Nursing Shortages to Worsen As Baby Boomers Age

By Melissa Watkins   Submitted On September 20, 2017

Many baby boomers hit an important milestone last year. Those earliest boomers born at the start of 1946 turned 70, and are now turning that age at a rate of 10,000 people per day for the next 18 years. The Census Bureau also indicates that for the first time in history the aging populations of 65 and older will double that of children (ages 5 and under) worldwide within the next 3 years. This has broad implications on health care and nursing, both now and well into the future, especially as there is already a shortage of nurses.

As the nursing industry deals with this worrisome shortage.* nursing schools are trying to meet the demand by expanding their programs and offering accelerated coursework; however, it is still projected that there will be a massive scarcity of Registered Nurses (RNs). So where will these shortages happen? What states, people and fields will be affected most?

The Growing Problem

According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), the demand for RNs in the workforce is expected to increase 16 percent to 3.2 million jobs in 2024, one of the highest of any industry in the U.S. Unfortunately; 1 million RNs will be reaching retirement age in the next 10 to 15 years. So, who will replace these retirees and make up for the anticipated demand? That's not clear yet.

Educating Nurses

The AACN reports nursing schools across the country have only seen a 3.6 percent increase in enrollment, nowhere near enough to meet the projected demand of nurses in the coming years. Compounding the problem is the lack of qualified faculty. The AACN reports 64,067 qualified nursing school applicants were turned away in 2016 due to a lack of faculty.

Shortages by State

Who will feel the nursing shortage the most? By 2025, several states will experience the brunt of the nursing shortage according to Becker's Hospital Review including: Arizona, Colorado, North Carolina, Maryland, Nevada and Washington.

Shortages by Specialty

Certain nursing fields will suffer bigger shortages than others because they are the fastest-growing fields by 2022. These fields, according to Nurse Journal, include: nurse midwife, nurse practitioner, nurse anesthetist, clinical nurse, psychiatric nurse, trauma nurse and travel nurse.

Traveling nurses are - and will continue to be - one of the highest fields in demand, particularly in certain major U.S. cities like Los Angeles, Denver, Seattle, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Houston and Chicago, as reported by LRS Healthcare.

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Which Shoes Are the Best for Nurses?

By Ganesa Bella  |   Submitted On December 21, 2017

Medical attendants are the general population who require exceptionally steady and agreeable shoes particularly as they spend the greater part of their working day, which ordinarily contains no under 12 hours, strolling around. Clearly, the requirement for agreeable footwear winds up noticeably vital. There are an incredible number of shoes for nurses accessible available that arrive in an assortment of shapes, styles and highlights in this way it turns into somewhat convoluted to pick the best one that will address your issues.

Advantages of nursing shoes
Here is the thing that advantages you will get in the event that you have a quality combine of nursing shoes:
- Pain reduction: As we have just said great shoes for medical attendants will decrease the torment in foot rear areas, legs and back amid your dedicated day and after it.
- Posture support: Comfortable nursing shoes will give act bolster and dispense with low back torment and leg issues.
- Arch support: This is viewed as the most essential component of nursing shoes. It will include high solace when strolling around throughout the day.
- No more fatigue issues: Because of the difficult activity and unlimited obligations medical caretakers may have such medical issues as joint inflammation, muscle issues and low back agony. In any case, with the correct shoes you will maintain a strategic distance from these.
- Speed and flexibility: Lightweight shoes will add to your speed and adaptability at work.

