DiversityNursing Blog

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We all know and love Nurses, but isn’t it wonderful when a research study validates something you already know? We think you’ll enjoy this article.

If you’ve ever had a loved one in the hospital, you know how important nurses are. Studies show that the amount of time that nurses spend with patients is related to fewer errors. And according to a new study, investing in nursing is key to patient outcomes, including the risk of dying while in the hospital.

The study’s researchers, a team from the University of Pennsylvania, wanted to understand why certain hospitals have better outcomes than others. Specifically, the UPenn team was trying to explain why hospitals in the Kaiser Permanente health care system — an integrated health network in eight states that includes hospitals, insurance, and doctors’ offices all in one system — have such efficient and high-quality care. 

Other organizations have tried to mimic Kaiser Permanente’s organizational structure in order to improve care, but with mixed results. The researchers thought there might be a different X factor that could explain Kaiser’s success: nurses.

In order to find out, the study looked at more than 550 hospitals in California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Florida, including 25 California-based Kaiser Permanente hospitals and 56 Magnet hospitals. Magnet hospitals are recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center for being good workplaces for nurses.

Nurses in each hospital answered surveys about their work environment, level of education, job satisfaction, and the number of patients visited during a typical shift. The researchers also pulled data on patient mortality.

“It turns out that, by and large, nursing differences accounted for much of the mortality difference that we saw in Kaiser Permanente hospitals,” says study author Matthew McHugh, PhD, RN, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.

The results were clear: The odds of dying were about 20 percent lower in Kaiser Permanente and Magnet hospitals, and differences in nursing accounted for “a sizeable portion of the advantage,” according to the study. The analysis adjusted for factors such as hospital size and the severity of patients’ conditions.

“It turns out that these differences we see in nursing, in terms of work environment, staffing levels, investment in nursing around a highly educated workforce, those things translate into better outcomes,” McHugh tells Yahoo Health. 

There were a few specific factors that made Kaiser and Magnet hospitals stand out from the rest, McHugh explains:

1. Better work environments

Happier nurses mean healthier patients, research shows. “We find that places where nurses have a good experience working are places where nurses are better able to do their jobs. They’re more autonomous, they’re supported by management, and they’re integrated into hospital decision-making,” McHugh says.

Empowered nurses have better relationships with physicians, “so when they say ‘something isn’t right,’ they’ll be taken seriously,” McHugh adds. And patients can receive faster and more efficient care when nurses are authorized to make decisions such as when to remove a catheter, for example.

In fact, a study published last year in the Journal of Nursing Administration found that empowered nursing units are more effective and report better patient care compared to units with less authority.

Tangible changes matter, too. In response to the nurse shortage in the early 2000s, Kaiser Permanente made a deliberate, research-based effort to invest in nursing, says Marilyn Chow, PhD, RN, Vice President of National Patient Care Services and Innovation for Kaiser Permanente. 

A study of Kaiser hospitals conducted in 2005 and 2006 found that nurses spent more than 35 percent of their time on documentation. Starting in 2005, the system switched to electronic medical records, which helped streamline paperwork. They also observed that nurses spent a lot of time hunting and gathering equipment and information — checking to see if a medication was ready, for instance. In response, Kaiser Permanente rearranged the work environment to make things more convenient. (Nurses now receive a notification when meds are ready for pickup.)

“We wanted to make sure that we were a place that nurses wanted to work,” Chow tells Yahoo Health. “If you have nurses who are happy and joyful at their work, they will definitely pass that on and be caring and compassionate.”

2. More nurses with Bachelor’s degrees

The role of the nurse is much more complex than it used to be, Chow explains. “The role is not only surveillance, but facilitating and coordinating the care, and not just for one patient, but for four to five patients … there are so many things to take care of,” she says. Patients also arrive sicker and leave the hospital earlier, Chow and McHugh say, which puts an extra demand on nurses to coordinate care and teach patients and family members what to do when they arrive home. 

“Hospitals are very complex, and integrating all of that information requires a certain set of skills and requires you have a pool of knowledge within the overall nursing staff,” McHugh explains. He adds that the study observed a wide variation in nurse education from hospital to hospital, and that variation was associated with adverse events.

3. More nurses, period

Kaiser Permanente hospitals have a 4-to-1 patient-to-nurse ratio, on average, compared to 5-to-1 in non-Magnet hospitals, the UPenn study found.

