Nurses | RNBuilder Nursing Blog

Nursing Attire and Patient Perception

Published

on November 17, 2011

A Brief History of the Nursing Uniform

. 0 Comments

Nursing Attire and Patient Perception Nursing has long been a female-dominated field, and it has undergone drastic changes in the past 100 years. However, images of those early nursing days (young women in white dresses and hats) have remained, whether as part of society’s tendency toward sexual objectification or by patients who actually remember a time when nurses were portrayed a certain way.

These days, nurses are often indistinguishable from other medical professionals—and researchers have yet to determine whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. Almost all care providers wear the same kind of colorful scrubs, which are built around comfort, and there are no differences for men and women. This can be difficult on some patients, since they might have a difficult time determining if they are being approached by a college-educated professional or by a supplementary staff member.

Several studies have been done to look at how nursing attire affects patient perception (and therefore patient care), most notably in the 2006 Journal of Nursing Administration and a 2008 Applied Nursing Research report.

Some of their key findings include:

Scrubs tend to make nurses appear less professional but more approachable.
Almost all generations prefer simple white uniforms to indicate nursing staff; this is especially true for elderly patients.
Pediatric nurses are the exception; on them, colorful uniforms are considered ideal.

For nursing students and new nurses, these findings might not seem conclusive enough to make a wardrobe decision, especially since you may be required to purchase and wear uniforms in keeping with the workplace dress code. You might not have the option of white scrubs, and you may be required to wear bright colors every day of the week.

However, what you can do is realize that your patients are affected by the way you look, regardless of whether you chose the outfit or not. Fun, whimsical scrubs might make you more appealing to younger generations, but older patients might not see you as the professional you really are. Plain scrubs are more likely to earn you respect, even if you’re a CNA on the first day of the job. And across the board, sexually ambiguous attire is best, as it takes an important step away from the early 20th century stereotypes that placed women in a less than professional role.

Nursing Opportunities: Is it Better to Work at a For-Profit Hospital or Non-Profit Hospital?

Published

on October 3, 2011

Nursing Jobs that Aren’t in a Hospital

. 0 Comments

For-profit and non-profit hospitals With the exception of government-run and VA facilities, hospitals fall into one of two categories: for-profit and non-profit organizations. As the names suggest, for-profit hospitals are those that are run as a business, dedicated to turning a profit for the shareholders. Non-profit hospitals, on the other hand, take monies earned and put them back into the company, whether for continued maintenance or expansion. In short, within a non-profit setting, company leaders make a salary, but they do not share in the profits of the organization.

When it comes to working as a nurse within the hospital setting, there are some subtle differences in the way for-profits and non-profits are run. These differences are not universal, but if you are choosing between two types of organizations, you may want to consider a few of these trends.

For-profit hospitals are businesses first, while non-profits focus more on the person. This means that when it comes to performance reviews, productivity, and accountability, for-profits tend to enforce a more numbers-based system. This is great for nurses who share the same traits, but may be an issue for nurses who prefer to think of their workplace as a community of shared interests and goals.

Non-profit hospitals have the advantage of providing built-in workplace motivation. Although most nurses get their job satisfaction from working with individual patients and families, there is also a larger contribution to the good of society to consider. When a hospital operates under a mission like serving low-income communities, it can contribute to higher feelings of personal growth in the workplace.

For-profit hospitals are better equipped to handle financial setbacks, but this might be done at high costs. Because they almost all have long-term financial plans in place, for-profit hospitals tend to know where they can make cutbacks to avoid having to close their doors for good. However, this could be done at the cost of staffing ratios, and nurses may be asked to take on larger workloads to compensate for a bad fiscal year.

Accountability tends to be higher in for-profit hospitals, and nurses who may not be pulling their own weight in the team setting are more likely to be reprimanded for their actions. This can lead to a smoother workplace, where everyone is required to pitch in according to their job description and salary.

For many professionals coming out of nursing school, it will be virtually impossible to tell the difference between for-profit and non-profit hospitals. Both are dedicated to a high quality of care and keeping their employees happy, and only after a few months or years will these subtle differences be evident.

If you feel very passionately about one or the other, be sure and tailor your job search accordingly. Both for-profit and non-profit hospitals can provide a long-lasting and satisfying career, but knowing what to expect is a great way to ensure that you find the right professional nursing fit for you.

Related Topics:

Ethics in Nursing

Nursing and Malpractice Insurance

Published

on September 21, 2011

Forensic Nursing and Legal Nurse Consulting

. 0 Comments

Nursing and Malpractice Insurance One of the things new nurses are commonly told is that they’ll need to purchase malpractice insurance before they can start working at many hospitals and other health care organizations. In some cases, the employer (or state licensing board) requires the insurance; in others, it’s simply good business sense.

