Bernalillo, wearing a T-shirt with the name of the organization for which he volunteers as a nurse, Project Hope. He leaves today for his second tour doing disaster relief nursing in the Philippines. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Albuquerque Journal)

The 65-year-old native Oklahoman, who now lives in Bernalillo, spent six weeks volunteering around last year’s Christmas holidays in a poor hospital on an island in the Philippines hit hard by the typhoon, and today he goes back. When he arrives the morning of March 26, he’ll serve two more months on the same island, called Panay, through a Virginia-based nonprofit organization called Project Hope, the same one he served with before.

It sends doctors, nurses, pharmacy technicians and social workers to areas around the world in need of relief.

“I think it brings me closer to God and helps me be more thankful,” said Winter, describing what made him want to serve the first time and then return. “I feel I have been richly rewarded and I’ve really never had any major challenge in life, nothing devastating that I’ve been up against.”

Not so for the people of Tapaz City, located on the island of Panay. It was hard hit by Super Typhoon Haiyan – one of the strongest storms recorded on the planet. It smashed the Philippines on Friday, Nov. 8, killing more than 6,200 people.

A few days later, Winter’s neighbor, also a registered nurse, who is from the Philippines, told him about Project Hope.

“He said, ‘What company is that?’ and he said, ‘I really want to serve. I really want to go,’” recalled Veronica Rodriguez-Jumalon, a surgical care nurse at Presbyterian Hospital who came to the U.S. from Cebu 20 years ago.

Winter sent in his application and was quickly accepted. His two-day journey began Dec. 18 and took him from Albuquerque to Dallas to Japan to Manila to Panay Island. Rodriguez-Jumalon, who spent the holidays with her husband and 17-year-old daughter, joined Winter’s team a month later.

Wally Winter and Veronica Rodriguez-Jumalon, top, at Tapaz District Hospital, taking a report from the local hospitalist and one of the Project Hope physicians. (Courtesy of Wally Winter)

The team consisted of 19 people, most from Massachusetts and California and ranging in age from 25 to 72. Many, including Rodriguez-Jumalon, stayed about three weeks and then had to return to jobs and family. Winter, who is unmarried and retired and does not have children, spent six weeks.

“I tried to simplify my life, so I can walk out the door at the last minute and I’m gone,” he said.

They worked in the 25-bed Tapaz District Hospital, which has broken windows and falling ceilings and no air conditioning. Locals, many who had never before seen a doctor, walked five miles to get care, Winter recalled during an interview in a Northeast Heights coffee shop a few days before his departure.

At the hospital, the team got to work, performing vaccinations, circumcisions and simple surgeries. They also educated more than 25 local health workers about tuberculosis, STDs, hepatitis, infection control and hand-washing techniques.

“At one point, we saw 600 patients in one day,” said Rodriguez-Jumalon. “We’d treat their coughs and colds; we did some wound care, and another doctor from Harvard brought an ultrasound machine … It’s really, really a poor area,” she added. “They had a wheelchair that was made of a garden chair with some tire(s) attached.”

Having survived the typhoon, many also had high blood pressure, she said.

Winter recalled a girl helping her father carry his comatose wife six miles on a hemp hammock to the hospital. The wife was revived with dextrose in the hospital, whose intensive care unit Winter described as a “broken-down little room,” and whose operating room had collapsed five years before.

At night, his team slept on air mattresses, four or five to a bedroom, or outside on the porch. They woke up at 4 a.m. so everyone could shower before heading to the hospital, where, besides caring for patients, they also painted the beds and walls and replaced mattresses.

“I saw how overwhelmed everybody was,” Winter said. “It was like, you don’t even know where to start.” The hospital had no clean water, so sometimes it was re-used, he said. In some parts of the town, there was no electricity, although the hospital did have it.

Tapaz District Hospital had a bed capacity of 25 patients but often took care of 35 or 40 at one time, with beds in the hallways and other spare floor space. (Courtesy of Wally Winter)

His service in Tapaz City seems like a natural extension of his work in the Air Force. His last deployment was to Iraq in 2005, and he oversaw nurses in a trauma center who medically evacuated those who had been hurt. During most of his military career, which took him through Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan during times of war and peace, he was an aeromedical evacuation nurse himself. “You saw those poor soldiers, they had no ears, no eyes – they had all been burned off – and you were there to hold their hand, tell them how much they are appreciated. You look at them and it just breaks your heart.”

After retiring from the Air Force, he worked at Rust Presbyterian and taught nursing at Apollo College and Grand Canyon University.

Going to the Philippines was quite a departure. “Project Hope picked that area because no one else wanted it,” he said. “We’d go into the far jungle areas and set up clinics,” intended for those too far away from the hospital, said Winter.

Project Hope pays for their flight – Winter’s ticket cost about $4,000 – housing, and meals, but otherwise doesn’t offer any salary.

A relative of the mayor of the town of Tapaz offered the volunteers a four-bedroom house to stay in. A cook prepared them meals including rice, vegetables mixed with cooked meat, lumpias (similar to eggrolls) and fried bananas. Winter used about $200 of his own money per month for other transportation costs and to buy food for people who had not eaten for days, he said.

Local soldiers escorted his team to the hospital every day because there had been a terrorist threat in the area, Winter said.

This time, Winter will return by himself, and will stay until May 29 in the same house. He will teach nurses some infant care and advance their skills in reading an EKG. He will also assess the work his team did during the first trip.

And, he said, “I’ll probably be able to sleep in the bed this time.”

Jumalon plans to return in June. “It’s not a long-term impact, but at least it makes impact to their lives,” she said of the work they are able to do. “It gives them hope.”

And, she added: “It’s a very rewarding, a very humbling experience as well. It made me realize how lucky we are over here with our health care.”

Source: Albuquerque

Topics: Project Hope, Wally Winter, Air Force, nurse, Philippines

Affordable Care for Those Uninsured

Posted by Alycia Sullivan

Wed, Apr 16, 2014 @ 12:01 PM

The following is a script from "The Health Wagon" which aired on April 6, 2014. Scott Pelley is the correspondent. Henry Schuster and Rachael Kun Morehouse, producers.

President Obama announced last week that more than 7 million people have signed up for Obamacare. But what went unsaid is that almost as many people have been left out. Millions of Americans can't afford the new health insurance exchanges. For the sake of those people, Obamacare told the states to expand Medicaid, the government insurance for the very poor. But 24 states declined. So, in those states, nearly five million people are falling into a gap they make too much to qualify as "destitute" for Medicaid, but not enough to buy insurance. We met some of these people when we tagged along in a busted RV called the Health Wagon -- medical mercy for those left out of Obamacare.

The tight folds of the Cumberland Mountains mark the point of western Virginia that splits Kentucky and Tennessee -- the very center of Appalachia -- a land rich in soft coal and hard times. Around Wise County, folks are welcomed by storefronts to remember what life was like before unemployment hit nine percent.

Teresa Gardner: The roads are narrow and windy curves. So it's not easy to drive the bus.

This is Teresa Gardner's territory. She can't be more than 5-foot-4 but she muscles "the bus" through the hollers, deaf to the complaints, of a 13-year-old Winnebago that's left its best miles behind it.

Teresa Gardner: Having problems seeing here.

Scott Pelley: You really can't see.

The wipers are nearly shot and the defroster's out cold.

Scott Pelley: There you go, you can see a little better now. I understand there's a hole in the floorboard here somewhere?

Teresa Gardner: Yes, it's right over there so don't get in that area.

The old truck may be a ruin but like most RVs it's pretty good at discovering America. Gardner and her partner, Paula Meade, are nurse practitioners aboard the Health Wagon, a charity that puts free health care on the road.

[How many patients do we have on the schedule today?

He was going to see what he can free up for us.]

The Health Wagon pulls up in parking lots across six counties in southwestern Virginia.

[Y'all come on in out of the rain.]

It's not long before the waiting room is packed.

[Hello Mr. Hank, how you doing?]

And two exam rooms are full. With advanced degrees in nursing, Gardner and Meade are allowed to diagnose illnesses, write prescriptions order tests and X-rays.

[Stick it out, ahhh.]

On average there are 20 patients a day, that's recently up by 70 percent. The Health Wagon is a small operation that started back in 1980. It runs mostly on federal grants and corporate and private donations.

[Blood pressure a bit high before?

Just when I get aggravated.]

Scott Pelley: Who are these people who come into the van?

