February 2, 2003: Montana: Havre nurses OK contract:"Nurses and Northern Montana Hospital reached agreement on a new contract early Thursday, one that provides them the first significant new benefits in 16 years, a union official said.
The agreement was announced after a 17-hour negotiating session that ended at 2 a.m.
The contract includes a roughly 15 percent pay increase over two years and more generous sick day and personal leave time, said Bob Ingram, chairman of Local No. 12 of the Montana Nurses Association." http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2003/02/02/build/local/85-havre-nurses.inc
January 28, 2003: Montana: Nurturing a need:"Montana, like the rest of the nation, is experiencing a severe drought of nurses. Adding 16 new nurses per year in Billings -- the first expanded class will not graduate until 2008 -- is not going to make a huge dent in the problem, but everything helps, said Alice Gordon, chief nursing officer and vice president of clinical operations for Deaconess Billings Clinic.
"It's very good news. We're very happy," she said. "We think we could handle even more (students)."
One of the bitter truths of the nursing shortage is that there's no lack of students hoping to become nurses. In fall 2002, the MSU College of Nursing had 397 applicants, or nearly three students vying for every upper-level spot, according to statistics provided by MSU. Nursing schools around the nation turned away nearly 6,000 qualified applicants in 2001, according to a survey by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing." http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?tl=1&display=rednews/2003/01/28/build/local/65-msu-b-nursing.inc
Saturday, January 25, 2003: Montana: HCT nurse training program doubles in size in past year:"There may be a shortage of nurses in Montana, but there's no shortage of nursing students at the University of Montana-Helena College of Technology. This past year, the nursing program has more than doubled in size.
"The word is out that there's a nursing shortage and there's nursing jobs out there," said Ellen Wirtz, UM-Helena practical nursing chair. "And the word is out too that we have a strong program."
And strong it is. In the last two years, every graduate has passed the Board of Nursing licensing exams. Over the past seven years, UM-Helena's passing rate has been better than 90 percent.
Generally, about 25 nursing students graduate every year from UM-Helena, but this fall 55 students enrolled in their first year. Even between the fall semester and spring semester, new nursing students have come on board." http://www.helenair.com/articles/2003/01/25/breaking/a01012503_01.txt
December 11, 2002: Montana: Health leaders hear from St. V's chief:"A nationwide nursing shortage, an aging population and increasing use of emergency rooms are major factors in driving health care costs everywhere Hood said. But while managed care in some major metropolitan areas pushes rate decisions, the needs of the small employer market come first in Montana, she said.
"Every point that we raise our rates we know it will drive more employers to the decision of not offering health care benefits," Hood said. "We know that will increase the overwhelming load we are already experiencing as it relates to the uninsured."
http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2002/12/11/build/local/76-hood.inc
December 8, 2002: Montana: Guest Opinion: Devising solutions to nursing shortage:"There has been a significant amount of information presented recently on the current and future shortage of registered nurses in the Billings and Eastern Montana health-care system. Several meetings have been held to pull together accurate information about the needs and begin to identify possible solutions. We met last week with senior health-care administrators in Billings. We felt it was a most productive discussion of the concerns, obligations and opportunities before us and that we developed a solid foundation to work together in crafting solutions. We believe this is an appropriate time to present to the Billings community a summary of our efforts to address this growing need." http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2002/12/08/build/opinion/guestopinion.inc
National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc.:"The following narratives have been written by individual state boards of nursing regarding the significant activities in their respective states related to the nursing shortage. These excerpts do not provide a comprehensive update of the nurse shortage in these states or nationwide. The information is simply intended to share information among Member Boards."
National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc.
676 N. St. Clair Street
Suite 550
Chicago, Illinois, 60611-2921
Telephone: (312) 787-6555. info@ncsbn.org http://www.ncsbn.org/news/stateupdates_state_shortage.asp
Nursing Shortage Serious For Seniors, About.com:"As the population ages the impact of the nursing shortage will be even greater.
There is a threat to the health of every older adult in the United States and Canada looming on the horizon. It is not a virus or new type of bacteria that is causing this threat. The threat to health is a result of the increasing shortage of nurses in both countries.
Over the last couple of years there have been numerous stories in the press about the magnitude and causes of the shortage. So far solutions for this situation have been few. Additionally this nursing shortage will impact the oldest of citizens the most. Older adults use health care services at a higher rate than do younger people. Advances in medicine and improved nutrition and lifestyle have added years to the average life span. With this longer life comes higher needs for medical services, especially the services of professional nurses." http://seniorhealth.about.com/cs/prevention/a/nurse_shortage.htm
The Nurse/Patient Ratio by Genevieve M. Clavreul RN, Ph.D.:"The New Year heralds many things, and this year brings legislation mandating a patient/nurse ratio in California. But after the confetti stops falling, did we get what we want? We now have a panacea for thousands of nurses in California, however, the ratio really can’t be enforced. (At the writing of this article the companion bill for enforcement is stalled in the legislature, having been defeated at least once already).
As my children are fond of saying, “why am I not surprised?” Having been a nurse for almost 30 years, most of those years spent in the NICU/PICU, I am used to working with a strict nurse/patient ratio. ICU’s and a few other areas of nursing have always been under the control of an “acuity” system. Actually, all nursing is supposed to be, but we all know this isn’t always the case. For this reason, I knew in my heart that legislating a nurse/patient ratio was probably an exercise in futility."
Working Nurse, Working World Magazine
3600 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1526
Los Angeles, CA 90010
Tel:(213)385-4781,
Fax:(213)385-3782, WorkingNurse@WorkingWorld.com http://www.workingworld.com/magazine/viewarticle.asp?articleno=254&wn=1
Nursing: A Medical Emergency, and Opportunity, hits home by Ronald A. Reis and Karen F. Reis RN:"You’re an RN, and you’ve been at it, administering to the sick and wounded, for months, years, maybe even decades. You’ve got your hands full with 12-hour shifts, high turnover, an often less than supportive work environment, and a stressed-out health care system that is, in places, itself on life-support. What to do? How to keep going? How to make this job, career, meaningful again? How to get out of nursing what you went into it for? How to avoid adding to the national nursing shortage by short-circuiting your own involvement in a noble profession?"
Working Nurse, Working World Magazine
3600 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1526
Los Angeles, CA 90010
Tel:(213)385-4781,
Fax:(213)385-3782, WorkingNurse@WorkingWorld.com
http://www.workingworld.com/magazine/viewarticle.asp?articleno=253&w
This Page is Part of The Nursefriendly National Nursing A To Z & Consumer Health Directories
We are Incorporated in The State of New Jersey, under the name:
Nursefriendly, Inc.
38 Tattersall Drive, Mantua, New Jersey (NJ) 08051
Our Phone #: 856-415-9617
Other products and companies referred to herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective companies or mark holders, and are not owned or affiliated with Nursefriendly, Inc. or any of it's affiliated companies.