Editor’s Letter
Hello everyone,
Yes, spring is officially here this week, but in many parts of the country we still have a ways to go until we can see its fruits. This has been a tough winter with the wild weather, sagging economy, an edge-of-your-seat presidential primary race, and more news about chronic nursing shortages, so we thought we would help the warm winds of spring along a little with some inspirational and interesting news stories about nurses and the nursing profession.
See you next month!
Nurses get a boost from robots
While robots will never replace nurses, the nursing profession will be most likely getting some significant help in the future with everything from ferrying equipment to providing companionship to patients. Small courier robots are already being used in some hospitals to ferry medications, linens, laboratory samples, and supplies. These robots, such as the RoboCart can move supplies without bumping into patients or healthcare staff. The US military is currently developing a new generation of robots known as RNAs (robotic nursing assistants) that will perform more complex tasks such as lifting combat soldiers out of bed, delivering supplies, and even offer telepresence services for offsite staff. Future robot models will be able to handle more nursing tasks, such as monitoring a patient's vital signs.
Robots will also be helping nurses with a less technical but crucial task - providing companionship to the elderly. A recent study showed that robots, even simple ones, are just as effective as dogs at alleviating loneliness. The study by Saint Louis University found that a real dog named Sparky and a Sony-made robotic dog named AIBO were equally effective at relieving the loneliness of nursing home residents and fostering attachments. If humans can indeed feel an emotional bond with robots as the study suggests, they may soon "not just be our assistants, but also our companions," said Andrew Ng, who leads a Stanford University home-assistance robotics program.
Read more about RNAs here.
Read more about the companionship study here.
UK nurses row across the Atlantic
Two fearless UK nurses raising funds for charity completed a grueling 78 day, 2,550mile row across the Atlantic ocean last month. Herdip Sidhu, 35, and Elin Davies, 31, faced freak waves, sea sickness, and two years of strenuous training and boat building to raise funds for the Great Ormond Street Hospital's research into metabolic conditions.
Despite having never rowed a boat before, the two metabolic nurses rowed almost 3,000 miles in open sea for 2 1/2 months from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua in the West Indies - the equivalent of crossing the English Channel 128 times. Said Ms. Davies about the journey: "The best thing was seeing nature at its best, when the seas were calm we saw a whale, dolphins and a giant rainbow. It was so tranquil. It really makes you feel small, and I've learnt to be a lot more patient."
Read more about their incredible journey here.
Grateful patient thanks his nurses with scholarship gift
While many patients leave their hospital stay with a deeper admiration and respect for nurses, one New Jersey man took his gratitude a step further. G. Edmund Yurowski of Freehold Township, who recently lost his wife to acute myeloid leukemia, has established a nursing scholarship in her memory to thank nurses for the quality of care she received during her treatment. The Violet A. Yurowski scholarship will be awarded annually to support students enrolled in the nursing program at Brookdale Community College. Mrs. Yurowski's year-and-a-half long oncology and hospice care put the family in close contact with the nursing staff, and Mr. Yurowski said he would always be grateful the assistance that was provided to his wife.
Two $1,000 scholarships will be awarded every year to students enrolled in the nursing program at Brookdale Community College.
"This is my way of saying thank you for the excellent care and constant attention Violet received," Yurowski said. "The nurses were there every step of the way, and they left a tremendous impression on me."
Read more about this story here.
VA launches new travel nursing program
WASHINGTON -- To deal with a nationwide shortage of nurses and to improve the quality of care for veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has created a "Travel Nurse Corps" to enable VA nurses to travel and work throughout the Department's medical system.
"VA is committed to putting health care facilities closer to veterans," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake. "The Travel Nurse Corps will make it easier to bring our world-class health care professionals closer to veterans, too. And it will make it easier for us to shift personnel during times of crisis."
The Travel Nurse Corps, headquartered at the Phoenix VA Health Care System, is beginning as a three-year pilot program. Initially, it will place as many as 75 nurses at VA medical centers across the country. The goals of the program are to improve recruitment, decrease turnover of experienced nurses and maintain high standards of patient care.
Under the program, participating nurses may be temporarily assigned to distant medical centers and clinics to help nursing staffs that have vacancies, to reduce wait times or the reliance upon contractors, or to maintain high-skill services and procedures.
On February 20, the Department announced plans to create a Rural Health Care Advisory Committee to enhance VA services to veterans in rural areas. The Travel Nurse Corps will work with this national VA panel to support VA health care in rural areas.
"Those who join the VA Travel Nurse Corps will become key members of a talented group of professionals who are dedicated to providing the best care possible to our nation's veterans," said Cathy Rick, R.N., VA's chief nursing officer. "The program helps VA medical facilities address supplemental staffing needs while also ensuring there is a continued commitment to quality and safety."
Those who become VA travel nurses are compensated for their time on duty and their travel. They also receive standard government per diem allowances, which include lodging, meals and incidentals.
"This program is competitive with the private sector. VA has state-of-the-art facilities, high-tech computer systems and professional colleagues second to none," said Jacqueline Jackson, Travel Nurse Corps director at the Phoenix VA Health Care System.
The program is also designed to establish a potential pool for national emergencies and serve as a model for an expanded VA travel corps with nurses who have varying
specialties. The program is designed to reduce the use of contracted nurses, thus preserving resources that can be used elsewhere to care for veterans.
To learn more about VA's Travel Nurse Corps, visit the Web site at www.travelnurse.va.gov, email travelnurse@va.gov or call toll free at (866) 664-1030 or in Phoenix at (602) 200-2398.
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