Western Pennsylvania Healthcare News

Covering healthcare news in the Pittsburgh region and beyond.

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Forget CRNP Regulations—The Answer is Telemedicine

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By Syed Kaleem

Last month, the Pennsylvania State Senate surpassed expectations, based on previous years, and passed SB 25 – an amendment to the state’s Professional Nursing Law that includes expanding Certified Registered Nurse Practitioners’ (CRNPs’) scope of practice to include independence from physicians. However, in the context of its goals of increasing access to care in rural areas, valuable time and energy is being wasted with efforts to push this legislation instead of telemedicine regulations. A framework for telemedicine would move Pennsylvania’s healthcare landscape into the future would significantly increase access to care. 

The Pennsylvania Medical Society sent a letter to Committee members before the bill passed stating their position that, “Removing physicians from the care team will not improve care nor will it improve access to care in remote areas of the state.” 

[Read more…]

Duquesne University School of Nursing Hosts Symposium on Homelessness

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Duquesne University School of Nursing will host its 10th annual McGinley-Rice Symposium on Justice for Vulnerable Populations, a unique scholarly forum for health care professionals to address social justice issues in health care, on Oct. 17-18, 2019. 

Organized by Sr. Rosemary Donley, PhD, APRN, FAAN, professor of nursing and the Jacques Laval Endowed Chair in Justice for Vulnerable Populations at Duquesne University, this year’s symposium will look at The Face of the Person Who is Homeless. The two-day symposium will feature lectures, panel discussions, and dialogue sessions with clinicians, researchers, educators, and advocates working with persons who are experiencing homelessness. 

Sr. Donley hopes that the symposium will educate attendees about the homeless plight in this country, awaken awareness and stimulate action on behalf of justice. “It’s difficult to change attitudes,” she says. “But the people who typically come to our symposium are open to being changed. They already know and understand the population, so we want to give them a toolbox for some of the things they can do as well as some people they can call.” 

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A Force to Be Reckoned With: Millennial Nurses Bring Growing Numbers and Higher Expectations to the Work Environment

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By Marcia Faller, PhD, RN, Chief Clinical Officer, AMN Healthcare

Millennial nurses place a higher premium on professional development, quality measure transparency and other factors than their older peers. They’re also more likely to change jobs to get what they want. 

These were among the key takeaways from a new report by AMN Healthcare, Survey of Millennial Nurses: A Dynamic Influence on the Profession, which offers many insights about millennial nurse expectations for the work environment.

Millennials (ages 19-36) are now the largest generation in the U.S. labor force, making up 35% of American workers.  This trend takes on particular significance in the healthcare industry where unprecedented workforce shortages have created recruitment challenges, particularly for qualified nurses.

The new report provides millennial nurse opinions based on data gathered in the AMN 2017 Survey of Registered Nurses, completed by 3,347 RNs. The millennial nurse responses were extracted and compared to those from Generation X, or Gen Xers, (ages 37-53) and baby boomer nurses (ages 54-71). 

The following are some highlights from the survey: [Read more…]

Cal U Offers Convenient, Online Coursework for Nursing Students at Ohio Valley Hospital

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By Christine Kindl

Kennedy Township nursing school is the latest to partner with California University of Pennsylvania

Cal U has formed an educational alliance with the Ohio Valley Hospital School of Nursing (OVHSON) in Kennedy Township, Pa.

Under the new agreement, Cal U will provide top quality online coursework for nursing students who represent the future of healthcare in the region.

Cal U will offer students in the OVHSON nursing diploma program as many as 30 credits of non-degree coursework, entirely online. Nursing students will complete their science and general education requirements through Cal U’s online learning management system, while continuing their hands-on training in practical nursing skills at Ohio Valley Hospital.

“California University has coordinated the presentation of content in their courses to align with our nursing content, they have scheduled courses to coincide with our semesters as we needed, and they have opened their library resources — both brick-and-mortar and online — to all the Ohio Valley Hospital School of Nursing students,” says Valerie Gaydosh, OVHSON director.  [Read more…]

Why Our Healthcare Environments Can Reduce Workplace Injury

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Alan RheaultBy Alan Rheault

As the wave of changes shifts our healthcare system from diagnosis and treatment to prevention and wellness, clinicians and nurses play a key role in shaping the healthcare environment and the patient experience. Yet this group is highly susceptible and vulnerable to work place injuries. While we look to advance our healthcare model, experience and environment overall, we need not only think of the patient but also the professional caregiver.

Statistics from the American Nurses Association actually shows registered nurses (RNs) ranked fifth of all occupations in the number of work days missed due to occupational injuries and illnesses. In a recent survey titled the 2013 State of Clinician & Nurses Report, undertaken by Nurture by Steelcase, 35% of clinicians and nurses report being injured at least once on the job while 24% had to modify activity or movement during at least one shift. Significant shifts are adding complexity to the healthcare system, as new challenges interface with new opportunities. Nurse to patient ratios, the expectation to provide “guidance and leadership”, the integration of technology, diversity and specialization and expanding responsibilities are all at play. 

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