The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) recently
awarded 14 nurses from across the United States with the Circle of Excellence
award. These nurses will be honored during AACN’s National Teaching Institute
& Critical Care Exposition (NTI) in Orlando, Florida, later this month.
The Circle of Excellence award candidates are evaluated on several
factors, including their promotion of patient-driven excellence, communication
skills, collaboration, effective decision making, and ability to address challenges
and remove barriers to excellent patient care.
The award supports the AACN’s mission to create healthcare
systems designed around the needs of patients and their families, where acute
and critical care nurses can help the most. The Circle of Excellence award also
recognizes talents in shifting nursing profession trends and work environments,
which helps AACN in their mission to design the best healthcare systems for
patients and nurses. Awardees will receive a plaque and $1000 honorarium to
attend NTI May 20-23. These rewards are supported by grants from Elsevier and Dale
Medical.
Oregon and Minnesota topped the list of best states for nurses, according to a recent report released by WalletHub. The 50 states and District of Columbia were ranked for opportunity and competition, and work environment, among 21 key metrics. Washington, New Mexico, and Maine followed in third, fourth and fifth, respectively.
WalletHub also shared shortlists for their key metrics, for best
states and worst states. The most nursing job openings per capita were found in
District of Columbia, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, and Massachusetts, while
the fewest openings were found in Arizona, Nevada, California, Utah, and Hawaii.
The states with the highest annual nursing salary (with adjustments for cost of
living) are Nevada, Michigan, Minnesota, Arizona and Ohio; states with the lowest
salary are Maryland, Vermont, Maine, New York, and the District of Columbia.
Naturally, these metrics will fluctuate in response to state demographics, student loan debt, and more specific nursing issues like overtime, overstaffing, unionization, and bad patient behavior. These factors are all strengthened by the looming nursing shortage in the United States. WalletHub reports that the nursing industry is expected to grow twice as quickly as any other occupation for the next seven years, making this an ideal time to pursue nursing as a career.
“I see an excellent long term outlook since the need for care is only going to exponentially increase,” Janet Rico, Assistant Dean of Nursing Graduate Programs at Northeastern University’s Bouvé College of Health Sciences, shared with WalletHub. “Many of the issues facing healthcare are issues best addressed by my profession; improving access, assessing and managing acute and chronic illness, patient education, and coordination of care.”
The overall top ten states for nurses are listed below:
VA offers many rewarding opportunities to advanced practice nurses interested in caring for America’s Veterans. So, to help you understand why you should consider a future with us, we chatted with Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Edith Gabor, who started her nursing career at a VA Medical Center, and then went to the private sector before rejoining our organization a few years ago.
What made you decide to come back to VA?
In addition to outstanding benefits, VA gives me the chance to serve those who’ve served our country. I enjoy being at the center of their care, as part of an integrated multidisciplinary team that’s passionate about helping others.
What makes now an exciting time to carry out VA’s mission?
We’re doing more initiatives for hypertension and diabetes, and the introduction of onsite pharmacists will help us more easily manage the care of some of our patients.
What kind of experience do nurse practitioners need to succeed here?
You should have at least two years of nursing experience. This must include experience treating patients with special needs, because we serve a unique patient population. In addition, candidates must have a Master’s degree in Nursing (from a NLNAC or CCNE accredited program), must be licensed as a nurse practitioner in a U.S. State, and be a certified nurse practitioner from the American Nurses Association or other recognized body. VA has opportunities for nurse practitioners in several U.S. States across the country.
If you’re ready to become part of our promising future, explore our open positions and apply for one today.
Only one group of Americans has more than doubled in size over the past twenty years: the elderly. They’ve experienced more than most in their lifetimes, from world wars to the first man on the moon. Thanks to lengthening life spans, they have much more to experience; over 41.4 million Americans are 65 and older – that’s more than 13.3 percent of the total U.S. population.1
As this golden group ages, how can we serve and love the elders that hold such a special place in our communities and families?
GERONTOLOGY CAREERS
Case worker
The role of geriatric social workers includes:
Helping senior citizens cope with common problems experienced by the elderly
Ensuring the needs of their clients are met from day-to-day
Providing aid with financial issues, medical care, mental disorders and social problems
Geriatric care manager
Care managers help the elderly and their loved ones develop a long-term care plan and connect with necessary services.
