The Homeland Center in Harrisburg has received $75,000 from the Wilmington, Delaware-based WSFS Cares Foundation to support its Certified Nursing Assistant Academy Program.
The foundation is the charitable giving arm of WSFS Bank.
Originally chartered as the “Home for the Friendless” in 1867 to assist widows and orphans, the center at 1901 N. Fifth St. has evolved into a licensed not-for-profit continuing care retirement community offering personal, skilled nursing, home health, home care and hospice services. The CNA Academy Program is applying for the requisite Pennsylvania Department of Education requirements.
“While in the process of determining how Homeland Center can continue to provide the highest level of quality care for our residents, patients and clients, we moved in the direction of forming the CNA Academy Program,” Barry Ramper II, president and CEO of Homeland Center and Homeland at Home, said in a release.
“We thank the WSFS Cares Foundation for their support, which will enable the program to provide opportunities to individuals in central Pennsylvania with an interest in senior, home and hospice care to be educated, trained and obtain the required certifications to build successful careers.
Students work with an actor during a simulation. PHOTO/PROVIDED
The nursing community has voiced concern regarding the precedent set when a former Vanderbilt University Medical Center nurse was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide and abuse of an impaired adult after admitting to inadvertently injecting a patient with the wrong drug.
RaDonda Vaught’s conviction has sparked conversation among health care providers regarding the inevitability of mistakes in the field. In a joint statement on the sentencing, the American Nurses Association and the Tennessee Nurses Association, called it deeply distressing.
“Health care delivery is highly complex. It is inevitable that mistakes will happen, and systems will fail. It is completely unrealistic to think otherwise,” the associations wrote in the statement. “The criminalization of medical errors is unnerving, and this verdict sets into motion a dangerous precedent.”
For Kristen Zulkosky, director for the Center for Excellence in Practice at the Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences, the case highlights an important advancement in health care education that the college has particularly doubled down on in the last two decades.
The Lancaster-based college’s Center for Excellence in Practice is the first and only health care simulation-based education facility in the region. The center features 24 rooms including an intensive care unit and specialized equipment such as anesthesia machines and gas columns.
Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences has been a leader in the simulation-based education space, having participated as one of 10 facilities across the country chosen by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing for a landmark simulation study in 2011.
The study concluded in 2013, finding that simulating a health care environment for educational purposes could substitute up to 50% of traditional clinical experience for prelicensure nursing students.
Before the college took to integrating simulations into its curriculums, students had to take what they learned to the bedside.
The simulations allow nursing students to make mistakes without harming patients. It also allows those students to give medications and treat like a nurse, something they never get the opportunity to do when still students, said Zulkosky.
“This is an immersive experiential opportunity where they can apply what they learned in the classroom to real life,” she said, noting that nursing educators are worried that the Vaught case could set a bad precedent for health care providers and scare potential students from joining the workforce. “We are trying to give students the opportunity to practice in a safe environment and make critical decisions.”
Students operate on a simulation mannequin during one of Pennsylvania College of Health Science’s Interprofessional Simulations. PHOTO/PROVIDED
Improving the simulation experience
Advances in the simulations over the years have made the programs more immersive, allowing students to suspend their disbelief and work like they are in a real situation, said Christine Hutchinson, operations manager at Penn Medicine Simulation Center in Philadelphia.
“Realistic experiences give learners the opportunity to build comfort levels and therefore confidence,” said Hutchinson.
The Penn Medicine Simulation Center works with the Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences’ on the Philadelphia Area Simulation Consortium PASC, a collective of local SIM programs working across system lines.
The Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences purchased its first simulator in 2006—a mannequin that could blink its eyes with a chest that could rise and fall.
Interested in the opportunities that growing a simulation program could provide, Zulkosky, who has been with the college since 1996, decided to do her dissertation on using simulations in the classroom.
Today the college is considered a destination for its Center for Excellence in Practice, which includes a 20,000-square-foot simulation area.
“I have been to multiple simulation centers, and they are nothing like the one we have,” said Zulkosky. “People come to our lab for tours, and they are blown away. This is a big financial investment. Our college is very good at providing the funds to buy the simulators and run the department.”
For programs like the Center for Excellence in Practice, it is vitally important to continue to evolve simulations alongside the changing health care landscape, said Hutchinson.
