Blog (105)

Affordable Care for Those Uninsured

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

longernurset resized 600

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

2014 Diversity Holidays

Posted by Alycia Sullivan

Wed, Apr 09, 2014 @ 11:20 AM

MP900443793 1 resized 600

2014 Diversity Holidays

The United States is rich with diversity, which is reflected in the observances celebrated by its various cultures and populations. Knowledge of the following diversity holidays and celebrations can enhance your workplace diversity and inclusion efforts. (Please note: All dates are for 2014.)

January

January 6 is Epiphany, a holiday recognizing the visit of the three wise men to the baby Jesus 12 days after his birth. The holiday is observed by both Eastern and Western churches.

January 14 is Makar Sankranti, a major harvest festival celebrated in various parts of India.

January 14 is also Eid Milad Un Nabi, an Islamic holiday commerating the birthday of the prophet Muhammad. During this celebration, homes and mosques are decorated, large parades take place, and those observing the holiday participate in charity events.

January 15 (sunset) – January 16 (sunset) is Tu B'shvat, a Jewish holiday recognizing "The New Year of the Trees." It is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the Hebrew month of Shevat. In Israel, the flowering of the almond tree usually coincides with this holiday, which is observed by planting trees and eating dried fruits and nuts.

January 16 is Mahayana New Year celebrated on the first full-moon day in January by members of the Mahayana Buddhist branch.

January 19 is World Religion Day. This day is observed by those of the Baha’i faith to promote interfaith harmony and understanding.

Third Monday in January (January 20) is Martin Luther King Day, commemorating the birth of Martin Luther King, Jr., the recipient of the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize and an activist for non-violent social change until his assassination in 1968.

January 18-25 is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. During the week, Christians pray for unity between all churches of the Christian faith.

January 26 is Republic Day of India. This day recognizes the date the Constitution of India came into law in 1950, replacing the Government of India Act of 1935. This day also coincides with India's 1930 declaration of independence.

January 31 is the birthday of Guru Har Rai, the seventh Sikh guru.

January 31 also marks the start of the Asian Lunar New Year, celebrated by many Asian groups including Chinese, Vietnamese, and Koreans. This year is the Year of the Wooden Horse.

January 31-February 14 marks the Chinese New Year. This year is the Year of the Wooden Horse. Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in the Chinese lunisolar calendar and is recognized by gift giving, parades, decorations, and feasting. The celebration culminates with the Lantern Festival on February 14.

February

February is Black History Month in the United States and Canada. Since 1976, the month has been designated to remember the contributions of people of the African Diaspora.

February 8 is Nirvana Day, the commemoration of Buddha’s death at the age of 80, when he reached the zenith of Nirvana. February 15 is an alternative date of observance.

February 17 is President’s Day, originally established to honor Presidents Washington and Lincoln, it now serves as a reminder of the contributions of all U.S. presidents.

February 26 – March 1 are Intercalary Days for people of the Baha’i faith. At this time, days are added to the Baha’i calendar to maintain their solar calendar. Intercalary days are observed with gift giving, special acts of charity, and preparation for the fasting that precedes the new year.

February 27 is Mahashivratri, a Hindu holiday that honors Shiva, one of the Hindu deities.

March

March is Women’s History Month. Started in 1987, Women’s History Month recognizes all women for their valuable contributions to history and society.

March is also National Mental Retardation Awareness Month, which was established to increase awareness and understanding of issues affecting people with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities.

March is National Multiple Sclerosis Education and Awareness Month. It was established to raise public awareness of the autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord and assist those with multiple sclerosis in making informed decisions about their health care.

March 2 is Losar, the Tibetan Buddhist New Year. Losar, which means new year in Tibetan, is considered the most important holiday in Tibet.

March 5 is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent in the Christian faith. As a display of atonement, ashes are marked on worshippers. Lent, which is observed during the seven weeks prior to Easter, is a time of reflection and preparation for the Holy Week and is observed by fasting, charitable giving, and worshipping.

March 8 is International Women’s Day. First observed in 1911 in Germany, it has now become a major global celebration honoring women’s economic, political, and social achievements.