How to choose the best shoes for nurses
The activity of medical caretakers is extremely capable and imperative and with the end goal for them to be exceedingly gainful and not get drained effortlessly much relies upon the nature of shoes. Here are some basic variables to enable you to pick the best shoes for medical attendants:
- Stability: High-quality nursing shoes ought to give solace, support and steadiness which will add to the abatement in foot, back and leg torment. Plan and material are essential for this too. The best nursing shoes are typically made of cowhide or elastic. Elastic is the most well-known material for nursing shoes as it is agreeable and lightweight. Stay away from materials that will make troubles when cleaning or will include extra weight.
- Slip resistance: Spills and fluids are things you won't miss when working in a healing center so ensure your nursing shoes are slip safe and have a decent hold which will protect you amid your working day.
- Weight: Make beyond any doubt you're nursing shoes are not very overwhelming and burdensome generally your efficiency and work execution level will diminish. Medical caretakers are always on their feet and having a couple of shoes that is lightweight will include solace and enable you to abstain from getting worn out effectively.
- Shape and style: There is an extraordinary assortment of shapes and styles of nursing shoes some of which are intended to fit certain sorts of feet and in addition medicinal conditions. Probably the most widely recognized nursing shoe styles are crocs, stops up, athletic tennis shoes and tennis/running shoes. In order to pick the correct one we encourage you to converse with a podiatrist who will disclose to you which one to purchase in view of your foot write. Continuously pick comfort over adorable outline.
- Maximum shock absorption: Make beyond any doubt the shoes bolster your feet enough to assimilate your development impacts.
- Insoles: Good nursing shoes should accompany a bended surface supporting the curve of your foot.
- Price: Prices vary contingent upon the material, outline and development be that as it may, do pay somewhat more for comfort and useful highlights.

Tips for choosing the right pair of nursing shoes
Try not to be so worried about the cost of the nursing shoes you buy. It's considerably more imperative to take a gander at the advantages they offer and pick the shoes that will furnish you with the best long haul care and utilize.

A decent combine of nursing shoes will last you 3, 5 or more years and give you great help. At last it might wind up costing you the same amount of, if not more cash on the off chance that you need to experience a few sets of less expensive shoes as opposed to having one sets of decent, brilliant nursing shoes.

It can likewise spare you as far as restorative expenses as low quality shoes can add to stress and wellbeing loss. With that said there are certainly overrated shoes sold in the nursing business sector and a few organizations will charge a premium due to their image name, in spite of the way that they have less advantages/highlights than bring down valued shoes.

Make certain to do your due persistence by inspecting each of your decisions and acquire as much input as you can both on the web and disconnected before settling on a last purchasing choice

Conclusion
As a medical attendant you spend throughout the day on your feet depending on your shoes/obstructs to furnish you with solace, security and support, however with such huge numbers of decisions accessible having the capacity to discover and pick the best nursing shoes for your necessities can be a significant test. Therefore, we hope this post helpful for you to get the best shoes for nurses.

Why Every Nurse Should Consider Legal Nurse Consulting

By Ryan Sanchez  |   Submitted On August 12, 2017

The day will come in the career of almost every bedside or clinical nurse that is devastating. If you work as a hands-on nurse, it will most likely happen to you too. It's the day when you come to the realization that you can no longer work as a hands-on nurse. This possible conclusion to your nursing career can happen suddenly or over a period of time, and because of many reasons. It can be the result of an injury, burn-out, cut-backs, old age, or physical inability to handle the demanding job. When this happens, how will you continue to find income? Finding another job can be an arduous process. If you have a family to support, this is a serious problem. The smart thing to do is to start preparing for this eminent situation. The question is: what can you do to prepare?

First, you must face the realization that your nursing career will eventually reach this point. You must make the decision that something has to be done to prepare for it. Once you make this choice, the rest is not too hard. The key for preparing for this crossroads is to have a back-up career option. When choosing the back-up option, there are a few criteria you should consider. This option should pay equivalent to or better than your current job, it can be one that you are qualified for or one that requires some additional training, and it should offer the flexibility for you to ease into it at your own pace. The option is even more ideal if you can use it on the side while still working your regular job, allowing you to earn some extra income when needed. Unfortunately, many nurses don't realize this kind of option even exists.

When facing this life-changing decision, the common reaction from a nurse is to begin looking for another job that will meet their new requirements. Even though the job application process can be very slow, it sometimes works as a good option. When the available jobs are in the same facility, the hiring process can be much quicker. Many nurses tend to pursue administration jobs when they are no longer able or willing to endure the physical demands of hands-on nursing. However, administrator jobs often have stiff competition for a limited number of positions. There are many other jobs where your nursing expertise will be relevant, such as case management, insurance, pharmaceutical sales, recruiting, or teaching. But what if your best option is not a typical job at all? If you approaching this point in your career, maybe it's time for you to think outside of the box.

