A doctors group has come out in strong opposition to a plan by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to increase the roles of advanced practice registered nurses, raising concerns that in at least one case the change is unwarranted and potentially dangerous. The American Society of Anesthesiologists has decided to oppose the change because, at least in the case of anesthesiologists, physicians have far more education and experience to draw on with patients, and there is no shortage of them.
The former trauma medical director at ProMedica Toledo Hospital has filed a lawsuit against the hospital after claims that he was sexually-harassed by a female nurse practitioner and let go in retaliation for reporting it. Eric Ferguson, MD, PhD, FACS filed a suit on Friday in Lucas County Common Pleas Court claiming hostile work environment, retaliation, gender discrimination, aiding and abetting, and negligent hiring, retention and supervision.
Every school should have at least one full-time registered nurse, a new American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policy statement says. "School nursing is one of the most effective ways to keep children healthy and in school and to prevent chronic absenteeism," Dr. Breena Welch Holmes, a lead author of the policy statement and chair of the AAP Council on School Health, said in an AAP news release.
Thousands of nurses from Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and Stanford Hospitals and Clinics have said they are prepared to call a strike after failing to reach a deal with hospital administrators over wages and benefits.
Hospitals and some nursing groups are lobbying state legislators across the nation to do away with requirements that nurses be licensed in each state where they work, arguing that the rules inhibit the use of new health-care methods such as telemedicine. The push to get states to join nursing licensing compacts reflects growing adoption of remote health services such as patient care and monitoring online and by the phone.
New York legislators say they are discussing how to tighten regulation of nurses after arecent ProPublica investigation found dangerous gaps in the state’s oversight of the profession. Deborah Glick, who chairs the Committee on Higher Education in the state assembly, said she has asked the education department to determine what powers it needs to better oversee the profession. Nurses are regulated by the Office of the Professions, which is part of the state’s education department.