In its biannual Employment Outlook report, the U.S. Department of Labor stated that the healthcare and social assistance fields would experience the highest growth for new jobs, with more than 5 million new workers needed by 2020. An estimated 33.8 million existing healthcare positions are expected to be vacated by retiring workers, which raises the […]
A study indicates that the nursing shortage is over, but that it will likely come roaring back. By 2020, it might be more difficult than ever to fill nursing vacancies. An article in the Detroit News indicates that the the number of full-time nurses grew by about 386,000 from 2005 to 2010, according to a recent […]
A study by the New England Journal of Medicine has cast doubt on a central premise of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA took inspiration from Medicare’s efforts to pay hospitals based on how they perform, which was thought to save money while improving health care. However, the study has found that the mortality […]
The nursing field is still dominated by women, but more and more men are joining their ranks. The stigma is fading, and the opportunities are beckoning. For students like Trevor Potts, interviewed in an article in the South Dakota State University newspaper, the chance to make people feel better and help others draws him to nursing. […]
Theresa Brown, an oncology nurse, is concerned about surveys that ask patients about their hospital experience. For many years, hospitals have been collecting data regarding patient satisfaction, and now the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services developed the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey and announced that Medicare reimbursements and bonuses were […]
An article in the New York Times explains a new type of health care practice called accountable care organizations, or A.C.O.s The article takes the case of Fannie Cline as an example of how A.C.O.s work. Mrs. Cline, a 69-year-old retiree, was struggling to manage her Type 2 diabetes, suffering setbacks like dizzy spells that […]
Nursing curricula today focus on the nurse-to-patient relationship, backed with heavy content and a plethora of facts to be memorized. Most nursing students graduate without a basic understanding of the entire healthcare system, team nursing concepts and quality and safety practices within the healthcare realm. In a predominantly passive learning environment of school, nursing students […]
Physicians are resisting legislation that is geared towards allowing advance practice registered nurses (APRNs) like nurse practitioners to practice independently. This has been proposed as a solution to the problem of increasing health care costs. The main objection stated by physicians has been that while they understand that NPs have an important role, NPs simply […]
A study from France has found that a shortage of beds in hospital intensive care units may mean that more patients die. An article from Reuters reports on the study, which focused on 10 hospitals in western France. The researchers found that almost 15% of the 1,332 patients who had been referred to the hospitals’ […]
The US News and World Report has published a list of the top ten jobs of 2012. At the very top of the list — above jobs such as web developer and pharmacist — is “Registered Nurse.” All ten of the best jobs of 2012 fall one of two broad categories, either healthcare or computers. […]
