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.

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.

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.

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.

On episode 53 of PSQH: The Podcast, Crystal Glover, education consultant and professional development practitioner at Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center, talks about how nurses are reacting to the RaDonda Vaught verdict and what it will mean for nursing in the future. This episode is presented by Capella University as part of National Nurses Week.

The Nurse Staffing Think Tank, a diverse group of nursing leaders, frontline nurses, CEOs, chief financial officers, human resources executives, and patient safety representatives, identified six priority areas that need urgent action. 

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the state budget into law on Saturday, that includes legislation that eliminates the requirement for NPs to have a written practice agreement with a physician and allows them to provide the full scope of services they are educated and clinically trained to provide.

In the wake of Vaught’s trial ― an extremely rare case of a healthcare worker being criminally prosecuted for a medical error ― nurses and nursing organizations have condemned the verdict through tens of thousands of social media posts, shares, comments, and videos. They warn that the fallout will ripple through their profession, demoralizing and depleting the ranks of nurses already stretched thin by the pandemic. Ultimately, they say, it will worsen healthcare for all.

The program, based at NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island, is an example of interprofessional education (IPE), designed to develop effective working relationships between different types of healthcare students and practitioners to support health outcomes.