Texas Health Resources has launched a program that aims to prepare high school students for nursing careers, reports KDAF news. Fourteen Dallas-Fort Worth-area hospitals are operated by Texas Health Resources, which offers the program to 25 high school graduates. The program, called the Prodigy Program, hopes to create interest in nursing early, and help fill a shortage of nurses. It also ensures that those nurses are cheaper to higher....  Read More »

Seasoned nurses looking to become nurse educators now have a new program to help them transition, reports Nurse.com. Sigma Theta Tau International created the program, entitled Nurse Faculty Mentored Leadership Development, with the help of a $200,000 grant from Elsevier. The program will focus on placing novice nurse educators with long-term mentors to create higher job satisfaction and retention. “We have an amazing shortage of nurse...  Read More »

The California Institute for Nursing & Health Care conducted a survey of employers of nurses from March to May of 2009. The results: 40% of new nursing graduates may not find employment in California hospitals, as only 65% of hospitals indicated they were hiring new graduates, and many said they were decreasing the amount of new hires. In June, a series of meetings were held to discuss these finding and find possible solutions. The survey...  Read More »

Clinicals are one of the most important parts of your nursing education. With everything that may be on your mind at the time, it’s important to remember proper communication and etiquette during each one. To practice good etiquette and common courtesy during each of your clinical rotations: Introduce yourself to the nurses on duty Ask if you can help out in any way Respect their territory and time Always be polite At the end, thank...  Read More »

Feeling overwhelmed with a case of the Mondays? Need a little laugh and a little stress relief? Check out this hilarious video of Gene Cotton singing “I Am a Nurse” at the recent National Student Nurses’ Association Convention in Nashville, TN. Are you headed to Phoenix for the NSNA MidYear Conference? Kathleen Bartholomew, RC, RN, MN, best-selling HCPro author, is slated to be the keynote speaker.   Read More »

She began taking college classes at 12. Carrying a 4.0 GPA, she earned her high school diploma and associate degree at 15. And last Wednesday, Danielle McBurnett, a Chandler, AZ, resident, became the youngest student in the history of Arizona State University to receive a bachelor’s of science in nursing. McBurnett was home schooled early on in her life and decided she wanted to become a nurse at the age of 10, according to The Arizona...  Read More »

President Barack Obama’s proposed healthcare workforce development funding for fiscal year 2010 would bring incentives to nurses both in the field and in the classroom. Of the $1 billion in the budget devoted toward strengthening healthcare professions, $125 million is allocated to the Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program (NELPN)—an $88 million increase from the 2009 budget. Funds for the Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) would...  Read More »

The State University of New York (SUNY) New Paltz will say goodbye to 167 graduating nursing students over the next couple of years, and then, goodbye to its nursing program. Due to a $6 million deficit under the state’s recently-enacted budget, the university will phase out its nursing program by May 2011—when all currently enrolled students complete their course of studies. SUNY New Paltz announced it will also eliminate 70 jobs...  Read More »

Many nurses like to expand their minds with further education, and unfortunately that often leads to expanded college loans as well. But a new bill could lift some of the financial weight off those who use their higher education to train future nurses. A bill proposed on March 12 by two U.S. representatives would free nurses who earn a master’s or doctorate degree and go on to teach full-time at an accredited nursing school from repaying...  Read More »

The competitive spirits of 150 special needs children from the Aiken, SC, school district will be high at this spring’s Special Olympics with some help from area nursing students. Students at the University of South Carolina Aiken School of Nursing recently volunteered to conduct the children’s physical assessments, which are required of anyone participating in the Special Olympic games. The Aiken school district and Bill Boyce,...  Read More »