Having more nurses ensures that there are enough eyes in rooms monitoring patients. It also means that nurses have sufficient time to follow up with patients and communicate effectively. “Nurses are at the bedside and are working with all the other providers. They’re the essential person for monitoring patient condition, and if something bad does happen, intervening and mobilizing the intervention response,” McHugh says.

Shelly Lopez Gray

Recently, a nurse made headlines for dropping a newborn, fracturing the baby's skull. The parents, understandably upset, claim the nurse should have known better than to hold the baby if she was sleepy. As a labor and delivery nurse, here is what I wish I could say to every mother out there, what I'm sure many of us would want to say to the families we care for:

Accidentally hurting your baby is one of our biggest fears. No nurse goes to work thinking they want to hurt someone. None of us leave our house thinking, "I really want to make someone suffer." There are a million and one ways a nurse can accidentally do something wrong. And every day, all day, we are very conscious of this fact and we work hard to provide the best care we possibly can... even if we're short-staffed, even if our assignments are difficult, even if every room on our unit is full. Even though we literally have 20 things to do at any given moment with a handful of different, complicated patients, we strive to provide compassionate care in a timely manner while struggling to chart every single action we take. We know we're going to make mistakes... our only hope is that the mistakes we make do not cause harm.

That nurse made a lot of right decisions. I'm just keeping it real -- but seriously, that nurse could have made a lot of other really bad decisions. She could have dropped the baby and not told anyone. Even though she was probably frightened and distraught that her action caused a baby harm, she chose to do the right thing and immediately get the baby evaluated.

A nurse's mistake can have many consequences. No one is asking why the nurse had the baby in the first place. I would bet any amount of money that she was trying to allow an exhausted mother to get a few minutes of uninterrupted sleep. And although I do not agree with this practice, I'm sure her intentions were pure. What people who are not nurses do not understand is that our mistakes can have many consequences. If we make a mistake, we can be peer-reviewed, which means our actions are brought before a committee to determine our nursing fate. We could lose our nursing license, leaving us unable to work or financially support ourselves or our family. If it's deemed we were neglectful, criminal charges could be filed against us, and we could face hefty fines or even jail time. And our actions at work and at home are all up for examination and scrutiny.

That nurse is suffering right now. I don't say this to diminish any anguish the family must feel that their baby was hurt while in the care of a healthcare provider. But wherever that nurse is right now, I promise you that she has been suffering. As I said before, no nurse goes to work wanting to hurt someone. She has had to endure being judged by her peers, questioning whether or not her facility would support her, and knowing that she caused a family distress. This is an incident that she will never forget, an incident that will probably taint her 30-year memory of nursing.

If you would have dropped your baby while in the hospital, the nurse would also be blamed. I don't believe healthy mothers and healthy babies should be separated while in the hospital. I don't believe a nurse should take a baby from a mother, even at her request, so that the mother can get uninterrupted sleep. This may not be a popular opinion, but as nurses, we need to see how these mothers interact with their babies even when they're exhausted and sleep-deprived. But this leads to another issue... even if this mother would have dropped her own baby, the nurse and hospital would still be blamed. It would have been all about rounding and if it was documented that the nurse educated the patient not to sleep with the baby in the bed or if the room was free of clutter. As nurses, we have to be everything to everyone.

We are all human. As I drive to work tomorrow, I will think of the patients I will meet and care for. And as I walk through the doors of my hospital, I will think the same thing I have thought every single day since I graduated from nursing school: Just don't hurt anyone. I know I will make mistakes. I'm human. But I hope I never make a mistake that hurts or kills someone. And that is a fear that lives inside of every nurse everywhere. My thoughts are with this family, and my thoughts are also with this nurse. To every nurse out there -- May the mistakes we make tomorrow bring no harm to the patients we try to give so much to.

Until my next delivery ♥

www.huffingtonpost.com

By Pat Magrath – DiversityNursing.com

The first step toward a college education often starts with the parents and grandparents when a child is born. Many families focus on education as a way to break an economic cycle that has held them back for generations. Seeing their children educated is one the most precious gifts a parent or grandparent can give and receive. This drive for education often brings together the extended family around this common purpose and goal. The desire for education burns bright, but the dreams often fall short when the discussions inevitably move from the quest for an education to the reality of financing that education.

Even when immediate and extended family members come together to support a student financially, it is often only a small part of the overall financial equation. The process of helping a student and their family understand how to financially prepare for college can be overwhelming and daunting. What is important to understand is that there are many resources available for funding a college education, but it takes time and commitment to research the many options.