Paula Meade: They are people that are in desperate need. They have no insurance and they usually wait, we say, until they are train wrecks. Their blood pressures come in emergency levels. We have blood sugars come in 500, 600s because they can't afford their insulin.

Scott Pelley: But why do they not see a doctor or a nurse before they become, as you call it, train wrecks?

Paula Meade: Because they don't have any money. They don't have money to pay for labs. They don't have money to go to an ER and these are very proud people. They, you know, you go to the ER, you get a $3,500 bill. And then what do you do? You're given a prescription, you can't fill it. That's why they're train wrecks. They have nowhere else to go.

Glenda Moore had nowhere to go but the ER when the pain in her leg became unbearable. Her job at McDonald's, making biscuits, didn't include insurance that she could afford.

Glenda Moore: The only doctor that would see me-- you had to have $114 upfront just to be seen.

Scott Pelley: What does $114 mean to your monthly budget?

Glenda Moore: Oh my gosh. That's half of my weekly pay. I make $7.80 an hour. My paycheck was about after taxes about $475 every two weeks.

The pain was from a blood clot. She needed Lovenox, a clot buster that cost about $500 for a full treatment.

[Paula Meade: Was she on Lovenox when she was discharged from the hospital?]

Paula Meade got the call from the ER, which didn't want to bear the cost. The Health Wagon had the drug for free and there was no charge for some stern medical advice.

Paula Meade: You are going to die if you don't quit smoking and it could be within a week. You need to stop now! OK?

She took the advice to stop smoking and took Lovenox but one day she felt so bad she went back to the ER.

Glenda Moore: And they did a CAT Scan and an X-ray and found the blood clot had went to my lung. But they also saw another mass on my lung. And then transported me to a bigger hospital. They found the lesions in my brain, so I was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer and brain cancer.

Scott Pelley: What are the doctors telling you?

Glenda Moore: I start my treatment on Monday, the brain radiation, and he seemed very, I mean he seemed optimistic.

Scott Pelley: Are you hopeful?

Glenda Moore: I am. I have been. I don't know, I just feel very hopeful.

Hope, especially when the odds are long, has always been essential to survival in Appalachia. The recovery from the Great Recession hasn't arrived. In coal these days they just take the top of the mountain and you don't need many men for that. Around here a thousand were laid off in the last two years. Twelve percent of the folks don't have enough to eat. And we met them waiting for their number at Zion Family Ministries Church where a charity called Feeding America was handing out just enough to get through a week -- if you stretch. 1,654 lined up -- a parking lot of possibilities for the Health Wagon, Gardner and Meade. They've known these people and each other most their lives.

Scott Pelley: You've been together since 8th grade?

Paula Meade: Eighth grade. Yes.

Scott Pelley: Why do you do this work?

Paula Meade: Because somebody has to. You know, there's people here, you know, we always, we had dreams. We wanted to move away from here. We all, you know, we did. And then we come back and we saw the need. And actually there's a vulnerable population here that's different from the rest of America. I mean there are people, you can replicate this. But we're kind of forgotten. There's no one here to take care of 'em but us.

These patients would be taken care of in the 26 states that expanded Medicaid under Obamacare. The federal government pays the extra cost to the states for three years but Virginia and the others that opted out fear that the cost in the future could bankrupt them. So the health wagon patients we met have fallen through this untended gap.

[Do you have insurance?

No ma'am.]

Scott Pelley: Have any of you tried to sign up for the president's health insurance plan?

Voices: No--

Scott Pelley: Why not?

Brittany Phipps: I can't afford it.

Sissy Cantrell: I can't either.

Sissy Cantrell was laid off from a head start center. She's been suffering from migraines and seizures.

[I cry for no reason at all. OK.

Have you been seeing a counselor?

No.

OK.]

She came away from the Health Wagon with medication.

[I did want to ask you....]

Brittany Phipps works more than 50 hours a week, but that's two part-time jobs so there's no insurance for her diabetes.

Scott Pelley: So you're getting your insulin through the Health Wagon?

Brittany Phipps: I am now. Yeah.

Scott Pelley: And if that wasn't available, where would you get the insulin?

Brittany Phipps: I don't know.

Walter Laney's diabetes blinded him in one eye and threatens the other. The Health Wagon stabilized him and set him up with a specialist.

[Hey Walter, this is Dr. Isaacs, how's it going?

Pretty good.

How've you're sugars been?

OK.]

Walter Laney: They got my blood sugars back under control. Before this year, I was in the hospital three, four times and this year, I ain't been in none since I've been seeing them. If it hadn't a been for them, I don't think I'd be here today.

Outside the church where they were handing out food we met Dr. Joe Smiddy, a lung specialist who's the Health Wagon's volunteer medical director.

Joe Smiddy: This is a Third World country of diabetes, hypertension, lung cancer, and COPD.

Dr. Smiddy drives a second Health Wagon, a tractor-trailer X-ray lab.

Scott Pelley: I guess they taught you something about radiology and all of that in medical school. Did they teach you how to drive an 18-wheeler?

Joe Smiddy: I did have to go to tractor-trailer school. And it took a long time.

Scott Pelley: Was that harder than medical school in some ways?

Joe Smiddy: It was very difficult to get anyone to insure a doctor to drive a tractor-trailer. The insurance companies didn't believe me.

His X-ray screen is a window on chronic, untreated disease including black lung from the mines.

Joe Smiddy: We've seen coal workers pneumoconiosis, emphysema, COPD, enlarged hearts. There's 15 of the 26 had significant abnormalities here today.

Scott Pelley: Just today?

Joe Smiddy: Just today.

Scott Pelley: But when they leave your Health Wagon, they still don't have health insurance. How do they get treated for these things that you're finding?

Joe Smiddy: We negotiate. We can talk to the hospital system. We don't leave any patient unattended. We raise money for them.

Scott Pelley: You find a way.

Joe Smiddy: We will find a way.

They found a way to get Glenda Moore radiation for her brain cancer. But she'd been a smoker for 25 years. And she died three months after our interview.

Scott Pelley: You don't like this idea of receiving charity?

Glenda Moore: No. Oh, I hate it. My dad was in the military. And when he was diagnosed with cancer, he was taken care of. And I don't know, I just always assumed, you know, that's how it would work.

Scott Pelley: Do you think things would've been different if you'd had an opportunity to go to a doctor more often?

Glenda Moore: Oh, definitely. I know it would be different.

The outreach to all the people like Glenda Moore costs the Health Wagon about a million and a half dollars a year, a third of that is from those federal grants, and the rest from donations. Doctors volunteer and pharmaceutical companies donate drugs. But when we were with them...

[We got no electricity on the health side.]

...they sure could have used a new truck battery.

[There goes.Yay! ]

Teresa Gardner: Can we give you all a free flu shot for helping us?

Man: Need a free flu shot, Beaver? Nope. Ok.

Teresa Gardner and Paula Meade apply for grants. And travel to churches praying for donations and passing the plate.

Scott Pelley: Are there days you say to yourself, "I can't do this anymore."

Paula Meade: Oh, every day. Not every day. I shouldn't say every day. There are a lot of days you get frustrated because we're writing grants till 10:00 at night. We're begging for money. And you're almost in tears because we're like, "OK, what are we gonna do," because I've got a family too. It gets frustrating, it gets hard.

Scott Pelley: It's enough to wear you out, Teresa.

Teresa Gardner: We're pretty beat down by the end of the day on most days really. But we do get more out of it then we ever give.

Paula Meade: When you look at it practically, you think, "What in the world am I thinking?" But then I have that one patient that may come in and say, "Couldn't bring you anything, can't pay anything but here's a quilt I wanna give you." And I mean when they do that and they're so heartfelt and you just-- and they put their arms around you, "I don't know what I'd do without you..."

[You're doing a lot better.]

Paula Meade: It lets you think, "OK, I was put here for a purpose."

Teresa Gardner: And you can do it another day.

[You're a blessing to us.

Well thank you all. You're blessing us. ]

Teresa Gardner: It's them and that's what touches our heart.

This week in Virginia, there is a crisis at the capital where the new Democratic governor is demanding Medicaid expansion from the Republican House. But neither side will budge and now there's a threat of a government shutdown in that state. There's no shutting down the Health Wagon though. Gardner and Meade have raised money for a new truck and they hope to get it on the road in the spring.