March 13 – April 15 is Deaf History Month. This observance celebrates key events in deaf history, including the founding of Gallaudet University and the American School for the Deaf.

March 15 (sunset)- March 16 (sunset) is Purim, a Jewish celebration that marks the time when the Jewish community living in Persia was saved from genocide. According to the Book of Esther, King Ahasuerus’s political advisor planned to have all the Jews killed; however, his plot was foiled when Esther, one of the king’s wives, revealed her Jewish identity. On Purim, Jewish people offer charity and share food with friends.

March 16 is Magha Puja Day, a Buddhist holiday that marks an event early in the Buddha’s teaching life when a group of 1,250 enlightened saints, ordained by the Buddha, gathered to pay their respect to him.

March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day, a holiday started in Ireland to recognize St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, who brought Christianity to the country in the early days of the faith.

March 17 is also Holi, a Hindu and Sikh spring religious festival observed in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, along with other countries that have large Hindu and Sikh populations. People celebrate Holi by throwing colored powder and water at each other. Bonfires are lit the day before in the memory of the miraculous escape that young Prahlad accomplished when Demoness Holika carried him into the fire.

April

April is Celebrate Diversity Month, started in 2004 to recognize and honor the diversity surrounding us all. By celebrating differences and similarities during this month, organizers hope that people will get a deeper understanding of each other.

April is Autism Awareness Month, established to raise awareness about the developmental disorder that affects children's normal development of social and communication skills.

April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day, created to raise awareness of the developmental disorder around the globe.

April 8 is Ram Navami, a Hindu festival commemorating the birth of Lord Rama, a popular deity in Hinduism. People celebrate the holiday by sharing stories and visiting temples.

April 13 is Palm Sunday, a holiday recognized by Christians to commemorate the entry of Jesus in Jerusalem. It is the last Sunday of Lent and the beginning of the Holy Week.

April 14 (sunset)- April 22 (sunset) is Passover, a Jewish holiday celebrated each spring in remembrance of the Jews’ deliverance out of slavery in Egypt in 1300 B.C. On the first two days of Passover, a traditional Seder is eaten and the story of deliverance is shared.

April 18 is Good Friday, celebrated by Christians to commemorate the execution of Jesus by crucifixion and is recognized on the Friday before Easter.

April 20 is Easter, a holiday celebrated by Christians to recognize Jesus’ return from death after the crucifixion. It is considered to be the most important Christian holiday.

May

May is Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the United States. The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks on the project were Chinese immigrants.

May is also Older Americans Month, established in 1963 to honor the legacies and contributions of older Americans and to support them as they enter their next stage of life.

May 21 is World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, a day set aside by the United Nations as an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the values of cultural diversity and to learn to live together better.

May 25 is Lailat al Mairaj. On this day, Muslims celebrate Prophet Muhammad’s night journey from Makkah to Jerusalem and his ascension to heaven.

June

June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, established to recognize the impact that gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals have had on the world. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual groups celebrate this special time with pride parades, picnics, parties, memorials for those lost to hate crimes and HIV/AIDS, and other group gatherings. The last Sunday in June is Gay Pride Day.

June 12 is Lailat al Bara’a, celebrated as the night of forgiveness by Muslims.

June 14 is Flag Day in the United States. This day is observed to celebrate the history and symbolism of the American flag.

June 15 is Native American Citizenship Day. This observance commemorates the day in 1924 when the United States Congress passed legislation recognizing the citizenship of Native Americans.

On June 16, Sikhs observe the Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev. Guru Arjan Dev was the fifth Sikh guru and the first Sikh martyr.

June 19 is Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day. It is observed as a public holiday in 14 U.S. states. This celebration honors the day in 1865 when slaves in Texas and Louisiana finally heard they were free, two months after the end of the Civil War. June 19, therefore, became the day of emancipation for thousands of Blacks.

June 19 is also Corpus Christi, a Catholic celebration in honor of the Eucharist.

The last Sunday in June (June 29) is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Pride Day in the United States.

June 29 marks the beginning of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting. Muslims abstain from eating, drinking, and sexual activity from dawn until sunset, in efforts to teach patience, modesty, and spirituality. This year, the observance lasts until July 29.

