During the past few years, there has been much lamenting about “those millennials,” and how they just don’t have the same work tendencies as the generations of nurses before them. Often, these assumptions are anecdotal and based off nurse leaders’ personal experiences with the age-based cohort.
The new report, Survey of Millennial Nurses: A Dynamic Influence on the Profession, released by the healthcare staffing company AMN Healthcare, seems to confirm some of these observations. The report compares millennial nurses’ (ages 19-36) responses on the AMN Healthcare 2017 Survey of Registered Nurses to responses from Generation X nurses (ages 37-53) and baby boomer nurses (ages 54-71). The questionnaires were sent out in March and April 2017, and 3,347 RNs completed the survey.
Read the full article here.
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]]>However, becoming a registered nurse means going to college. For many students, that also means student loans. Here’s what all nursing students should know about their loan options.
Federal subsidized and unsubsidized student loans for nursing school
As a nursing student, you likely have access to federal student loans. Begin by filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to qualify.
The Duke nursing school’s Master of Science of Nursing program was also ranked among the best, at No. 2 out of 296 master’s programs rated by the magazine.
Several nursing specialty areas were also included among the magazine’s top 10: Nurse Practitioner-Family (first); Nurse Practitioner-Pediatric (second); Nurse Practitioner-Adult/Gerontology, Primary Care (third); Nursing Informatics (fourth); Nurse Practitioner-Adult Gerontology, Acute Care (sixth); Nursing Administration (eighth).
“The outstanding work being done today, coupled with our legacy of excellence is what allows us to be counted among the elite nursing schools in the nation,” said Marion E. Broome, dean and Ruby Wilson Professor of Nursing, Duke University School of Nursing. “We aren’t one of the best nursing schools because of our rankings, we are one of the best nursing schools because of what we do.”
]]>As health care demands continue to increase — along with costs — nursing will become even more crucial. In the past, a career in nursing hasn’t been on the radars of many professional men, as it is a career more traditionally filled by women. But really, why not even consider an entire booming career path, one with opportunity for great compensation, job security, and other benefits that might increase your quality of life?
Here are some good reasons why men should roll up the sleeves of their scrubs and get involved.
Why not?
Would you tell your kid to overlook an entire in-demand and lucrative, rewarding career path just because it’s traditionally been a field for one gender or the other? Of course not. So why would you overlook it? The biggest obstacle you’d have to clear as a dude entering the profession would be your own gender stereotypes. Nursing is a highly valued and very sturdy career choice. Why let tired gender stereotypes keep this work only for the ladies?
If you’re reading this and considering nursing, congrats! You’re already over that hump! If you can be mentored and trained by highly competent women in a highly technical and demanding field, then you’re good to go.
Show you’re an enlightened guy and join this under-appreciated field. Then join an organization like the American Assembly of Men in Nursing for extra support while you break into your new career.
You can specialize.
Whatever picture you have in your head for what a nurse’s job is like, you’re probably wrong. But probably you also didn’t realize just how wide the options are for specialization in the field. Try any number of fields, such as anesthesia, flight, emergency, trauma nursing. Even middle management, nursing education, nurse practitioner work, oncology, psychiatry, pediatrics, and administration.
Find your interest, claim your niche and pursue whichever part of this wide-ranging profession that interests you. Don’t get us wrong — you of course will have to start with the basics and build a solid foundation. But once you do, you have the freedom (and opportunity) to make it your own.
You will likely be well-compensated.
Like in most professions, male nurses tend to out-earn female nurses.Hey, this might not be fair, but it’s true. Right out of the gate, you’re more likely to be compensated (more) fairly for your time and work. It’s a consistent and reliable career choice wherein you have a financial leg up. Just be sure once you get hired, you start fighting for fair pay for your female colleagues. After all, they’re just as qualified and overworked as you will be.
]]>“I wanted to pick a major that helped me get there,” says the 22-year-old, who initially thought a major in biology would serve that purpose. “I actually enjoyed chemistry more than I thought I would, and it seemed to be a better fit for what I needed to get into med school – so I switched to biochemistry.”
The Idaho native finished her biochemistry degree with a minor in mathematics at Linfield College in Oregon last December and was accepted at the University of Washington School of Medicine, which ranks No. 1 among the 2018 Best Medical Schools for Primary Care.
“The classes I took catered to the MCAT perfectly,” she says. “One concept that was on the test I literally learned in my molecular biology class the day before the exam.”
Schwehr isn’t the only premed student who studied a biology-related discipline to be accepted at a competitive medical program.