The Hispanic population is the fastest growing minority group in the United States. However, according to a 2010 study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses), out of 3.2 million registered nurses in the U.S., only 3.6% are Hispanic. What this means is that Hispanics as a percentage of the overall population are underrepresented in the nursing profession. To address this issue and to help Hispanics/Latinos pursue college degrees and become registered nurses, many local, regional and national associations, civic organizations and private foundations have created scholarship and grant opportunities to aid students with the cost of attending college.

Even with the many opportunities to apply for financial aid and scholarships, the college funding process can be intimidating, but it is important for students and their families to realize that the education system now offers more choice and opportunity than ever before. With access to a computer and the Internet, a student can enroll, take classes and graduate while still living within their home support structure. With some additional effort, a student or parent can also research and apply for the many annual grants and scholarships that are specifically set aside for students with a Hispanic/Latino background.

For example, our website, DiversityNursing.com, offers an annual $5,000 Education Award that can be used to start or continue your nursing education. There is one winner who receives the $5,000 and is drawn every year in May during Nurses Week. To date, we have given away $35,000 in educational funding and our next award will be drawn during Nurses Week 2016. For information, terms and conditions, and to register for our award, please visit http://www.diversitynursing.com. There is no essay requirement!

If you’re considering a nursing career or are continuing your nursing education, According to Scholarships.com®, “Colleges are always looking to diversify their campuses and to make their schools more accessible to students of all ethnicities, economic backgrounds and religious beliefs. For this reason, many scholarships are restricted to minority students, Hispanics being one of them.”

We encourage all students to take advantage of the many opportunities to help fund your college aspirations. There are financial resources available to help make your college dreams a reality! And if you have time constraints due to a busy life, consider taking your classes online.

I’m compensated by University of Phoenix for this blog. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Nursing schools have major funding gaps. Foundations and charity groups can't make those ends meet. Another source of income may come from Nurse entrepeneurs. Some nursing schools and business communities are teaming up to develop healthcare technology, which in turn will help fill the funding gaps needed to acquire more nurses for our future.

Americans are applying to nursing school in record numbers. Unfortunately, the only thing many of the applicants end up nursing is a bruised ego.

In 2012, U.S. nursing schools rejected more than 80,000 qualified applicants. It's not as if the schools didn't want to admit them. Rather, they don't have enough faculty -- especially nurses with doctorates -- to teach more students.

That's a problem, as the United States will need 1 million new nurses by 2020.

At many nursing schools, tuition and grants are insufficient to cover the costs of hiring additional nurses with doctorates. To generate the cash they need to solve that problem -- and narrow the looming shortage of nurses -- schools should consider expanding beyond teaching and into entrepreneurship.

Nurses with doctorates are possibly the most versatile cogs in the U.S. health care system. They conduct research, do clinical work, and teach aspiring nurses. As researchers, these nurses examine the science and practice of nursing. Their work often combines the scientific elements of health care research with the more practical side of patient care.

This research can lead to new methods of pain management or medical devices such as the StethoClean, a self-cleaning stethoscope that prevents germs from being transferred among patients. It was invented by a nurse.

Because they understand the science and the practice of the profession, nurses with doctorates are invaluable resources for students. That's why the American Association of Colleges of Nursing recommends that all teaching faculty at nursing schools hold doctoral degrees.

Unfortunately, only about 1 percent of nurses in the United States have a doctorate, and that's not enough. More often, though, it's because of the significantly higher salaries they stand to earn outside academia.

Philanthropic groups are trying to help fill this funding gap. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, for example, has invested $20 million to help pay for nurses seeking doctorates across the country. But charitable gifts alone won't cut it. Nursing schools need another source of income. They just might find it by deputizing their faculty as health care entrepreneurs.

Nurses with doctorates are uniquely positioned to develop new health care technology. Whether they're administering medicines, utilizing medical devices or inputting data into the latest computer program adopted by hospitals, they have more hands-on experience with health care technology than anyone else in the system. To turn that technological aptitude into revenue, though, nursing schools have to partner with the business community.

Some schools are doing so. At the University of Utah, for instance, our Center for Medical Innovation provides seed funding for faculty members developing health care technology. It then links the innovators with business experts who can help them produce and market their technology.

In exchange, the university receives a share of the profits from intellectual property that is developed. It can then use the revenues to hire more nurses.

Other schools have adopted similar strategies. In March, the Midwest University HealthTech Showcase brought investors and industry professionals together to check out 50 early-stage health care start-ups at nine Midwestern colleges.