July

On July 9, the Martyrdom of the Bab, Baha'is observe the anniversary of the Bab's execution in Tabriz, Iran, in 1850.

July 11 is World Population Day, an observance established in 1989 by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme. The annual event is designed to raise awareness of global population issues.

July 13 is Asala–Dharma Day, which celebrates the anniversary of the start of the Buddha’s teaching.

July 23 is the birthday of Haile Selassie I, the Emperor of Ethiopia, who the Rastafarians consider to be God and their Savior.

July 26 is Disability Independence Day, which marks the anniversary of the 1990 signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

July 29 is Eid al Fitr, the Muslim celebration commemorating the ending of Ramadan. It is a festival of thanksgiving to Allah for enjoying the month of Ramadan. It involves wearing one's finest clothing, saying prayers, and nurturing understanding of other religions.

August

August 4 (sunset) - August 5 (sunset) Tisha B’ Av, an annual fasting day, is observed to commemorate the tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people.

August 6 is Transfiguration, a holiday recognized by Orthodox Christians to celebrate when Jesus became radiant, and communed with Moses and Elijah on Mount Tabor. To celebrate, adherents have a feast.

August 9 is International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. The focus this year is "Indigenous peoples building alliances: Honouring treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements."

August 10 is Raksha Bandhan, a Hindu holiday commemorating the loving kinship between a brother and a sister. Raksha means protection in Hindi, and symbolizes the longing a sister has to be protected by her brother. During the celebration, a sister ties a string around her brother's (or brother-figure’s) wrist, and asks him to protect her. The brother usually gives the sister a gift and agrees to protect her for life.

August 12 is Pioneer Day, observed by the Mormons to commemorate the arrival in 1847 of the first Latter Day Saints pioneer in Salt Lake Valley.

August 17 is Marcus Garvey Day, which celebrates the birthday of the Jamaican politician and activist who is revered by Rastafarians. Garvey is credited with starting the Back to Africa movement, which encouraged those of African descent to return to the land of their ancestors during and after slavery in North America.

August 26 is Women’s Equality Day, which commemorates the August 26, 1920 certification of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which gave women the right to vote. Congresswoman Bella Abzug first introduced a proclamation for Women’s Equality Day in 1971. Since that time, every president has published a proclamation recognizing August 26 as Women’s Equality Day.

August 28 is Janmashtami, a Hindu holiday recognizing Krishna’s birthday. Krishna is the highest god in the Hindu faith.

September

September 10 is Paryushana, the most revered Jain festival comprising eight or ten days of fasting and repentance.

September 11 is the Ethiopian New Year. Rastafarians celebrate the New Year on this date and believe that Ethiopia is their spiritual home, a place they desire to return to.

September 15 – October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month. This month corresponds with Mexican Independence Day, which is celebrated on September 16, and recognizes the revolution in 1810 that ended Spanish dictatorship.

September 24 (sunset) – September 26 (nightfall) is Rosh Hashanah, a holiday recognizing the Jewish New Year. It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days, and is marked by abstinence, prayer, repentance, and rest.

October

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. This observance was launched in 1945 when Congress declared the first week in October as "National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week." In 1998, the week was extended to a month and renamed. The annual event draws attention to employment barriers that still need to be addressed.

October is also LGBT History Month, a U.S. observance started in 1994 to recognize lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender history and the history of the gay rights movement.

October 3 (sunset)- October 4 (sunset) is Yom Kippur. This holiday is the holiest day on the Jewish calendar and is a day of atonement marked by fasting and ceremonial repentance.

October 4 marks the beginning of Dussehra (Dasera), a ten day festival celebrated by Hinus to recognize Rama's victory over evil.

October 8 (sunset)- October 15 (sunset) is the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. It is a time of rememberance of the fragile tabernacles that Israelites lived in as they wandered the wilderness for 40 years. The first day of the holiday is celebrated with prayers and special meals.

October 11 is National Coming Out Day. For those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, this day celebrates coming out and the recognition of the 1987 march on Washington for gay and lesbian equality.

