AJN’s September issue is now available on our Web site. Here’s a selection of what not to miss.
It’s back-to-school time, and on our cover this month is a photo of Head Start nursing supervisor Travia Williams weighing a student in the program’s classroom at Cocoa High School in Brevard County, Florida. The program provides enrolled children with screening, physicals, and other health care services.
According to the National Association of School Nurses, a third of all school districts in the United States have reduced nursing staff and a quarter don’t have any nurses at all. Yet there is the potential for more emergencies in school now than ever, with school nurses treating increasingly complex medical conditions and chronic illnesses. For more on the important role school nurses play in handling these health emergencies, see the In Our Community article, “Emergency Anaphylaxis at School.” And don’t miss a podcast interview with the author (this and other podcasts are accessible via the Behind the Article page on our Web site or, if you’re in our iPad app, by tapping the icon on the first page of the article).
Applying EBP to Practice. Despite the recognized importance of evidence-based practice (EBP), there continues to be a gap between the emergence of research findings and their application to practice. In this month’s original research article, “Staff Nurses’ Use of Research to Facilitate Evidence-Based Practice,” the authors used an online survey to determine to what extent RNs in an acute care multihospital system used research findings in their practice. Several barriers to such use were revealed, including lack of time and resources. This CE feature offers 3 CE credits to those who take the test that follows the article.
Central line–associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) are associated with a mortality rate of 12% to 25% and an additional cost of $22,885 to $29,330 per incident. “Champions for Central Line Care” describes how a critical care unit significantly reduced the CLABSI rate by implementing an RN-led central line champion team program. This CE feature offers 2.8 CE credits to those who take the test that follows the article. A podcast interview with the author is also available.
Elder abuse. Data suggest that as many as 2% to 10% of older adults experience some form of abuse or neglect each year and that just one in every five to 14 cases actually gets reported. “The Elder Justice Act: What Nurses Need to Know,” an article in our Policy and Politics column, provides an overview of the Elder Justice Act, and describes how nurses can become more involved in preventing and eliminating elder abuse.
And if you’re looking for something to read over the holiday weekend, you might want to check out our new column, What I’m Reading, written by staff nurse and New York Times opinion columnist Theresa Brown. In the first installment, Brown discusses the nursing implications of Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Fink.
To see the full table of contents and what else AJN has to offer this month, visit our Web site.
I was employed at a local school and loved it I loved the staff the children every aspect..I understand the urgency of needed nurses in our school with so many children on medication, diabetes, seizures…however, I could not support my family with the salary and not being paid over the summer..not being able to collect unemployment or finding a job to accommodate for the summer..I am an LPN..