• Help Encourage Increased Funding for Nursing Workforce Development Programs

    On Feb 25, 2008, Congressional Representatives Lois Capps (D-CA) and Steven LaTourette(R-OH) began circulating a “Dear Colleagues” letter in the House of Representatives seeking support of funding the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Program at a level of $200 million for FY 2009. The American Nurses Association and the National League for Nursing are asking nurses for help. Nurses are encouraged to contact(by phone, FAX. or Email) their Congressional Representative to encourage him/her to co-sign this letter by Wednesday, March 12, 2008. Find your Representative at Congress.org.President Bush’s proposed budget for FY 2009 reduces the funding for Title VIII by 30% ($46.1 million) from FY2008. He accomplished this by completely…

  • Article Index Now on The Nursing Site

    I’m adding content to TheNursingSite and have now made an Article Index page so if you’re in a hurry to find a particular article you can find it there faster. Be sure to check the specific web pages however, as there is also relevant information and links you don’t want to miss. As always, if you have any specific content added, please be sure to Email me. And many thanks to those who have asked before they use my content!! It is important to respect copyrights!

  • Joining Forces With the National Nurse Efforts

    Patient education is a key element in helping patients to assume responsibility for their own health status and outcomes. Nurses are a primary source for patient education, but beyond the bedside, nurses are not always as accessible. Practitioners have cut office operational costs by using medical assistants and lay personnel. An Office of the National Nurse could help to make nurses more accessible to the general public. Health care costs are expected to double in the U.S. by 2017. Using nurses effectively to promote wellness and health care education would go a long way in healing the health care crisis.

  • Michigan Funds Program to Help High School Students Prepare for Nursing School

    Here’s a perfect example of why nurses should pay attention to political issues. The state of Michigan is funding a program to better prepare high school students for nursing school. One of the reasons nursing students don’t succeed in nursing school is that they have difficulties with the math or reading. This poor success rate is why so many nursings schools have now instituted entrance exams to exclude students who don’t have the math, reading and science skills to pass. This type of program is designed to help high school students achieve the necessary math, science and reading skills to succeed and to eventually become nurses and help to solve…

  • Important Political Issues for Nurses in 2008

    Even if you’re not interested in politics, political events affect your life as a nurse everyday. Politics affects our patients and the corporations or small business we work for. Like it or not, nurses need to become informed about the issues at stake in their homelands and how political candidates stand on these issues. Nurses need to make their voices heard and know who to contact. Most importantly, nurses need to vote! Livesmarter suggests The 10 Most Important Political Issues for Nurses in 2008 include such matters as health insurance, education, media image, staffing levels, and drug companies. A National Nurse in America is another suggested point.