CMS Revised Guidance Offers Nursing Homes Flexibility in Nurse Aide Training
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued a revised guidance that will provide waivers to allow nursing homes to continue certifying TNAs beyond the deadline to keep staffing at safer levels. In the early days of the COVID-10 pandemic, CMS enacted several temporary public health emergency blanket waivers intended to provide healthcare providers needed flexibility to respond to the pandemic.
Even After Infectious Outbreaks, Nursing Home Staffing May Never be Fully Replaced
The study, Staffing Patterns in US Nursing Homes During COVID-19 Outbreaks, noted that significant staffing declines during a severe COVID-19 outbreak continued even as much as 16 weeks after the outbreak’s start. And even though facilities temporarily increased hiring, contract staff, and overtime to boost staffing, these measures did not fully replace lost staff—particularly certified nursing assistants.
Why Virtual Simulation is Beneficial to Nursing Students
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and nursing students were unable to do in-person clinicals in hospitals, Wayne State University College of Nursing in Detroit, like other nursing schools, had to rely on simulation to provide students with the education they needed. And although nursing students are returning to in-person clinical rotations, simulation labs remain in important part of their education.
More Than 5K Nurses Sign Up for Free Burnout Prevention Program
More than 5,000 nurses have signed up for a new free nurse burnout prevention program in which the American Nurses Association (ANA) is encouraging its members to participate. ANA has partnered with SE Healthcare for the Burnout Prevention Enrichment CenterTM, a web-based platform that offers 24/7 an ever-growing collection of tools and audio and video educational content to help prevent career burnout.
PSQH: The Podcast Episode 55 – Lessons Learned From the Vaught Case
On episode 55 of PSQH: The Podcast, Dr. Michael Ramsay, CEO of the Patient Safety Movement Foundation, talks about lessons learned from the RaDonda Vaught case and how to avoid similar incidents in the future.
3 Ways a Coordinated Approach Can Solve the Nursing Shortage
Though COVID-19 narrowed the focus on the nursing shortage, other conditions have contributed to it far longer than the pandemic: a higher education system that is training too few nurses; workforce conditions; and demographic factors, such as aging Baby Boomers and increased life expectancy, the report notes.
Hospitals More Inclined to Offer $$$ Incentives to Fill RN Openings
Some 67% of chief nursing officers and other hospital senior leaders surveyed are offering sign-on bonuses and 57% said they have improved their pay packages. Those percentages are significantly higher than in 2019, before COVID-19, when just 28% said improved pay packages were part of their recruitment and retention strategy.
Probation, Not Jail Time, for Former Nurse RaDonda Vaught
Under Tennessee’s sentencing guidelines, Vaught could have been ordered to serve three to six years in prison for neglect and one to two years for negligent homicide. Instead, Vaught received a diverted sentence, which means that if she successfully completes her probation, the charges will be expunged from the record.
National Nurses Week Resources From PSQH
As National Nurses Week wraps up, we want to salute the valuable and courageous work done by nurses at all levels of care. We highlighted the efforts of nurses this week and will continue to do so.
PSQH Quick Poll 2022: Taking the Pulse of Nursing’s Impact on Patient Safety
As part of National Nurses Week, PSQH reached out to our readers with a few questions about how nursing impacts patient safety and healthcare quality. The Quick Poll had a total of 212 respondents.