Second Monday in October is National Indigenous People’s Day, which recognizes 500 years of resistance and the continued existence of North American Indigenous people. This is celebrated in lieu of Columbus Day.

October 20 is Birth of the Bab, a holiday celebrated by the Baha'i recognizing the birth of the founder of the Baha'i faith.

October 23 marks the beginning of Diwali (the festival of lights), celebrated by Sikhs, Hindus, and Jains. The holiday is observed with decorating homes with lights and candles, setting off fireworks, and distributing sweets and gifts.

November

November is National Native American Heritage Month, which celebrates the history and contributions of Native Americans.

November 3 is Ashura, a holiday recognized by Muslims to mark the martyrdom of Hussain. It also commemorates that day Noah left the ark and Moses was saved from the Egyptians by God.

November 11 is Veterans Day, an annual U.S. federal holiday honoring military veterans. The date is also celebrated as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world and commemorates the ending of the first World War in 1918.

November 12 is the Birth of Baha’u’llah, a day on which members of the Baha’i faith celebrate the birthday of the founder of the Baha’i religion.

November 20 is Transgender Day of Remembrance, established in 1998 to memorialize those who have been killed as a result of transphobia and raise awareness of the continued violence endured by the transgender community.

November 23 is Feast of Christ the King, the last holy Sunday in the western liturgical calendar. This day is observed by the Roman Catholic Church, as well as many Anglicans, Lutherans, and other mainline Protestants.

December

December 1 is World AIDS Day, which was created to commemorate those who have died of AIDS, and to acknowledge the need for a continued commitment to all those affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

December 8 is Bodhi Day, a holiday observed by Buddhists to commemorate Gautama’s enlightenment under the Bodhi tree at Bodhgaya, India.

December 10 is International Human Rights Day, established by the United Nations in 1948 to commemorate the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

December 12 is Feast Day at Our Lady of Guadalupe. This day commemorates the appearance of the Virgin Mary near Mexico City in 1531.

December 16-24 is Las Posadas, a nine-day celebration in Mexico commemorating the trials Mary and Joseph endured during their journey to Bethlehem.

December 16 (sunset) - December 24 (sunset) is Hanukkah (Chanukah). Also known as the Festival of Lights, it is an eight-day Jewish holiday recognizing the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. It is observed by lighting candles on a Menorah—one for each day of the festival.

December 25 is Christmas, the day that Christians associate with Jesus’ birth.

December 26 – January 1 is Kwanzaa, an African-American holiday started by Maulana Karenga in 1966 to celebrate universal African-American heritage. It is observed by lighting candles to represent each of the holiday’s seven principles, libations, feasting, and gift giving.

Source: Diversity Best Practices

Topics: Holidays, celebrate, calendar, year, diversity

Magnet hospital work environments linked to high care quality

Posted by Alycia Sullivan

Mon, Apr 07, 2014 @ 01:56 PM

Source: Nurse.com

A professional practice environment that is supportive of nursing helps explain why Magnet hospitals have better nurse-reported quality of care than non-Magnet hospitals, according to a study.

As published earlier this year in the Journal of Nursing Administration, researchers with the New York University College of Nursing and University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing explored links between recognized nursing excellence and quality patient outcomes.

Only 9% of American hospitals have Magnet recognition, according to an NYU news release, and Magnet hospitals have higher job satisfaction and lower odds of patient mortality than non-Magnet hospitals. Research into the causes of the differences could create an infrastructure for positive change in nurse and patient outcomes.

“Many of the recent efforts to improve quality and enhance transparency in healthcare have been dominated by physician services and medical outcomes,” Amy Witkoski Stimpfel, RN, PhD, assistant professor at NYUCN, said in the news release. “Our study shows that the overall quality of patient care can be optimized when nurses work in a positive environment, with adequate resources and support at the organizational level.”

The study, “Understanding the Role of the Professional Practice Environment on Quality of Care in Magnet and Non-Magnet Hospitals,” focused on cross-sectional data, including the American Hospital Association’s annual survey, and an analysis of 56 Magnet and 495 non-Magnet hospitals.