No matter how hard nurses work or how careful they are with their jobs, mistakes can and do happen—and in some cases, patients or their loved ones may choose to take action. Malpractice insurance is your layer of protection against a personal suit that could cost you your savings account or even your home.

Why Nurses Need Malpractice Insurance

In addition to workplace requirements, nurses are liable for their patients in cases in which negligence can be proven. In this situation, “negligence” can mean many different things, including making an error in dispensing medication, failing to respond to a call light, or even having an oversight in care caused by exhaustion or overworking.

While this might seem like it opens a Pandora’s Box of possibilities, only cases in which the negligence can be proven in a court of law are those that require a financial payout. That’s good news for nurses who aren’t guilty of the lawsuit against them. In the meantime, however, you might be stripped of your license, be required to pay for a lawyer, and be forced to stay away from work until everything is settled.

What Does Malpractice Insurance Cover?

Depending on your policy, you can expect different levels of coverage. Good policies will cover all your legal fees and expenses; even better ones might also compensate you for time you were forced to spend away from work, including lost wages, lodging, and even meals.

Some employers have their own coverage, which is used to cover all of their staff as a blanket of protection. In these cases, you might be tempted to forgo the personal malpractice insurance altogether. Be wary, though, since the limit might not be very high or there may be an indemnity clause that holds you responsible above a certain payout limit.

The sad truth is that nurses—good and bad ones—get sued all the time. When this happens, the damages aren’t only financial. You’ll also get reported to the Board of Nursing and potentially lose your license. While prevention is certainly your best course of action, it always helps to be prepared and have a professional safety net there to catch you.

Nursing Recruitment Bonuses: Are They Worth It?

Published

on August 8, 2011

Nursing Career During a Recession

. 0 Comments

Nursing Sign On Bonus Although most people open the job ads only to be faced by a pretty grim prospect, nurses have the advantage of being in one of the most in-demand careers on the market. In fact, in addition to the regular advertisements for open positions, you might even find employment ads that promise recruitment or employment bonuses—and often to the tune of thousands of dollars.

For new graduates and experienced professionals, the appeal of signing on for employment with a $5,000 or $10,000 check already in hand is strong. However, before you agree to work for any health care corporation, it’s important to check the fine print and understand the employment situation. After all, there’s a reason these companies are short on staff, and bonuses almost always come with contractual obligations, so you can expect to be held to the contract for the duration of your term.

Here are a few questions to answer before you make a decision:

Is the bonus split or spread out over time? In many cases, a bonus will be split in half or divided into graduated increments (for example, 10 percent up front and the remaining 30 percent every three months). This is typically done to ensure that you don’t take the bonus, work your contractual time, and leave the organization hanging. However, you want to be sure that there aren’t other stipulations that will prevent you from getting your money.

If I leave the position, do I have to pay the bonus back? Read carefully to determine how long you are obligated to stay at the organization without getting a penalty. A $3,000 bonus might look appealing…until you learn you have to stay in the job for the next five years or risk paying it back.

Is compensation lower to make up for it? Even with a generous sign-on bonus, the other aspects of the job should be comparable to market standards. Rates of pay, retirement packages, insurance and health benefits, time off, overtime…none of them should be cut back or reduced to make up for the bonus. A bonus is meant to go on top of everything else, not in place of it.

What is the employer like, bonus or not? Look into the employer as you would any organization with which you’re signing a contract. Talk to existing employees, check the level of patient care, and spend some time doing your research. The point of a sign-on nursing bonus is to recruit top talent, but top talent should also want to sign on there because it is a good place to work.

Nursing students in a position to consider a sign-on bonus are in a good position because they have choices. You can choose to work for a large hospital, a small clinic, or a high-need office in an urban center. You can work part-time, full-time, or as a travel nurse. And as is the case with any choice, it’s important to look into all the aspects and make the decision that will suit you best for the long term.

Related Topics:

Nursing Salaries: Getting Paid What You’re Worth

Attending Nursing Conferences

Published

on July 15, 2011

Nursing School Grads Need to Be Job Search Savvy

. 0 Comments

i_nursing_jobs One of the best ways to get the nursing continuing education credits you need while also doing a bit of networking (and having some fun) is to attend nursing conferences. Professional nursing conferences are most commonly offered by hospitals, nursing specialization boards, the American Nurses Association, and the National League for Nursing. Providing education, conference speakers, and the chance to develop new skills, these conferences run the range of week-long affairs to an afternoon or two a few times per year.

Why Attend a Nursing Conference?