“Currently, workflows, educational delivery methods, clinical advancements, pandemic conditions, staffing shortages, sim content, prebriefing and debriefing methods and faculty educational goals are all factors we factor and refactor with updates continually,” she said.
Students debrief following a simulation at Pennsylvania College of Health Science’s Center for Excellence in Practice. PHOTO/PROVIDED
Building today’s labs
Zulkosky works with the college’s departments to formulate simulations that can be used across the school’s many disciplines. While one course may have seven required simulations, another may ask students to repeat two over their time at the school.
The center held a number of simulations in April ahead of the end of the college’s spring semester including Hearing Voices, where students listen to an audiotape that simulates what it would be like to have Schizophrenia while doing a series of mock tasks and activities.
The center’s five-hour-long Interprofessional Simulation was held on April 14. The college teams up with Lebanon Valley College for the simulation, which sees students from different professions communicate together.
The Interprofessional Simulation takes students through the full scope of caring for a patient from injury to emergency room, to operating room and finally recovery.
“The students learn to communicate with one another, and they learn each other’s roles,” said Zulkosky.
Finally, at the end of April is the Multi-patient Simulation, in which three simulation scenarios run at once and students need to treat each patient according to their needs.
The Center for Excellence in Practice has the ability to create new simulations based on the needs of the current health care space. The Multi-patient Simulation is an example of the school offering students an experience that they will certainly see out in the field when they graduate but may not during their clinicals.
“Usually, students don’t have to deal with high numbers of patients and then decide who their most critical patient is,” said Zulkosky.
In each of the simulations, the students then have a chance to debrief with their instructors. In some instances, the students can then try those simulations again.
“Instead of learning leadership and prioritization only in the classroom, I think these experiences will stick with them more in their long-term memory,” she said.
a rendering of Lebanon Valley College’s new Nursing & Interdisciplinary Health Education Facility. PHOTO/PROVIDED
Lebanon Valley College will break ground Friday on its new Nursing & Interdisciplinary Health Education Facility.
The college’s newest undergraduate major, nursing will enroll its first cohort of students this fall. The Nursing & Interdisciplinary Health Education Facility will house the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, with an anticipated summer 2023 completion date.
Government officials will join members of the board of trustees; faculty; staff; and students for the groundbreaking.
LVC was approved for $2.7 million in Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program money from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and $1 million in Community Project Funding from the federal government, a release said.
Fundraising continues for the project.
Architects Noelker and Hull Associates Inc., Chambersburg, were hired to design the new academic building, next to the Jeanne and Edward H. Arnold Health Professions Pavilion. Pyramid Construction, Lemoyne, is the general contractor.
The 37,000-square-foot facility will contain five simulation labs; two skills labs with associated exam spaces; three classrooms; a wet lab; a home health simulation area; meeting rooms; study areas; and support spaces. Faculty areas include private and open offices for more than 14 faculty and staff.
Pennsylvania senior housing, health care and community services trade association, LeadingAge PA, has appointed a new president and CEO.
Garry Pezzano joins the Mechanicsburg-based trade association after interim president and CEO, Bob Bertolette, took over the position last October.
Pezzano served more than 10 years in executive roles within Kennett Square-based Genesis Healthcare and Genesis Rehabilitation Services. He was most recently an independent consultant in the post-acute care and population health management space.
“It’s hard to imagine a more important time in senior care or a better team to lead the charge in advocacy, reform and innovation than LeadingAge PA,” said Pezzano. “I’m excited for the possibilities and honored to serve as president and CEO, working alongside such dedicated and committed individuals.”
Pezzano earned his Executive Master of Business Administration and a Master of Science in speech-language pathology from Rutgers University. He also has a Bachelor of Science in speech-language pathology from the College of New Jersey.
Bertolette took over the role of interim president and CEO after LeadingAge PA president and CEO Adam Marles announced he would be stepping down in October. Bertolette had recently retired as president and CEO of Riddle Village retirement community.
“While I have been involved with LeadingAge PA for several decades on the provider side, my experience the past six months has increased my appreciation of the value of membership,” said Bertolette. “I’m confident in Garry’s leadership and ability to make a positive impact for members dealing with the many challenges facing our industry.”
UPMC is set to bring its Pittsburgh-based UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing to Harrisburg through a partnership with Harrisburg University.
The two entities announced on Monday that registrations are now open for the UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing at UPMC Harrisburg—a 16-month accelerated diploma program for registered nurses.