Luckily, there is a career option that meets every one of the conditions explained above. It allows you to utilize your existing medical expertise, it offers great flexibility, it presents exciting new challenges, it gives you the choice of finding a job or working independently, and it can pay much better than a typical regular nursing job. On top of all these benefits, it offers you an opportunity to continue the main reason you probably got into nursing in the first place; it allows you to continue your patient advocacy. The nursing career option we are referring to is Legal Nurse Consulting. It's important to remember that you're going to need an option like Legal Nurse Consulting one day, so you should become familiar. If you have already heard of this option, you most likely don't understand its real benefits and what is involved. As a Legal Nurse Consultant, you can learn how to utilize your medical expertise in the legal field or the legal side of medical care. Any case involving medical records needs your expertise to interpret and analyze the medical information. If you would rather avoid working with attorneys and insurance companies, hospitals and managed care facilities often hire Legal Nurse Consultants to help in areas such as risk management, insurance issues, and case management.

You have an important choice to make. Whether you decide now, or after you are forced, this kind of career altering decision is difficult to confront. You can be like the many other nurses who just hope that nothing happens, or you can start preparing for the future.

If Legal Nurse Consulting sounds like an interesting career option, then you should consider the Advanced Legal Nurse Consultant (ALNC) certification by LNC STAT. The LNC STAT course was developed and is taught by Veronica Castellana. She is a currently practicing Legal Nurse Consultant who practices what she preaches, so you know the training is effective. LNC STAT graduates have the highest rate of success when compared to other certification or training courses. All you have to do is finish the training and put it to work.

4 Health and Safety Policies for Care Homes Every Employee Must Know

By Albert Cook  |   Submitted On February 09, 2018

Caring for people in need is a noble duty that care homes are performing from a long time. It is a sector that encourages well-being of one and all. A care home comprises of people like owner, manager, staff and the people residing within that environment. A care home may be of various kinds - residential care, nursing care or dementia care and one for the older adults. Each requires a different health and safety policy for care homes with specific requirements.

It is a kind of health program that excels in providing a resource for concerned personnel inside the care home setting. The main implications it includes are-

• Legal duties

Out of the various laws that govern health and safety regulations in a workplace, the most applicable ones are-

• Health and safety at work act 1974
• Common law
• Reporting of injuries diseases and dangerous occurrences regulations
• Control of substances hazardous to health
• Management of health and safety at work regulations 1999

The above acts enable employers to perform their duties of ensuring a safe and secure working environment. It involves all the diseases caused by biological perils, drug exposures, bloodborne pathogens, respiratory complications along with workplace violence.

• Facilities

The policy also encloses the various healthcare facilities that an organization issues to its employees in adequate quantity. The welfare arrangements also include safe handling and proper storage of potentially hazardous substances.

• Training

Another most important part of a policy is providing information training with specific guidelines to employees under expert supervision. The training also acknowledges employees' efforts by certifying them with liability insurance.

• Guidelines

The set of rules that are sketched for an employee also make him realize his duties to take reasonable care of each other's health. Also, the basic guidelines that one needs to follow while working in a care home are-

• Be attentive

While inside a care home, one needs to dedicate one's full attention to providing a danger-free environment. One small or normal careless attitude like rugs or slippery surfaces can cost as one huge mistake to both caretakers and residents.

Also, mind the pets and make sure they are at safer distances from any ill person as their presence can make the conditions severe. It has been reported that half of the in-house accidents occur due to silly mistakes and carelessness. Hence, all the employees should take notes on how to organize the environment with proper safety.

• Emergency services

The care providers also need to have complete knowledge about the contact details of nearby emergency help providers like police, fire or ambulance. They must be aware of the safety profile of the neighbourhood and should stay alert while witnessing any suspicious activity in the immediate location.

• Documentation

Recording the history of each person's medical issues is also one of the major characteristics of a health and safety policy. A caretaker should also be in his finest health to able to ensure welfare to other people, and if not so, he or she is certainly not liable for this duty.

• Safety Tools

A caretaker also needs to be well aware of how the safety tools function and ways to operate them. A very common notion about healthcare sectors is that they have the maximum rates of work-related injuries and illnesses. Hence, each worker should be aware of how to handle the critical conditions without losing his composure.

A caretaker working in a care home for elderly often complain of back pain as he constantly needs to lift and move older people. This results in muscular as well as skeletal hazards along with other stress-inducing factors.