For many nurses, conferences aren’t optional. Whether you are in need of continuing education credits, or if your place of employment requires it, some nurses might be required to attend a certain number of conference hours each year. Local or national nursing associations might also require members to attend once or twice in order to keep the membership current.

Not everyone who goes to a conference has to be there; in fact, for many working professionals and student nurses, this is a unique chance to meet others in the field and to develop contacts and relationships for the future. The chance to boost your education is a great draw, as well, since part of being a great nurse is always growing and developing within the profession. In some cases, attending conferences can help boost you toward a goal of a specialty certification.

How Much Do Nursing Conferences Cost?

Because these are highly organized events, often including famous educators and speakers, there is almost always a registration cost associated with a conference. Additional considerations include travel and hotel costs, meals, and time spent away from work—all of which can add up to a large investment. For some nurses, these costs are covered by a hospital or other place of employment; for everyone else, it is a tax-deductible purchase.

Depending on how far you travel and what type of conference it is, you can pay anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand. Some local nursing associations offer scholarships to help pay for the trip, and even the conferences themselves might have discounts or payment waivers for those unable to cover the whole costs.

Related Topics:

Nursing Specialties

Moving a Nursing License Across State Borders

Published

on July 6, 2011

Nursing- The Recession Proof Profession

. 0 Comments

i_nursing_student Nursing students come from a variety of backgrounds and a wide range of ages. Some students are fresh out of high school and brimming with hopes for the future, while others are making a career changes after decades of working in a different field. Regardless of your situation in life, one thing remains the same: nothing remains the same. For whatever reason, professional or personal, you may find yourself packing up and moving to a new state. Unfortunately, your nursing license might not travel quite as easily.

The Nurse License Compact (NLC) which is offered through the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), is a program that exists to make transferring a nursing license easy. It boasts a “mutual recognition model” that essentially dissolves state borders so that a nurse may move from one state to another and not worry about additional testing or licensing. While the program has been a success so far, it isn’t available in every state. If you don’t live in an NLC state, or if you’re moving to a state that isn’t part of the program, you don’t qualify for this multi-state licensing option.

The 24 states that are part of the NLC include:

Arizona
Arkansas
Colorado
Delaware
Idaho
Iowa
Kentucky
Maine
Maryland
Mississippi
Missouri
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New Mexico
North Carolina
North Dakota
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Wisconsin

While the NLC makes it easy to transfer your place of residence and work, there are options for those who live elsewhere. In most cases, you’ll need to contact the state’s nursing board directly to learn what requirements they have that may differ from those currently in your position. For example, you may need to beef up on a few classes to reach the required number of continuing education credits, or you may need to pay an additional fee to be licensed to work in that state.

If you already have an employer lined up in your new state, you might want to solicit their help in getting the new license or even in paying the fees. Don’t expect to start working until all the paperwork is in place, however, since the field of nursing is strictly regulated no matter what state you’re in.

Although it can be a hassle, and you may be required to go back to school for a few weeks to get all the classes you need up to date, transferring a nursing license is a professional possibility. And as the NLC continues to advocate for cross-state licenses, more and more states should be jumping on board the plan to make this transition easier.

Related Topics:

Travel Nursing

How to Succeed in Nursing School

Published

on June 20, 2011

How to Prepare for Nursing School

. 0 Comments

i_student_2 With a heavy science basis and clinicals that require a long and grueling commitment, nursing school is not an easy task.

Yet in recent years, nursing school has gotten a bit of a reputation as being nothing more than an assembly line for creating professionals to replace the large number of retiring nurses and to fill the nursing shortages all over the country. While it’s true that recruitment methods urge students to consider nursing school, and that you can earn an RN license in as little as two years, don’t expect an easy time of it. Nursing school is a challenge—both to get in and to get through.

If you’re one of the students who got all the prerequisite classes completed, gained entrance to an accredited nursing program, and are working hard to keep up, here are a few tips for finding success.

Establish a Good Relationship with Your Instructors: You don’t necessarily have to stay late every day to chat up the teachers or sit in the front row and have all the answers. But you should do your best to respect the instructors and the curriculum they have set out. Unlike many types of educators, nursing instructors are all nurses first, and instructors second. They have the hands-on skills you’ll need to develop over the next few years, and their experience should become your own. Do the work that is required of you, and take any feedback you get and put it to good use. Making allies of your professors can really boost both your professional success and your entire college experience.

Ask For Help: Nursing is one of those professions where just one mistake could cost you your job—and someone their life. Get in the habit now of asking questions and asking for help when you need it. Working as part of team is always going to be present in the nursing profession, and it’s okay to lean on your coworkers (and co-students) from time to time. It’s better to take the time to learn things now, even if it is difficult, rather than to learn the hard way later that you aren’t prepared to do your job well.