The new school is an effort by UPMC and Harrisburg University to bring more nurses to the midstate while giving area residents the chance to pursue a career in nursing, UPMC wrote in a press release.
“There is a critical shortage of nurses in our region, and we are happy to partner with Harrisburg University to help fill that need,” said Philip Guarneschelli, president of UPMC in Central Pa. “It’s an ideal program for students who want to start an exciting career in nursing as soon as possible.”
The school expects to welcome up to 200 students for its inaugural class, beginning in August at Strawberry Square in downtown Harrisburg.
First-year students will take non-nursing courses at Harrisburg University, nursing courses from UPMC faculty and complete over 900 hours of clinical rotations at UPMC Harrisburg and other UPMC facilities.
“I look forward to advancing opportunities for new nurses in this region,” said Dr. Penny Lenig-Zerby, director of nursing for the new program. “The collaboration between Harrisburg University and UPMC comes at a crucial time — the nursing profession is expected to grow exponentially in the next few years as demand for health care services increases. This program will pave the way for hundreds of new nurses to begin their careers.”
Once students graduate and pass the RN licensing examination, they will positioned to earn their bachelor’s degree in nursing from Harrisburg University while maintaining full-time employment.
A floating nurse program first used at WellSpan York Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic is now being used across WellSpan Health’s midstate hospitals.
The York-based system announced on Thursday that its “WellStaffed” program of floating nurses has expanded to 52 dedicated team members.
The program began last September as a way to “address urgent patient care needs at each WellSpan Hospital, while also providing professional growth opportunities and expanded skill set for the participating nurses,” WellSpan wrote in a press release.
WellSpan Health’s hospitals each manage their own float pools of nurses, which cover daily staffing needs.
During the pandemic, WellSpan York began sharing a float pool of staff to cover assignments across hospitals. WellSpan then expanded upon that idea to create WellStaffed.
The WellStaffed program does not replace current hospital float pools. Instead, it allows WellSpan staff from any hospital to join a team of registered nurses and certified nursing assistants who cover multiweek assignments across the system.
Twelve of the new WellStaffed team members are new to the organization while the rest were internal hires. The program gives staff the ability to support various specialties including behavioral health and emergency medicine.
“WellStaffed takes my previous experience of a float pool to a whole other level. I love this program because it allows you the opportunity to find out what your passion is,” said Ruth Brainerd, a registered nurse on the team who also is a nurse instructor. “The flexibility in my schedule allows me to continue as a nurse instructor and also share more ideas from my experiences with my students.”
The WellSpan employees receive full benefits, and the program helps retain the nurses within the organization as a growth opportunity.
“I love WellStaffed because it allows you to switch environments through different assignments you take on. Each entity brings a fresh start along with its own unique and different patient population,” said Rachel Mylin, a WellStaffed registered nurse.
York College of Pennsylvania, a private, non-profit college located in South Central Pennsylvania, has announced the expansion of its online graduate programs to help meet growing demand in fields such as nursing and healthcare analytics.
The college’s new online programs will enable working nurses and other mid-career professionals to access graduate-level courses to build skills critically needed by hospitals, health care providers, and other employers as communities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“With the challenges facing us in today’s increasingly complex healthcare system, improving the quality and accessibility of patient care requires new ways of upskilling and educating the healthcare workforce,” said Dr. Victor Taylor, director of graduate and professional programs at York College of Pennsylvania. “This work is about creating high quality online programs and educational experiences that are tightly coupled with the needs of the healthcare workforce and other key industries.”
The new online offerings include a Master of Science in Nursing—with professional tracks that include family nursing practitioner, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, adult gerontology nurse practitioner, and nurse educator—as well as a Master of Science in Healthcare Analytics, a Master of Science in Data Analytics, and a Data Analytics Certificate.
According to the school, even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projected a sharp increase in demand for advanced practice nurses, with a 52% increase in openings for nurse practitioners expected between now and 2030. Demand for both registered and advanced practice nurses has continued to increase during the pandemic, amid a growing shortage of primary care providers and increased turnover within the healthcare sector.
To help meet demand for continuing and graduate education for these high-growth industries, the College has selected iDesign, which has worked with more than 100 institutions to design, build and support online courses.