The healthcare and social welfare industry draws huge benefits from the safety policies and has prime necessity in each sector. Hence, knowing about the implications that an employee has to dedicate his assistance to will make him realize his duties and responsibilities in a refurnished way.

The Best Areas to Specialize As a Nurse Practitioner

This is an extremely helpful resource when it comes to American Nursing Certifications. You can find a wide range of certifications for registered nurses that help to keep themselves updated in order to survive well in the current healthcare industry.

Check out some of the best listed APRN Certifications

1. Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certification Review:

As the name suggests, the main purpose of this certification is to train nurses the advanced nursing care practices to adult, elderly patients with acute and critical conditions. The curriculum of this certification is strictly in accordance to the latest guidelines from American Nurse Credentialing Center (ANCC) and American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN). We provide certifications to individual students and for institutional subscribers. The different course pricing packages available. One may choose any package as per their convenience.

2. Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Certification Review:

This certification is specifically designed for AGNP who are applying for Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP- BC) or (AGNP-C) board certification. The main role of this certification is to specialize the nurse how to take care of the adult patients across the lifespan. This curriculum is in accordance with the latest guidelines from the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and American Nurse Credentialing Center (ANCC).

3. Family Nurse Practitioner Certification Review:

The main objective of this certification is to educate the nurse practitioner to assess the needs of patients, interpret diagnostic and laboratory tests, analyze illness and disease, recommend medication and prepare treatment plans. One may subscribe to this certification as individual students and as institutional subscribers. There are different packages available out of which one may choose the packages as per their needs and requirement.

4. Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Nurse Practitioner Certification Review:

The main aim of this certification is to impart education in order to assess, diagnose and treat families or patients with psychiatric disorders and identify other mental health-related issues. The certification is strictly in accordance with the latest guidelines from the American Nurse Credentialing Center (ANCC). Different packages are available and depending upon the requirement one may choose the desired certification.

5. NCLEX Review:

If you need to study for the NCLEX but you're not sure how to start preparing, NCLEX Review helps you get ready for the exam with comprehensive NCLEX study guides. This is a convenient study guide contain a variety of tools and NCLEX resources that simplify your test preparation efforts and maximize your chances of passing the exam.

Get your Nurse Practitioner education & Programs put your nursing profession on the path to success.

Get your Nurse Practitioner and AGNP Certification Review Courses from APRN World. Our courses are designed in line with current practice patterns. A variety of topics are included in the CE courses to serve different specialties.

7 Possible Reasons Our Muscles Are Camping Up

Muscles cramps can happen anywhere in your body at any given time. Muscle cramping can even occur while you are sleeping. In most cases, cramps go away quickly; however, there are things that we can do to help it along. For instance, doing a gentle stretch or massage on the affected muscle area or even applying a heating pad can be a great help.

Stretching helps because our muscles are made up of fibers that when they are exercised, become bigger or smaller. When we stretch these fibers, we are warming them up for work. Just like a car that requires warming up for optimal performance, so to our muscles require warming up before working. This should be done regularly so that they work more easily and efficiently. This helps in avoiding cramping up.

Possible Reasons for A Muscle Cramp

Not Enough Water Intake:

It is extremely important that you maintain a proper daily water intake routine. Dehydration is a fast way to muscle cramping. Through frequent muscle cramps, your body is telling you that it needs more water urgently. Other indicators of dehydration are dizzy spells, frequent headaches, along with frequent constipation. A good way to make sure that you get your daily intake of water, is to drink a full 32 ounce as soon as you get up in the morning and through out the rest your day sip on a gallon; especially during the hotter season.

Being in High Temperatures:

If you work outdoors, your body will lose fluids through sweating. If you exercise in a heated room or air-conditioned room your body will lose fluids. Again, through sweating. This can bring on muscle cramping if you are losing fluids and not putting it back. With the body being over 70% water, we need plenty of water for the cells in the muscle to function properly.

Not only that, important electrolytes which is needed by the body come out through sweating and peeing and must be restored. These important electrolytes include sodium, potassium, and calcium.

Too Many Medications:

Drugs such as Satins which are prescribed as treatment for high cholesterol, along with diuretics which is heavily used by folks trying to lose weight as well as bodybuilders to get rid of excess water, are just a few of the drugs that can cause muscle cramps as a side effect. If for some reason, you are prescribed a drug as a treatment by your doctor and you notice that you are experiencing frequent muscle cramping, let him or her know right away.