Witkoski Stimpfel’s team found a clear correlation between positive work environments for nurses and nurse-reported quality of care. Even after taking into consideration hospital characteristic differences between Magnet and non-Magnet hospitals, Magnet hospitals still were positively correlated with higher reports of excellent quality of care.

“Having visible and accessible chief nurses, encouraging and including nurses in decision-making in their unit and throughout the organization, supporting nursing practice and engaging in interdisciplinary patient care are but a few examples of readily modifiable features of a hospital,” Witkoski Stimpfel said.

“Because all organizations, Magnet and otherwise, have the potential to enrich their practice environment, every organization stands to benefit from improving the organization of nursing care.

“Our findings suggest that Magnet hospitals produce better quality of care through their superior practice environments. Hospitals that invest in improving the nursing work environment have the potential to benefit from increased quality of care for their patients and families.”

Witkoski Stimpfel is continuing to research the outcomes associated with Magnet hospitals. Her current project is an assessment of the relationship between Magnet recognition and patient satisfaction in a national sample of hospitals.

Study abstract: http://bit.ly/1hxEUhy

Topics: study, quality, JNA, Magnet hospitals, high-care, RN

New York nurse blends art, healing

Posted by Alycia Sullivan

Mon, Apr 07, 2014 @ 01:47 PM

By Debra Anscombe Wood, RN

As a registered nurse in the cardiac surgery ICU at Beth Israel Medical Center, Valley Fox, RN, BSN, MA, AP, CCRN, witnesses the spectrum of life and death.

Her days are full of pharmaceuticals, imaging studies and other visual elements, which she reinterprets into an artistic language that explores the relationship between body and spirit.

“I take inspiration from the hospital because that’s where I spend my time,” Fox said. “Being in the presence of those images and bodies, it comes through instinctively.”

In one piece of artwork Fox donated to the American Heart Association and the cardiac surgery unit, she subtly embedded a heart in the middle of a flower. Many people did not notice, but her colleagues on the unit spotted it immediately.

“The heart is the center of everybody,” said Cathy Sullivan, RN, BS, MSN, FNP, CCRN, director of patient care services, Beth Israel Medical Center — Petrie Division. “Without your heart, you wouldn’t have a body or soul.”

Beth Israel Medical Center nurse Valley Fox, RN, recently completed a bilde (1)

month-long art exhibit at New York University’s medical sciences building called “Origins of Medicine.”

Mary Anne Gallagher, RN, MA, BC, director of quality, standards and practice at Beth Israel, envisioned a fetus and baby in one of Fox’s paintings, which the artist had not intentionally set out to create. “When you are in her presence, there’s a feeling of peace and comfort,” Gallagher said.

Art came first for Fox, who was born with severe myopia. Her inability to see clearly beyond 10 inches went unrecognized until she was in kindergarten, when she received glasses. “As a child, I was always drawing because that’s how I processed reality,” Fox said. “I would play with Play-Doh. I was constantly doing artwork as a child.”

The school allowed Fox, a gifted student, to paint twice a week in her elementary school years, where she developed her skills and creativity. “Everyone has creative capacities,” Fox said.

Her parents encouraged Fox to pursue “a practical degree” rather than art. After completing her nursing school prerequisites and waiting to be admitted to a nursing program, she turned to Chinese medicine. She completed a master of oriental medicine at the Atlantic Institute of Oriental Medicine in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., but the timing was not ideal to set up her own practice as an acupuncture physician.

bilde (2)

Still, healthcare intrigued her, and the opportunity to travel, move around and practice in different places cinched her decision to become an RN. She worked in Florida, Illinois and upstate New York before settling in New York City. Nursing is a career path she has not regretted.

“Being a nurse is incredibly rewarding, to help patients when they are in tremendous need and offer support and listen,” Fox said. “I get to share intimate moments with total strangers, and then there are critical moments where we work together as a team and save someone’s life. It’s an incredible opportunity.”

Fox credits her artistic background with the intuitive skills she draws from as a critical care nurse. She considers the interconnectivity of the mind and body and draws from her experience in medicine to pick up subtle clues.

