DiversityNursing Blog

An estimated 250,000 service members transition out of the military each year. According to a survey by Navy Federal Credit Union, in partnership with the nonprofit Hire Heroes USA, health care topped the list of the 10 best career employment opportunities for those transitioning.

Service members have skills, principles, and standards that fit perfectly into a hospital or health system’s own core values and needs.

Veterans are trained to keep an eye on the big picture, while also keeping a strong sense of details.

Military personnel are the ultimate team players and are team-trained leaders. One of the first things they learn in the military is to become a good leader, you must first be a good follower. For them, rising through the ranks is a rite of passage and allows all military leaders to create their own management styles based on what they've learned from their superiors.

Veterans are able to adapt and work well in extreme conditions. They are accustomed to assessing situations and quickly forming a plan of action.

These trained service members are experts in delivering emergency services in under-resourced environments. This is an invaluable resource for rural and critical access hospitals.

Veterans can also relate to a Nurses' 12-hour shift, foregoing bathroom and lunch breaks during long durations.

According to an article from the National Institutes of Health, The Nursing shortage in the United States is expected to reach 260,000 Registered Nurses by 2025. Capitalizing on prior education, experience, and skills of military clinical personnel to fill these jobs could significantly reduce the projected Nursing shortage.

Many Nursing schools offer Veterans' Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing (VBSN) programs. Programs like these, strengthen and grow the Nursing workforce through increased enrollment, progression, and graduation of veterans from baccalaureate Nursing programs.  These programs help veterans transition from their former military role to a civilian Registered Nurse.

Veterans possess clinical skills and have received excellent training in care delivery. All of the qualities mentioned will add value to your health system.

According to Diversity Best Practices, from 2015 to 2030, the US population is projected to grow by 12 percent, from about 321 million to 359 million. Most of that growth will come from minority and immigrant populations.

In order to better serve this growing population there needs to be more diverse healthcare professionals in leadership roles that mirror a culturally competent workforce. 

Modern Healthcare covered the industry’s lack of diversity in the C-suite mentioning, "Only 14% of hospital board members and 9% of CEOs are minorities, according to the most recent study by the American Hospital Association's Institute for Diversity and Health Equity—the same percentages as in 2013."

Yvonne Wesley, PhD, RN, FAAN and M. Jane Fitzsimmons, MSN, RN worked together to better understand the barriers diverse Nursing leaders faced in progressing their careers into higher leadership roles.

They created a survey that asked, "What do you perceive as the top three barriers for diversity Nurse leaders in advancing their careers to the executive level?" 

The answers were:

• Lack of equal access to inclusion.
• Lack of mentorship and sponsorship.
• Lack of opportunities for leader experiences.

Here are some ways to promote diversity in healthcare leadership.

In order to destroy these barriers, leaders of all backgrounds and ethnicities must first understand and accept that these barriers do exist. Those leaders can take that knowledge and their own personal cultural insights and use them to effectively address disparities within their own communities.

Mentoring programs are extremely important and should be implemented ASAP. As in any business, Nurses need leaders to help guide and inspire them. Representation of diverse Nurses in leadership positions creates positive influence and confidence in other Nurses looking to achieve leadership goals in the future.

Recruiting diverse candidates at every level increases representation in management, but also develops a diverse workforce and future pool of qualified candidates.

Utilize pro-diversity initiatives to reduce social isolation. Hire a Diversity & Inclusion Officer and appoint a diversity committee. There should be a diversity action plan, diversity training, social gatherings, and resource groups.

In healthcare, trust and representation matters. More diversity in healthcare leadership roles will create better patient outcomes.

We love this story and are excited to share it with you! Spirit Halloween is a major Halloween retailer and their mission is to make hospitals less scary for kids and their families through their Spirit of Children organization.

Spirit of Children has raised more than $55 million for Child Life departments since 2007 and their goal is to raise $10 million this year.

According to an article on PRNewswire, Funds for Spirit of Children are raised via donations from customers at more than 1,360 Spirit Halloween stores and SpiritHalloween.com, in addition to contributions from vendors and business partners. One hundred percent of funds raised by Spirit of Children stay local and are donated to each hospital's Child Life department.

These funds are used to host Halloween parties at pediatric hospitals during October so patients won't miss out on Halloween celebrations.

This year they’re hosting around 100 Halloween parties across the U.S. and Canada. Overall Spirit of Children will supply more than 80,000 costumes, accessories, activities and decorations for the parties. Also patients and families get to meet favorite characters like Batman and Ben 10.

Terry Spearman, Director of Child Life and Integrative Care Services at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C. said, "Spirit of Children recognizes that healing a child's body, mind and spirit takes more than medicine."

