Update on new law to combat nursing shortage
October 1, 2002 3 minutes read
If your ED is short on staff, there is some good news on the legislative front: The Nurse Reinvestment Act was signed into law by President Bush on Aug. 1, 2002. (At press time, appropriations bills that will determine funding for the new programs still were under consideration, but the Washington, DC-based American Nurses Association has asked that Congress provide $250 million). The goal is to make nursing more attractive to new recruits and alleviate the current staffing shortage.
"The funds will help recruit and retain nurses and help nurses develop leadership skills so they can lead the nurses of the future," predicts Diana Contino, RN, MBA, CEN, CCRN, president of Emergency Management Systems, a Monarch Beach, CA-based consulting firm that specializes in staffing and health care financial issues. "It will also help nurses build a diverse work force to meet the needs of our individual communities," she adds.
Here is what the law will provide for:
• Funding of scholarships and student loan repayment for nurses who promise to work in facilities with critical shortages. "This will really help the EDs suffering from severe shortages," says Contino,
• Authorization of grants to help nursing schools provide geriatric care training.
• Provision of loans and possible loan cancellation to nurses in advanced degree programs who agree to become faculty.
• Expansion of basic nurse training programs, including grants to establish career-ladder programs.
• Allocation of funds to health care facilities to improve nurse retention by increasing nurse participation in organizational and clinical decision making.
Contino encourages you to submit grant requests for funds to educate nurse leaders in areas such as benchmarking and staffing. She says grants could be used to send staff to educational meetings sponsored by the Des Plaines, IL-based Emergency Nurses Association, the Dallas-based American College of Emergency Physicians, the Aliso Viejo, CA-based American Association of Critical Care Nurses, and the Chicago-based American Organization of Nurse Executives.
"There are also businesses and universities in your local communities that provide education on customer service, human resources, and business operations," says Contino. "Once you start looking, you will find a plethora of education." Increasing education for leaders also will reduce stress and burnout, she argues. "Forward-thinking organizations will provide education in these areas.
• Funding of public service announcements to promote the nursing profession, reverse nursing stereotypes, and advertise public assistance available to individuals interested in becoming a nurse.
"The public service announcements are wonderful, but we need to make sure we work on improving nurse leadership skills and the environment that nurses work in," cautions Contino. "It will take a multifaceted solution to solve the multifaceted problems that caused the nursing shortage."
Source
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s For more information about the Nurse Reinvestment Act, contact:
• Diana Contino, RN, MBA, CEN, CCRN, President, Emergency Management Systems, 24040 Camino Del Avion, Suite 123, Monarch Beach, CA 92629. Telephone: (949) 493-0039. Fax: (949) 493-7568. E-mail: [email protected].
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