Source: 60 Minutes

Topics: Appalachia, Obamacare, Medicaid, health care, nurse practitioner

Longer nurse tenure on hospital units leads to higher quality care

Posted by Alycia Sullivan

Wed, Apr 16, 2014 @ 11:57 AM

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When it comes to the cost and quality of hospital care, nurse tenure and teamwork matters. Patients get the best care when they are treated in units that are staffed by nurses who have extensive experience in their current job, according to a study from researchers at Columbia University School of Nursing and Columbia Business School. The study was published in the current issue of the American Economics Journal: Applied Economics.

The review of more than 900,000 patient admissions over four years at hospitals in the Veterans Administration Healthcare System is the largest study of its kind to link nurse staffing to patient outcomes. The researchers analyzed payroll records for each nurse and medical records for each patient to see how changes in nurse staffing impacted the length of stay for patients. Because length of stay is increased by delays in delivery of appropriate care and errors in care delivery, a shorter length of stay indicates that the hospital provided better treatment. At the same time, a shorter length of stay also makes care more cost-effective. The study found that a one-year increase in the average tenure of RNs on a hospital unit was associated with a 1.3 percent decrease in length of stay.

"Reducing length of stay is the holy grail of hospital management because it means patients are getting higher quality, more cost-effective care," says senior study author Patricia Stone, PhD, RN, FAAN, Centennial Professor of Health Policy at Columbia Nursing. "When the same team of nurses works together over the years, the nurses develop a rhythm and routines that lead to more efficient care. Hospitals need to keep this in mind when making staffing decisions – disrupting the balance of a team can make quality go down and costs go up."

While many hospitals rely on temporary staffing agencies at least some of the time to fill RN vacancies, the study found that it's more cost-effective for hospitals to pay staff RNs overtime to work more hours on their unit. RNs working overtime resulted in shorter lengths of stay than hours worked by nurses hired from staffing agencies, the study found.

Nursing skill also mattered, the study found. Length of stay decreased more in response to staffing by RNs than by unlicensed assistive personnel. Furthermore, the study showed that length of stay increased when a team of RNs was disrupted by the absence of an experienced member or the addition of a new member.

"This rigorous econometric analysis of nurse staffing shows that hospital chief executives should be considering policies to retain the most experienced nurses and create a work environment that encourages nurses to remain on their current units," says the senior economist on the study team, Ann Bartel, PhD, Merrill Lynch Professor of Workforce Transformation at Columbia Business School.

The researchers used the VA's Personnel and Accounting Integrated Data for information on each nurse's age, education, prior experience, VA hire date, start date at the current VA facility, and start date for the current unit at that facility. To assess patient outcomes, the researchers used the VA's Patient Treatment File for information on each patient including dates of admission and discharge for each unit and for the overall hospitalization, as well as age and diagnoses. The final sample accounts for 90 percent of all acute care stays in the VA system for the fiscal years 2003 to 2006.

More information: The paper is titled: "Human Capital and Productivity in a Team Environment: Evidence from the Healthcare Sector," and it was published in April 2014.

Provided by Columbia University Medical Center

Topics: increase, quality care, tenure, Columbia University, nurses

What are the National CLAS Standards?

Posted by Alycia Sullivan

Mon, Apr 14, 2014 @ 11:50 AM

The National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care(the National CLAS Standards) are intended to advance health equity, improve quality, and help eliminate health care disparities by providing a blueprint for individuals and health and health care organizations to implement culturally and linguistically appropriate services. Adoption of these Standards will help advance better health and health care in the United States.

Click here for a list of the National CLAS Standards

The National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care: A Blueprint for Advancing and Sustaining CLAS Policy and Practice (The Blueprint) is an implementation guide to help you advance and sustain culturally and linguistically appropriate services within your organization. The Blueprint dedicates one chapter to each of the 15 Standards, with a review of the Standard's purpose, components, and strategies for implementation. In addition, each chapter provides a list of resources that offer additional information and guidance on that Standard.

Health Equity & Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS): How Are They Connected?

Health inequities in our nation are well documented, and the provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) is one strategy to help eliminate health inequities. By tailoring services to an individual's culture and language preference, health professionals can help bring about positive health outcomes for diverse populations. The provision of health care services that are respectful of and responsive to the health beliefs, practices and needs of diverse patients can help close the gap in health care outcomes. The pursuit of health equity must remain at the forefront of our efforts; we must always remember that dignity and quality of care are rights of all and not the privileges of a few.

What is the history of the National CLAS Standards?

In 2000, the Office of Minority Health published the first National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care (National CLAS Standards), which provided a framework for all health care organizations to best serve the nation’s increasingly diverse communities. In fall of 2010, the Office of Minority Health launched the National CLAS Standards Enhancement Initiative in order to revise the Standards to reflect the past decade’s advancements, expand their scope, and improve their clarity to ensure understanding and implementation. With the enhancement initiative, the National CLAS Standards will continue into the next decade as the cornerstone for advancing health equity through culturally and linguistically appropriate services.

Legislating CLAS

State agencies have embraced the importance of cultural and linguistic competency in the decade since the initial publication of the National CLAS Standards. A number of states have proposed or passed legislation pertaining to cultural competency training for one or more segments of their state’s health professionals. At least six states have moved to mandate some form of cultural and linguistic competency for either all or a component of its health care workforce. Access the Legislating CLAS map.

Source: Think Cultural Health

Topics: standards, culture, law, CLAS, health equity

100 Inspiring Nursing Professors to Watch in 2014

Posted by Alycia Sullivan

Wed, Apr 09, 2014 @ 01:15 PM

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that 526,800 new nursing jobs will need to be filled between 2012 – 2022. Many new nurses will need to be educated to fulfill that need, and as nurses continue to grow in number and importance to the medical field, the need for skilled nurse educators also goes up.

Entering the field of nursing is also challenging. Increasing competition for the most desirable jobs for practicing nurses and nurse educators can be intimidating. It is important for young nurses, especially students, to have role models that remind them how valuable and rewarding a nursing career can be. This list, presented in no particular order, is not intended as a ranking of these individuals. It is simply meant to honor 100 dedicated nurse educators who have succeeded in carving out a place for themselves in the changing nursing landscape.

Jacqueline Dunbar-Jacob PhD, RN, FAAN – Dean and Distinguished Service Professor of Nursing
Professor of Psychology

Dr. Dunbar-Jacob is Dean and Distinguished Service Professor of Nursing at the University of Pittsburgh School Of Nursing. Since 1984, she has been a member of the faculty at University of Pittsburgh. Her primary teaching is primarily at the doctoral level and advisor to a number of doctoral students.

>University: University of Pittsburgh
>More Details: Online Bio

Angelo Alonzo, PhD – Research Scientist Professor

Prior to joining the Yale University School of Nursing as a Research Scientist, Dr. Alonzo held an appointment in the Department of Sociology at Ohio State University and was a research sociologist at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the NIH. At Ohio State University he taught courses in medical sociology, symbolic interactionism and introductory sociology.

>University: Yale University
>More Details: Online Bio

Rose O. Sherman-Professor

Rose O. Sherman is a professor at Florida Atlantic University and also the Director of the Nursing Leadership Institute, but has spent the majority of her career as part of leadership in a variety of Veterans Affairs medical centers. Additionally, she’s published many times a year in some of the most prominent nursing publications from around the world.

>University: Florida Atlantic University- Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing
>More Details: Online Bio

Bobbie Berkowitz, PhD, RN, CNAA,FAAN- Dean and Professor

Bobbie Berkowitz is a professor of health policy and management at Columbia University in NYC. She also serves as senior vice president of the Columbia University Medical Center.

>University: Columbia University
>More Details: Online Bio

Ida Androwich, PhD, RN, BC, FAAN – Professor of Nursing

Dr. Ida Androwich focuses her research on optimizing technology to improve nursing care. She has received several hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant money to collect data from hospitals and health groups to carry out this research and make the lives of patients better, as well as improve patient-nurse relationships better.

>University: Loyola university Chicago
>More Details: Online Bio

Jeanne M. Geiger-Brown, PhD, RN, FAAN – Assistant Dean of Research, RES Professor,FCH

Jeanne Geiger-Brown teaches at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, primarily teaching Philosophy of Science courses. Her writing has been published in dozens of professional nursing and medical journals on topics such as working environments, nursing work schedules, and nurse performance.

>University: University of Maryland-Baltimore
>More Details: Online Bio

Kathryn E. Artnak, PhD, RN, MA, CNS, CNE

Kathryn Artnak is a professor of nursing at Angelo State University. Her current courses include health policy, theory, and ethics, and her personal research includes work in subjects such as global initiatives in nursing, advanced care planning in certain populations, and clinical ethics.

