Attention MNA Board and Staff, click here for special piece we will be mailing to every MNA/NNU member that explains the new law, as well as the process that le…
Daily Archives: July 3, 2014
Celebrate with the Stop the Biolab Coalition!
TO ALL OUR SUPPORTERS AND ACTIVISTS!!
The Stop the Biolab Coalition is throwing a Hail Mary pass to Bostons new Mayor, Marty Walsh, on July 9th. We hope h…
MNA Welcomes New Members in Baudette
New MNA members in Baudette celebrate a hard-won victory
About one-tenth of the population of a northern Minnesota town now belongs to MNA.
Nearly 100 employees at LakeWood Health Center in Baudette (population 1,080) voted last week in favor of contract representation by the MNA.
The successful vote was the result of a determined effort by workers who wanted to advocate more strongly for patients and employees. The new bargaining unit will represent most non-management employees.
“We kept having more duties and more work to do as they outsourced and cut,” said RN Bonnie Harness. “We were really upset. LakeWood needed to work with us but they didn’t want to.”
A group of LakeWood employees contacted MNA in January and the campaign to organize began.
“Our main goal was to have a voice, stand up for what we believe in, and to help protect our employees and patients we serve,” said McCall Plourde, an X-ray technician. “We really hope management will negotiate in good faith so we can get our first contract in place.”
“It got really ugly,” said LPN Susie Larson. “The more nasty stuff that management did, the less it helped them.”
“It was a long haul,” said Terri Poppitz, an Environmental Services employee. “We’re a group now and it feels good.”
Members all agree the campaign brought employees together.
“It’s been something to see all of us working together as a team,” said Harness. “Everyone got on board for the common good. It shows what a group of people can do when they work together.”
“LakeWood is a better place because of the union,” said Poppitz. “We’re here for the entire community – patients and residents come first. It’s about patient care and patient services.”
The next step for the new unit is to negotiate a first contract.
“We’re looking forward to working with LakeWood to negotiate a fair contract that benefits workers, patients and the entire community,” said Katie Lavasseur, a CNA.
Summer Reading for Travel Nurses
Life’s a beach with this lively list of summer reading for Travel Nurses.
Of course you’ll make great friends on assignment, and maybe you even brought your pet along, but aside from them, a good book can be a Travel Nurse’s best friend on assignment. Whether you go old school or rock the e-reader, there’s nothing better than digging your feet into the sand while you dig into a great book!
Read on for Travel Nursing Blogs’ list of great summer reading for Travel Nurses:
Rambling Stacks — Books About Travel
The Vacationers — Emma Straub’s humor and observation are the backbone for this novel about the Post family’s two-week trip to the Balearic island of Mallorca with extended family and friends, in celebration of a 35th wedding anniversary and a high school graduation.
Blue Highways — In 1978, William Least Heat-Moon, recently separated from his wife, hit the road … America’s smaller, off the beaten path roads, to be exact. His 13,000-mile journey includes tales of the many people and cultural experiences he encountered along the way.
Land of Love and Drowning — This family saga tells the tale of three generations of a family in the Virgin Islands against the gorgeous backdrop of the Caribbean. The magical tale is the debut book from Tiphanie Yanique.
Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America — Amazon calls this new release, “A cross-country hitchhiking journey with America’s most beloved weirdo.” Fans of this jack of all trades (writer/director of films such as Hairspray, Cry-Baby, and Serial Mom) will love his wry, honest on-the-road observations.
Tomes Related to Nursing
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks — Rebecca Skloot explores the personal story of Henrietta Lacks, a black American woman lost to cancer at age 31 in 1951, whose tissue was taken without her consent or knowledge. The sample ended up being the first human cells to survive in culture and were used widely in research.
Notes on Nursing — First published in 1859 by Florence Nightingale, this oldie-but-goodie is a classic and surprisingly relevant to modern nurses.
Final Gifts — Subtitled “Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs, and Communications of the Dying,” this moving classic from Maggie Callanan and Patricia Kelley, mines years of experience and provides insight on caring for terminally ill patients.
The Year of Magical Thinking — This memoir provides a hauntingly beautiful perspective from the family of a sick patient. The great Joan Didion explores her grief and emotions following her husband’s death while she’s also caring for her severely ill daughter, Quintana. Blue Nights is another excellent Didion read, about her daughter’s subsequent death.
Books on the Big Screen
This is Where I Leave You — As hilarious as it is raw and grim, this novel details the Foxman family’s reunion on the heels of the patriarch’s death. The September 2014 film’s cast includes Jane Fonda, Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Connie Britton, Rose Byrne, Adam Driver, and Dax Shepard.
The Descendants — Against the beautiful Hawaiian backdrop, Matt King tries to reconnect with his daughters after his wife’s serious boating accident. The 2011 Alexander Payne film starring George Clooney and Shailene Woodley, was nominated for many awards, and won a Golden Globe for Best Picture and an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, among others.
The Fault in Our Stars — Also starring Shailene Woodley, the blockbuster adaptation of this book was released early this summer. John Green’s book tells the funny, moving story of Hazel and Gus, two teens who meet in a cancer support group.
Gone Girl — Gillian Flynn’s addictive thriller focuses on the marriage of Nick and Amy Dunn, and her disappearance. The suspense hits the big screen this fall, with a cast including Ben Affleck, Neil Patrick Harris, and Tyler Perry.
A Few More Page-turners
The Interestings — Author Meg Wolitzer follows 6 friends from their teen days at summer camp in the 70s through middle age, as they deal with talent, art, money, and friendships.
One Summer: America 1927 — From the first “talking picture” to Charles Lindbergh’s legendary nonstop Trans-Atlantic flight, the summer of 1927 was a hotbed for activity. Author Bill Bryson illuminates these and other events regarding Babe Ruth, Al Capone, Calvin Coolidge, Ruth Snyder, and more, from the summer of ’27.
The Swan Gondola — Author Timothy Schaffert spins a romantic fable set against the lively backdrop of the 1898 Omaha World’s Fair, a world of mystery and magic with a zany cast of characters.
Now, what are you currently reading? Please share in the comments if you have anything to add to our list of summer reading for Travel Nurses.
The Latest In Medical Convenience: ER Appointments
Hospitals around the country are allowing patients to wait at home rather than endure hours in crowded emergency rooms. Warning: It’s not for life-threatening cases, and you could be bumped for someone sicker.