APRNs Earn Highest Wages Among Nurses

CRNAs, NPs, and Midwives rank among the highest paid specialities in the field of nursing.

A new study by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce has found that APRNs, including Certified Nurse Midwives, Nurse Practitioners, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, and Clinical Nurse Specialists, command the highest annual salaries in the nursing field.

While RNs make an average of $67,000 per year, APRNs rake in more than $150,000 annually, commensurate with their higher levels of education, clinical knowledge, and professional autonomy. According to the study, CRNAs earn the most among nursing specialties, with an average annual salary of $153,000, while Midwives and NPs earn, on average, the second highest annual wage ($83,000).

A co-author of the study, Nicole Smith, is quoted as saying, “For those who pursue it, nursing has well-defined career pathways.”

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Institute for Biomedical Sciences Introduces Innovative Doctoral Program

GSU’s Institute for Biomedical Sciences has welcomed its first class into an innovative interdisciplinary program meant to cultivate the next generation of leaders in the biomedical sector.

from GSU News Hub

The Doctor of Philosophy in Translational Biomedical Sciences degree program at Georgia State University is unique in its interdisciplinary approach, which spans science, business and law. The program offers an educational focus in microbial pathogenesis, infectious disease, vaccinology, immune regulation, cardiovascular and metabolic disease and translational medicine, along with training in entrepreneurship, innovation and commercialization of scientific discoveries through the J. Mack Robinson College of Business and the College of Law. It delivers professional development through a partnership with the College of Business’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute as well as the private sector. Students will conduct research with renowned faculty members in the institute’s advanced research facilities.

Read More →

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

NIH’s All of Us Research Program Expands National Network of Medical Centers

The program is a bold effort to gather data over time from more than 1M people living in the U.S., with the ultimate goal of accelerating research and improving health.

from NIH

Three sets of health care provider organizations will add to a growing network of trusted leaders charged with implementing the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program, an ambitious effort to advance research into precision medicine. Combined, the new awardees will receive $13.8 million to enroll interested individuals, gather participant health information and help retain participants in the program through ongoing engagement efforts. These awardees will extend the geographic coverage of the program and strengthen its reach within underserved communities, including lower-income, Hispanic and Latino, African American, American Indian and rural communities.

Read More →

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Man Moves Paralyzed Legs Using Device That Stimulates Spinal Cord

Researchers say these results offer further evidence that a combination of this technology and rehabilitation may help patients with spinal cord injuries regain control.

from Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic researchers used electrical stimulation on the spinal cord and intense physical therapy to help a man intentionally move his paralyzed legs, stand and make steplike motions for the first time in three years.

Read More →

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Going Global for Back Pain Treatment

Of the millions of Americans suffering from back pain, there are an equal number of possible treatments and technologies that we, as physical therapists, need to explore and administer.

from Physical Therapy Products

As widespread and pervasive as back pain is, physical therapists cannot treat it with a broad brush. There is no one-size-fits-all approach therapists can take to help patients find relief. Whether it’s chronic or acute pain, no two conditions are the same—and even if they were physiologically similar, the solutions could be widely different because the patients, themselves, are different.

Read More →

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

3 Lessons from Retail to Enhance Consumer-Centered Healthcare

Hospitals can adopt billing strategies from retail stores to improve the patient experience and support consumer-centered healthcare.

from PatientEngagementHIT.com

In the wake of increased out-of-pocket patient spending and value-based care initiatives, the medical industry is embracing the importance of consumer-centered healthcare. Patients are being viewed as key stakeholders in their own care because they have newly recognized purchasing power that will determine where patients receive their care.

Read More →

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

5 Tips for Hiring Trustworthy Medical Professionals

Quality medical staff can be difficult to find. However, following these suggestions can make it easier to find and recruit caregivers you can rely on.

by Dixie Somers

Quality medical staff can be difficult to find. Scouring resumes for good employees, interviewing, and checking references is also a time-consuming process. You want to be certain you’re hiring dedicated professionals. The following suggestions can make it easier to find and recruit caregivers you can rely on.

1. Write Effective Job Descriptions

Craft job descriptions carefully. This is important from both a legal and employee retention perspective. Be certain you’re clear on duties and credentials. To get quality employees, you want both those that meet your standards and those that are willing to go the extra mile. Setting higher expectations will tend to weed out applicants at the lower end of the scale.

2. Find a Recruiter

You can also partner with respected staffing agencies that specialize in medical professionals. They do all the hard work of finding and vetting candidates. This can save you some time and money over handling the entire process yourself. Just be clear about your criteria. For these staffing agencies their own professional reputation is dependent on finding you the employees you’re looking for.

3. Ask the Right Questions

Make the most of the job interview to learn about the candidate. Let them know honestly what your work environment is like. Emphasize how important your own reputation is to you. Come up with in-depth questions about how the candidate reacted in past situations to challenges like pressure, long hours, demanding patients, emergencies, and other things that give you real insight into applicant character and commitment.