Pitch In and Help Others: At the same time, you want to be the type of nurse others are comfortable approaching for help, as well. A student who demonstrates responsibility and accountability, and who goes above and beyond to contribute to the whole team, is going to be better equipped to succeed in a real world setting.

Be a Caring Professional: Nursing is one of those careers that has a big scientific foundation—but just as important is a solid base of caring. Nurses are often the people families and patients see and talk to the most in a formal care setting, and they rely on nurses to be their advocates within the health care system. Use your nursing school time to develop compassion, empathy, and respect for your patients and the profession as a whole.

Of course, if you want to succeed at nursing school, you’ll also need to set up a good study schedule, spend a lot of time pouring over textbooks, and show up to class every day. As is the case with any medical profession, nursing school prepares you for the real world of nursing, and your commitment to your education will reflect in your job skills.

Related Topics:

The Upcoming Nursing Shortage

What You Learn in a Certified Nursing Assistant Training Program

Published

on April 6, 2011

Different Nursing Degree Options

. 0 Comments

i_nurse_female_11 A certified nursing assistant program (CNA program) prepares graduates to work as a nursing assistant in a hospital, nursing home, long-term care facility, or other health care center. When you choose a program from an accredited school, you can sit for the national CNA exam to get licensed in the field, enjoying great job stability and pay of up to $20/hour.

Types of CNA Programs

Most certified nursing assistant programs take place in an education institution or a nursing school. Although there are online CNA programs, there is a hands-on component that may require you to do a local internship in order to graduate and be eligible to sit for the exam. Additionally, some nursing homes or other large organizations might pay you or reimburse you for going through CNA training, provided you sign a contract to remain with their company for a few years following graduation.

The length of the program varies depending on where you go to school, but you can expect anywhere from six to twelve weeks (100 to 120 hours) of training in all. Your coursework will most likely include a mixture of lecture-based and lab skills development in:

Anatomy and physiology
Patient hygiene
Nutrition
Disease control
Rehabilitative therapy
Mental health nursing
Psychosocial care skills
Medical ethics
Taking vital signs
General patient care
Stress management
Communication

With these skills firmly in place, you will be qualified to assist nurses and doctors in a team-like capacity to provide everyday, routine care to those in the health care setting. In many cases, this training can be complimented by a phlebotomy course, which will qualify you to draw and process blood from your patients. You may also continue on in your education to eventually receive your LPN (licensed practical nurse) or even your RN (registered nurse) degrees.

Getting Certified as a CNA

Licensure as a CNA isn’t required for all jobs in the field, but it provides a great way to increase your pay and advancement opportunities. The National Nurse Aide Assessment Program is the most common certifying body, but you’ll need to check with your state and potential employers to determine for certain what qualifications you need to practice as a certified nursing assistant in your city.

Nursing School Courses: What is Bioethics?

Published

on March 23, 2011

Modern Day Ethics Issues in Nursing

. 0 Comments

i_nurses_3 As you go through your two (or four) years of nursing school, you’ll most likely find a bioethics or medical ethics class on your course list. Rapidly becoming a requirement for both nursing schools and students alike, this is the time in which you’ll learn about the rights and responsibilities of being a nurse as it relates to general human morality.

What is the Difference Between Bioethics and Medical Ethics?

In the medical community, bioethics is the study of how biological research (and the applications of that research) has an impact on human beings. This field asks questions like:

When is it acceptable to use human test subjects in a medical study?
How much culpability do medical professionals have on the outcome of a patient’s treatment?
Are procedures like in-vitro fertilization and gene studies hurting or helping our society?

The list can go on, but the overall takeaway is this: where does the line between research and human rights lie?

Medical ethics, on the other hand, has more to do with how medical professionals treat each patient who crosses their path. Moral issues like racial and sexual equality in care giving, human rights in end-of-life care, and personal freedoms in a nursing home setting all play a role.

Which Course Will I Take in Nursing School?

Depending on your nursing school and the program you’re in, you may take one or both of these courses (and some schools will combine them into one). And the reasons why these courses are required make sense: nursing is an inherently compassionate field.

Although there is a strong scientific component to everything you do, the nurse is essentially the bridge between the doctors and the families. This means that in addition to providing care and dispensing medicine, you are an advocate for fair treatment and, oftentimes, the person closest to the patient and his or her family in the medical community.

This training is also required in order for you to be licensed and insured as a nursing professional. Almost all nurses have some sort of malpractice insurance (either independently or through your employer) to protect against lawsuits. Having an ethics course means that you understand your rights and responsibilities as a member of the health care team, and you will be better equipped to deal with situations in which morality comes into play.

Related Topics:

Working With Patient Families