“Sometimes, that right brain element comes through, and we can sense a patient may code and prevent an emergency,” Fox said.

Fox professionally displays and sells her paintings and recently completed a monthlong exhibit at New York University’s medical science building called “Origins of Medicine,” in which she explored the relationship between the mind and body in medicine.

“Valley looks at the patient as a whole and anticipates,” Sullivan said. “That’s the type of nurse you need, one who pays attention to detail. And artists pay attention to details.”

Source: Nurse.com

Topics: New York, Beth Israel Medical Center, nurse, art

Can you offer some advice on getting a job for an RN who has been licensed for 2 years, but who has worked as an RN for only 2 months?

Posted by Alycia Sullivan

Mon, Apr 07, 2014 @ 01:38 PM

Source: Nurse.com

Question:

Dear Donna,

I have been an RN for two years, but have worked for only a couple of months because I got sick. No one wants to hire me without experience. My credentials are perfect. I reside in Florida and cannot relocate because I am a mother of small children. Can you offer some advice?

Wants to Work

Dear Donna replies:

Dear Wants to Work,

Don't be discouraged. The job market is shifting and changing. Even though you are not a new nurse, read “New nurse, new job strategies” to see what's happening and learn creative ways to market yourself (www.Nurse.com/Cardillo/Strategies).

You should start volunteering as a nurse while you continue to look for paid employment. Volunteering is a great way to gain recent relevant experience, to hone old skills and learn new ones, build confidence and expand your professional network. Plus, volunteering often leads to paid employment as it is a way to get your foot in the door somewhere. Look for opportunities at your local public health department, a free clinic, the American Red Cross, a cancer care center or a blood bank.

You also should attend local chapter meetings of the Florida Nurses Association (www.floridanurses.org). You do not have to be a member of ANA/FNA to attend meetings as a guest. This is a great way to reconnect to your profession, get up to date on issues and trends and further expand your network. Networking is well known to be a great way to find and get a job.

When what you're doing isn't working, it's time to try a new approach. You will be able to find work. You'll just have to look in new directions for employment and use a new approach to find and get those jobs. Persistence and determination will always win out in the end.

Best wishes,
Donna

Topics: help, work, new nurse, Ask Donna, RN

The Evolution of Medicine

Posted by Alycia Sullivan

Fri, Apr 04, 2014 @ 11:03 AM

Modern medicine has helped lead to a surge in average life expectancy, which was only about 36 in the late 1800s. With humans routinely living into their 100s, advances in medical science are to thank. Let’s take a journey through the history of medical advancements.

Life expectancy by year
1850 36.6
1890 39.7
1900 48.3
1911 50.2
1921 55.7
1931 60.9
1941 64.5
1951 67.1
1961 70.3
1971 71.4
1981 73.1
1990 73.7
1992 74.2
1993 74.8
1995 73.9
1997 74.2
1998 74.5
1999 74.7
2000 74.8
2001 75.1
2002 75.4
2003 77.9
2004 78.3
2005 77.8
2006 77.7
2007 77.9
2010 78.7
2011 78.7

BC

Cancer
400 BC: Hippocrates uses the term “karcinos” to describe tumors. “Karcinos” evolved into cancer. It’s not yet known what causes cancer, with theories including imbalanced “humors” in the body.
Immunization and disease prevention
400 BC: Hippocrates describes mumps, diphtheria, epidemic jaundice and other conditions.
Mental illness
400 BC: Mental disorders are understood as diseases rather than symptoms of demonic possession or signs of having displeased the gods.

2nd century AD

Cancer
2nd century AD: Galen describes surgical treatments for breast cancer, which include removing early-stage tumors. But the surgeries are brutal and often fatal. For centuries, these rudimentary surgeries are the only treatment for cancer.

1100s

Immunization and disease prevention
1100s: The variolation technique is developed, involving the inoculation of children and adults with dried scab material recovered from smallpox patients.

1400s

Mental illness
1407: The first European establishment specifically for people with mental illness is probably established in Valencia, Spain.

1500s

Surgery and medical technology
1540 AD: English barbers and surgeons perform tooth extractions and blood-letting.