A team of instructional designers and educators from iDesign will collaborate with program leaders, administrators, and faculty experts from the college to design and develop the online courses for the new degree programs and certificates. Students who enroll in the College’s online healthcare programs receive clinical placement support as they continue their professional journey. In partnership with iDesign, York College of Pennsylvania will establish clinical placement agreements with regional health systems and other employers who can provide students with essential hands-on experience in a clinical environment needed to advance in their careers.
The expansion of York’s online programs builds on its existing online degree programs, including the RN to BSN program, which helps experienced registered nurses complete the required coursework to become a BSN-qualified nurse in as little as 12 months.
“Institutions of every size are demonstrating their capacity to create new and more agile online offerings that are more responsive to the fast-changing needs of the labor market,” said Paxton Riter, CEO of iDesign and a member of the National League for Nursing Foundation’s Bridging Education and Practice Advisory Council. “These online programs will help rising professionals to upskill and accelerate toward career paths that can contribute to safer, healthier and stronger communities.”
Reading-based Tower Health’s former vice president for nursing operations joins Penn State Health as the new chief nursing officer for the Hershey-based health system’s upcoming Lancaster Medical Center on Jan. 17.
Penn State Health announced on Tuesday that Barbara Zuppa will be heading the nursing practice and administrative, operational and financial functions of nursing and clinical areas for the Lancaster Medical Center, opening at 2160 State Road later this year.
“We are excited that Barbara will be joining our executive team,” said Joe Frank, regional president, Penn State Health. “She is an experienced nurse executive with a passion for excellence and a strong record of improving clinical quality and enhancing patient experience. We are confident she will provide valuable leadership to our nursing teams at the new hospital that we are building to give residents of Lancaster County and surrounding communities easier access to Penn State Health’s brand of care.”
As vice president for nursing operations at Tower Health, Zuppa provided vision and strategic direction for nursing services.
During her tenure at the system, Zuppa partnered with the United Way of Berks County and the Reading School District to establish an adopt-a-class program that annually provides school supplies for more than 120 teachers and classes and supplies for school nurses to address student health needs. She partnered with Healthy Harvest regional fresh food bank to implement a “pound per person” challenge that provides more than 8,000 pounds of food donations annually.
Zuppa also co-founded the Berks Regional Nursing Research Alliance, a community-based consortium with representation from hospital, academic, professional organizational and community nursing entities.
Lancaster Medical Center is set to open with 129 beds upon opening in East Hempfield Township in late 2022 and will employ nearly 900 health care workers when fully operational. The center will feature an emergency department, specialty medical and surgical services, an imaging lab, labor and delivery and an attached medical office building for physician practices and outpatient services.
Governor Tom Wolf today announced a $297,000 grant to expand BAYADA Home Health Care’s nurse residency apprenticeship program to help adults and children who need home health care in Pennsylvania.
“Many of us have known someone who has received in-home nursing service in the comfort of their own home and agree that the most qualified individuals are needed to serve our loved ones’ health care needs,” Wolf said. “As the demand for skilled in-home nurses continues, apprenticeship opportunities like these are even more crucial to help address this shortage. My administration is pleased to support BAYADA as they expand their apprenticeship program, create new career paths for nurses, and serve more people in communities across the commonwealth.”
BAYADA’s Jamison, Bucks County, location will use $297,000 from the Pre-Apprentice and Apprenticeship Grant Program to expand its talent pool to recent Licensed Practical Nurse and Registered Nurse graduates, who would otherwise not meet BAYADA’s hiring requirements for prior work experience.
“As a home health care provider, we are acutely impacted by the ongoing, nationwide nursing shortage exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said BAYADA Skilled Nursing Practice President Cris Toscano. “Funding from DCED will serve as an important scale-up investment in the state’s nursing workforce and will ultimately lead to our ability to care for more Pennsylvania residents in the comfort of their own homes, where they want to be.”
The project will replicate and expand BAYADA’s nurse residency apprenticeship program in partnership with corresponding workforce development boards into several counties across the state, including Bucks, Lancaster, Lehigh, Montgomery and Northampton.
“Investing in apprenticeship training and ensuring it is accessible for job seekers throughout the state is vital as we move forward in pandemic recovery,” said Gwen Ross, director of Workforce Development Initiatives. “We are thrilled to announce BAYADA’s expanded apprenticeship training opportunities as they build a skilled and ready workforce to serve individuals’ health care needs at home.”
I nursed Coraline until she was two years and seven months old. I never planned to go so long, but I guess I am much more of a hippie parent than I even realized.
