High school students interested in pursuing careers in nursing anesthesia have a new option to ensure they meet their education goals thanks to the University of Akron’s new Early Assurance Pathway to Nurse Anesthesia Program.
The university launched the program to offer early access to the program for 12 incoming undergraduate students. The pathway will ensure students meet critical program milestones and offers hands-on training in anesthesiology, pain management and perioperative care. The program prepares students to take the National Certification Examination to become licensed Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists.
A report from the Florida Center for Nursing noted that in 2024 Florida had the nation's lowest pass rate on the exam required for registered nurses and practical nurses to receive their licenses. The National Council Licensure Examination, or NCLEX has separate tests for registered nurses and practical nurses. The first-time pass rate for Florida RNs was 84.9%, a drop of more than 6 percentage points below the national average. For PNs, the first-time rate 80.78%, a gap of more than 7 percentage points below the national average.
The Oregon Nurses Association announced late Tuesday evening it had reached a tentative deal with Providence to end one of the largest health care strikes in state history.
The proposed deal came after 26 days on picket lines at various Providence facilities stretching from Medford to Portland, and Seaside to Hood River.
Both sides have been in mediation talks urged by Gov. Tina Kotek since last week. Tuesday’s deal applies to nearly all the bargaining units that had joined the strike. One group of unionized doctors working at St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland still have not reached an agreement on their contract.
In an era punctuated by school shootings and ongoing debates about gun control and gun rights, America’s public schools continue to be riddled with safety concerns.
According to the New York Times, “Since 2017, tens of millions have been spent by the federal government on mass shooter training, and states have spent even more.”
The result of our culture’s focus on crisis management over prevention is more security staff in high schools than there are full-time registered nurses. And while on-site officers might make schools feel safer, school shootings remain rare, while about 40% of students have at least one chronic medical condition and worrying about their children’s mental health tops the list of parent concerns. Youth depression has practically doubled over the past decade. Even worse, 9% of 9th through 12th graders attempted suicide in 2023, reflecting our nationwide teen mental health crisis.
At the 2025 Budget Proposal, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced a policy that would greatly benefit nurse practitioners.
"Giving full practice authority to highly educated, highly qualified nurse practitioners who work under a licensed physician for at least three years,” said Shapiro.
It's a policy that's been debated for years, but Shapiro said it could help rural areas access much needed healthcare.
“In rural counties, there is one primary care physician for every 522 residents,” said Shapiro.
For the federal government’s largest group of employees — nurses caring for military veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs — the Trump administration’s deferred resignation offer and its looming Thursday deadline come amid longstanding staffing shortages, deemed severe at more than half of all facilities.
Unions are discouraging nurses from accepting the offer, and leaders say an exodus would directly and immediately affect the care of its 9.1 million enrolled veterans.
“We’re already facing a staffing crisis in our hospitals,” said Irma Westmoreland, a registered nurse who heads the Veterans Affairs unit for National Nurses United. “We cannot afford to lose any more staff.”