DiversityNursing Blog

The eight-minute film, titled Purl, emphasizes the importance of workplace inclusivity and diversity. Writer and director, Kristen Lester, used her own experiences in the animation industry for Purl's story. 

“It’s based on my experience being in animation”, says Lester, “my first job, I was like the only woman in the room and so in order to do the thing that I loved, I sort of became one of the guys. Then, I came to Pixar and I started to work on teams with women for the first time and that actually made me realise how much of the female aspect of myself I had sort of buried and left behind”.

This film emphasizes complaints about male-dominated industries and how they're still way behind in terms of hiring diverse teams, publicly reporting those figures, and properly onboarding a new employee. HR managers believe those things are key to preventing toxic or alienating work cultures. 

Watch Purl's first day at B.R.O Capital, below! 

Over the past few years, themed escape rooms have become a top team-building event. Nurses are taking this idea and creating their own escape room concepts to improve healthcare professionals' knowledge and skills. 

Nurses Paula M. Gabriel, MSN-RN, and Casey Lieb, MSN-RN at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center created a sepsis awareness escape room.

A variety of healthcare professionals signed up online including Social Workers, Physical Therapists, Physicians, Nursing Assistants, Nursing Students, members of the Infection Prevention Team, and more.

According to a HealthLeaders article, teams of six to eight people were locked in the Penn Presbyterian sepsis escape room together and asked to complete a mission. The teams had 25 minutes to detect and treat sepsis in a mock patient before they could escape the room. They did this by solving four puzzles and responding to clues. At the end of the either completed or failed mission, the teams debriefed with Gabriel and Lieb who informally evaluated the participants' understanding of sepsis.

"The escape room format allows different types of learning, so you have people that are auditory, visual, or kinesthetic learners [and] they can touch things and talk through things. You have to use your critical-thinking skills and think outside the box," Gabriel says. "There's that pressure element of having to escape something in a certain amount of time and you know it's a different way of learning, compared to the traditional, ‘Come and sit in a classroom' and have somebody give you information."

The University at Buffalo School of Nursing and School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences built an escape room to improve Nursing and Pharmacy students teamwork and communication. 

“Communication is critical between Nurses and Pharmacists because both professionals have key information about patients that, when combined, can enhance the care that patients receive,” said Nicholas Fusco, PharmD, Clinical Associate Professor.

According to a University of Buffalo news release, The escape room with Patient X, features riddles, puzzles, combination locks and invisible ink. The game highlights critical lessons surrounding infection control, patient restraint and medication safety.

Participants will complete a survey after the simulation, regardless of whether they completed the escape room. The results will help the researchers determine the effectiveness of team building exercises on performance and perceptions surrounding teamwork in interprofessional training.

University of Arizona College of Medicine added an escape room to their curriculum. 

Third-year medical students teamed up with physical therapy, occupational therapy and physician assistant students from Northern Arizona University to solve cases that involve rare diseases and bioterrorism. The scenario featured a terrorist who accidently exposed himself to his chemical/biological agent. Students had to figure out which agent he was exposed to and decide how to treat him in under 30 minutes.  

“The purpose of the escape room was to create a situation with external pressure that helps us observe how these students work in teams,” Lee Anne Denny, MD, director of Interprofessional Education, said. “Pressure to perform can cause teams to behave differently and sometimes unhelpful behaviors can emerge. This provides an opportunity to reflect on teamwork skills in a safe setting.”

Have you tried an escape room at your school or place of work? Was it a great learning experience that you would recommend? We would love to hear from you, comment below!

Dealing with the passing of a patient can be very difficult. There are many coping mechanisms you can use during these difficult times. It is best to face the emotions instead of avoiding them and be open with yourself and fellow team members. 

According to an article on boardvitals.com, avoidance and emotional distance can exacerbate stress. Even when the situation makes withholding one’s emotions appropriate, doing so will take its toll on you. It can compound the sense of loss. "Nurses who don’t allow themselves to process grief may feel reluctant to get close to other patients, have difficulty with personal relationships or have trouble sleeping or eating properly" said, Robert S. McKelvey, MD, a professor of psychiatry at Oregon Health and Science University.

Try speaking with colleagues and friends. Most likely, they’ve been in a similar state of mind or had an experience like yours at some point in their career. From those experiences, they can give you advice on how they coped with the loss of a patient. Speaking to someone who has gone through it should help you feel better. If you feel you need more help, a mental health professional can help you through the grieving process.

Praying or meditating is a practical way of clearing the worries and sorrow from your mind. Perhaps this is a better method to give you the peace of mind you can’t get from other people.

Spending time outdoors or exercising can improve your mood as well. Activities like gardening, yoga, swimming, running or walking can potentially give you peace and relax your mind. 

Don't blame yourself or try to find a reason why. Death is a part of life. You are human and did your best to save their life. Your patient's death does not define your skill, abilities or your character.

Every situation is unique. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to dealing with death. Take time to reflect and process the experience in your own way. Most of all, take care of you so you can take care of others. You are awesome!

If you have any advice on this topic, please share it here. Thank you.