1600s

Mental illness
1600s: Europeans increasingly begin to isolate mentally ill people, often housing them with handicapped people, vagrants and delinquents. Those considered insane are increasingly treated inhumanely, often chained to walls and kept in dungeons.

1700s

Immunization and disease prevention
1798: Edward Jenner publishes his work on the development of a vaccination that would protect against smallpox. He tests his theory by inoculating 8-year-old James Phipps with cowpox pustule liquid recovered from the hand of a milkmaid, Sarah Nelmes.
Mental illness
Late 1700s: After the French Revolution, French physician Phillippe Pinel takes over the Bicêtre insane asylum and forbids the use of chains and shackles. He removes patients from dungeons, provides them with sunny rooms and allows them to exercise on the grounds. Yet in other places, mistreatment persists.

1800s

Surgery and medical technology
1818: Human blood is transfused from one person to another for the first time.
Mental illness
1840s: U.S. reformer Dorothea Dix observes mentally ill people in Massachusetts, seeing men and women of all ages incarcerated with criminals, left unclothed and in darkness and forced to go without heat or bathrooms.
Cancer & surgery/medical technology
1846: Anesthesia becomes widely available, helping expand options for surgery. Among cancer patients, surgery to remove tumors takes off.
Surgery and medical technology
1867: British surgeon Joseph Lister publishes Antiseptic Principle in the Practice of Surgery, extolling the virtues of cleanliness in surgery. The mortality rate for surgical patients immediately falls.
Immunization and disease prevention
1881: Louis Pasteur and George Miller Sternberg almost simultaneously isolate and grow the pneumococcus organism.
Mental illness
1883: Mental illness is studied more scientifically as German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin distinguishes mental disorders. Though subsequent research will disprove some of his findings, his fundamental distinction between manic-depressive psychosis and schizophrenia holds to this day.
Surgery and medical technology
1885: The first successful appendectomy is performed in Iowa.
Mental illness
Late 1800s: The expectation in the United States that hospitals for the mentally ill and humane treatment will cure the sick does not prove true. State mental hospitals become over-crowded, and custodial care supersedes humane treatment. New York World reporter Nellie Bly poses as a mentally ill person to become an inmate at an asylum. Her reports from inside result in more funding to improve conditions.
Cancer
1889: William Halsted develops the radical mastectomy to treat breast cancer; the technique includes the surgical removal of the tumor, breast, overlying skin and muscle.
Surgery and medical technology
1890s: Chemical agents are used to minimize germs. Carbolic acid is put on incisions to minimize germs and decrease infection rates.
Cancer
1895: Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen invents X-rays. Radiation therapy follows.
Surgery and medical technology
1895: The first X-ray is performed in Germany.