>University: Angelo State University
>More Details: Online Bio

Karen S. Kauffman, PhD, CRNP-BC – Chair and Associate Professor, FCH

Karen Kauffman is a chair and associate professor at the University of Maryland. She earned her PhD in Nursing in 1992, and has been conducting research and writing in the nursing community since then. She has been on several committees and planning boards, most centered on the care, treatment and study of Alzheimer’s disease.

>University: University of Maryland-Baltimore
>More Details: Online Bio

Mary Louise Fleming, RN, PhD – Professor & Academic Coordinator

Mary Louise Fleming works at the School of Nursing at the University of California. She is academic Coordinator, associate clinical professor, and director of Nursing & Health Systems. She also focuses her research on improving care and services for the aging population with an emphasis on leadership in nursing homes and long term care settings.

>University: University of California – San Francisco
>More Details: Online Bio

Mary E. Kerr, PhD, RN, FAAN – Dean of Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing and Professor

Mary Kerr is an extremely accomplished nurse out of Cleveland, Ohio, serving as both the Dean of the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing and May L. Wykle Endowed professor. Her nursing interests include critical care nursing and neoscience nursing.

>University: Case Western Reserve University
>More Details: Online Bio

Peter I. Buerhaus, PhD,RN, FAAN – Valere Potter Distinguised Professor of Nursing

Peter Buerhaus is a professor of nursing at Vanderbilt University, as well as the Director at the Center for Interdisciplinary Health Workforce Studies. His professional research has included developing, testing and refining nurse measures of care, assessing patient views of nurse practitioners and primary care physicians through national surveys, and understanding employment and earnings in the nurse labor market.

>University: Vanderbilt University
>More Details: Online Bio

Said K. Abusalem, PhD, RN – Assistant Professor

Said Abusalem has presenting and published dozens of papers on dozens of topics, including home healthcare and healthcare ethics. He is a member of several professional memberships in both the US and Gaza and teachers regularly on pediatrics and home health.

>University: University of Louisville
>More Details: Online Bio

Debra J. Barksdale, PhD, FNP-BC, ANP-BC, CNE, FAANP, FAAN – Associate Professor & Director, Doctor of Nursing Practice Program

Dr. Debra J. Barksdale is an Associate Professor and Director of the DNP program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She was one of 19 members appointed to the 21 member Board of Governors for the new Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) by the U.S. Government Accountability Office under the Obama Administration, and was the only nurse appointed to the board.

>University: University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
>More Details: Online Bio

Susan M. Adams, PhD, RN, PMHNP, FAANP – Professor of Nursing and Director of Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program

Susan Adams has been honored with several awards in nursing and education since 2004, including Sigma Theta Tau International Rising Star in Research award, the Tennessee Nurses Association Excellence in Nursing Award, and the International Nurses Society on Addictions, Excellence in Education award. She is a professor of nursing at Vanderbilt University and the Director Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program.

>University: Vanderbilt University
>More Details: Online Bio

Tamara BLAND- MSN, RN – Professor

Tamara Bland is an instructor at Resurrection University, College
of Nursing. With a professional specialty in adult health and gastroenterology
nursing, she currently teaches Adult Health, Health Assessment and
Foundations of Nursing.

>University: Resurrection University
>More Details: Online Bio

Yea-Jyh Chen-Assistant Professor

Yea-Jyh Chen is an Assistant Professor at the College of Nursing at Kent State University in Ohio. With a Master’s of Science in Nursing, she is able to teach advanced health classes and research methods in nursing.

>University: Kent State University
>More Details: Online Bio

Aline Davis,RN & MSN – Nursing Professor

Aline Davis teaches nursing courses at Lakeview College of Nursing. While she previously worked as an RN in two hospital settings, she currently teaches courses in pediatrics, nursing foundations, and clinical skills.

>University: Lakeview College of Nursing

Martha Swartz, PhD, RN, CPNP, FAAN – Professor of Nursing and Primary Care Division Chair

Yale University’s Dr. Martha Swartz is a Professor of Nursing and is the Primary Care Division Chair in the School of Nursing. She’s held numerous positions of regard in her nursing education career and has publishes a good amount of articles looking to address problems in research methods.

>University: Yale University
>More Details: Online Bio

Berry S. Anderson, PhD, RN – Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor in the College of Nursing and Research Scientist in the Brain Stimulation Laboratory at the University of South Carolina, Berry Anderson conducts research focused on the use of brain stimulation technologies to understand brain function and treat psychiatric disorders. He has authored or co-authored over 30 peer-reviewed articles and collaborated on more than 40 clinical research trials, and is a member of the American Psychiatric Nursing Association.

>University: Medical University of South Carolina
>More Details: Online Bio

Karen Bankston, PhD, MSN, FACHE – Associate Dean and Professor of Clnical Practice

Karen Bankston is associate dean of clinical practice, partnership, and community engagement at the College of Nursing at the University of Cincinnati. With years of leadership experience across academics, she is responsible for developing and maintaining partnerships and collaborations with nursing and other disciplines to provide leading-edge clinical experiences for students

>University: University of Cincinnati
>More Details: Online Bio

Betsy Anderson, Instructor of Nursing

Betsy Anderson is an Instructor of Nursing at Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee. While she currently teaches nursing for a mental health setting, her experience is primarily as a nurse in the army, emergency rooms, and in psychiatric nursing.

>University: Lincoln Memorial University Caylor School of Nursing
>More Details: Online Bio

Jeanette O. Andrews, PhD, RN, FNP, FAAN – Dean and Professor College of Nursing

Dr. Andrews has extensive nursing graduate and interprofessional teaching experiences. She has developed and taught clinical courses for nurse practitioner and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs to include pathophysiology, pharmacology, health assessment, and clinical preceptorships.

>University: University of South Carolina
>More Details: Online Bio

Charles D. "Chad" Rogers, MSN, RN – Assistant Professor

Chad Rogers has a Master’s of Science in Nursing and is a faculty member at Morehead, teaching nursing programs. His clinical interests include correctional nursing, critical care nursing and emergency nursing, and he has worked in the critical care setting in two area hospitals.

>University: Morehead State University
>More Details: Online Bio

Karen Plager, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, Professor

At Northern Arizona University, Karen Plager teaches courses such as Health assessment and Family Primary Health Care Practicum. She has also worked as a family nurse practitioner and conducts research on the possible development of community-based primary health care project.

>University: Northern Arizona University
>More Details: Online Bio

Elaine J. Amella, PhD, RN, FAAN – Professor

Dr. Elaine Amella is a Professor in the College of Nursing, at the Medical University of South Carolina. She was previously on faculty at New York University and the University of Arizona. She is also Regional Editor for North America for the Journal of Clinical Nursing, and is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Gerontological Nursing, Geriatric Nursing, and the Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging.

>University: Medical University of South Carolina
>More Details: Online Bio

Mary Ellen Burke-Clinical Assistant Professor

Mary Ellen Burke is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Massachusetts and uses her 10+ years of teaching and mentoring experience to help shape nurses that pass through the school. Having worked firsthand as an RN at the highly regarded St. Peter’s Medical Center, she has built up an impressive resume that equips her with the best teaching abilities.

>University: UMass Amherst
>More Details: Online Bio

Carol Lynch, MSN, RN – Nursing Chair

Triton College is a small school out of River Forest, Illinois. There, nursing students can learn the basics of nursing and healthcare to earn an Associate Applied Science degree, and later go on for their BSN at a 4-year school. Carol Lynch has her MSN degree and is an RN, and she works at Triton College as the Associate Degree Nursing Chair.

>University: Triton College

Patricia E. Adams-Graves, M.D., B.S. – Associate Professor

As an Associate Professor of Medicine, Patricia E. Adams-Graves is an integral part of The University of Tennessee’s Health Science Center and has a written a number of pieces for publications. With a rich background in working on sickle cell disease, her work is highly regarded.

>University: The University of Tennessee
>More Details: Online Bio

Ruth A. Anderson, PhD, MSN, MA, RN, FAAN – Professor of Nursing

Ruth A. Anderson is a Virginia Stone Professor of Nursing, as well as a Senior Fellow at the Duke University Center for Aging and Human Development. Dr. Anderson focuses much of her research and time on improving the management of nursing homes and has been an innovator on research techniques for understanding the problems faced in these scenarios.