According to Penn State Children's Hospital, The funds are also used to hire additional Child Life staff, extending Child Life hours of operation and providing full-time Child Life specialists in the Emergency Department. Educational and entertainment items such as iPads and toys used for distraction during procedures are also purchased with funding. In addition, Spirit of Children funding has helped create playrooms, teen lounges and separate family spaces for long hospital visits.

See photos of Penn State Children's Hospital Spirit of Children Halloween party, click here to view photos.

Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU is another participating hospital. Here’s their video showcasing their Spirit of Children Halloween party.

Happy Halloween!!

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 61 million adults in the United States live with a disability and 13.7 percent of those people have a mobility disability with serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs.

In Switzerland 10 master students from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology wanted to develop a new generation wheelchair that would provide more accessibility and freedom for it's users to go wherever life takes them.

The biggest challenge for wheelchair users is stairs. So the students created the Scewo Bro wheelchair.

The Scewo Bro is an electric, stair-climbing wheelchair with self-balancing, segway technology to make it easier for the user to rotate on the spot and to drive over curbs without getting stuck. It is controlled by using your smartphone or the integrated touch screen and joy stick.

This amazing wheelchair uses rubber tracks to safely climb stairs, even spiral staircases. In a BBC article, one of the student designers, Thomas Gemperle, explained “Stairs are climbed sitting backward and driven down in the forward position. The tracks adapt to the angle of the stair automatically and keep the user level at all times."

Thomas also added, “With our special drive-train we have a wide stand on the stairs which makes it impossible to tip over in any direction."

Another feature of the Scewo Bro is “elevated mode”. This feature raises the wheelchair up for an eye level conversation or for reaching objects up high.

The Scewo Bro charges in 5 hours with any household outlet and folds down into a compact size to fit in the smallest of cars.

According to a CNN article, Jose Di Felice from Switzerland, was paralyzed in both legs and 1 arm after a high-speed motorcycle accident 3 years ago.

He discovered the Scewo Bro on Youtube and requested a test drive. Di Felice test drove the wheelchair at his town hall. He told CNN, "It was really emotional to go up these stairs, and look down there and say that it's possible."

It is anticipated the Scewo Bro wheelchairs will be distributed to users by the end of 2019. Di Felice will be one of the first to receive this life changing wheelchair.

Domestic violence does not discriminate. Anyone of any age, race, education level, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, religion or gender can be a victim OR perpetrator.

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence ncadv.org, Domestic violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another. It includes physical violence, sexual violence, psychological violence, and emotional abuse. 

Often at the beginning of a relationship, you can’t tell if it will become abusive. Typically, in the early stages of the relationship, the abusive partner is perfect in every way. Signs of controlling behaviors and obsessiveness emerge and intensify as the relationship goes on.

Domestic Violence Statistics

According to the CDC,

• On average, nearly 20 people/minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. In 1 year, this equates to 10+ million women and men.
• 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner.
• 1 in 7 women and 1 in 25 men have been injured by an intimate partner.
• 1 in 7 women and 1 in 18 men have been stalked by an intimate partner during their lifetime to the point in which they felt very fearful or believed that they or someone close to them would be harmed or killed.
• 1 in 10 women have been raped by an intimate partner. Data is unavailable on male victims.

Nurses have an important role to play in assisting victims of abuse/violence in a domestic situation.

Abused victims say that a compassionate inquiry from a caring Nurse helped them disclose their abuse and find the best intervention services. By recognizing the signs of abuse and caring to ask questions, the patient recognizes the Nurse is knowledgeable about domestic violence and validates domestic violence as a legitimate health care issue.

According to a Crisis Prevention article, when assessing a victim, be aware of the following physical signs of injuries that may be related to domestic violence:

• Bruising in the chest and abdomen
• Multiple injuries
• Minor lacerations
• Ruptured eardrums
• Delay in seeking medical attention and
• Patterns of repeated injury

However it is unlikely the victim will be seeking help for a physical injury. More likely they are seeking help for issues such as:

• A stress-related illness
• Anxiety, panic attacks, stress and/or depression
• Drug and alcohol abuse
• Chronic headaches, asthma, vague aches and pains
• Abdominal pain, chronic diarrhea
• Sexual dysfunction, vaginal discharge
• Joint pain, muscle pain
• Sleeping and eating disorders
• Suicide attempts, psychiatric illness or
• Gynecological problems, miscarriages, chronic pelvic pain

The victim may also:

• Appear nervous, ashamed or evasive
• Describe their partner as controlling or prone to anger
• Seem uncomfortable or anxious in the presence of their partner
• Be accompanied by their partner, who does most of the talking
• Give an unconvincing explanation of the injuries
• Be recently separated or divorced
• Be reluctant to follow advice