In fact, more than 40 percent of premed students accepted at the top 11 – due to ties – Best Medical Schools for Primary Care or the top 10 Best Medical Schools for Research in 2016 studied a major with a biological science emphasis, according to data submitted to U.S. News by 113 ranked medical schools in an annual survey.
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MANY TYPES OF NURSING SPECIALTY OPTIONS
The nursing field offers many different patient care environments, some of which may be particularly appealing to men, such as anesthesia, flight, emergency, or trauma nursing. Other nursing specialties in the field that male nurses may want to explore include middle management, nursing education, nurse practitioner, oncology, psychiatry, pediatrics, and administration. Nursing is not a one-size-fits-all profession; for both male and female nurses, the wide array of specialties makes it possible to pursue one’s specific areas of interest in the field.
SALARIES FOR MALE NURSES IS HIGHLY COMPETITIVE
Nurses earn a good living. Nurses in Illinois earn an average salary of $60,000. That goes up for nurse practitioners and those with specialties such as anesthesiology. It’s a relatively quick transition to make a comfortable salary. Opportunities for advancement happen more quickly in nursing than in some other fields.
Even in the female-dominated field of nursing, male nurses typically out-earn female nurses, as is the case across almost all occupations. Also the retirement benefits are often very appealing. It is also not uncommon for new nurses to be offered signing bonuses.
MALE NURSES IN DEMAND
Many hospitals desire a mix of genders and many men offer the physical strength needed for tasks such as moving patients and heavy equipment. Also, some male patients prefer male nurses when dealing with sensitive medical issues, such as prostate exams, catheters etc.
NURSES HAVE JOB STABILITY
Nursing will never go out of style, and they can’t be replaced by machines. People will always need medical care no matter what happens in the economy. Nursing requires empathy, resilience, and a capacity for caring… and there’s no gender restriction on that.
The rates of obesity and obesity-related diseases are increasing throughout the world according to “Prediabetes: A Worldwide Epidemic.” The Center for Disease Control reports that nearly half of all deaths in the United States are due to heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes. Entire scientific journals, such as Nutrition and Health, Diabetes, and the Journal of Nutrition, are devoted to examining the relationships between nutrition and health. Research has shown that nutrition is one of the leading causes of and significantly affects the management of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and aging-related diseases.
There is no clear correlation between policy recommendations and nutrition choices. For example, a study that provided nutrition information to adults at fast-food chains found that simply providing information did not alter consumer choices. Coaching has consistently proven effective at changing eating habits, especially when tailored to an individual’s lifestyle and medical history. Many see using doctors as nutrition coaches as a natural extension of a physician’s duties and a valuable opportunity for one-on-one intervention. However, a National Institute of Health survey revealed that a majority of primary care physicians do not give diet advice. According to polls reported by the Washington Post, less than 25 percent of doctors feel they are informed enough regarding nutrition to discuss it knowledgeably.
]]>That wasn’t the case when Brandon Combs, M.D., an internist at UC Health in Denver, and his friend Tanner Caverly, M.D., an internist at the VA Ann Arbor (Mich.) Healthcare System, were in medical school.
“We noticed that patients often received well-intended medical care that was probably unnecessary, but there wasn’t a place in our training curriculum to help identify and limit such occurrences,” says Combs, assistant professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
In 2012, they co-founded the Do No Harm project, in which medical students and residents are invited to write a short narrative describing an experience in which medical overuse resulted in — or posed the threat of — harm to a patient. Participants must cite evidence from the medical literature that supports their argument about the specific overuse and evidence about how performance could be improved. The project inspired JAMA Internal Medicine to launch its Teachable Moment series. By publishing many of the Do No Harm case studies, the series allows medical trainees — and all other readers — around the world to learn from the authors’ reflections on low-value care.
Meanwhile, Mayo Clinic School of Medicine and Arizona State University included high-value care as one of six domains in their new Science of Health Care Delivery curriculum that launched in 2015. Other domains include team-based care, population-based care and person-centered care.Read Full Article
]]>There may soon be more nurses than there are jobs.
By 2025, there will be nearly 3.9 million full-time equivalent registered nurses compared with the nationwide demand of 3.5 million, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Nurses with a master’s degree, however, shouldn’t have a problem finding a job. Nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives and nurse practitioners, for example, are expected to see employment growth of 31 percent from 2014 to 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And some schools are helping just about every aspiring nurse who wants a master’s degree reach his or her goal.
[Boost a nursing career with a master’s degree.]
At eight nursing master’s programs – including the programs at Clemson University and Regis University – 100 percent of applicants were accepted in fall of 2015. The programs had the highest acceptance rates among 228 institutions that submitted these data to U.S. News in an annual survey.