>University: Duke University
>More Details: Online Bio

Katherine K. Chappell, MSN, APRN, CPNP

Katherine K. Chappell is the Medical Exam Provider for the Child Advocacy Center of Aiken, focusing on supporting abused children through evaluations. Additionally, she works as the Head of Nursing/First Aid Staff at Camp Wonder Hands, a camp that specializes in working with hard-of-hearing and deaf children.

>University: University of South Carolina
>More Details: Online Bio

Sue P. Heiney

Dr. Sue P. Heiney works at the University of South Carolina and has experience in numerous clinical settings, while also maintaining support groups that have international renown. Additionally, she has a seemingly endless list of publications she has worked on, along with research studies, and more.

>University: University of South Carolina
>More Details: Online Bio

Melissa Batchelor-Aselage, PhD, RN-BC, FNP-BC

Dr. Melissa Batchelor-Aselage is a member of the Duke University School of Nursing and received the Faculty of the Year Award while still teaching at the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s School of Nursing. Since coming to Duke, she’s also been awarded the National Hartford Centers of Gerontological Nursing Excellence Claire M. Fagin Scholarship for 2012-2014.

>University: Duke University
>More Details: Online Bio

Chastity Osborn – RN, MSN

Chastity Osborn teaches at Lakeview College of Nursing and is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Nursing Practice. She’s connected to a number of notable institutions including the American Organization of Nurse Executives.

>University: Lakeview College of Nursing
>More Details: Online Bio

Annette De Vito Dabbs, PhD, RN, FAAN – Professor and Department Chair

Annette De Vito Dabbs has been teaching nursing for over ten years, specifically in the areas of ethics, technology, and mixed-methods research. Within the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing where she currently works, she has served on several committees including PhD Council, Planning & Budget, Academic Integrity, and Evaluation Steering.

>University: University of Pittsburgh
>More Details: Online Bio

Judith Gedney Baggs, PhD, R.N., F.A.A.N. – Distinguised Professor

Judith Baggs is the Elizabeth N. Gray Distinguished Professor and the Oregon Health & Science University. Her current research interests include ICU and nursing, end of life care and decision making, and quality care.

>University: Oregon Health & Science University
>More Details: Online Bio

Barbara J. Burgel, RN, PhD, FAAN – Professor of Clinical Nursing

Barbara Burgel is a professor of clinical nursing at the University of California. Her clinical practice and research program has focused on the occupational health and safety risks facing immigrant workers, including garment workers, hotel room cleaners, and taxi drivers. Her teaching includes studies in the areas of Environmental Health, Clinical Prevention and Population Health, and others.

>University: University of California – San Francisco
>More Details: Online Bio

Basia Belza, PhD, RN, FAAN – Professor

At University of Washington, Basia Belza has taught research courses to undergraduate students, theory courses to PhD students, health promotion courses to DNP students, and gerontology courses to all students. She leads the Coordinating Center for the CDC Healthy Aging Research Network, where she conducts research on healthy aging.

>University: University of Washington-Seattle
>More Details: Online Bio

Martha Dewey Bergren, DNS, RN, NCSN, FNASN, FASHA – Professor and Director of Advanced Community Health

Martha Dewey Bergren is the Director of the Advanced Community Health Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She also currently teaches courses including Evidence Based Practice Nursing, Health Promotion Theory, and others. During her years of practice and teaching, she has received a dozen awards and fellowships related to nursing and leadership.

>University: University of Illinois – Chicago
>More Details: Online Bio

Carmella M. Moran, PhD, RN – Director School of Nursing, Associate Professor of Nursing

Carmella Moran is the director of nursing at the School of Nursing at Aurora University. She has served on several committees throughout Illinois including Illinois Nurse Practice Act Task Force and Kane County Health Department Advisory Board.

>University: Aurora University
>More Details: Online Bio

Daniel D. Cline, PhD and RN – Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor Daniel Cline works and conducts research at University of Colorado. He has clinical experience in critical care and emergency nursing. He is also a consultant and faculty member on the National League for Nursing's (NLN) Advancing Care Excellence for Seniors (ACES) Project.

>University: University of Colorado-Denver
>More Details: Online Bio

Deborah A. Gross, DNSc, RN – Professor of Nursing

Deborah Gross graduated with her Doctorate in Nursing in 1983 and is an assistant professor at Rush University College of Nursing. Her research areas include Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms and Psychological Phenomena and Processes. She has been
serving as chair of the Department of Women's and Children's Health since February 2004.

>University: Rush University
>More Details: Online Bio

Bill Cody, PhD, RN, CNE, FAAN

Bill Cody is a professor nursing and the director of nursing at DePaul University in Chicago. Some of his distinguished awards include American Nurses Foundation Scholar, Hunter College Hall of Fame, and Luther Christman Award American Assembly of Men in Nursing.

>University: DePaul University
>More Details: Online Bio

Holly Powell Kennedy, CNM, PhD, FACNM, FAAN – Executive Deputy Dean & Helen Varney Professor of Midwifery

Holly Powell Kennedy is the Executive Deputy Dean & Helen Varney Professor of Midwifery at the Yale Graduate School of Nursing. She is also the She is Past-President of the American College of Nurse-Midwives and the first person to be appointed as the Varney Professor of Midwifery at Yale.

>University: Yale University
>More Details: Online Bio

Beth N. Bolick,DNP, CPNP-AC, PPCNP-BC, CCRN – Nursing Professor

Beth Bolick is a professor as well as the coordinator of the Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program at Rush University. She received her own DNP from Rush and is currently in the Women Children and Family Nursing department.

>University: Rush University
>More Details: Online Bio

Charles A. Vacchiano, PhD, CRNA – Professor

Dr. Vacchiano joined the faculty at the Duke University School of Nursing in 2008. Before that, he spent 26 years in the U.S. Navy as a practicing nurse anesthetist, educator, and researcher. He was named the American Association of Nurse Anesthetist Researcher of the Year in 2007.

>University: Duke University
>More Details: Online Bio

Linda Flynn, PhD, RN, FAAN – Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Programs

Linda Flynn is a professor and associate dean for academic programs at the College of Nursing at the University of Colorado. She is a past recipient of the Governor's Merit Award for excellence in research and the C.A.R.E. Award from the New Jersey State Nurses Association. She was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing in 2009.

>University: University of Colorado-Denver
>More Details: Online Bio

Linda Phillips, PhD,RN,FAAN

At the UCLA School of Nursing, Linda Phillips is the section chair of the Acute and Chronic Health Sciences. She has taught graduate level courses on gerontology; research methods including developing and testing instrumentation for nursing research, community-based research and grounded theory; and research seminars focusing on the development of research proposals. She has also been published in journals and research papers on elder care and geriatric nursing since 1981.

>University: UCLA School of Nursing
>More Details: Online Bio

Dr. Bertha Lane Davis – Professor

Dr. Bertha Lane Davis is currently a professor and director of the Nurse Educator Track and the PhD in Nursing program at Hampton University School of Nursing. She is also a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army Reserve Nurse Corps.

>University: Hampton University School of Nursing
>More Details: Online Bio

Jeanne Alhusen, PhD, CRNP, RN

Jeanne Alhusen is an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and conducts research in the Department of Community-Public Health. She has developed a program of research in understanding the biological and psychological underpinnings of maternal attachment and its influence on early childhood outcomes.

>University: Johns Hopkins School of Nursing
>More Details: Online Bio

Janet L. Larson, PhD, RN, FAAN – Professor and Division Chair

At the University of Michigan, Dr. Larson mentors students in her research laboratory and regularly teaches research seminars for graduate students as well as lectures on topics of respiratory physiology and respiratory pathophysiology at the undergraduate and graduate level. She is also the Division Chair of her department.

>University: University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
>More Details: Online Bio

Carol Fowler Durham, EdD, RN, ANEF – Clinical Professor & Director, CERC

Carol Fowler Durham is a clinical professor and director at the School of Nursing at the University of North Carolina. Dr. Durham has been involved in Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) as a core faculty since its beginning. She received the Nurse Educator of the Year from the North Carolina Nurses Association in 2005.

>University: University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
>More Details: Online Bio

Demetrius Abshire, MSN, RN, ACNS-BC – Nursing Professor

Demetrius Abshire joined the College of Nursing as part-time faculty in 2009 and currently teaches the Foundations for Professional Nursing course. He has also worked as a nurse in the neurosurgical ICU and in rehabilitation.

>University: University of Kentucky College of Nursing
>More Details: Online Bio

Mustafa K. Dabbous, PhD., MS, BS – Professor

Mustafa Dabbous is a professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He has several publications printed, many about immunizations and biochemistry, including “Binding and subcellular distribution of cyclosporine in human fibroblasts” and “Role of saliva and salivary components as modulators of bleaching agent toxicity to human gingival fibroblasts in vitro.”

