Christian Nurse Leaders Leave a Heritage of Influence
Lois Rowe, author of On Call, a devotional book for nurses that gave hundreds of nurses and students the vision for linking Christian faith and nursing, entered into the presence of Jesus September 1, 2007. Lois loved God and people, as a founding member of Nurses Christian Fellowship, as a missionary in North Africa, a nurse in Michigan, and in the Denver area where she inspired NCF students and nurses. Lois was a "nurse to all nurses" through her writing and encouraging example of love and joy.
Edna Fordyce joined Lois in heaven on September 13th. Edna taught psychiatric nursing at Towson State University in Maryland, and earlier worked in education and administration at Rochester State Hospital in Minnesota where she led an NCF group. Her teaching, speaking on nursing theory, and writing, including a chapter on servant leadership in Concepts in Nursing: A Christian Perspective published by NCF, influenced countless students, faculty, and nurses. Edna lived her beliefs about nursing, and her presence touched others with compassion and hope.
Lois and Edna believed that nursing was ministry for Jesus Christ and passed on their vision to the next generation. May their example inspire us to use our gifts to make a difference in nursing.
Boosting Minority Representation Among Nursing Faculty
The Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing's Future announced plans for a national scholarship program to boost the number of qualified nursing faculty from minority groups currently underrepresented in the profession. In partnership with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), the Johnson & Johnson program offers minority students financial assistance, mentorship, and leadership development support to ensure successful completion of degrees and adequate preparation for faculty roles. To qualify for the program, students must come from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds, be accepted to an accredited full-time master's or doctoral nursing program, and agree to teach in a U.S. nursing school after graduation. According to AACN statistics, racial and ethnic minorities make up just 10.5 percent of full-time nursing faculty.-ADVANCE for Nurses, 9/6/07.
Improving Immigrant Care
Community House Calls (CHC) in Seattle is the outreach partner for the International Medicine Clinic (IMC) at Seattle's Harborview Medical Center. In 2000 there were approximately 268,000 foreign-born residents living in the Seattle area. Immigrants often are intimidated and confused by the American healthcare system.
CHC designed and maintains the EthnoMed website (http://www.ethnomed.org), which provides information about the community resources, cultures, languages, and potential health issues of their patients. CHC services include transportation to the clinic, referrals and an interpreter, health education and other materials in many languages, financial aids, and help with shipping deceased relatives back to their own countries for burial. Medical teams conduct some home visits.
The IMC model is being implemented across the United States, as cities become increasingly culturally diverse and try to maintain health standards for everyone. The goal is to integrate different cultural health beliefs, values, and population-specific diseases to make screening and treatment efficient. These linguistically accessible, culturally sensitive services are basic to any effort toward eliminating healthcare disparities. -ANA SmartBrief, 8/22/2007.
Help for the Uninsured
Nearly 15 million Americans are eligible for some healthcare coverage, but have never applied. Coverage for All, a nonprofit organization, is assisting healthcare providers with resources to inform patients and determine their eligibility for healthcare coverage. Coverage for All includes a Health Care Options Matrix that can help nurses quickly identify various programs available nationwide. The matrix includes five questions addressing personal circumstances, work history, background, and income to determine if a patient is eligible for programs that provide health insurance. Medical staff can refer patients to http://www.coverageforall.org to complete the questionnaire. In addition, information about health insurance options is available through the U.S. Uninsured Help Line at 800-234-1317. Representatives are available to assist healthcare professionals or patients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.-ADVANCE for Nurses, 10/15/2007.
Simulation Based Learning
The University of Texas Arlington, School of Nursing, is a leader in simulation based learning for nursing students. The facility includes an emergency department, an adult intensive care unit, a neonatal ICU, and two labor and delivery suites. The goal is to do as much as possible to make training as real as possible. The patients, made of plastic, talk, cough, and bleed. Others produce lung sounds and have chests that rise and fall to simulate breathing. Five simulated babies grunt, cry, and exhale carbon dioxide.
Nurses are better prepared when they start working knowing what they should be looking and listening for because they've already done it. At the Smart Hospital, students practice inserting IVs, connecting patients to ventilators and performing other common procedures. -http://www.uta.edu/nursing/simulation/ Accessed 10/24/2007.
Superbug Testing
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is getting attention. People in healthcare settings, older patients, and African-Americans are most at risk for MRSA infections. Yearly, about 1.7 million Americans develop infections while hospitalized and almost 100,000 of them die, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. MRSA accounts for 10 percent of these infections. Careful hand washing and cleaning of medical devices are key to preventing the spread of MRSA.
MRSA, pronounced Muhr-suh, has been around for decades but has spread in recent years. Illinois was the first state to order testing of all high-risk hospital patients and isolation of those who carry the Staph germ. Similar measures passed this year in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
A recent BBC release noted that University of East London researchers found in initial trials that allicin (garlic) proved effective in treating even the most antibiotic-resistant strains of the infection. Further testing of specially formulated allicin nasal creams, pills, and soaps is underway. - Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, 10/24/2007.
Safe in God's Hands
"God says, 'You are written on the palm of my hands. You are continually before me.' Stop and glance at the palm of your hand. Now, imagine they are God's hands and that you are right there[horizontal ellipsis]. Our ways remain continually before him. Not one fleeting moment of life goes by without his knowing exactly where we are, what we're doing, and how we're feeling." -Wisdom for the Way, Charles R. Swindoll, p.162.