02.12.14
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PSNA Endorses Ward

Registered nurses from the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association – Political Action Committee (PSNA-PAC) have endorsed Judy Ward, RN, for the 80th House District in the upcoming Republican primary. PSNA represents more than 212,000 nurses in the Commonwealth.

A registered nurse for more than 30 years, Ward aims to build a health care system that meets the needs of its citizens and respects the contributions of its health care workers. Through a shared vision, Ward believes that stakeholders – including physicians, nurses, patients, administrators, educators, insurers and government leaders – can identify and address health care deficiencies.

“Ms. Ward will be a tireless advocate for her constituents, patients and nurses of the Commonwealth,” stated PSNA Chief Executive Officer Betsy M. Snook, MEd, BSN, RN. “As a professional nurse, she understands the key role nurses play in health care. Ms. Ward will bring her nursing expertise to discussions at all times.”

“We thank Ms. Ward for her commitment to her fellow nurses and the citizens of Pennsylvania. We firmly believe that in the primary election, there is one clear choice for the voters of the 80th House District,” Snook added. “We endorse Judy Ward for the 80th State House District.”

 

The Pennsylvania State Nurses Association (PSNA) is the non-profit voice for nurses in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Representing more than 212,000 nurses, the Association works to be essential in advancing, promoting and supporting the profession of nursing to improve health for all in the Commonwealth. PSNA is a constituent member of the American Nurses Association (www.psna.org).

 

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02.08.14
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RNs Protest Management’s Efforts to Undermine Patient Care at St. Rose Hospital in Hayward

RNs Protest Management’s Efforts to Undermine Patient Care

The Registered Nurses at St. Rose Hospital in Hayward conducted a candlelight vigil today to protest management’s stalling in negotiations for a first contract and refusing to address issues that are fundamental to quality patient care.

Listen to the news report on the vigil by KPFA

In December 2012, after several years of mismanagement at St. Rose, the RNs voted to affiliate with the California Nurses Association. Since that time, RNs have actively sought to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement that preserves some of their existing standards, and also improves them so that RNs can provide the best patient care. The nurses and their bargaining team have focused on standards that also address the retention and recruitment of experienced RNs.  Management, in turn, is attempting to extract almost a dozen concessions on standards that have been in place for many years.
 
Over the past few months, nurses have filed a growing number of ADO or Assignment Despite Objection forms with managment to document their concerns. These include, failure to provide adequate training to RNs who are caring for patients undergoing highly specialized medical procedures such as neurosurgery, chronic short staffing in all units, and requiring RNs to work overtime, through their breaks and on weekends. Nurses at St. Rose have not received a cost of living increase in five years and management now proposes to reduce salary increases and sick leave pay, which are already below those in other area hospitals.  

“Management is currently proposing provisions that will lead to attrition in the level of experienced RNs,” said Marlene Wong, RN. “St. Rose is a community hospital that serves many uninsured and low income patients and they deserve quality patient care from experienced, competent staff, just like anybody else.”

“St. Rose nurses have weathered the hospital’s trials and tribulations and now they deserve to be appreciated for their hard work and dedication,” said Vaishali Bhakta, RN.”With the takeaways on the bargaining table right now, RNs that have provided years of service and have a deep connection with the community, will feel compelled to leave for other hospitals in the area where they can provide better, safer care.”
 
“Through thick and thin we have struggled to do the best for the patients,” said Tricia Munoz, RN. “St. Rose needs to recognize this and provide a safe level of staffing at the hospital and a fair contract in step with nursing standards in the rest of the region.”

 

02.07.14
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Traveling With Pets: Year of the Horse Edition

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Year of the Horse: Whether you've got a dog, cat, or even a horse in tow, a pet friendly travel nurse company can help you.

Year of the Horse: Whether you’ve got a dog, cat, or even a horse in tow, a pet friendly travel nurse company can help you.