>University: The University of Tennessee
>More Details: Online Bio

Mary Byrne, PhD, DNP, MPH, CPNP – Stone Foundation and Elise D. Fish Professor of Health Care for the Underserved in Nursing

Mary Byrne teaches at the School of Nursing at Columbia University, with research interests such as pain management for children, early infant and child development, and pediatric HIV-AIDS. She is also the recipient of many awards, including Elected Fellow American Academy of Nursing and the Distinguished Research Scholar Award at the Columbia University School of Nursing.

>University: Columbia University
>More Details: Online Bio

Dr. Ruth Ann Belknap-Associate Professor

Ruth Ann Belknap teaches courses such as Culture and Health, Health Issues in the Urban Latino Immigrant Population, and Vulnerable Populations at the Marquette University College of Nursing. She is a member of the Midwest Nursing Research Society, National Association of Hispanic Nurses, Wisconsin Nurses Association/American Nurses Association, and several other professional associations.

>University: Marquette University
>More Details: Online Bio

Sandra Gaynor, Associate Professor of Nursing and MS Nursing

Sandra Gaynor is a member of American Organization of Nurse Executives, Illinois Organization of Nurse Leaders, and Center for Ethics and Advocacy. She is an associate professor of nursing at North Park University in Chicago and teaches classes that focus on include human resources, quality initiatives, strategic assessment, budgets, safety and risk management, and current social issues affecting healthcare delivery.

>University: North Park University
>More Details: Online Bio

Suzanne G. Leveille, PhD Program Director and Professor, Department of Nursing

Suzanne Leveille is the PhD program direction and a professor in the department of nursing at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. She has an extensive background in gerontological nursing, and is also collaborating on a number of projects involving geriatric physical impairments, the role of neighborhood environment in geriatric falls, and pain management in older adults.

>University: University of Massachusetts Boston
>More Details: Online Bio

Stephanie Steiner, MSN, RN, ACNP – Professor and Director of Flight Nursing Program

Stephanie Steiner teaches at the School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio. She is also the director of the Flight Nursing Summer Camp. Her education interests include trauma, critical care transport, and simulation training.

>University: Case Western Reserve University
>More Details: Online Bio

Joel G. Anderson, PhD – Assistant Professor of Nursing and Roberts Scholar

Joel G. Anderson is the Assistant Professor of Nursing, while also a Roberts Scholar as a part of the University of Virginia School of Nursing. Interestingly, previous to entering graduate school, he was a manager at two cancer research laboratories. He’s also currently the Research Director at Healing Touch International.

>University: University of Virginia
>More Details: Online Bio

Judith Halstead, PhD, RN – Executive Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Judith Halstead if the Executive Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the Indiana University School of Nursing. She has a wealth of expert insight into online education and co-edits Teaching in Nursing: A Guide for Faculty.

>University: Indiana University – Purdue University – Indianapolis
>More Details: Online Bio

Kim Amer, PhD, RN

Kim Amer is an Associate Professor at DePaul University and does a large amount of work in child and family health. She’s even a member of the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Children in Chicago.

>University: DePaul University
>More Details: Online Bio

Kathryn Christiansen, PhD, MA, BSN – Associate Dean and Associate Professor

Kathryn Christiansen is the Associate Dean and an Associate Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has wide-ranging interests, often working in community health nursing, care coordination and care transitions, among others.

>University: University of Illinois – Chicago
>More Details: Online Bio

Kelly M. Bower-Joffe, PhD, MPH, RN, APHN-BC

Kelly M. Bower-Joffe is an Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and often looks at substance abuse, uninsured, health literacy, food store availability, obesity, and many other areas. Having attained her doctorate at Johns Hopkins as well, she’s very familiar with the university’s health programs.

>University: Johns Hopkins School of Nursing
>More Details: Online Bio

Beth A. Brooks – PhD.,RN & FACHE – President

Beth A. Brooks is the President of Resurrection University and has worked as the Executive Director of the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Institute for Healthcare Innovation. As a graduate of Valparaiso University, she was named one of the 150 most influential people in the university’s history.

>University: Resurrection University
>More Details: Online Bio

Edie Barbero, PhD, RN , PMHNP-BC – Assistant Professor of Nursing Coordinator and Psychiatric Mental Health

Dr. Edie Barbero is the Assistant Professor of Nursing at the University of Virginia School of Nursing and is the Coordinator of the Psychiatric Mental-Health Nurse Practitioner Program. The Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society of Nursing has twice recognized her quality of research and even accepted the poster she created on Therapeutic Storytelling for the Biennial Convention.

>University: University of Virginia
>More Details: Online Bio

April D. Kidd, BSN, MBA, NEA-BC-Adjunct Instructor

April D. Kidd is an Adjunct Instructor at Hood College where she teaches Community Health Nursing in the BSN Completion Program. Her experience as an Army Community Nurse and currently works to ensure the military health system is aptly equipped to tackle issues resulting from threats, manmade or natural.

>University: Hood College
>More Details: Online Bio

Michael E. Galbraith, PhD, RN – Associate Professor of Nursing

Dr. Michael E. Galbraith focuses intently on survivorship and health-related quality of life issues for couples affected by prostate cancer and his research initiatives have been funded by the NIH. Dr. Galbraith also works as a scientific reviewer for journals whose subject matter is men’s health issues.

>University: University of Colorado-Denver
>More Details: Online Bio

Marita G. Titler, PhD, RN, FAAN – Professor and Chair, Division of Nursing Business Health Systems

University of Michigan’s Marita G. Titler is the Professor and Chair in the Division of Nursing Business and Health Systems. Her work has garnered accolades and research funding, while she also serves on the NIH and AHRQ study section. Her impressive work keeps a refined focus on health services research, particularly as it is relevant to older adults.

>University: University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
>More Details: Online Bio

Patricia Clinton, PhD,RN,ARNP,FAANP – Clinical Professor and Director of Faculty Practice

Patricia Clinton is a Clinical Professor at The University of Iowa where her career of over 30 years has given her increased insight as to how we can address problems such as the skyrocketing cost of health care and various indifferent care systems. She’s also served as Assistant Dean for MSN & DNP Programs, currently working as the Director of Faculty Practice.

>University: University of Iowa
>More Details: Online Bio

Rojann Alpers, PhD, RN Associate Professor

Rojann Alpers focuses on research as an Assistant Professor at Arizona State University and has written articles on nursing history, the profession overall, and many more. She’s been awarded numerous nursing education awards, so he work is definitely worth checking out.

>University: ASU College of Nursing & Health Innovation
>More Details: Online Bio

Angela M. Allen, RN, BSN, MAT, EdS, EA, PhDc

Angela M. Allen has been awarded an incredibly impressive number of accolades in her time as a Clinical Professor at Arizona State University and continues to make large progress for nursing at the university. Most recently, she was honored with an Association of Rehabilitation Nurses Scholar Award.

>University: ASU College of Nursing & Health Innovation
>More Details: Online Bio

Claudia Calle Beal, PhD, MSN

Claudia Calle Beal teaches research, translation science, and ethics as an Assistant Professor in the graduate program. Her work looks at stroke health and has been a huge part to helping better the School of Nursing at Baylor.

>University: Baylor University
>More Details: Online Bio

Mohammad Alasagheirin, Assistant Professor of Nursing

As an Assistant Professor of Nursing at Bradley University, Mohammad Alasagheirin works on health-related issues commonly experienced by refugee and immigrants, along with the physical activity of children and their bone growth.

>University: Bradley University
>More Details: Online Bio

Theresa Adelman-Mullally, Assistant Professor of Nursing

Theresa Adelman-Mullally is an Assistant Professor of Nursing at Bradley University and teaches Fundamental Nursing Theory and Practicum, as well as classes on substance abuse and mental health. She also has experience working in the US Army Nurse Corp.

>University: Bradley University
>More Details: Online Bio

Carol M. Musil, PhD, RN, FAAN – Nursing Professor

Dr. Carol M. Musil is a Marvin E. and Ruth Durr Denekas Professor of Nursing and does extensive work regarding older adults and caregiver status. With an impressive number of published works, there’s no denying how much she has contributed to Case Western Reserve University.