1900s

Mental illness
Early 1900s: The primary treatments of neurotic mental disorders, and sometimes psychosis, are psychoanalytical therapies (“talking cures”) developed by Sigmund Freud and others, such as Carl Jung.
Immunization and disease prevention
1914: Typhoid and rabies vaccine are first licensed in the U.S.; tetanus toxoid is introduced.
Immunization and disease prevention
1915: Pertussis vaccine is licensed.
Immunization and disease prevention
1918: The Spanish influenza pandemic is responsible for 25 million to 50 million deaths worldwide, including more than 500,000 in the U.S.
Cancer
1919: A chemical in the mustard gas used during World War I is found to reduce white blood cells. Chemotherapy is born.
Surgery and medical technology
1922: Insulin is first used for treatment of diabetes, allowing diabetics to survive after diagnosis.
Surgery and medical technology
1928: Antibiotics dramatically decrease post-surgical infections.
Mental illness
1930s: Drugs, electro-convulsive therapy, and surgery are used to treat people with schizophrenia and others with persistent mental illnesses. Some are infected with malaria; others are treated with repeated insulin-induced comas. Others have parts of their brain removed through lobotomies.
Surgery and medical technology
1937: The first blood bank opens, helping make more surgery possible by treating bleeding during the procedure.
Immunization and disease prevention
1943: Penicillin becomes mass-produced.
Mental illness
1946: President Harry Truman signs the National Mental Health Act, calling for the National Institute of Mental Health to conduct research into the brain and behavior and reduce mental illness.
Cancer
1947: Chemotherapy records its first, though temporary, success with the remission of a pediatric leukemia patient.
Mental illness
1949: Australian psychiatrist J. F. J. Cade introduces the use of lithium to treat psychosis. Lithium gains wide usage in the mid-1960s to treat those with manic depression, now known as bipolar disorder.
Surgery and medical technology
1950: John Hopps invents the cardiac pacemaker.
Cancer
1950s: Findings related to DNA give rise to molecular biology.
Mental illness
1950s: A series of successful anti-psychotic drugs are introduced that do not cure psychosis but control its symptoms. The first of the anti-psychotics, the major class of drug used to treat psychosis, is discovered in France in 1952 and is named chlorpromazine (Thorazine). Studies show that 70 percent of patients with schizophrenia clearly improve on anti-psychotic drugs.
Mental illness
1950s: A new type of therapy, behavior therapy, suggests that people with phobias can be trained to overcome them.
Surgery and medical technology
1953: A heart-lung bypass machine is used successfully for the first time.
Immunization and disease prevention
1955: The first polio vaccine is licensed, pioneered by Dr. Jonas Salk. The Polio Vaccination Assistance Act is enacted by Congress, the first federal involvement in immunization activities.
Surgery and medical technology
1957: William Grey Walter invents the brain EEG topography (toposcope).
Cancer
1964: A U.S. surgeon general’s report establishes an undeniable link between smoking and cancer.
Mental illness
Mid-1960s: Many seriously mentally ill people are removed from institutions. In the United States they are directed toward local mental health homes and facilities. The number of institutionalized mentally ill people in the United States will drop from a peak of 560,000 to just over 130,000 in 1980. Many people suffering from mental illness become homeless because of inadequate housing and follow-up care.
Immunization and disease prevention
1966: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announces the first national measles eradication campaign. Within 2 years, measles incidence decrease by more than 90% compared with prevaccine-era levels.
Surgery and medical technology
1967: A heart transplant is performed by South African physician Christian Barnard. The heart recipient survived 18 days until succumbing to pneumonia.
Cancer
1971: President Richard M. Nixon signs the National Cancer Act.
Cancer
1972: The development of computed tomography (CT) revolutionizes radiology.
Cancer
1973: Dr. Janet Rowley shows chromosome abnormalities in those with cancer.
Surgery and medical technology
1978: A baby conceived via in-vitro fertilization is born.
Mental illness
1980s: An estimated one-third of all homeless people are considered seriously mentally ill, the vast majority of them suffering from schizophrenia.
Cancer
1981: FDA approves the first vaccine against hepatitis B, one of the primary causes of liver cancer.
Surgery and medical technology
1982: The Jarvik-7 artificial heart is used.
Surgery and medical technology
1985: The first documented robotic surgery is performed.
Mental illness
1986: Prozac is developed to treat various mental illnesses.
Cancer
Early 1990s: For the first time, overall cancer death rates begin to fall.
Mental illness
1990s: A new generation of anti-psychotic drugs is introduced. These drugs prove to be more effective in treating schizophrenia and have fewer side effects.
Immunization and disease prevention
1994: The entire Western Hemisphere is certified as “polio-free” by the World Health Organization.

2000s

Surgery and medical technology
2000: Robotic surgical systems win U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval.
Cancer
2001: The FDA approves Gleevec, the first drug to target a specific gene mutation.
Surgery and medical technology
2003: The sequence of a complete human genome is published.
Immunization and disease prevention
2006: A vaccine is developed to prevent cervical cancer due to human papillomavirus.
Immunization and disease prevention
2009: The vaccine court rules that the mumps/measles/rubella vaccine, when administered with thimerosal-containing vaccines, does not cause autism.

Source: Best Medical Degrees

Topics: history, change, evolution of medicine

Something Powerful

Tell The Reader More

DiversityNursing Blog

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

Mohammad Alasagheirin, Assistant Professor of Nursing

Theresa Adelman-Mullally, Assistant Professor of Nursing

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