Did you catch that nursed is finally written in the past-tense? I have not been nursing for a few weeks now. I am dooooooone.
Start up the band. Cue the fireworks. This woman right here is finished.
To ease the suffering of my tiny child, I managed her expectations for months. I constantly reminded her that once she was a “big girl,” we would be finished with bedtime and overnight nursing. So naturally, in order to mark this momentous occasion, I threw her a “Big Girl Party.”
Now, Pinterest moms, I respect you, but I am not like you. There were no sweet little party favors, whimsical garland, or creative homemade desserts. There were just a few Dollar Tree decorations and a small not-custom-ordered cake from Giant that said “BIG GIRL!!!” on it.
Some other things that came with being a big girl: no more diapers (potty training time!) and 15 more minutes of screen time per day.
Coraline had just tackled her first cross-country flight, was the most adorable flower girl in her TiTi’s wedding (even if she didn’t get the hang of what to do with the flower petals), and was wrapping up a wonderful week with her grandparents from Indiana. Lots of big-girl items getting check-marked off the list.
Her party was small and intimate, unlike the rager I plan to throw once she’s vaccinated, but it was beautiful and relaxed and exactly what our girl needed.
The next day, I reminded her every 30 minutes (it felt like every three minutes) what a big girl she was. Potty training commenced, and we were off to the races.
That evening, I was expecting that special kind of intense sorrow and agony that only a toddler can showcase. Choking sobs, screams, frustrated to the point of screeching…but none of that happened.
My daughter went to bed simply and calmly. She just wanted to “snuggle in bed,” and then she drifted off to sleep after some lullabies.
I was shocked. I almost felt disappointed. Shouldn’t she be losing her mind? Not only am I completely changing her schedule, but I am taking away her biggest source of comfort. Instead, she acts like it’s no big deal, and I’m just some sad, desperate, needy mom.
Well, that’s super rude.
She went to bed like a little lamb, and I full-on sobbed. I couldn’t even tell you why I was crying. I had been feeling done with nursing since she was about a year and a half old. I continued because I really wanted to make it to two. Then, I read an article about the efficacy of the vaccine for kids of nursing mothers, and I extended the timing again.
She’s a big girl, and I’m a sad mom. That’s not how this was supposed to go.
I shouldn’t have been fooled though. That first night was definitely a “first time’s the charm” situation. She woke up several times that same evening in full panic. The next week, going to bed was a nightmare. We are a few weeks in now, and we are finally at the point where it’s starting to settle out.
Though, she did drop a two straight on the floor last week.
We’ll get there when we get there.
Until then, I’m exhausted, but absolutely enjoying the adventure of it all.
Penn State Health plans to launch an at-home health care service that includes hospital and skilled nursing care through a partnership with Highmark Health and Nashville-based high-acuity home care company Contessa.
Penn State Health Home Recovery Care will begin in the first half of 2022, officials said.
“Healthcare is evolving, and Home Recovery Care is on the cutting edge of innovation and patient-centered care,” said Chris LaCoe, vice president of virtual care for Penn State Health. “Partnering with Highmark Health and Contessa to bring this new at-home option empowers patients to take control of their health, while decreasing costs, increasing outcomes and enhancing comfort and convenience.”
Hospital Care at Home will allow patients with a variety of acute conditions the chance to continue their care at home, monitored through remote patient devices and treated through a combination of in-person and virtual care, according to a press release from Penn State Health.
Through the new Skilled Nursing Care at Home service, patients who qualify will be able to receive rehabilitation and other medical care from their home instead of from a skilled nursing facility.
The new offerings are part of Highmark and Penn State Health’s joint investment of $1 billion into the region, which was first announced in late 2017.
“Highmark Health is committed to making healthcare simpler, smarter and more seamless, which includes enabling individuals to heal in a place that is more familiar and comfortable—their home,” said Monique Reese, senior vice president of home and community care at Highmark Health. “We are thrilled to expand Home Recovery Care to provide central Pennsylvanians safe, comprehensive, and high-quality acute-level care in their home.”
Contessa, a subsidiary of Amedisys, a publicly traded home health, hospice and personal care provider, will be using its own home health model for the two new services.
The model reduces readmission rates by 44%; decreases the main length of a hospital stay by 35% and has a patient satisfaction score of more than 90%; according to Contessa.