After assessing the patient, try not to jump in too fast with suggestions and solutions. Encourage the patient to talk, and then listen carefully. After you have a better understanding of the patient's current state, you can help by providing appropriate resources for them to find safety. Some of these resources include…

The National Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-7233 (SAFE)
www.ndvh.org

National Sexual Assault Hotline 
1-800-656-4673 (HOPE)
www.rainn.org

National Resource Center on Domestic Violence 
1-800-537-2238
www.nrcdv.org and www.vawnet.org

Futures Without Violence: The National Health Resource Center on Domestic Violence 
1-888-792-2873
www.futureswithoutviolence.org

National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma & Mental Health
1-312-726-7020 ext. 2011
www.nationalcenterdvtraumamh.org

Childhelp USA/National Child Abuse Hotline 
1-800-422-4453
www.childhelpusa.org

Domestic Violence Initiative 
(303) 839-5510/ (877) 839-5510
www.dviforwomen.org

INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence 
incite.natl@gmail.com 
www.incite-national.org

Casa de Esperanza 
Linea de crisis 24-horas/24-hour crisis line 
1-651-772-1611
www.casadeesperanza.org

Asian and Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Violence 
1-415-954-9988
www.apiidv.org

Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community 
1-877-643-8222
www.dvinstitute.org

According to the World Health Organization, approximately 1.3 billion people globally live with some form of vision impairment.

With regard to Distance Vision

• 188.5 million people have mild vision impairment
• 217 million have moderate to severe vision impairment
• 36 million people are blind
  
  

With regard to Near Vision

• 826 million people live with a near vision impairment

Kursat Ceylan knows the struggles of being blind and wanted to make life easier and more convenient for others who face the same challenges. He created WeWalk. WeWalk is an innovative cane which includes built-in speakers, voice assistance, Google Maps, a Bluetooth system and more.

According to a Design Wanted article, the device features dual sensors that vibrate to alert the user of upcoming danger at ground & chest level. The battery can be charged via a USB and works up to 5 hours. The cane can connect to apps like Uber and Lyft allowing access to convenient transportation. Google Maps provides an accurate navigation system when walking. It also features an LED light to assist partially sighted people. 

Kursat Ceylan told CNN "As a blind person, when I am at the Metro station I don’t know which is my exit, I don’t know which bus is approaching, which stores are around me. That kind of information can be provided with the WeWalk.”

Ceylan's device has competition with other products such as the Smart Cane Device, the BAWA cane and the SmartCane, but the fact that WeWalk utilizes and incorporates existing technologies (voice assistance, Google Maps, and Bluetooth synchronization), makes it a completely new idea.

Nurses are selfless, always giving as much of themselves as they can for their patients. Thanks to one extremely selfless Nurse, 8-year-old Brayden Auten of WI is alive and well and starting a new school year. 

One day last April, Brayden, a busy and active child, came home from school very sick. The following evening, he was at Children's Hospital in Milwaukee where doctors discovered an aggressive unknown virus attacking his liver.

According to a Wisconsin News article, within a week, young Brayden was fighting for his life. Ruth Auten, Brayden's mom said "Started talking liver transplant, and we just bawled our eyes out. We didn't think it was going to get that far."

The family posted Brayden's story online and the response was so huge, an operator was added to the unit to handle the volume of phone calls. Thankfully, Cami Loritz, an ICU Nurse in Milwaukee, answered their prayers. She was a perfect match and volunteered to be a living donor.

Brayden’s dad, James Auten said "What she did was completely selfless and she saved his life, plain and simple." Ruth said "We can't thank her enough. She's a true miracle. We consider her one of us, one of our family."

While Brayden was recovering in Milwaukee, the community back home in Wrightstown, WI came together for the family. "They set up fundraisers and everything for tournaments and just, it was really amazing to see the community support and the wrestling team came while we were gone and did our lawn and landscaping and came and saw him. It's been pretty amazing," said Brayden's dad. 

The Auten's are so thankful and grateful for the gift of life Cami gave to Brayden. To commemorate what Cami did for Brayden and his family, they organized a family photo shoot for them. You can see their bond in these photos. Cami, you are truly an amazing person!

SANE stands for Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner and it is a qualification for forensic Nurses to conduct sexual assault evidentiary exams for rape victims. SANE Nurses are trained in the medical, psychological, and forensic examination of a sexual assault victim.

SANE Nurses are extremely important in making sure sexual assault survivors feel safe as they are treated in the emergency room.

These Nurses act as an advocate for patients by staying with them for hours as they gain trust, asking the difficult questions, conducting physical exams to check for evidence and injury, providing emergency contraceptives, and maintaining evidence for law enforcement.

In addition to the collection of forensic evidence, they also provide access to crisis intervention counseling, STI testing, and drug testing. A SANE will also supply medical referrals for additional medical care or possible follow ups to document how they are healing.

