Thank you to nurse educators and to Johnson and Johnson for a tribute to Nurse Educators.


Finding qualified Nurse Educators that are willing to take a decrease in salary to teach becomes a challenge for many nursing schools. Nurses with education degrees can sometimes make 3 times the salary if they elect to work in a hospital over working in a classroom. These days, it is quite common for Nurse Educators to work fulltime in a hospital and take a nursing college faculty position as a part time endeavor.

Nursing schools that can be flexible with instructor schedules will likely have a better recruitment rate and secure more specialized instructors.

Take the time to shape 1 mind and you might inspire 1,000 more.

Right now, all over America, understanding is breaking through. Techniques are being perfected. Hearts touched. Lives saved. All because one nurse educator took the time to shape one mind.

In huge lecture halls and tiny hospital corridors, at the end of an exhausting shift. And in the seconds between life and death knowledge is being shared, offered, planted, driven into eager minds that will take it and run and pass it on.

Light new fires and inspire others. Do you have it in you to become a Nurse Educator, willing to share all you've seen, what you've learned, your proudest achievements and most painful moments. Do you have what it takes to fan a spark into a flame? To inspire a new generation?

Behind every nurse who touches a life, there's a nurse educator who first touched them. Behind every life saved, a lifetime of experience shared. And when you see that flicker of comprehension, or watch one of your students succeed, there is no greater feeling in the world.

Not everyone has what it takes to be a nurse educator. It is an elite group comprised on the best and the brightest. The ones who want to give back and have the skills to do it, the medical instincts and training. Academic achievement, perseverance and compassion.

If you're one of the lucky few who has these gifts and you have what it takes to pass on your knowledge and inspire you may touch hearts you have never seen. Save lives long after you're gone. Impact generations you'll never meet.

One nurse educator can shape a mind. Her's shapes another and another. One mind can inspire 1,000 more. Maybe it will be yours. Shape the minds that save lives. Be a Nurse Educator.

Explore theses accredited online nursing degree opportunities below and request free no obligation information from any that interest you.

We recommend getting information from several schools so you can compare the programs, costs, time commitments and financial aid options.

Labels: Career Profiles, In the Hospital, Nurse Educator, Nursing School, Nursing Shortage, Nursing Student, Online Nursing Degree

There are many, many people with stressful jobs, but it is difficult to compare a Corporate CEO's stress with that of a Registered Nurse. Yes, the stress is different, as one deals with money and the other deals with life and death. The real contrast? That CEO may need the assistance of the nurse to save his life at some point in the future, whereas the nurse will never have the same sort of need for the CEO. Yes, our nurses are vital to our well being. They hold our hands through procedures, they assist in the delivering of our babies, and they take over completely in lieu of a doctor's presence. Unfortunately for the CEO, and for many patients in hospitals right now, nurses are pulled in so many different directions that it has become impossible for them to keep up. Job stress, long hours, and unmanageable constraints on their time have resulted in a major nursing shortage and a high turnover rate. A complete restructuring of the nursing profession is long overdue. It is obvious that the RN career path must change, and Transforming Care at the Bedside is the solution.

Transforming Care at the Bedside (TCAB) is attempting to change the current state of nursing today. TCAB is a three-year training program that will be undertaken by nurses around the country. Through training and support, RNs will focus more time on their patients and work to maintain job satisfaction over a long period of time.

The nursing shortage has reached critical levels due to many factors. The aging population of nurses is larger than the influx of new recruits, as the inhibiting costs and high enrollment rates in schools outweighs the ability to take in students interested in earning their nursing degree. Once on the job, long hours and an overwhelming work load can take its toll. TCAB began as an initial brainstorming project in a medical-surgical unit. Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the goal was to find and implement different ways for nurses to do their jobs. The eventual hope was that the unit could increase job satisfaction to the point that there would not be such a high turn over rate. What began in 2003 as an initial one-unit project has expanded to over 200 units across the USA.

TCAB uses a multi-tiered approach to finding new and innovative solutions in health care. Taking ideas from nurses, educators, and administrators, TCAB's focus is on change. Rapid test cycles, discussions as to what works and what doesn't, and involving the entire staff is what creates a new work environment.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant of $732,000 funds the initial changes, and allows for the freedom of implementing new policies and procedures in hospitals. A massive retraining and overhaul would cost a great deal of money to each individual hospital, and the grant puts much-needed funds to good work. Nurses that are currently in residence are retrained and encouraged to voice their opinions. New recruits are then given tools and information to begin their career as a nurse, learning to do things the new way and not fall into old traps.

TCAB may be the key to turning the current nursing shortage around and providing all RNs with a better work environment. It is the hope that a patient focused approach will increase the satisfaction of both the nurse and the patient.