Healthcare business manager
These managers make sure healthcare facilities provide the most effective patient care. This includes planning and coordinating services in hospitals and clinics.
Art therapist
Art therapy uses the visual and auditory arts to help restore function and general wellbeing. Benefits can include:
Increased cognitive skills
Intellectual stimulation
Improved motor skills
Alleviated pain
Socialization
Self-expression
78 percent of art therapists report working with older adults on a regular basis.2
Grief counselor
Grief counselors help seniors process bereavement and loss, as well as cope with thoughts of their own death.
Assisted living administrator
Administrators manage assisted living facilities or services, which provide care to adults who need help with daily tasks like bathing, eating and dressing.
Health educator
These educators provide the elderly with lessons that inform them about health concerns.
Physical therapist
Physical therapists help aging adults strengthen their muscles, increase mobility and improve endurance. They also help with recovery from an injury or illness.
HELPING AND HEALING
The elderly are likely to face hardships, but with our help, they don’t have to go through them alone.
Bereavement and loss
A natural part of the aging process is experiencing the loss of loved ones as well as coping with one’s own progressing age. Seniors often experience bereavement and loss differently than younger adults, which puts them at risk for depression, anxiety and PTSD. Grieving seniors can benefit from the support others as they work through difficult times.
75 percent of adults 50 and older reported finding humor and laughter in their daily lives.3
Family caregiving
Family caregivers play a crucial role in keeping the elderly comfortable at home by providing support like:
Economic resources
Loving relationships and companionship
Minimal health and wellness assistance
Support with day-to-day needs
More than 10 percent of the U.S. population have served as unpaid caregivers for older adults.4
Health promotion and self-care
Age can prevent seniors from properly taking care of their bodies, but we can help our loved ones stay beautiful and healthy. Helping the elderly groom themselves, receive regular medical attention and stay active can go a long way in promoting general wellbeing.
Disabilities
In more extreme cases, seniors may experience disabilities or other chronic health conditions. You can support older adults by ensuring they can access the healthcare professionals and resources they need. This might involve assistance with transportation and attending to business, legal and medical concerns.
75 percent of seniors have at least one chronic health condition, and most have two or more.5
End-of-life and palliative care
As our loved ones enter their final days, specialized care can help provide relief from the symptoms and stress. End-of-life and palliative care makes their last days as pain-free and comfortable as possible.
Quality of long-term care
Fortunately, there are a number of geriatric professionals trained to provide excellent care for aging adults in all of these areas. A growing population of the elderly means the demand for these practitioners is greater than ever – and there are more opportunities for you to bring wellness and care into the lives of the elderly than ever.
Pennsylvania State University is using telecommunications
technologies to help train nurses for providing better care to sexual assault
victims. The Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Telehealth (SAFE-T) Center connects
experienced professionals with nurses and health care professionals in training
for sexual assault care, while providing patients with crucial help.
The SAFE-T Center is helping provide better access to sexual
assault care in underserved communities across the state. The center, now set
up at three partner sites across Pennsylvania, was launched three years ago
with funding from the Office for Victims of Crime in the U.S. Department of
Justice.
Forensic nursing is crucial to helping care for sexual
assault survivors. Forensic nurses are trained in very specialized areas like forensic
evidence and collection, and additionally learn how to work with the legal
system, in order to interact and present evidence in courtroom cases. According
to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, forensic nursing is expected to grow by
26% in the next ten years.
Jocelyn Anderson, a forensic nurse and researcher at Penn State, also works with the SAFE-T Center and knows how crucial the work of a forensic nurse and sexual assault nurse is. As she shared with Penn State News, research shows that patients receiving care from specifically trained nurses are more likely to receive appropriate care and medication, and have a sexual assault kit properly collected. This means the likelihood of having their criminal case move forward increases, and the experience is not as traumatic for patients with forensically trained health care professionals.
Jane French, a clinical coordinator at the SAFE-T Center, manages
a team of expert sexual assault nurse examiners and local nurses. She helps
ensure that the patients are cared for and that the staff are fully supported
and confident in their work.
