Live virtual event caps Nurses Month recognitions
The informative, inspirational, and healing stories of nurses will feature prominently in the American Nurses Association’s (ANA) You Make a Difference —Live Virtual Event celebrating Nurses Month on May 18 at 1 pm ET. This fete of nurse storytelling, audience engagement, wellness activities, and more will bring nurses together to honor and revel in the nursing profession and nurses’ dedication and commitment not only during the COVID-19 pandemic but also throughout their careers. This event caps Nurses Month Professional Development Week, May 15-21, and will be made available on demand. Register for this free celebration at nursesmonth.org/you-make-a-difference.
Self-care Week, May 1-7, invites nurses to cultivate and maintain optimal mental health and physical well-being by participating in challenges and free resources offered by Healthy Nurse, Healthy NationTM and the American Nurse Foundation’s Well-being Initiative.
During Recognition Week, May 8-14, ANA and our constituent and state nurses associations are highlighting nurses’ essential roles to policymakers, healthcare stakeholders, and the public. Nurses’ stories will be told in broadcast, print, and social media, and proclamations issued by states, counties, cities, and other governmental bodies will declare May as Nurses Month and recognize the nursing profession’s contributions to our society. This elevation of nurses—the nation’s most trusted profession and the largest segment of the healthcare workforce—will continue during Community Engagement Week, May 22-28.
All nurses, hospitals, and other stakeholders are encouraged to participate in Nurses Month to help recognize nurses and educate the public about the Nurses Month activities on social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter at #ANANursesMonth. With your help, this recognition event can raise the visibility of the nursing profession and express gratitude for nurses’ enduring commitment and expertise. Learn more about Nurses Month and access a free toolkit at nursesmonth.org.
Virtual workshop primes new nurse managers for success
The American Nurses Association’s (ANA) 2-day virtual New Nurse Manager Basics Workshop kicks off May 16-17, with sessions also offered in July and November 2022. This interactive program is designed to equip new nurse managers with skills, knowledge, and strategies for success in these essential roles.
Workshop leaders Sarah Locke, DNP, MBA, RNC-OB, FNP-BC, NE-BC, and Katie Koss, MSN, RN-BC, NEA-BC, will walk participants through five sessions covering stepping into a leadership role, communicating and collaborating in leadership roles, managing staff performance, and managing resources. They’ll also review next steps, such as promoting participants’ ongoing development.
Locke (an Arizona Nurses Association member and an assistant clinical professor at the University of Arizona College of Nursing in Tucson) and Koss (assistant director of off-site clinics for the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville) will explore the roles and responsibilities of a manager, and how to build trust, be an authentic leader, and adopt a coaching mindset. They also will describe how to master good communication, communicate effectively across generations, give constructive feedback, and navigate conflict.
In addition, participants will learn about coaching staff members to a higher level of performance, managing resistance to change, promoting staff resilience, and avoiding team dysfunction and incivility. Budget basics, healthcare reimbursement, and nurse staffing in a time of shortage will be covered as well.
Each workshop is accessible to all registrants for up to 90 days. ANA members receive a $60 discount. Groups of four or more registrants will save more.
To learn more about the workshop and register, visit pages.nursingworld.org/nurse-manager-workshops2022.
Federal funding increased for nursing workforce priorities
The $1.5 trillion omnibus that finances the Federal government through the end of fiscal year 2022, signed into law by President Biden on March 15, included funding for and actions on key nursing priorities for which the American Nurses Association advocated on Capitol Hill.
Notably, it increased by $16 million funding for Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development programs (total $280.5 million) and provided $180.862 million for the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), a $5.905 million increase.
The law also increased by $1.4 billion funding for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and directed HRSA in its new funding announcements to prioritize public entities for training additional RNs in acute care settings. In addition, the legislation directed HRSA to give priority to applicants from states identified in Supply and Demand Projections of the Nursing Workforce 2014-2030 as having the greatest shortages. HRSA also must submit a report within 1 year of the law’s enactment that examines the impact of the current public health emergency on the nursing workforce, especially in rural areas, and summarizes strategies to mitigate and address these impacts.
The law raised by $4 million funding for the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners Program (total $13 million), to expand training and certification of RNs, advanced practice RNs (APRNs), and forensic nurses to practice as sexual assault nurse examiners. It also lifted the salary caps for APRNs and physician assistants at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Several provisions extend and expand telehealth flexibilities for 151 days after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency. These provisions extend the ability for federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics to furnish telehealth services and delay the 6-month in-person requirement for mental health services furnished through telehealth until 152 days after the emergency ends. The originating telehealth site also was expanded to encompass any site at which a patient is located, including the patient’s home.
More about the legislation is available at anacapitolbeat.org.
Joint statement warns against criminalizing medical errors
In response to the conviction of former Vanderbilt University Medical Center nurse RaDonda Vaught, the American Nurses Association (ANA) and Tennessee Nurses Association (TNA) issued a statement that the two organizations are “deeply distressed by this verdict and the harmful ramifications of criminalizing the honest reporting of mistakes.” The statement adds, “healthcare delivery is highly complex. It is inevitable that mistakes will happen, and systems will fail. It is completely unrealistic to think otherwise. The criminalization of medical errors is unnerving, and this verdict sets into motion a dangerous precedent.”
Vaught was charged with and convicted of reckless homicide and abuse of an impaired adult in March after mistakenly administering the paralytic vecuronium bromide in 2017 to a 75-yearold patient rather than the sedative Versed (midazolam).
The patient had been prescribed midazolam for anxiety in advance of a positron emission tomography scan. According to court documents, Vaught overrode automatic drug dispensing cabinet alerts when she initially typed “VE” and no results appeared.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center fired Vaught in 2018. The Tennessee Board of Nursing revoked her license in 2021. At trial, the defense argued that “Error is error. We’re all human.”
In their statement, ANA and TNA noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated “an unfortunate multiyear trend” of the nursing profession being “extremely short-staffed, strained, and facing immense pressure.” ANA and TNA stressed that the “ruling will have a long-lasting negative impact on the profession.”
The associations also stated that “there are more effective and just mechanisms to examine errors, establish system improvements, and take corrective action. The non-intentional acts of individual nurses like RaDonda Vaught should not be criminalized to ensure patient safety.”