The young tech firms showed inventions ranging from gesture recognition software for smartphones to small-molecule drugs for post-traumatic stress disorder.

That's the sort of platform where inventions from nurses with doctorates can shine. 

To solve our nation's impending shortage of nurses, universities will need to get creative. Empowering nursing faculty members to become entrepreneurs can give schools the funding they need to educate the next generation of nurses.

Contributor: Patricia Morton

www.newsday.com 

By Erica Bettencourt

Toddler amputee, Kayden Kinckle shows the true meaning of confidence. The 2-year-old had his right foot and left leg amputated due to the medical condition, Omphalocele.

Omphalocele is a kind of abdominal wall defect that causes the intestines, liver, bladder and sometimes other organs to develop on the outside of the body. Doctors told Nikki, Kayden’s mom, that he wouldn’t survive the pregnancy. But Kayden defied the odds and continues to show his strength and spirit.

Whatch Kayden defy the odds again in this video. The cuteness really flows around 1:03.

Planning on celebrating the July 4^th holidays with fireworks? Follow these tips and you’ll be fine. Please share with your friends and co-workers.

Wait until you see this beautiful surprise! She’s amazing; he’s a thoughtful guy; and they’re are a special couple.

Lucas D'onofrio's girlfriend will remember her last chemotherapy session for the rest of her life. 

By Pat Magrath – DiversityNursing.com

If you’re considering a career in nursing and are bilingual, this can be a tremendous advantage for you, your patients and their families. With increased diversity in the U.S., patients with limited English-language skills often arrive at the emergency room and there is no one available who speaks their language. This makes it very difficult for everyone involved to try to understand why the patient is there. Sometimes a family member who speaks limited English accompanies the patient and attempts to describe the family member’s symptoms. This is not an ideal situation and can lead to misunderstanding, frustration and an incorrect diagnosis. To drive this scenario home, imagine you’re on vacation in another country and become ill. You need medical attention, and when you arrive at the hospital no one understands you. This is a scary situation!

While most healthcare institutions offer translation services, sometimes the service is provided over the phone. This method is efficient in communicating information such as what the patient’s symptoms are, describing the appropriate course of treatment, or explaining the specific care of a condition at home. However, we all know there’s nothing like the ability to communicate with someone on a more personal, face-to-face basis. The patient may have more questions after the phone conversation is over. They or their family might ask questions such as, how often should I take this medication? Should I take it with or without food? Who do I call if I have questions when I get home?

As a nurse who is bilingual, you can be a tremendous help and source of comfort in answering these questions. Let’s take the example of a Hispanic nurse who not only speaks and understands both English and Spanish, but who also understands Hispanic culture, values and family traditions because of growing up in that community. My friend Esteban, who happens to be a bilingual Hispanic nurse, also knows the prevalence of certain diseases in the Hispanic community. These include diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular issues. He’s seen these diseases in his family and community. He mentioned that diet and genetics contribute to these problems as the Hispanic diet often contains a lot of pork and fatty foods, which can lead to these conditions.

This is important information he already has because he is a member of the Hispanic community. He also speaks the language and can translate information to the medical team. His ability to communicate between the patient and medical team as well as his knowledge of Hispanic culture is extremely valuable in the care he can give his Hispanic patients. The ability of a patient to communicate directly and effectively with their healthcare provider increases feelings of trust and understanding, which can lead to a higher level of care and well-being. Again, I’ll take you back to becoming ill while traveling in another country and you don’t have the tools to effectively communicate your symptoms. Finding someone on the medical team who speaks English would be a tremendous relief!

The bottom line is clear: open communication, in terms of both verbal and listening skills, is essential to assessing a patient’s problem and determining the appropriate care and treatment. If you’re considering the field of nursing and are bilingual, you know so much already about your community’s language, customs, food and family values. You also have an awareness of healthcare issues prevalent in your community. As a bilingual nurse, you can be incredibly effective in delivering a high standard of care while putting your patient at ease.

As the Hispanic population and the need for nurses continues to grow, consider becoming a nurse. Courses are available online so you can fit classes in that accommodate your schedule and needs. The biggest benefit of online courses is that they offer flexibility. You’ll also save on time and commuting expenses. You can work, take classes online and reach your goal of becoming a nurse on your timeline!

I’m compensated by University of Phoenix for this blog. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

For more information about on-time completion rates, the median debt incurred by students who completed this program and other important information, please visit phoenix.edu.

Infographic Design: Erica Bettencourt

The night shift can take a toll on you. We wanted to share some tips from other nurses on how to survive the night shift.