Among the eight schools, the average number of applicants was 42. Many schools with low acceptance rates – such as Seattle University and University of North Carolina—Charlotte, which each accepted just 21 percent of applicants – had much larger applicant pools. Seattle received 344 applicants and UNC—Charlotte had 298.
]]>Faye Hummel, who has taught in UNC’s program since 1986 and has directed the program since 2013, will be honored along with the other 2016 fellows during a ceremony at the NLN Honors Convocation Sept. 23 in Orlando, Fla.
In a competitive application process, potential fellowship candidates are evaluated on their contributions to innovative teaching and learning strategies; nursing education research; faculty development activities; academic leadership; promotion of public policy that advances nursing education; and collaborative educational, practice or community partnerships.
Hummel, who holds a master’s degree in community health nursing, a Ph.D. in sociology and is certified as an advanced transcultural nurse, in 2015 received UNC’s M. Lucile Harrison Award recognizing professional excellence in teaching, scholarship and service.
Her many other recognitions include the title of Professor Honorius Causa from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City for her contribution to Vietnamese medical education and tutoring Vietnamese students in nursing over the past two decades.
In addition to her teaching and administrative duties at UNC, Hummel volunteers her time to co-direct the Friendship Bridge Nurses Group, a non-governmental organization that partners with Vietnamese educators and policymakers to advance the profession of nursing and improve health care in Vietnam.
Dedicated to excellence in nursing, the National League for Nursing is the premier organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education. The NLN offers professional development, networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives to its 40,000 individual and 1,200 institutional members. NLN members represent nursing education programs across the spectrum of higher education, and health care organizations and agencies.
]]>So she enrolled in the online RN-to-Master of Science in Nursing bridge program at Excelsior College to earn the higher-level degree without having to separately pursue a bachelor’s in nursing, which experts say is typically needed for graduate-level study in the field. The “bridge” portion of the program covers the important material she would have learned had she received that degree.
“It sets me on a path where I wouldn’t quit on myself,” the 42-year-old says.
For students looking to quickly advance their nursing education, an online “bridge” program might be a good option. In an RN-to-Bachelor of Science in Nursing online program, for instance, students can earn a bachelor’s without having to relearn what they already know as a registered nurse – it’s similar to any student transferring credits from a community college to a four-year university.
]]>The rural medicine and family medicine programs have also led the nation since those rankings began in 1992.
In a new ranking this year, the UW’s doctor of nursing practice program is first among 149 programs nationwide.
See all UW Medicine and other health sciences graduate program rankings at HS NewsBeat.
In all, the UW has 52 graduate programs among the nation’s top 10 in each area. Among those, 12 health, nursing and medical programs – and another 14 public affairs and science programs – are in the top five.
“These rankings underscore yet again the outstandingly high quality of our medical education and nursing programs, and the invaluable service they provide in training health-care providers for our state and beyond,” said UW President Ana Mari Cauce. “And I couldn’t be prouder of the number and breadth of graduate programs ranked among the best in the country – from public affairs and education, to the STEM fields, humanities and the arts. We have amazing faculty and students coming together as a community of scholars to extend the reach of our knowledge.”
In total, more than 90 of the UW’s graduate programs are ranked in the top 40 on the U.S. News lists.
The Evans School of Public Policy & Governance ranked fourth (in a four-way tie), continuing an upward trend for the Evans School among public affairs programs, which are ranked every four years. In 2004, the Evans School was 26th before jumping to 14th in 2008 and ninth in 2012. The Evans School also had four specialties in the top 10: environmental policy (second), nonprofit management (sixth), public management (ninth), and public financing and budgeting (10th). The College of Education tied for eighth overall, with four specialties landing in the top 10: special education (seventh), elementary education (seventh), secondary education (eighth) and administration/supervision (ninth).
U.S. News also re-released rankings for several graduate schools and specialty programs from previous years. The UW’s graduate program in computer science landed in a tie for sixth, with the artificial intelligence and computer science systems specialties each ranking fifth. Computer science theory was ninth. The UW’s biostatistics program was tied for first in the nation and mathematics was in a three-way tie for 25th. Earth sciences (tied for 11th), biological sciences (tied for 19th), physics (22nd), and chemistry (tied for 24th) were all ranked in 2014. The nuclear physics specialty, also ranked in 2014, was second in the nation.
In other rankings carried over from 2013, psychology (tied for 14th), sociology (tied for 20th), political science (tied for 28th), history (tied for 30th), English (tied for 32nd) and economics (tied for 40th) remained in the top 40.
Information about U.S. News & World Report’s methodology can be found here.
Full article here
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