Editor's Note RNs today are younger, more diverse, and more highly educated, according to the 2015 National Nursing Workforce Survey. Results show: The average age of RNs is 48.8 years, showing that the aging of the RN population is slowing and that retirements portend no impending shortage. Men made up…

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New ideas and a renewed sense of purpose are two things OR Manager Conference attendees can expect to take home from each year’s gathering. Those who listen to Jody Urquhart will also return to their ORs armed with ways to inspire and engage their staffs. Urquhart, author of All Work…

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Editor's Note The healthcare sector is on track to produce nearly 440,000 jobs for RNs by 2024, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports. The healthcare sector added 46,000 jobs overall in May, including more than 24,000 ambulatory care positions and more than 5,000 positions in nursing facilities. According to…

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Editor's Note Hospitals with better nursing work environments and above-average staffing levels were associated with better value (ie, lower mortality with similar costs), especially for higher risk patients, this study finds. The study included 25,752 elderly Medicare general surgery patients treated at 35 focal hospitals (mean nurse-to-bed ratio, 1.51) and…

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Editor's Note RNs at Kaiser Permanente’s Los Angeles Medical Center began a 7-day strike on March 15, PR Newswire reports. The focus of the strike is on: improving staffing to protect patient care achieving economic gains to retain experienced RNs and increase recruitment of new RNs. The walkout affects 1,200…

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Editor's Note Working 46 hours per week or more increases the long-term risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), this study finds. Beginning at 46 hours, increasing work hours were progressively associated with increased risk of CVD (ie, angina, coronary disease, heart failure, heart attack, high blood pressure, or stroke). Compared to…

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Editor's Note Readmissions after total hip and knee replacements are associated with nurse staffing levels and poor nurse work environments, finds this study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia. The study analyzed data on more than 112,000 Medicare patients in nearly 500 hospitals. Adjusting for patient and…

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Editor's Note This study from the UK found that a patient-to-nurse ratio of no more than six patients per nurse on medical wards was associated with 20% lower patient mortality than when each nurse was responsible for at least 10 patients. Results also showed a 17% reduction in mortality with…

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Hundreds of nurse leaders filled the room for a presentation on dealing with difficult people during the annual OR Manager Conference in October 2015—a testament to the prevalence of bullies and disruptive behavior in the OR environment. “In early 2011, a Google search was run using the terms ‘nurse bullying’…

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Workplace violence reached a whole new level with the San Bernardino mass shooting earlier this month that left 14 dead just a week after three people died in a shooting at a Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado Springs. These incidents occurred for different reasons, but both cut short people’s lives…

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