Hundreds of healthcare providers from the Missouri Nurses Association (MONA) headed to the state capitol Wednesday to advocate for legislation to help address staffing shortages and other industry concerns.
Studies show nurses are the largest provider of healthcare services in Missouri, but they're in short supply, according to MONA executive director Jill Kliethermes.
The latest data from the Missouri Hospital Association indicate nurse vacancy rates reached just over 15% in 2023. Additionally, Kliethermes said of the 114 counties in Missouri, all but three are considered healthcare provider shortage areas.
Working in child and maternal health for twenty years, and as a Certified Nurse Midwife for the past five, Libby Mollard has much experience — but she doesn’t have full practice authority. LB676 would change that.
“Certified Nurse Midwives would be able to open businesses and practice independently with their own license, as opposed to having to have a physician’s agreement or approval. One of the reasons that needs to go away is that we’re not necessarily seeing a lot of physicians wanting or willing to sign these and it seems to be a bit of control of the market,” says Mollard, President of the Nebraska Certified Nurse Midwives.
Certified Nurse Midwives (CNM’s), and Certified Professional Midwives (CPM’s) are both midwifery credentials.
"Violence is just part of the job. Every nurse and health care worker experiences it at some point."
Sentiments like this echo across American hospitals and health care facilities, capturing a disturbing and growing reality. Though Americans think of nursing as the most trusted profession, we often fail to see that it’s also one of the most dangerous.
An alarming 8 in 10 nurses face violence at work. As a result, health care workers are more than four times as likely to be injured by workplace violence than workers in all other industries combined.
To lessen hospital nurses’ administrative burden and give them more time for meaningful patient care, Cedars-Sinai is testing an artificial intelligence (AI) mobile app called Aiva Nurse Assistant.
The app allows nurses to use a mobile phone to document patient information in real-time through voice dictation. It transcribes the data, and then—once validated by a clinician—the app files that information directly into the patient’s electronic medical record.
A security guard at an Arizona hospital was shot and wounded over the weekend, and the man suspected in the attack was quickly disarmed and taken into custody, authorities say. The security guard was shot around 1 p.m. Sunday inside the emergency room at HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea Medical Center, Scottsdale Police said in a news release. The shooting was the latest in a series of incidents of increasing violence against U.S. healthcare workers and highlighted the challenges of protecting them.
The American Nurses Association (the association) extends its deepest condolences to the families of West York Borough Police officer Andrew Duarte and wishes speedy recovery to those injured during the tragic event at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York County, Pennsylvania.
While specific details from this event are still being clarified, it is evident that nurses often find themselves at the front line of violence. Workplace violence in healthcare settings remains a significant concern. Measures must be implemented to ensure the safety of those who have dedicated their careers to caring for others.