4. Create a Recruitment Strategy

In addition to exacting job descriptions, you might consider a software system that allows you to track aspects of recruiting, rate applicants, and organize files to make searches and reporting easier. Put together a list of alternative resources like job fairs and jobs websites, such as HealthJobsNationwide.com and HealthJobs.com. Network with medical schools, and visit healthcare blogs or forums to identify top talent. Use social media to find and connect with prime candidates.

5. Background and License Checks

Medical background checks are often performed by outside services to ensure you’re getting employees who are properly credentialed. You want to avoid high-risk candidates like those with criminal records and licenses that have expired or been suspended or revoked for misbehavior. Verifying the medical practitioners’ licensing status of your candidates allows you to have more confidence in your new hires and the reputation of your practice.

In a demanding field, high-quality candidates can be hard to find and retain. But finding the best employees is worth the effort for you and your patients.

Dixie Somers is a freelance writer and blogger for business, home, and family niches. Dixie lives in Phoenix, Arizona, and is the proud mother of three beautiful girls and wife to a wonderful husband.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

The Nurse, The Martyr and The Oxygen Mask

Many of us are nurses because we’re caring people, and when someone asks why we became a nurse, we might say something like, “Oh, I like to help people”. And that sounds nice. But we know there’s more to it than that, don’t we?

From Nurse Keith’s Digital Doorway

Over the years, I’ve known a lot of different nurses. I’ve known new nurses, seasoned nurses, frightened nurses, burned out nurses, and nurses who were so jaded they couldn’t even see their patients if they were right in front of their noses. I’ve known nurses who clocked out at the end of their shift and never looked back, and I’ve known others who consistently clocked out two hours late and then were up all night hoping their patients were OK. It takes all kinds.

Many of us are nurses because we’re caring people, and when someone asks why we became a nurse, we might say something like, “Oh, I like to help people”. And that sounds nice. But we know there’s more to it than that, don’t we?

Now, when we like to help people, that can truly be a double-edged sword, can’t it? We care, we care some more, and then we find that we’re caring so much that we can’t—or don’t–care about anything else. We eat poorly, we sleep even worse than we eat, and maybe we drink, smoke, or we don’t exercise because we’re too busy caring. Maybe, because we’re so caring, everyone around us at home and in our neighborhoods feels free to ask us to care some more. And we do. Again and again.

And then, one day, we wake up after all of this time caring for others so well, and we realize that we haven’t been caring for ourselves. We’re tired, we’re depressed, we’re overweight, and our relationships have actually suffered (perhaps because we were busy caring so much about everyone but ourselves).

Take “Nurse Jackie”, for instance. Maybe you’ve seen it and maybe you haven’t. I know I castigated the show here on Digital Doorway back in its first season, but it turns out that the series has made some very good points about nursing and healthcare, as unrealistic as it may often be.

Having said that, Nurse Jackie cares a lot. She goes the extra mile, stealing meds for patients, giving them money, visiting them at home, and otherwise doing what she feels is right. Meanwhile, she lies to everyone in her personal and professional lives, and more or less continues to “nurse” a pretty hefty addiction.

So, what addictions do you nurse? Is it an addiction to caring? An addiction to being needed? Or is it an addiction to being so busy that your thoughts, emotions, needs and desires are completely sublimated to your identity as a nurse and a caring person?

I’m speaking from experience, here, folks. I’ve been there. I’ve been burnt out. I’ve ignored my body, eschewed my spiritual growth and otherwise thrown a wrench into my life in the service of being a caring, compassionate nurse.

In the end, it all comes down to that same old “oxygen mask theory”. Remember? When you get on a plane and the flight attendant demonstrates how to put on your oxygen mask in case of a sudden change in cabin pressure, they always say to put your own mask on first before you try to help anyone else. And why? Because you’re useless to those who depend on you if you’re not caring for yourself.

So, if some of us are prone to embody the archetype of the nurse as hero or martyr, we’re always free to do that, but we can also rise above the caricatures and stereotypes and do something radical by honoring ourselves along the way.

Yes, we can choose to be the walking wounded, or we can choose to be the walking well, living our lives with integrity, and making our own self-care and wellness of equal importance to all of those others whom we serve and care for.

It’s nice to be needed, and it’s nice to be loved and appreciated. But if we’re getting so-called “secondary gain” out of being a nurse martyr, then at some point we need to wake up, smell the coffee, and put our own well-being back on the front burner.

In the course of my career, I’ve been all over this particular map, and my personal mission is now about creating a life that’s balanced, sane, healthy, and focused on my own well-being as much as anyone else’s. Sure, I still catch myself trying to be the “uber-nurse”, helping everyone and doing everything and more. But that’s the point: I catch myself, redirect my energy, and make sure that I’m not burning my wick at three ends with no thought of the ‘morrow, as they say.