>University: Case Western Reserve University
>More Details: Online Bio

Suzanne Bakken, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI – Alumni Professor of the School of Nursing and Professor of Biomedical Informatics

Dr. Suzanna Bakken is the Alumni Professor of the School of Nursing and Professor of Biomedical Informatics at Columbia University. She looks thoroughly at HIV/AIDS and her published works and awards signify the value of her work.

>University: Columbia University
>More Details: Online Bio

Jeanne Matthews, BS, MS, PhD

Jeanne Matthews is the chair and Assistant Professor of the Department of Nursing, but has previously worked as the chair of the American Public Health Association’s Public Health Nursing Section.

>University: Georgetown University
>More Details: Online Bio

Laura Anderko, PhD, RN

Dr. Laura Anderko is an Associate Professor at Georgetown University and has worked on the Environmental Protection Agency’s federal advisory committee, the Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee. She’s currently active in a handful of notable committees.

>University: Georgetown University
>More Details: Online Bio

Marion E. Broome, PhD, RN, FAAN – Dean and Distinguished Professor

Dr. Marion E. Broome is a Distinguished Professor, specifically in Nursing Care, in the School of Nursing at Indiana University. She’s highly regarded in the field and has made incredible contributions throughout her career.

>University: Indiana University – Purdue University – Indianapolis
>More Details: Online Bio

Dr. Kim Ferguson, Assistant Professor of Nursing and Assistant Director of the FNP Concentration

Dr. Kim Ferguson is the Assistant Professor of Nursing and the Assistant Director of the FNP Concentration at Lincoln Memorial University. She specializes in areas such as Family Nurse Practitioners, Master of Science courses, child obesity, and rural health and she’s received numerous awards for excellence.

>University: Lincoln Memorial University Caylor School of Nursing
>More Details: Online Bio

Shelley F. Conroy, Ed.D., MS, BSN

Dr. Shelley F. Conroy is very active in nursing higher education and works as a Professor and Dean at Baylor University. From leading study abroad trips to working on research endeavors, her experience is hard to match in nursing higher education. To date, she’s been awarded more than $7 million in grants.

>University: Louise Herrington School of Nursing Undergraduate Program
>More Details: Online Bio

Vicki Keough, PhD, APRN-BC, ACNP, FAAN – Dean and Professor

Vicki Keough is a Dean and Professor at Loyola University in the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. Her published works often include studies on the state of nursing currently. Additionally, she was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing.

>University: Loyola university Chicago
>More Details: Online Bio

Deborah Watkins Bruner RN, PhD, FAAN

Deborah Watkins Bruner obtained at Doctorate degree at the University of Pennsylvania with a focus on nursing research and her work has focused on quality of life, patient reported outcomes, symptom management across cancer sites, and more related to cancer. Notably, she was the only nurse to serve as Principal Investigator of one of the National Cancer Institute’s Community Clinical Oncology Programs.

>University: Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University
>More Details: Online Bio

Elizabeth J. Corwin RN, PhD

Dr. Elizabeth J. Corwin first worked as a physiologist before becoming a professor and applies her real world experience as a nurse with the rigor of a researcher to create a unique background suited for many situations. Currently, she’s also a Principal Investigator on a $2.4 million dollar award from the NIH.

>University: Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University
>More Details: Online Bio

Robin L. Bissinger, Ph.D., APRN, NNP-BC, FAAN – Associate Dean for Academics and Associate Professor

Robin L. Bissinger has made a name for herself in the nursing field as the Associate Dean of Academics in the College of Nursing at the Medical University of South Carolina. She’s incredibly active professionally, also working as the President of the National Certification Corporation and as the Vice-Chair of the Congress on Nursing Practice and Economics, among other organizations she’s active in.

>University: Medical University of South Carolina
>More Details: Online Bio

Joyce K. Anastasi

Joyce K. Anastasi works in the NYU College of Nursing as an Independence Foundation Endowed Professor and is the Founding Director of the Division of Special Studies. She’s a leading clinical Scientist in symptom management. With multiple teaching and research awards to her name, she is well accredited in the nursing community.

>University: New York University
>More Details: Online Bio

Chrsitine Smith, DNP,MA and BSN – Associate Nursing Professor

Christine Smith is an Associate Nursing Professor helps to train students to work effectively in urban environments that embrace multiple cultures. She teaches at a local shelter teaching health education and invites students to work alongside her.

>University: North Park University
>More Details: Online Bio

Shelley Miller, MSN, RN

Shelly Miller is a Professor of Nursing at Oklahoma City Community College and has worked in critical care, focusing on cardiac ICU and open heart recovery. In 1990, she was awarded the Robert A. Watson Cardiovascular Nursing Award and is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Society.

>University: Oklahoma City Community College
>More Details: Online Bio

Traci Boren, Professor of Nursing

Traci Boren is a Professor of Nursing in the BADNAP nursing program at Oklahoma City Community College, while simultaneously working as a perioperative nurse. She also spent 8 years working as an Army National Guard medic, so has uniquely suited skills.

>University: Oklahoma City Community College
>More Details: Online Bio

Gail M. Houck, PhD, R.N., P.M.H.N.P. – Professor & Program Director for Post-Master DNP

Gail M. Houck is a Professor and Program Director at Oregon Health and Science University. She’s active in publishing articles that analyze various components to the profession, specifically how we can improve the development of children and babies.

>University: Oregon Health & Science University
>More Details: Online Bio

Brenda Recchia Jeffers, PhD, RN, Chancellor, Professor

Brenda Recchia Jeffers is a chancellor and professor at St. John’s College, as well as a founding member of Team Illinois, an organization committed to relieving workface shortages. Her notable work in nursing education has placed her on the list, but she’s also recognized for her work at a number of organizations.

>University: St. John’s College
>More Details: Online Bio

Kimberly D. Acquaviva, PhD, MSW

Kimberly D. Acquaviva is a tenured Associate Professor at The George Washington University and is also the Director of Faculty Affairs. Dr. Acquaviva has been awarded over $20 million in federal funding and was recently a Fulbright scholar, helping to teach nursing students and physicians in Thailand.

>University: The George Washington University
>More Details: Online Bio

Ellen Cram, PhD and RN – Associate Clinical Professor & Assistant Dean

Ellen Cram is an Associate Professor at The University of Iowa and is also the Assistant Dean for Undergraduate and Pre-licensure programs. In 2000, she was recognized as the Outstanding Iowa Nurse Leader of the year and has received other awards.

>University: University of Iowa
>More Details: Online Bio

Stephanie Fugate, MSN, ACNP – Nursing Professor

Stephanie Fugate teaches at the University of Kentucky and uses her experience from working in many areas within nursing education to facilitate the most effective learning methods to students. She also helps new graduate students in the BSN Residency Program at UK Healthcare.

>University: University of Kentucky College of Nursing
>More Details: Online Bio

Jacqueline Fawcett, Professor, Department of Nursing

University of Massachusetts Boston Professor Jacqueline Fawcett has spent the last 30 years working on a research project centered around the Roy Adaptation Model and has authored numerous conceptual models for nursing. Her impressive resume continues into renown for her meta-theoretical work as well.

>University: University of Massachusetts Boston
>More Details: Online Bio

Anne Bruce, RN, PhD-Associate Professor

Anne Bruce is an Associate Professor of Nursing at the University of Victoria and is a PhD Coordinator as well. She has an impressive list of research she’s worked on and a great selection of publications.

>University: University of Victoria
>More Details: Online Bio

Debra Sheets- Associate Professor

Working as an Associate Professor at the University of Victoria, Dr. Debra Sheets has over 20 years of clinical nursing experience and chairs the School of Nursing’s Undergraduate Committee. She’s worked as a research affiliate on the Centre on Aging at the University of Victoria and also on the Education Committee and helped conduct review panel work for federal agencies in America.

>University: University of Victoria
>More Details: Online Bio

Ruth F. Craven, EdD, RN, FAAN -Professor Emerita

Ruth F. Craven looks in depth behavioral nursing, previously having worked in aging research and gerontological nursing, as well as nursing education. At the University of Washington, she also works with students on caring for the elderly and in-home care methods.

>University: University of Washington -Seattle
>More Details: Online Bio

Barbara J. Bowers, Associate Dean for Research and Charlotte Jane and Ralph A. Rodefer Chair.

Barbara J. Bowers works largely with elderly individuals in residential and community settings to see how private and public policies can influence how seniors are cared for. In her time at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she’s written an impressive array of publications, while also being awarded in 2002 and 2005 for her work in long term care and for the elderly.