According to a Becker's Hospital Review article, 24 hospitals are participating in the country's first city-led Nurse residency program, they are:

• BronxCare Health System
• Brookdale University Hospital
• Interfaith Medical Center
• Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center
• Mount Sinai Brooklyn
• Mount Sinai Hospital
• Mount Sinai Queens
• Mount Sinai St. Luke’s
• Mount Sinai West
• Maimonides Medical Center
• NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist
• NewYork-Presbyterian Queens
• NYC Health + Hospitals-Bellevue
• NYC Health + Hospitals-Coney Island
• NYC Health + Hospitals-Elmhurst
• NYC Health + Hospitals-Harlem
• NYC Health + Hospitals-Jacobi
• NYC Health + Hospitals-Kings County
• NYC Health + Hospitals-Lincoln
• NYC Health + Hospitals-Metropolitan
• NYC Health + Hospitals-North Central Bronx
• NYC Health + Hospitals-Queens
• NYC Health + Hospitals-Woodhull
• St. Barnabas Hospital Systems

According to NEJM, Telehealth is defined as the delivery and facilitation of health and health-related services including medical care, provider and patient education, health information services, and self-care via telecommunications and digital communication technologies.

Some types of telemedicine are store-and-forward telemedicine (asynchronous telemedicine), remote patient monitoring, and real-time telemedicine. 

A Rutgers article mentioned around half of the country’s hospitals use some sort of telehealth solution and recent surveys of health care executives discovered 90 percent of respondents had started the process of implementing telehealth programs at their organizations. Since Telehealth is growing rapidly here are some pros and cons to keep in mind. 

Pros

Better Access

Telemedicine improves patient's access to healthcare services. They don't have to miss work, find transportation or travel far to their nearest providers. It allows Nurses and Doctors to expand their reach to patients in distant locations or rural areas. 

Quality Care

The convenience of quick real-time consultations for non-emergency symptoms, frees up office appointments so healthcare professionals can spend more time with extreme case patients. 

Cost Efficiencies 

According to americantelemed.org, reducing or containing the cost of healthcare is one of the most important reasons for funding and adopting telehealth technologies. Telemedicine has been shown to reduce the cost of healthcare and increase efficiency through better management of chronic diseases, shared health professional staffing, reduced travel times, and fewer or shorter hospital stays.

Cons

Technology Barriers

Patients must have access to appropriate technology like a laptop or computer with video conferencing capability and internet or wifi. Some patients may not be tech-savvy and will need assistance with setting up. 

Also there are sometimes glitches. Technical difficulties, such as sound or video not working properly, can disrupt a telehealth visit. 

Privacy

There are some security concerns since the visit is done over the computer.

Regulatory attorney, Emily Wein said, "Your computer, your ipad, your iphone, or whatever interface or kiosk you have at your employer - these are all potential devices that could store or transmit your personal health information."

A telehealth patient's health information is being transmitted for "various modalities," increasing the potential that data might be misused, mistransmitted or accessed inappropriately, she says.

Payment

According to an article by Health Informatics, a big challenge for telehealth is reimbursement and coverage for services compared to those of in-person services. There is no guarantee of payment parity between telemedicine and in-person health care. Even in the 28 states in which payment parity laws have been passed, no apparatus exists to enforce it. This could potentially defeat the point of telemedicine to reduce health care costs and expand access to services , and could also discourage providers from offering telehealth because there is no guarantee of comparable payment.

Are you using telehealth services at your job? What are some advantages or disadvantages you've experienced? Comment below! 

A report by the U.S. Census Bureau shows nearly 1 in 5 people live with a disability. A common challenge many people with a disability face is getting dressed and undressed by themselves. Adaptive clothing can be a great help.  

According to caringvillage.com, adaptive clothing is designed with the dressing needs of the elderly and disabled in mind. Typically, the adapted features include:

• Velcro-type closures instead of buttons
• Open-back blouses, shirts, and dresses with Velcro-type closures that still retain the traditional button styling on the front
• Lap-over back-style garments with snaps for the individual who cannot raise their arms
• Zippers with easy-to-grasp pull tabs
• Pants with side zippers
• Seatless pants to help with incontinence
• Shoes with Velcro-type closures instead of shoelaces
• Slippers that adjust in width to accommodate swollen feet and ankles

A CBS news article discusses other innovative design elements that include adjustable hems on shirt sleeves and pant legs for individuals with limb differences. 

A Coherent Market Insights study predicts the global market for adaptive clothing will approach $393 billion by 2026. 

Popular brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Target, Nike and Zappos have launched clothing and shoe lines for these consumers. 

Tommy Hilfiger Adaptive

Target Children's Adaptive Line

Zappos Adaptive Line

Nike Adaptive Shoes

Only 10 days remain for you to apply for a Foundation of the National Student Nurses Association scholarship to support your college tuition, fees and books. This year we are pleased to be offering scholarships of up to $10,000 to diverse nursing students.  There’s still time, but you need to get started now.  For more details and for link to application, click here. The deadline is January 11, 2019.

