The shortage of nurses will not diminish due to the current recession. In fact, career opportunities for nurses will continue to rise. For many who have been laid off or face layoffs in the near future, the prospect of becoming nurses is offering hope in an otherwise dismal economic future. This offers a shred of hope to the nursing workforce which is being challenged by growing shortages. Obstacles remain unchanged however. Nursing programs in most areas of the country are still impacted and long waiting lists will become longer. This does not have to be a barrier to hope for those looking for future stable employment opportunities nor to the…
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Is the National Nurse Issue Really Stalled?
In the January, 2009 issue of the American Journal of Nursing (AJN), Roxane Nelson BSN, RN poses the question of whether or not the idea of a National Nurse for America has stalled. When Teri Mills an NP and nurse educator from Portland OR originally proposed the idea in May of 2005, she suggested the creation of an office of a National Nurse in her op-ed piece in The New York Times. Over time the idea, as promoted by The National Nursing Network Organization (NNNO) chaired by Mills, has evolved to elevate and enhance the chief nurse officer who serves under the Surgeon General to the role of the National…
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Eldercare – An Area of Need
A guest post by Kelly Kilpatrick As the economy tightens up, jobs in the nursing profession are becoming more and more sought after. One nursing specialty that continues to grow as the years pass, however, is geriatric nursing. Also referred to as eldercare, geriatric nursing refers to the care of elderly people who need assistance in a variety of ways. A Growing FieldThe United States’ population grew exponentially from the 1940’s to the 1960’s; this generation, known as the Baby Boomer generation, is now starting to age and many people that fall into this age group are in need of care. Naturally, as the years progress, more and more people…
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Kaplan Publishing Issues Call for Stories From Disaster Healthcare Workers
I received this call for submissions from Nancy Harless, Co-Editor at Kaplan Publishing: Kaplan Publishing, the publisher of a broad range of educational and consumer books by and for nurses, physicians, paramedics, and other healthcare workers, is now accepting stories for a new and exciting anthology, To The Rescue: Stories from Healthcare Workers at the Scene of Disaster. About To The Rescue: Devastating fires, hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters are ongoing concerns in every part of the world. The personal stories of people who go to the scene and interact with survivors will be of great interest to both the world community and to people who work in these…
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Happy New Year
I always feel a little nostalgic about leaving a year behind and going into a new one, but 2008 is one of those years that isn’t too hard to say good riddance to. There were some good times, but the economic disaster certainly put a damper on it for all of us. They say it’s going to get worse before it gets better. Isn’t that always the way? Did you think it could get much worse? It’s pretty scary to think about how much worse things can get. Being my Scarlett O’Hara self, I’ll think about that tomorrow…..today it’s time to celebrate the passing of this year and the dawning…