Labels: In the Hospital, Nursing Career, Nursing Jobs, Patient Advocate, Recruit Nurses

The word Swine Flu, or H1N1: Mention the name and you will strike fear in the hearts of people around the world. More frightening to some than the worldwide recession, H1N1 is known to be quick to spread, is extremely contagious, and on occasion, deadly in otherwise healthy individuals. In the midst of vaccines being distributed and panic over a vaccination shortage, many are asking themselves whether or not they should get the shot at all. One thing is for certain; it's difficult to find straight answers unless you look in the right places.

If there is a flu shot available each year, why is the H1N1 vaccine so controversial? For one, the regular flu is not considered to be a pandemic. Although thousands of people are said to die from the regular strains of flu each year, there are many more dying from H1N1. When an illness strikes the general public as hard as this one has, controversy and speculation run rampant.

Vaccinations are a hot subject to begin with, but few have met with the resistance that has the H1N1 vaccine has. Medical experts state that it is similar to the regular flu shot in that it was created the same way, but it has come under fire due to the quick production of vaccine. Conspiracy theories have run rampant, and if you look Swine Flu Vaccines up on the Internet you will find people discussing outlandish tales as to how the government is trying to kill off the weak and those with medical conditions in order to ramp up for the new health care programs. Misinformation has bred hysteria.

One of the reasons that there is such a level of anxiousness with regard to this vaccine is that until H1N1, the Government has always charged the general public for a regular flu shot. Due to the spread and higher rate of complications, this vaccine is offered for free. Yet another reason is that the elderly have always been the focus on the flu shot, whereas the H1N1 vaccine is being given to the young as a high priority group.

Is this vaccine for you? The Government is urging people, especially those in high-risk categories, to get the vaccination. There are many though, who are passing this vaccine by in favor of taking their chances with the disease. To make an informed decision, you must do your own research. Visit reputable web sites, not blogs or sites posting people's opinions. Sites such as the Mayo clinic and your local Public Health portals will give you the most up to date and accurate information. Ask your doctor or registered nurse for advice. Up until recently, some doctors were on the fence as to whether the shot was necessary. As the vaccine has become available, most are urging their patients to get the shot.

The bottom line is this: Young, healthy people have died from H1N1. Not all of these people, children included, have had underlying conditions that would make them susceptible. It is difficult to know how hard H1N1 will hit you, as the majority of cases have been mild. Only you can make the decision as to which risk is greater: the Vaccination or the Swine Flu itself?

Labels: Flu, H1N1, Healthcare, Healthcare Advocate, In the Hospital, Nursing Career, Patient Advocate, Vaccine

A candy striper is a hospital volunteer who functions under nurse supervision. The name came from the traditional uniform that volunteers wore, that looked like peppermint candy, although this outfit isn't frequently worn today. Previous generations of female volunteers wore pink and white dresses, but the modern candy striper will wear a uniform shirt with pants, as well as a hospital ID that lists name and position.

The modern candy striper is between thirteen and eighteen years of age and are typically female, because the role was originally created as a female job, but the number of men in the field is ever increasing.

These volunteers are integral to the success of the hospital, thanks to their interactions with both nurses and patients. Duties range, but are frequently constrained to clerical activities, as a result of insurance liability. Candy stripers usually work in reception, gift shops, and nursing and administration stations. Some will transport items between units, or visit lonely patients, but these jobs require more experience.

One of the candy stripers most important duties is attending to patients. Overburdened hospitals don't have the resources to provide patients with frequent one-on-one care, past the necessary time spent diagnosing and treating. Candy stripers make a hospital visit pleasant by eating with, reading to, assisting or delivering items to patients. Though they fulfill many other duties, these are the primary jobs fulfilled by the volunteer.

Experienced candy stripers have a number of opportunities in a hospital to gain knowledge about the medical field. Seasoned volunteers clean rooms, transport records and drugs from unit to unit, and can bring in lab specimens for testing. Overall, older candy stripers will spend more of their time interacting with health care professionals than do younger candy stripers, who spend most of their time with patients.

Training for the job usually takes only a few days. Candy stripers are most frequently employed at teaching hospitals, because the volunteering experience allows pre-med students and those working towards an advanced nursing degree a chance to work with patients, while relieving the care staff of more menial duties. Many students volunteering at the hospital find the familiarity worthwhile, as it's one of the rare chances for a high school or college student to get a hands-on learning experience in a medical environment.

Finally, there are a number of steps before you can jump into volunteering at your local hospital. You'll need to complete an application, which includes references and parental consent if you're less than eighteen years old, and interview. Should you be chosen to volunteer, you will need to take a tuberculosis skin test and undergo a physical exam. This ensures that you won't infect patients under your care.

When applying to become a candy striper, it's important to keep a dependable schedule. Be sure that you leave time every week for volunteering, as the experience is impossible to replace for those interested in the medical field.

To make your experience as a candy striper the best it can be, you must make sure that you maintain first-rate behavior at all times, because your conduct reflects on the institution you work for. If you are able to observe all hospital policies, you'll be sure to get a great reference in the future.

Labels: Career Profiles, In the Hospital, Nursing Jobs