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Editor’s
note: I wrote this letter to educate
school guidance counselors about nursing practice in
today’s healthcare environment. I am sending the
letter, along with a few back copies of Nursing Spectrum,
to guidance counselors in the New England area. Feel free
to send copies of this letter to your local guidance
counselors as well. Together, we can make a difference in
nursing and the nursing shortage. Dear
Guidance Counselor,
Experts
are predicting a healthcare crisis that will hit in the
year 2003. No, it’s not some dreaded bacteria run
amuck. It is a massive shortage of registered nurses
(RNs). The RN workforce is aging, and younger people are
not filling the ranks.
What
does this have to do with you? First and foremost, a
shortage of RNs will affect anyone who needs healthcare
– that’s all of us. Second, as a guidance
counselor you are in a prime position to encourage
intelligent young men and women in your school to explore
a career in nursing.
Nursing
has changed. RNs are professionals who practice in a wide
variety of settings – from the acute hospital
setting to the boardroom, from research labs to
courtrooms, from academia to crime scenes, from medflight
helicopters to the political scene. Nurses are chief
executive officers (CEOs) and vice presidents in
hospitals, and clinical experts in specialty areas such
as burns, intensive care, and trauma. Nurses are
politicians, lawyers, midwives, clinical nurse
specialists, entrepreneurs, medical librarians, and
medical ethicists. Here’s just a sample of the
diversity in nursing –
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Nurse
anesthetist. Certified nurse anesthetists
(CRNAs) provide anesthesia to more than 65% of
all patients who require anesthesia. These
specialists have completed a minimum of seven
years of educational and clinical preparation.
Many CRNAs have independent practices. In a
September 1999 issue of Nursing Spectrum
positions were advertised for CRNAs with salary
ranges of $100,000 to $110,000.
Forensic nurse. Forensics is a specialty
practice that meets at the crossroads of
healthcare and law. Forensic nurses are skilled
at evidence collection and providing expert
clinical healthcare to victims. They are expert
witnesses in courts of law, and contribute to
positive outcomes in conviction rates. For sexual
abuse cases in Oklahoma, for instance, there is a
100% conviction rate when these nurses collect
evidence and testify in court.
Nurse midwife. Susan DeJoy, RN, CNM, MSN,
FACNM, is director of midwifery and community
health at Baystate Medical Center, Springfield,
MA, and has delivered more than 1,000 babies.
According to the National Vital Registration
System (1996 study) midwives like DeJoy delivered
15% of the babies in Massachusetts, 14.6% in New
Hampshire, 6.5% in Connecticut, and 11.5% in
Rhode Island. Midwives also provide comprehensive
healthcare for women. According to DeJoy,
midwifery offers the “reward of supporting
women through one of the greatest transitions of
their whole life.”
Clinical ethicist. Technology is outpacing
our ability to make decisions about quality of
life issues. Clinical ethicists are usually
nurses or physicians who are specially trained to
help patients, families, and healthcare staff to
negotiate and resolve ethical dilemmas. According
to Christine Mitchell, RN, MS, MTS, FAAN,
director of the office of ethics at Children’s
Hospital Medical Center and ethics consultant at
Massachusetts General Hospital and Beth Israel
Deaconess Medical Center, “Half of the ICU
deaths involve decisions to withdraw life
support. We (clinical ethicists) help people
grapple with this particular question or struggle
with what is right.”
Nurse politician. Sheila Burke, RN, MPA,
FAAN, is the executive dean at Harvard University’s
John F. Kennedy School of Government and former
Chief of Staff for former Senator Bob Dole.
According to Burke, when Dole was seeking someone
to handle health issues, he looked for a person
who actually was involved in the delivery of
care. Says Burke, “To have actually
delivered services made me a much better policy
maker.” In April 1999, Dorothy Kelly-Gay,
RN, was elected mayor in Somerville, MA.
Kelly-Gay believes nursing helped her understand
the importance of making quick but appropriate
decisions. She also served for a number of years
on the Massachusetts Governor’s Council, and
was credited with bringing the issue of domestic
abuse to the forefront in the state and saving
Massachusetts taxpayers more than 25 million
dollars by making a simple accounting change in
the way the state pays its bills. “Nursing
will continue to provide direction for me; it
will always be my anchor,” says Kelly-Gay.
Nurse author. Newton-Wellesley Hospital,
Newton, MA, obstetrical nurse Jerri Colonero, RN,
BS, used her 22 years of experience in labor,
delivery, and postpartum nursing to create a book
for expectant parents. The book, With You and
Your Baby All the Way, is a comprehensive guide
that takes expectant parents to delivery and
includes newborn care at home. The book has been
so well received that Amazon.com has given it a
five star rating.
Research nurse. Research nurses (also
known as clinical research coordinators) often
coordinate clinical trials of new medications.
These nurses are responsible for the
administrative and operational aspects of study
protocols. According to Christine Johnsen, RN,
MPH, a nurse researcher at New England Medical
Center in the Division of Geographic Medicine and
Infectious Diseases, “Because of the many
ethical and human rights considerations, we must
be well-informed of the guidelines for human
experimentation." Johnsen and her colleagues
have worked on studies for a new protease
inhibitor, immunotherapies, and drugs to treat
AIDS-associated conditions.
Medical-legal consultant. Diane Orlando,
RN, MS, is a medical-legal nurse consultant in
Hamden, CT. Says Orlando, “I will frequently
be asked to explain the findings of a case from
the medical perspective – why the case does
not appear meritorious based upon my research and
preliminary review.” Orlando says the field
provides an excellent opportunity for nurses who
wish to use their clinical expertise and
knowledge in a legal venue. |
Please encourage your students to explore
all that nursing has to offer. We need the best and
brightest this generation has to offer, so that when we
need a nurse – and we all will – the best and
brightest will answer.
Sincerely,
Joan C. Borgatti,
RN, MEd
Editor – Nursing Spectrum, New England Edition
| References
available upon request. The quotes attributed to
the above nurses are from articles published in Nursing
Spectrum. For more information check
out the Nursing Spectrum website at www.nursingspectrum.com or the National Student Nurses
Association at www.thompson.com/nsna/index.html. |
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