For a lot of Travel Nurses, it is super important that they are able to bring their pets with them on the road. The majority of Travelers have a beloved dog or cat without whom the adventure of Travel Nursing just wouldn’t be complete.

But other Travelers have less common pets in tow. We’ve heard of Travelers with rabbits, lizards, fish, and pot-bellied pigs riding shotgun on their journey. Today, in honor of 2014 being The Year of the Horse in Chinese astrology, we’d like to introduce you to a very special and unique traveling pet: Eichie the Traveling Horse!

Eichie is traveling with Medical Solutions Travel Nurse Amanda T. The pair have been together for 11 years and even compete in barrel races together! To read more about Eichie and Amanda click here.

As you can imagine, traveling with a 1200-pound pet requires a bit of pre-planning in the way of logistics. But even if you’re just traveling with a cat or a dog, you may need a little help planning for them to join you on the road.

If you plan to travel with a pet, you should definitely seek out an agency that is pet friendly and will be able to offer you some assistance in that area. Here are a few things a pet friendly Travel Nurse company can do to make traveling with pets easier for you:

  • First, your recruiter should inquire about your pets to get to better understand your needs when it comes to traveling with pets.
  • Pet friendly agencies will offer you help when it comes to finding housing that accommodates you and your pet. Some will even pay your pet deposit as part of your contract.
  • They may offer discounts that can help you care for your animals.
  • They may provide resources that can help you learn about how to best manage bringing your pets on the road with you.

So, do you travel with your pet(s)? Share your traveling with pets stories in the comments.

02.07.14
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RNs Still Make A Difference in Philippines

Megan 2“I’d go back tomorrow,” states MNA member Megan Cassidy if she were asked to return to hurricane-ravaged Roxas, Philippines.  And she’d be warmly welcomed by residents as well as the Registered Nurse Relief Network (RNRN) operation continuing to provide health services nearly three months after the area was decimated.

“The people we served are so appreciative that we keep coming,” said Cassidy who is back at her job as a pediatric nurse at Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis after volunteering in the Philippines from Jan. 15 – 27.  ”But at the end of the day, it was my privilege to be there,” she added.  “You can’t helped be touched when you see people with so little, still smiling, who want to cook for you.”  One of Cassidy’s RNRN companions was a native of Roxas and his family would regularly bring home-cooked meals to the team.

From their main clinic, Cassidy’s group travelled to set up day camps in San Rafael, Estancia and a remote mountain village of Lemery.  “We treated people who walked two hours to get to us,” said Cassidy.  For some, it was the first time they had received any medical care in their lives.  One day, Cassidy estimates that two of their physicians each saw at least 300 people.  “Yet they were so patient,” said Cassidy, reflecting on the image of seeing “lots of people in a small space who had big needs.”

Cassidy was impressed by the effectiveness of the RNRN operation, which collaborated with the Philippines-based Alliance of Health Care Workers.  “The trust and respect was already established, because our hosts knew the needs of the community so well.”

Cassidy describes citizens of a country living in danger every day.  “Houses are down, infrastructure is down and people are displaced,” said Cassidy.   The landscape is littered with steel beams bent in half, and sharp metal shards continue to be a source of injury.  Downed power lines, flattened schools and a prominent oil spill hinder relief and reconstruction efforts.

The RNRN program is dedicated to providing health resources as long as needed.  Even though the demand is great for volunteers, a limited number can go at any one time, due to funding restraints.  And although RNRN  is still accepting volunteers, National Nurses United (RNRN’s parent organization) encourages nurses to contribute financially to maintain this much-needed relief effort.  Click here to learn how you can help.

Anything you can do will make a difference to the victims of Hurricane Yolanda.  One of the biggest transformations might be your own.  “You learn to prioritize; you learn what’s important,” said Cassidy. “We can all be global citizens, no matter where the need is.”   Having conscious conversations can spark an idea or point us in a direction for overcoming inertia, and Cassidy is having those exciting discussions with co-workers “and everyone I know.”

Read a blog entry by one of Megan’s colleagues

Click to view slideshow.