To become a SANE, you must first be a Registered Nurse (or Advanced Practice), preferably with 2+ years experience in areas of practice that require advanced physical assessment skills. The SANE training should meet the IAFN SANE Education Guidelines and will consist of both classroom and clinical components.

1)       SANE-A -- for Adult and Adolescent Examiners

2)       SANE-P -- for Pediatric victims

Resources

National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examinations of Adults and Adolescents 

Approved SANE Courses

Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Education Guidelines, Adult and Pediatric

National Training Standards for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examiners

Nurse's innovative ideas are coming to life thanks to pop-up labs through a company called MakerHealth. MakerNurse, powered by MakerHealth, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, was launched in September 2013 with the goal of examining Nurse innovation in U.S. hospitals and identifying tools and resources that could help more Nurses bring their ideas to fruition and lead improvements in patient care. Their solutions, informed by this research, are being adopted by institutions across the country. 

Nurses are natural problem solvers and spot any barriers in providing the best health care. So it would be in everyone's best interest to support Nurse's ideas and provide them the tools to create.

MakerHealth Space is situated inside a hospital. It provides Nurses and other health care professionals direct access to robust tools and materials, from 3D printers to Velcro, to create new and better devices that improve the way they care for patients. 

According to the company's website, the MakerHealth Space is stocked with adhesives and fasteners, such as Velcro and zip ties; textiles and electronics, including sensors and microcontrollers; and a range of tools, from pliers and sewing needles to 3D printers and laser cutters. The space is divided into a series of workstations, each equipped to address a specific medical challenge, such as fluid control or assistive technology.

PICU Neonatal Transport Nurse, Brittany Hruska, started researching and creating earmuffs for babies in the neonatal intensive care unit a couple years ago. 

"In the NICU, we have a lot of noise that we can't eliminate between the ventilators and just talking that happens. There's been tons of research on how damaging it is to babies. It's bad for their growth, development. It's bad for their brains," said Hruska.

A MakerHealth pop-up lab was set up at Blank Children’s Hospital and helped her improve her invention. Hruska said, "Before I was hand cutting these. They would take me about an hour to make a set of them. The MakerNurse program had people who helped me learn how to do computer aided design software and we 3D printed molds and they helped me find liquid foam, so now I can make lots of these pretty quickly."

The first MakerHealth Space was at John Sealy Hospital at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Jason Sheaffer, Nurse manager in that burn unit, used PVC piping with 3D printed connectors to make a modular irrigation system to attach to the burn unit tub, creating a shower system that will help Nurses more efficiently and effectively treat burn patients. Dolly McCarley, from that Medical Surgical unit, laser cut acrylic attachments for patient IV poles to keep supplies closer at hand. Debra Flynn, from that Labor and Delivery Unit, fabricated protective sleeves for patient IVs using an impulse sealer, vinyl and string. Dell Roach in Cardiothoracic Surgery designed a template for placing 12-lead EKGs on pediatric patients.

To learn more about MakerHealth and their MakerNurse program, click here.

The policy released by AAP defines Racism as a “system of structuring opportunity and assigning value based on the social interpretation of how one looks (which is what we call ‘race’) that unfairly disadvantages some individuals and communities, unfairly advantages other individuals and communities, and saps the strength of the whole society through the waste of human resources.”

Dr. Maria Trent, a professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, who was one of the co-authors of the statement, called racism a "socially transmitted disease. It is taught and it is passed down, but the impacts on children and families are significant from a health perspective."

According to the statement, The impact of racism has been linked to birth disparities and mental health problems in children and adolescents.^6,24–30 The biological mechanism that emerges from chronic stress leads to increased and prolonged levels of exposure to stress hormones and oxidative stress at the cellular level. Prolonged exposure to stress hormones, such as cortisol, leads to inflammatory reactions that predispose individuals to chronic disease.³¹ As an example, racial disparities in the infant mortality rate remain,³² and the complications of low birth weight have been associated with perceived racial discrimination and maternal stress.^25,33,34

The statement directs pediatricians to consider their own practices from this perspective. “It’s not just the academy telling other people what to do, but examining ourselves,” Dr. Trent said.

It is imperative that pediatric clinical settings make everyone feel they are welcome. You can display images of diverse families on your walls and post signs in multiple languages. The toys, books, and videos in the waiting room should be multicultural as well.

Care should be provided in different languages. Does your staff represent the diverse patient populations they are treating? Everyone from the reception desk to the clinical staff seeing patients in the exam rooms should be trained in culturally competent care. Ask yourself, have you created a safe and welcoming space for all patients?

Clinical staff must examine and acknowledge their own biases as well as embrace and advocate for innovative policies throughout their communities.

To read the full statement policy by AAP, click here.