This could mean that the drug treatment is dehydrating your body as a possible side effect.

Poor Blood Circulation:

If you are experiencing severe cramps during a regular walk, chances are that your muscles are not getting the required blood flow which brings oxygen to your working muscle. This could be due to your age as well as if you are not a very active person. Poor blood flow can also be caused by a condition called Claudication which causes narrowing of the arteries; thus, leading to poor blood circulation. Again, consult with your health care provider for help

Women Monthly Cycle:

During their monthly cycles or periods, many women get cramps. Some are severe, and some are mild. Either way, cramping occurs. This is because the female body produce certain hormones which causes the muscles in the uterus walls to tighten up. This is how the blood and waste products are being expelled from their body.
Over the counter pain relievers are normally taken if the cramping pains are too severe to handle but before you take these drugs, check with your doctor first because they can lead to further fluid lost.

Growth Spurts:

You have often heard the saying "growth spurt." This is also referred to as growing pains... why? Often, kids may get cramps as they go through their growing ages; however, this could also be because of the many daily activities that they get involved in such as soccer or football. And because of it, they don't drink the required amount of water to stay hydrated. Therefore, parents must ensure that their kids are drinking enough water during their daily activities and not a large amount of juice or other high sugary liquids.

Too Much Exercise:

Our physical bodies are meant to move. Which means we have to stay active through consistent exercises in our daily lives. This is extremely important to our overall health and weight management. However, we can overdo it at times. This also can lead to muscle cramping which are mostly in our legs, stomach, and hands. Regular exercise such as resistance training will tone our bodies and make our muscles stronger, bigger and harder.

Regular exercise will also increase the endurance of our muscles as well; therefore, exercise is very beneficial to us. It is good to know that a muscle that is trained for endurance will not cramp up as easy. Still, you need to pace yourself during your workout, you need to do some light warm-up exercises, followed by some stretching before you embark on your workout.

You also need to do some stretching immediately after your workout and drink a good bit of water, so that your muscles don't cramp up so easily.

Conclusion:

Now with that said, if you experience a cramp for a prolonged period, and you don't think that it is related to any of the possible causes listed above, then set an appointment to see your doctor. You maybe suffering from a health condition like thyroid disease, cirrhosis of the liver, or hardening of the arteries. You only have one health so avoid the things that can possibly cause a cramp and live your best life ever.

We Will All Be Elderly Seniors Eventually - Think About It

Submitted On December 15, 2018

So often we hear about stories about the forgotten senior. Perhaps they didn't have any offspring, or perhaps tragedy struck and they outlived their children, maybe they are the surviving spouse with no one left. Those are terrible cases to consider.

Still, let me explain one that can be even worse. Maybe there has been an unfortunate rift in the family and their kids and grand kids don't call or come to visit. Whatever the case might be, it's sad to see. Most of us are saddened when we read about stories like this. Yes, there are always two-sides to the coin. Maybe a parent or grandparent had purposely distanced themselves over the years, and maybe some of the blame is there too?

Okay, we accept that there can be family issues, but our elderly seniors are still family! All too often we forget about all the years of nurturing our parents provided to us. I was listening to someone the other day tell me a story about a friend's family and emotional pain that had occurred over many decades, and it reminded me of a video I saw. Maybe if the family members had watched this video, they might have rethought their positions and put away the past animosity.

What I mean to say is life is too short, don't let it pass you by because one day it will be too late to say you are sorry.

There is that great YouTube Video I watched, I'd like you to take a moment out of your day and watch it now, you will be glad you did. The video is titled; "An Aging Mother Wrote This Letter To Her Daughter" and I recommend that you go to YouTube and look it up and watch it. I sincerely hope you will think about that, and how important family is.

Remember we will all be old and elderly one day, it will be hard for us to get around and take care of ourselves. We will need help and assistance. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we might all think of this now and pay it forward a little bit? That is the least we can do - provide assistance, respect and dignity to the elderly and bring back a bit of humanity in the process. Why not think about this now, start today and commit to helping an older family member, close relative or neighbor? Live, Love and Enjoy Your Time Here On Earth