>University: University of Wisconsin
>More Details: Online Bio

Patricia Flatley Brennan, Lillian S. Moehlman-Bascom Professor of Nursing and Industrial Engineering. PhD

Patricia Flatley Brennan focuses on a very unique aspect of nursing research, specifically looking at how technology can influence self-care methods and reduce diagnosis time. Her research allows students to create integrative computer-based solutions for improving consumer health.

>University: University of Wisconsin
>More Details: Online Bio

Source: Online LPN to RN

Topics: success, ranking, faculty, 2014, top 100, nursing

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius Statement on National Minority Health Month

Posted by Alycia Sullivan

Wed, Apr 09, 2014 @ 12:29 PM

In April, we commemorate National Minority Health Month, a time to raise awareness about health disparities that persist among racial and ethnic minorities. This year’s theme - “Prevention is Power: Taking Action for Health Equity” - embodies the ambitious goal put forward by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to achieve “a nation free of disparities in health and health care.”

Despite some recent progress in addressing health disparities, great challenges remain. Minorities are far more likely than non-Hispanic whites to suffer from chronic conditions, many of which are preventable. This is a particularly troubling statistic, because chronic diseases account for seven of the ten leading causes of death in our nation.

For example, African Americans, American Indians and Alaska Natives are twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are more than three times as likely to receive the same diagnosis. And Latinos are twice as likely to die from liver cancer.

While these persistent disparities are deeply troubling, there are some hopeful trends. The gap in life expectancy between African Americans and non-Hispanic whites has been closing, and is now the smallest it’s been since these statistics have been tracked.
Additionally, seasonal flu vaccination coverage has tripled for children over the past four years and has contributed to a reduction in vaccination disparities among minority children.

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, health coverage is now more affordable and accessible for millions of Americans, including minority groups. For minority populations, the law addresses inequities in access to quality and affordable coverage.
The impact of the Affordable Care Act on communities across our nation is transformative. Over seven million African Americans, nearly four million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and over eight million Latinos with private insurance now have access to expanded preventive services with no cost sharing. This includes screening for colon cancer, Pap smears and mammograms for women, well-child visits, and flu shots for children and adults. Communities across the country are now stronger because the law invests in creating healthier communities, strong public health infrastructure, and preventing disease before it starts.

During Minority Health Month, we applaud the commitment of all of our federal, state, tribal, and local partners in our shared work to implement the HHS Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities and the National Stakeholder Strategy for Achieving Health Equity. To learn more about National Minority Health Month and what HHS is doing to achieve health equity, please visit www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov

Source: OMH

Topics: ACA, Minority Health Month, HHS, health, minority

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DiversityNursing Blog

Alycia Sullivan

Recent Posts

Health Equity & Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS): How Are They Connected?

What is the history of the National CLAS Standards?

Legislating CLAS

Jacqueline Dunbar-Jacob PhD, RN, FAAN – Dean and Distinguished Service Professor of Nursing Professor of Psychology

Angelo Alonzo, PhD – Research Scientist Professor

Rose O. Sherman-Professor

Bobbie Berkowitz, PhD, RN, CNAA,FAAN- Dean and Professor

Ida Androwich, PhD, RN, BC, FAAN – Professor of Nursing

Jeanne M. Geiger-Brown, PhD, RN, FAAN – Assistant Dean of Research, RES Professor,FCH

Kathryn E. Artnak, PhD, RN, MA, CNS, CNE

Karen S. Kauffman, PhD, CRNP-BC – Chair and Associate Professor, FCH

Mary Louise Fleming, RN, PhD – Professor & Academic Coordinator

Mary E. Kerr, PhD, RN, FAAN – Dean of Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing and Professor

Peter I. Buerhaus, PhD,RN, FAAN – Valere Potter Distinguised Professor of Nursing

Said K. Abusalem, PhD, RN – Assistant Professor

Debra J. Barksdale, PhD, FNP-BC, ANP-BC, CNE, FAANP, FAAN – Associate Professor & Director, Doctor of Nursing Practice Program

Susan M. Adams, PhD, RN, PMHNP, FAANP – Professor of Nursing and Director of Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program

Tamara BLAND- MSN, RN – Professor

Yea-Jyh Chen-Assistant Professor

Aline Davis,RN & MSN – Nursing Professor

Martha Swartz, PhD, RN, CPNP, FAAN – Professor of Nursing and Primary Care Division Chair

Berry S. Anderson, PhD, RN – Assistant Professor

Karen Bankston, PhD, MSN, FACHE – Associate Dean and Professor of Clnical Practice

Betsy Anderson, Instructor of Nursing

Jeanette O. Andrews, PhD, RN, FNP, FAAN – Dean and Professor College of Nursing

Charles D. "Chad" Rogers, MSN, RN – Assistant Professor

Karen Plager, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, Professor

Elaine J. Amella, PhD, RN, FAAN – Professor

Mary Ellen Burke-Clinical Assistant Professor

Carol Lynch, MSN, RN – Nursing Chair

Patricia E. Adams-Graves, M.D., B.S. – Associate Professor

Ruth A. Anderson, PhD, MSN, MA, RN, FAAN – Professor of Nursing

Katherine K. Chappell, MSN, APRN, CPNP

Sue P. Heiney

Melissa Batchelor-Aselage, PhD, RN-BC, FNP-BC

Chastity Osborn – RN, MSN

Annette De Vito Dabbs, PhD, RN, FAAN – Professor and Department Chair

Judith Gedney Baggs, PhD, R.N., F.A.A.N. – Distinguised Professor

Barbara J. Burgel, RN, PhD, FAAN – Professor of Clinical Nursing

Basia Belza, PhD, RN, FAAN – Professor

Martha Dewey Bergren, DNS, RN, NCSN, FNASN, FASHA – Professor and Director of Advanced Community Health

Carmella M. Moran, PhD, RN – Director School of Nursing, Associate Professor of Nursing

Daniel D. Cline, PhD and RN – Assistant Professor

Deborah A. Gross, DNSc, RN – Professor of Nursing

Bill Cody, PhD, RN, CNE, FAAN

Holly Powell Kennedy, CNM, PhD, FACNM, FAAN – Executive Deputy Dean & Helen Varney Professor of Midwifery

Beth N. Bolick,DNP, CPNP-AC, PPCNP-BC, CCRN – Nursing Professor

Charles A. Vacchiano, PhD, CRNA – Professor

Linda Flynn, PhD, RN, FAAN – Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Programs

Linda Phillips, PhD,RN,FAAN

Dr. Bertha Lane Davis – Professor

Jeanne Alhusen, PhD, CRNP, RN

Janet L. Larson, PhD, RN, FAAN – Professor and Division Chair

Carol Fowler Durham, EdD, RN, ANEF – Clinical Professor & Director, CERC

Demetrius Abshire, MSN, RN, ACNS-BC – Nursing Professor

Mustafa K. Dabbous, PhD., MS, BS – Professor

Mary Byrne, PhD, DNP, MPH, CPNP – Stone Foundation and Elise D. Fish Professor of Health Care for the Underserved in Nursing

Dr. Ruth Ann Belknap-Associate Professor

Sandra Gaynor, Associate Professor of Nursing and MS Nursing

Suzanne G. Leveille, PhD Program Director and Professor, Department of Nursing

Stephanie Steiner, MSN, RN, ACNP – Professor and Director of Flight Nursing Program

Joel G. Anderson, PhD – Assistant Professor of Nursing and Roberts Scholar

Judith Halstead, PhD, RN – Executive Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Kim Amer, PhD, RN

Kathryn Christiansen, PhD, MA, BSN – Associate Dean and Associate Professor

Kelly M. Bower-Joffe, PhD, MPH, RN, APHN-BC

Beth A. Brooks – PhD.,RN & FACHE – President

Edie Barbero, PhD, RN , PMHNP-BC – Assistant Professor of Nursing Coordinator and Psychiatric Mental Health

April D. Kidd, BSN, MBA, NEA-BC-Adjunct Instructor

Michael E. Galbraith, PhD, RN – Associate Professor of Nursing

Marita G. Titler, PhD, RN, FAAN – Professor and Chair, Division of Nursing Business Health Systems

Patricia Clinton, PhD,RN,ARNP,FAANP – Clinical Professor and Director of Faculty Practice

Rojann Alpers, PhD, RN Associate Professor

Angela M. Allen, RN, BSN, MAT, EdS, EA, PhDc

Claudia Calle Beal, PhD, MSN

Jacqueline Dunbar-Jacob PhD, RN, FAAN – Dean and Distinguished Service Professor of Nursing
Professor of Psychology