The American Nurses Association (ANA) applauds the introduction of federal legislation that empowers registered nurses (RNs) to drive staffing decisions in hospitals and, as a result, protect patients and improve the quality of care.

On the heels of the introduction of the Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act of 2010 (S. 3491/H.R. 5527), hundreds of registered nurses from across the country flocked to Capitol Hill last month to meet with their congressional representatives, emphasizing that insufficient nurse staffing can be a life-or-death issue for patients and that federal legislation is needed to ensure that hospitals don’t limit resources in a way that harms patient outcomes.

The RN Safe Staffing Act, crafted with input from ANA, has sponsors from both political parties – Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI) and Reps. Steven LaTourette (R-OH) and Lois Capps (D-CA), a nurse.

“We know that nurses across the country are deeply concerned about unsafe staffing because it puts patients at risk, as well as puts nurses’ careers on the line,” said ANA President Karen Daley, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN. “Nurses observe all the time how insufficient nurse staffing diminishes the quality of care for patients. We won’t stop advocating on this issue until federal legislation is enacted to increase protections for patients and ensure fair working conditions for nurses.”

Research has shown that higher staffing levels by experienced RNs are linked to lower rates of patient falls, infections, medication errors, and even death. And when unanticipated events happen in a hospital resulting in patient death, injury or permanent loss of function, inadequate nurse staffing often is cited as a contributing factor.

The bill would require hospitals to establish committees that would create unit-by-unit nurse staffing plans based on multiple factors, such as the number of patients on the unit, severity of the patients’ conditions, experience and skill level of the RNs, availability of support staff and technological resources.

ANA backed a similar staffing bill in the last Congress. This version includes new requirements that a hospital’s staffing committee be comprised of at least 55 percent direct care nurses or their representatives, and that the staffing plans must establish adjustable minimum numbers of RNs per unit.

ANA has a long track record of advocating for safe staffing conditions for the nation’s registered nurses, through development of ANA’s Principles for Nurse Staffing in 1999, work with legislators and implementation of a national nursing quality database program that correlates staffing to patient outcomes. In 2007, the association launched its “Safe Staffing Saves Lives” grass-roots campaign, calling on nurses to become advocates. Nearly 1,000 RNs have sent their personal stories to ANA, describing how insufficient staffing on their units has put their patients in jeopardy, overwhelmed them with unmanageable patient loads, and, in some cases, driven them from their jobs.

The safe staffing bill would require hospitals that participate in Medicare to publicly report nurse staffing plans for each unit. It would place limits on the practice of “floating” nurses by ensuring that RNs are not forced to work on units if they lack the education and experience in that specialty. It also would hold hospitals accountable for safe nurse staffing by requiring the development of procedures for receiving and investigating complaints; allowing imposition of civil monetary penalties for knowing violations; and providing whistle-blower protections for those who file a complaint about staffing.

To date, seven states have passed nurse safe staffing legislation that closely resembles ANA’s national approach to ensure safe staffing. Those states are Connecticut, Illinois, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Texas and Washington.

Source:
American Nurses Association

Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Bill Introduced In Congress, Nursing Resource Admin

Fact vs. Fiction

There are numerous myths pertaining to the field of nursing. Here are few worth debunking.

Myth: Nurses only work in hospitals.

Truth: Hospitals are the primary practice setting for 56.2 percent of all registered nurses, according to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health. But nurses can work just about anywhere, including schools, insurance companies, private practices and nursing homes.

Myth: Nurses assist doctors.

Truth: Nurses operate “independent of, not auxiliary to, medicine and other disciplines,” according to the American Association of Colleges for Nursing. Nurses don’t report to doctors. They report to other supervisory nurses.

Myth: All nurses have the same expertise.

Truth: The basics are taught in nursing schools, but many in the field choose departments in which to specialize during the course of their careers. Nurses also have the opportunity to earn advanced degrees to become nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse midwives or certified registered nurse anesthetists.

Myth: Men who can’t become doctors become nurses.

Truth: About 5.8 percent of the registered nursing population are men. And while every male nurse has his own reasons for venturing into the field, nurse Brian Wood at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center said nursing was his first choice. “If I wanted to be a doctor, I would have went to medical school,” he said. “I believe that being a nurse can broaden your future. It gives you a holistic aspect to the medical profession. And I have a passion for meeting people and being able to help them in times when it’s not too great for them.”

Source:
FayObserver

Myths about nurses persist, Nursing Resource Admin

Nearly 7,500 registered nurses have now signed up to volunteer for Haiti disaster relief, believed to be the largest outpouring of RN volunteers in U.S. history, reports National Nurses United which is coordinating the effort, and working around the clock to find locations for the nurses to deploy on the ground in Haiti. Nurses from other countries are signing up through the NNU program as well.

“As reports of dire medical care shortages continue to pour in, we have thousands of registered nurses willing and ready to travel to Haiti,” said NNU Executive Director Rose Ann DeMoro. “We are doing everything in our power to get these nurses engaged as quickly as possible.”

DeMoro said the NNU is in contact with the federal government and is also willing to work with other nations that are part of the international relief effort. “We know that the few remaining medical facilities in Haiti and those who are now on the ground are completely overwhelmed. In this enormous human tragedy, it is vital to get the nurses deployed rapidly.”

NNU, the largest union and professional organization of U.S. nurses, which has also sent hundreds of volunteers on past disaster relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina, the South Asia tsunami, and Southern California wildfires, is presently organizing the first team of nurses for deployment.

“Registered nurses are particularly skilled professionals who are needed to assess and treat patients and their families and to assess their environment. It is not possible to have a comprehensive care and recovery process without RNs. We need to get nurses there quickly,” said NNU Co-president Karen Higgins, RN.

Additionally, NNU is asking for hospital to provide paid relief time for nurse volunteers – several systems have already agreed to do so – and asking pharmaceutical and insurance companies to donate vaccines for the volunteer nurses and other medical supplies to bring to Haiti.

NNU also requests tax-deductible donations to fund travel and supply costs for the RNs. Donations to Send a Nurse to Haiti may be made on line at http://www.NationalNursesUnited.org. Updates are also available @NationalNurses on twitter or by following: #haitiRN.

Source
California Nurses Association

Nearly 7,500 RNs Ready To Deploy To Haiti – California Nurses Association, Nursing Resource Admin