The holiday season is here and we have a list of things Nurses will love! 

1. Stethoscope

MDF Instruments has a fun line of prints and colors you can choose from.

If you're looking for something more high tech, there is the Eko CORE digital stethoscope.

2. Personalized Water Bottle from Etsy.com

3. Dry Erase Board Wrist Band on amazon.com

4. New Pair of Shoes

Dansko is a top brand for Nursing shoes.

5. Nurse Shaped USB from allheart.com

6. Night Shift Nurse Sign from Etsy.com

7. Jewelry 

like this Nurse appreciation necklace from dearava.com

8. Massage Gift Card

You work a demanding and physically draining job and who doesn’t love a massage?! A massage provides a terrific opportunity to take some “me time” to unwind and relax. 

9. Car Decal from Etsy.com

10. Coloring Book For Nurses on amazon.com

According to a healthecareers.com article, Mental health Nurses are typically part of a healthcare team that includes Psychologists, Social Workers, Psychiatrists, Occupational Therapists and other healthcare assistants. 

Psychiatric Nursing is a demanding profession but many Nurses find it rewarding and ideal for their qualifications. It can be a financially rewarding specialty as well.

An article by the American Psychiatric Nurses Association says, the Psychiatric Mental Health Registered Nurse develops a Nursing diagnosis and plan of care, implements the Nursing process, and evaluates it for effectiveness. Psychiatric Mental Health Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (PMH-APRNs) offer primary care services to the psychiatric-mental health population. PMH-APRNs assess, diagnose, and treat individuals and families with psychiatric disorders or the potential for such disorders using their full scope of therapeutic skills, including the prescription of medication and administration of psychotherapy.

Colorado Technical University covers some of the skills Psychiatric Nurses should have:

• Interpersonal Communication and Collaboration – Psychiatric Nurses should have good one-on-one people skills since they help administer biopsychosocial assessments and work to educate clients and families on therapies and medications.
• Problem-Solving – Help assess patients by using the psychiatric diagnostic classification systems and observing and examining the patient's behaviors. 
• Attention to Detail – In addition to problem-solving, it is important that Psychiatric Nurses demonstrate care and meticulousness since their duties can include educating patients about psychopharmacologic drugs, administering such drugs, and monitoring patients taking psychopharmacologic drugs as well.

Allnursingschools.com discusses education and certification requirements. Psychiatric Nurses must be Registered Nurses. Although 4-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees are preferred, you may choose to begin your career with a 2-year associate’s degree or a 2- to 3-year diploma through a hospital-based training program. To become a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner or Clinical Nurse Specialist, you will need additional education at the graduate level, usually two-year Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree. Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners are Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) who earn master’s degrees in psychiatric-mental health Nursing. 

The occupational outlook for Nurse Practitioners in the field of mental health Nursing is 31%, according to a NurseJournal.org article, which is much faster than other positions within the United States. This job has seen an increase in need for licensed Nurses as mental health awareness has begun to rise throughout the country. The average rate of pay for a mental health Nurse is $96,460 per year or $46.37 per hour.

Are you a Mental Health Nurse? Do you enjoy your career choice? We would love to hear about your experiences. Please comment below. Thank you!

The dictionary defines an advocate as someone who pleads the cause of another. An article from Loyola University Chicago says, in the Nursing profession, advocacy means preserving human dignity, promoting patient equality, and providing freedom from suffering. It’s also about ensuring that patients have the right to make decisions about their own health.

The American Nurses Association (ANA) believes Nurses make great advocates because they provide essential services, are knowledgeable about client needs, and interact closely with health care consumers across a variety of care settings and social groups. This gives Nurses a broad appreciation of health needs and an understanding of the factors that affect health care delivery.

Here are several ways Nurses advocate for their patients:

• Nurses ensure their patient's safety while they’re being treated in a healthcare facility. When the patient is discharged, you communicate with case managers and other colleagues about the need for home health or assistance for when they go home. 
  
  
• While the doctor explains a patient's diagnosis and treatment options, you translate that information from medical jargon in to understandable directives and help them with any questions. 
  
  
• You educate your patients on how to manage their current or chronic condition as well as how to take their medications and any side effects they may experience. You help them improve the quality of their everyday life.
  
  
• An article from The University of Texas at Arlington states, Nurses can and should advocate for healthcare equality. They should encourage others not to discriminate and model this principle themselves. Everyone deserves access to the same level of attention and compassion. Race, religion, socioeconomic status or other criteria should not be a factor in healthcare. 
  
  
• Nurses help to prevent or manage their patient's suffering whether it’s physical, emotional or psychological. 
  
  
• Nurse patient advocacy also includes speaking up while serving on committees or councils to solve problems and ensure patients receive the best care possible.

According to Nursejournal.org, there is no certification specific for a Nurse advocate, although more and more programs are being developed. As such, certification is the same as it is for a Registered Nurse, which is set out in the NCLEX-RN.

Your job is challenging, but very rewarding. You learn a great deal from the patients themselves and not just medically. You also learn about their cultures, families, religions and personal beliefs.