Hospitals Going Social To Fill New Nursing Positions

For some hospitals, filling their shortage of nursing positions requires a new approach to conventional hiring and communicating with potential hires. Hospitals in Pennsylvania are turning to social sites to help find qualified RNs where the right kind of message and timely posting can be shared hundreds or thousands of times with a simple click of the mouse to large networks. After all, who has better access to plenty of qualified nurses better than the nurses themselves? St. Luke’s Miners Campus posted on Facebook to promote an RN open house, while Hazleton General Hospital used Twitter to let people know they have openings for RNs. Leigh Ann Wiedlich, community relations coordinator for the Greater Hazelton Health Alliance explains “Social media is a way to attract young professionals." This search for qualified RNs is partly in response to the reported current or impending nursing shortage for the U.S. Some areas may be hit by a shortage more than others, as one doctor shares “The nursing shortage is far from over." Dr. Mary Ann Merrigan explained, associate dean at the School of Nursing at Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre. "The United States projected a shortage of registered nurses that will intensify as the baby boomers age."

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for registered nurses will grow 26 percent from 2010 to 2020 - a rate that is faster than the average for all occupations. Merrigan agrees with the agency's outlook, saying that the need for more nurses has affected the enrollment at her school and across the United States. "There will be a shortage of a quarter of a million nurses in the next 10 years. This is the greatest nursing shortage since the 1960s." Some companies take a proactive approach to hiring and staffing, preparing for demand before it hits. They do this by working closely with nursing schools at colleges and adjusting their staff based on predicted demand. However, this isn’t a guaranteed solution and finding the right nurse for the job can take some extra incentivizing. The shortage also could affect how many students can enroll in nursing programs because of a lack of faculty to teach the courses. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing studied this last year and identified 1,181 faculty vacancies across 662 nursing schools with baccalaureate and/or graduate programs in the United States. This could have a major impact on the number of future nurses available to fill positions left open by retiring nurses. If there aren’t enough nurse educators, there won’t be enough graduating nurses to meet the demands of healthcare system.

Rue Education has been innovating the way LPN/LVNs, RTs, and Paramedics become RNs for over 20 years. We understand that although the motivation and desire may be there for an individual to pursue their nursing degree and become an RN, the means to do so isn’t always available. Not everyone can afford to miss hours at their work to attend campus classes, or take time away from their family to commute to class. Lives and responsibilities come first and career goals can be sidelined. That’s why Rue Education created a unique approach to becoming a registered nurse by studying and taking nursing courses on your own schedule at your own pace. We also gave you a team of support with real academic advisors and nurse educators to help you from beginning to graduation. You also have options like tutor-led online courses for those that like the structure of a tutor. We also understand that people are more connected and social than ever. Rue’s Mentor Connection is a place where other classmates just like you can come together for study tips, words of advice, and encouragement. You can also stay up-to-date on current events in the nursing world by reading our blog and following us on Facebook and Twitter. Join the Rue family! Nearly 100,000 others have already used Rue Education to earn credit toward their nursing degree, are you ready?

Nurses Happy with Career but Unhappy with Job

Nurses happy with career choice, some unhappy with workplace

Nurse leaders face a contradiction amongst their staff. According to an article from healthleadersmedia.com, a survey of nearly 3,000 RNs found that nurses are both happier than ever with their career choices while 30% are a unhappy with their current jobs. Marcia Faller, PhD, RN, and chief nursing officer at AMN Healthcare which conducted the survey says, “it's a finding that should make nurse leaders stop and listen.” How can RNs be both satisfied with their careers and unhappy with their jobs? Faller believes that although nursing is viewed as a critical and important part of society nurses day-to-day work lives have not caught up to their appreciation and gratitude they receive as a whole. As Faller puts it, when RNs are happy with their career but unhappy with their surroundings, "People don't leave their jobs; they leave their manager and their leaders."

The survey also reveals that RNs are eager to continue their nurse education and that 40% wanted to pursue an advanced degree. When broken down by age, “Almost 70% of 19- to 39-year-old respondents planned to pursue more advanced degrees, with 37% of this age group saying that they planned to purse a master's degree in nursing.”

Supporting continued education for nursing staff can increase their satisfaction and retention

If most nurses want to advance their educations, gain new certifications, and continue to improve their skills as a nurse and better provide for their patients, it makes sense for nurse leaders to open these doors for their team. If RNs are eager to become more skilled and higher educated nurses, but are unhappy at their workplace, this provides nurse leaders with an opportunity to motivate their staff and help them achieve their goals. This could include offering onsite training, workshops, or courses, providing tuition reimbursement for education, or working with nurse schedules to make them more flexible if they want to try to fit education into their family and work lives.

By helping nurses achieve these goals, hospitals will make nurses feel more valued and happy to work at for an employer that cares about their education and future. If nurses had a workplace that supports their education and career goals, they are more likely to stay and find fulfillment and satisfaction.

Nurses are happier when they feel taken care of, especially if their facility supports their career goals

Rue Education has been advancing nurse education for over 20 years. We know nurses value becoming the best nurse possible to be able to provide more for their patients. However we understand traditional college courses and nurse education doesn’t always fit into the busy schedules of nurses and their family and work obligations. For this reason we created a unique RN bridge program where LPN/LVNs, Paramedics, and RTs can bridge to RN, or RN to BSN, at their own pace. They can study when they want, test when they’re ready, and become a licensed RN or BSN with their degree at a pace that works with their life. Along with our nursing courses, you also receive real academic support so you’ll always have help when you need it along the way. If you’re like those nurses surveyed and are eager to advance your nursing education, but never thought you had the time or program to do it, now you have a choice that can fit into any schedule. Visit www.RueEducation.com to get started.

Medical News – Australian Research Team May Have Developed AIDS Cure Breakthrough

According to an article from The Huffington Post and information submitted to an issue of Human Gene Therapy, a scientific team of medical researchers may have discovered a therapy to potentially prevent HIV from progressing into the deadly AIDS. Researchers at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, led by Associate Professor Dr. David Harrich, have been developing a gene therapy, Nullbasic, that alters an essential protein within the HIV virus. The mutation of this crucial protein essentially prevents HIV from replicating and spreading beyond its current state. Therefore, it’s like calling a time-out on a genetic level within the body. The individual will still be positive for HIV but their level of infection and progression of the virus will stop. If treatment is started early on when HIV is diagnosed in its first stages, this gene therapy will prevent HIV from infecting more of the body and prevent the virus from progressing into AIDS.

In addition to nullifying the virus, the research team has also been developing a gene therapy using stem cells as part of their cure. This involves slicing out certain gene sequences within the stem cells and replacing them with HIV resistant sequences. These HIV resistant stem cells have the potential to be applied within the body as an added way to fight the HIV virus, especially when used as virus-fighting T-cells. While this is good news in the world of medical research, those living with HIV/AIDS will have to rely on current treatments. Continued research, clinical trials, government approval, funding, and human trials can take decades to finish. Gene therapy and stem cell research already have a controversial stigma associated with them. However, with an estimated 34 million people in the world infected with HIV/AIDS worldwide, there are enough supporters crying for a cure that alternative treatments and therapies can fast track into viable cures. Already in the U.S. approximately 60% of HIV infected people use some form of complementary/alternative medicine with the already mainstream forms of treatments. It is a balance between taking the time to test for safety and bringing a cure as fast as possible to millions of ailing patients. Intelligent research may be the key to innovation and finding new ways to treat old diseases. It’s not necessarily finding a new miracle cure, but looking at what is already in place and finding a way to make it work. Think MacGyver meets medicine.