So, my friends, choose health. Choose your own well-being. Choose to do enough, but not too much. And choose to be the kind of nurse who cares for his- or herself in order to care for others better. It’s the right thing to do, and that proverbial oxygen mask will serve you—and others—for years to come.

Keith Carlson, RN, BSN, NC-BC, is the Board Certified Nurse Coach behind NurseKeith.com and the well-known nursing blog, Digital Doorway. Please visit his online platforms and reach out for his support when you need it most.

Keith is co-host of RNFMRadio.com, a wildly popular nursing podcast; he also hosts The Nurse Keith Show, his own podcast focused on career advice and inspiration for nurses.

A widely published nurse writer, Keith is the author of “Savvy Networking For Nurses: Getting Connected and Staying Connected in the 21st Century,” and has contributed chapters to a number of books related to the nursing profession. Keith has written for Nurse.com, Nurse.org, MultiViews News Service, LPNtoBSNOnline, StaffGarden, AusMed, American Sentinel University, the ANA blog, Working Nurse Magazine, and other online publications.

Mr. Carlson brings a plethora of experience as a nurse thought leader, online nurse personality, podcaster, holistic career coach, writer, and well-known successful nurse entrepreneur. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with his lovely and talented wife, Mary Rives.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

How Nurses Can Help in the Wake of Hurricane Harvey

As a nurse, a healer at heart, you may have watched with wide eyes as people were pulled from the floodwaters of Hurricane Harvey on the news, and felt just a little bit helpless, itched to be on the “front lines.” There are ways you can help.

Over the weekend, Hurricane Harvey, a Category 4 storm at the time of landfall, began to wreak havoc on the Gulf Coast of the United States—particularly the Greater Houston, Texas area—dropping monumental amounts of rain, and displacing, trapping, injuring, and, sadly, claiming the lives of the people in its path. As a nurse, you may have sat there, watching with wide eyes as people of all ages were pulled from the floodwaters on the news, and felt just a little bit helpless, itching to be on the “front lines.” After all, it is in your nature to help people. You wouldn’t be a nurse, otherwise.

There are ways for you to help, if you want to.

While in most cases, it may be too late to volunteer in the face of this particular natural disaster, as a medical professional with invaluable skills and expertise, your help will be needed in the future. There are multiple organizations you can register with to volunteer to support medical preparedness and response for future public health emergencies or disasters.

Emergency System for Advanced Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals

The Emergency System for Advanced Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals (ESAR-VHP) is a federal program that was created to support states in establishing volunteer programs for disasters and public health and medical emergencies. By registering with ESAR-VHP, your credentials and qualifications will be verified in advance, so you will be cleared to serve at a moment’s notice, wherever the next catastrophe strikes. Registration is free, and by registering, you are by no means obligated to help in any disaster—it solely gives you the ability to do so quickly, if you so choose. For more information or to register, please visit https://www.phe.gov/esarvhp/Pages/about.aspx.

The American Red Cross

In the event of a domestic or international disaster, the American Red Cross is quick to the scene, providing health and mental health support, as well as food and shelter, to those affected. On average, they respond to 64,000 disasters per year, and 90% of their humanitarian efforts are done by volunteers, including 15,000 nurses and nursing students. Licensed RNs, LPNs, LVNs, PAs, NPs, and APRNs are all in demand and are encouraged to volunteer. To learn more about the relief efforts of the American Red Cross, as well as their eligibility requirements, please visit http://www.redcross.org/volunteer/become-a-volunteer.

Medical Reserve Corps

The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is comprised of volunteer medical and public health professionals, such as physicians, nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists, and more, who assist with emergency medical response and public health initiatives. The MRC was formed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when it became clear that medical professionals had no organized way to volunteer for emergency relief efforts and many were turned away, as a result. The MRC now exists due to the willingness of volunteer medical and public health professionals to serve their communities in times of need. To learn more and sign up to volunteer, please visit: https://mrc.hhs.gov/HomePage.

No matter which organization you choose to volunteer with, be it listed above or another, be sure to do your research to ensure sure you will be partnering with an organization that is a good fit for you. The American College of Emergency Physicians has compiled a list of questions all health professionals should ask and/or consider when joining a disaster relief agency, which can be viewed here.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Startup Harnesses VR to Help Train Surgeons

Dr. Shafi Ahmed, M.D. saw the potential of Google Glass to help teach surgeons in locations where they may not have as much exposure to more complex or novel medical procedures.

from R&D

Google Glass received a polarizing response when it was launched in May 2013.

Issues related to privacy, and other factors hindered widespread adoption of the device amongst the general population, but interest in its possible niche applications, particularly within the healthcare space have grown over the past few years.

Cancer specialist and surgeon Dr. Shafi Ahmed, M.D. recognized the potential Google Glass could have in medical training.

Read More →

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.