“Home Recovery Care is a natural extension of Penn State Health’s mission to continually improve the health and well-being of its patients,” said Travis Messina, Contessa CEO. “This model personalizes care for acute and chronic conditions, while lowering costs and increasing patient satisfaction. It’s exciting to see this partnership come to life.”
Home Recovery Care is slated to launch at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in the first half of 2022. The service will initially be available to Highmark Inc. Medicare Advantage and commercial health plan members with plans to expand in the future.
The nursing shortage in Pennsylvania — and across the country — isn’t new, it’s just been exacerbated by the pandemic, according to the head of the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association in Harrisburg.
Betsy M. Snook, says the more than 1,000 nurses who have died from COVID-19 to date, coupled with utter exhaustion, has amplified this long-standing issue in health care.
“The field in general was down before COVID,” she says. “Now we are in round four of the virus. They are weary and it seems like there is not an end in sight. I am hearing stories that some are leaving mid-shift. They are tired and they have had it.”
According to some accounts, nationwide, as many as 25 percent of nurses have left their jobs, Snook adds. Hospitals are probably experiencing the worst shortages in bedside nurses and nurses on medical/surgical units, she says, but the problem is across-the-board.
“We are getting calls asking if there are any other jobs outside of bedside nursing that they can apply to,” she says. “But nurses in other areas are being asked to go to other units. You can have a maternity nurse being asked to go to a COVID unit to nurse.”
The Nurses Association has been putting out PSA’s attacking the nursing shortage from two different perspectives, urging people to get vaccinated against COVID and encouraging more people to consider nursing as a profession.
Some health systems have been offering large signing bonuses, some as high as $15,000, to attract nurses to their organization, she said. “And, many are giving extra money to work longer shifts. They’re trying to keep them in the hospital.”
St. Luke’s University Health Network, headquartered in Fountain Hill, has turned to financial compensation as a way to attract and retain its nurses, according to Samuel Kennedy, director of corporate communications.
“We have increased wages and have offered sign-on and retention bonuses for specific positions,” he said. “St. Luke’s offers a competitive benefit package including and not limited to first-day coverage for medical insurance for eligible employees and a generous time off package.”
Attempts to reach Lehigh Valley Health Network for comment were unsuccessful.
Snook says everybody is trying something different to attack the problem.
“There are various things people are doing to get people into the profession and keep them there,” she says. “There are organizations looking to repay some student loans. When you offer someone some type of support with their college loans, they are more willing to sign something that says they will stay for 2-3 years.”
St. Luke’s, which operates the nation’s longest continually operating nursing school, is also helping with academic costs, according to Kennedy. “We are developing homegrown talent,” he says. “Some students enjoy subsidized tuition. And we’ve expanded enrollment by introducing new class schedules and alternative pathways toward graduation.”
The PA Nurses Association is also trying to tackle the shortage through education and intends to launch what it is calling a nurses middle college for students in grades 9-12 to prepare them for a bachelor’s degree in nursing, according to Snook.
“We want to support students to get into a baccalaureate nursing program, because the more advanced degree offers them study in community health care and more and more of our health care is going out into the community. You just do not get into that with the associates degree,” she says.
A registered and trademarked curriculum has already been developed for the private high school, which will be located in Harrisburg, and there are plans to open satellite schools in other major Pennsylvania cities down the road. A capital campaign to support the project is in the works.
Ten universities have already submitted letters of support, indicating that they will accept the school’s graduates into their nursing programs, she says. Harrisburg Area Community College has agreed to grant a nurse aide certificate to graduates of the high school.
Nurses Association Government Relations Specialist Noah Logan says the nursing shortage in Pennsylvania will never be solved until there is legislation to ensure safe staffing, including things like acceptable nurse:-patient ratios..
“Nurse burnout is because of poor staffing levels in hospitals,” he said. “There is only a certain number of patients that a nurse can safely care for and for every extra patient that that nurse has, that patient’s chance of dying increases 7 to 13%. That’s how critical it is that we have enough nurses.”
Logan says PSNA, along with other organizations including nurses’ unions, have worked to develop such legislation — HB106 and SB240 — but they have had little success in getting it through the General Assembly. There are minimum standards for the number of children a child care worker can look after during the day, but no similar standards for nurses working in the pediatric wing of hospitals, he said. “We need our legislators and CEOs to hear this. If there are no nurses, people will die, it has become that extreme.”
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