FIGURE
While the ongoing nursing shortage may make it easier to find a job, one factor fueling the shortage-poor working conditions-makes it more difficult to determine if a particular job is the right one. The ANA is working hard to alert you to employment opportunities and to help you evaluate the work environment at potential employers.
Early in 2003, the ANA began alerting nurses to a wide range of opportunities through its new career Web site powered by Monster.com. The site (http://nursingworld.org/monster) offers access to Monster's global database of health care and nursing jobs, as well as a resume builder, job search tools, and tips and advice on managing a career in nursing and health care.
Knowing how to evaluate a position and employer can make the difference between simply finding a "job" and starting a satisfying career. Over the past few years, the ANA has developed tools to help you investigate the professional aspects of a prospective employer. The ANA's Principles for Nurse Staffing, published in 1999, provides a comprehensive perspective on staffing that focuses on the intensity and complexity of care needed, rather than on hours spent per patient, per day. In 2001 the ANA developed the Bill of Rights for Registered Nurses, which clearly states that nurses have the right to a safe work environment, to practice in a manner that ensures the provision of safe care through adherence to professional standards and ethical practice, and to advocate freely on behalf of themselves and their patients. Together, these documents can give you the information you need to ask the right questions for an accurate assessment of the prospective work environment.
If you are considering employment at a hospital, it's important to ask if the facility has attained Magnet status. The Magnet Program, developed in 1994 by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, an entity of the ANA, recognizes health care organizations that provide extraordinary nursing care. As of November 2003, 88 facilities nationwide had been awarded Magnet status. Research has linked Magnet status with improved nurse- physician relationships, adequate nurse staffing, and nurse autonomy and accountability.
The ANA is constantly developing initiatives and measures to address problems in the workplace that affect nurses' ability to care for patients. In May 2003, the ANA succeeded in its efforts to get the Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act of 2003 introduced in the U.S. Senate. The bill mandates the development of staffing systems that require input from direct-care RNs, or their exclusive representatives, and also provides whistle-blower protection for nurses who speak out about patient care issues.
The ANA also is concerned about the impact of the work environment on nurses' health and safety. In 2000, the ANA's tireless efforts to educate the public and lawmakers resulted in passage of a federal needlestick protection law. Currently, the ANA is using its educational and advocacy powers to address the issue of back injuries. Through the "Handle With Care" campaign, launched in 2003, the ANA continues to spread its message about the debilitating and sometimes job-ending back injuries that nurses risk at work every day.
These are just a few initiatives the ANA has undertaken in its representation of the interests of the nation's nurses. The support of ANA members helps us address the pressing issues of the nursing profession.
I wish you much success as you embark on your career and ask you to consider joining us and helping us to effect real change for the profession and the patients we serve. Increased numbers and diversity ultimately strengthen the ANA's ability to be your advocate-and your patients' (see http://www.nursingworld.org for membership information).