Healthcare Traveler - February 2009 - (Page 40)

Professional Update NEWS FOR NURSES Survey calls for patient safety A survey conducted by the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) and Aramark Healthcare found that nurses believe patient safety would benefit from a collaborative relationship between the nursing staff and hospital support service functions such as environmental services, clinical technology services, food and nutritional services, and patient transportation. The online survey of 7,472 nurses ranked “providing a safer patient environment” as the highest area of nurse satisfaction, according to an article on www.MarketWatch.com. Nurses in the News Vernice Ferguson, RN, MA, FAAN, FRCN, became the first nurse ever to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award on November 14 at the Freddie Awards ceremony in Philadelphia. Ferguson, who has been a nurse for about 50 years, is a past president of Sigma Theta Tau International, the American Academy of Nursing, and the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care, according to a news release from Sigma Theta Tau. She also spent 12 years as the assistant chief medical director for nursing programs at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) recently honored Kathleen Long, RN, PhD, FAAN, dean of the University of Florida College of Nursing, as the 2008 recipient of its Sister Bernadette Armiger Award at the organization’s fall meeting in Washington, DC. The award recognizes a nursing leader who has made significant contributions to the organization and its goals, and to nursing education in general, according to a news release from the University of Florida. Long has been dean since 1995, and served as AACN’s president from 2002 to 2004. The Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) has awarded nearly $240,000 in Nursing grants available The Daisy Foundation plans to award a series of grants to nurses seeking to improve the treatment of patients with autoimmune diseases and cancer. The organization now is accepting applications for its J. Patrick Barnes Research Grants. Awards of up to $5,000 are available for projects that can be completed within two years, and up to $1,000 is available for each project with up to a 12month window. The deadline for grant applications is March 1, 2009. More information and applications are available at www.DAISYfoundation.org. RN criminal records being checked in California Regulators in California have started investigating the criminal backgrounds of all the state’s RNs, after the Los Angeles Times reported in early October that dozens of nurses had kept their licenses for years despite multiple convictions. The California Board of Registered Nursing now is asking all nurses renewing their licenses whether they have been convicted of any crimes in recent years, the Times reported. Also, the nursing board must get fingerprints from all nurses licensed before 1990, who previously had been grandfathered out of the provision. 2008 nursing grants to four institutions across the country for programs to improve the quality of life for young cancer patients and their families. The largest grant, $100,000, went to the University of Kansas School of Nursing in Kansas City, KS, for a program called “The therapy-related symptom checklist for children (TRSC-C): Systematic monitoring of symptoms to improve oncology interventions,” with lead researcher Phoebe Williams, RN, PhD, FAAN. Other grants went to programs in Philadelphia, Seattle, and Houston. A Fort Collins, CO-based nurse and her 8-year-old daughter recently created an “educational workout” video named “Carrot Soup,” according to an article in The Coloradoan newspaper. Kristine Erdahl, RN, describes the video she made with her daughter, Gianna, as “a pinch of fitness, a splash of math, a dash of foreign language, and a sprinkle of good nutrition.” The idea for the 30-minute DVD came from a comment Gianna made that she never saw her mom, and wished she’d quit her job. Erdahl told the paper she’d contacted PBS, which has expressed interest in showing the program. The Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) recently announced eight 2008 inductees Study: Demand affects discharge A recent study in the Rand Journal of Economics examined how hospitals’ admission and discharge decisions are affected by fluctuations in demand—in other words, how busy they are. Results showed that on high-demand days, patients are discharged earlier than on lowdemand days, according to an article on www.EurekAlert.com. The review of 380,000 inpatient discharge records from Oregon hospitals used methods designed to detect discriminatory behavior, but other than the degree of www.healthcaretraveler.com to the Academy of Emergency Nursing (AEN). “Each of these professionals has exhibited the kind of leadership and excellence in patient care that exemplifies the very best of emergency nursing,” said ENA President Denise King, RN, MSN, CEN. The inductees are: Beth Broering, RN, MSN, CEN, CCRN, of Nashville, TN; Garrett Chan, APRN, PhD, CEN, of Los Altos Hills, CA; Joanne Fadale, RN, BSN, of Orchard Park, NY; Patricia Kunz Howard, RN, PhD, CEN, of Lexington, KY; Thelma Kuska, RN, BSN, CEN, of Palos Heights, IL; Carole Rush, RN, MEd, CEN, of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Jeff Solheim, RN, CEN, CFRN, of Keizer, OR; and Jacqueline Stewart, RN, MSN, CEN, CCRN, of South Abington Township, PA. 40 Healthcare Traveler February 2009 http://www.MarketWatch.com http://www.DAISYfoundation.org http://www.EurekAlert.com http://www.healthcaretraveler.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Healthcare Traveler - February 2009

Healthcare Traveler - February 2009 Editor’s Desk Contents In a Flash Paws for Thought Field Notes Med Ec-cerpts The Economic Meltdown What Really is a “Tax Home”? Beach Therapy Drug Update Professional Update Advice of Counsel Cityscape Advertisers’ Index Name It Contest Rules On Assignment Tax Facts Dot.com Big Deals Allied Corner Going the Distance Classifieds Tales from the Road

Healthcare Traveler - February 2009

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