Sample of The Registered Practical Nursing Journal

Worldwide Nursing News
A Look at What’s Happening With Our Nursing Colleagues Around the Globe
With our constant focus on nursing in
Ontario, it can sometimes be easy to
overlook some of the issues and events
that are happening in other parts of the
nursing universe. Here are some of the
more recent stories affecting nurses at
home and abroad.
NEW YORK, New York — Hurricane
Sandy struck the northeastern US with
a vengeance in October, killing well
over 100 people, injuring countless
others and causing billions of damage
in that country alone.
But amid the tragedy, a story of
courage, bravery and dedication
emerged: the nurses who rose to the
challenge of providing care during a
crisis, evacuating patients in the middle
of a natural disaster and working
together to save lives during the
emergency. Hundreds of patients had to
be evacuated from New York hospitals
during the hurricane, including New
York University’s Langone Medical
Center, where nurses and other hospital
staff had to carry patients down
numerous flights of stairs to safety.
Among those patients were 20 newborns,
including four who required
respirators to breathe. In order to keep
them alive, nurses manually bagged the
babies all the way down nine flights of
stairs. One nurse in New Jersey even
swam 200 yards in order to report for
duty at the hospital — just one of the
many nurses who made a difference
during the hurricane.
LONDON, UK — In an important legal
victory, nurses in the UK who are
wrongly accused of criminal offences
will not have the allegations disclosed
to future employers.
Under the previous system, police
officers were able to record details of
criminal allegations against an individual,
regardless of whether there was
credible evidence to back up the claim.
This was particularly problematic for
nurses, who often undergo thorough
background and police checks as a
condition of employment. Like any
profession, some individuals who work
in nursing may commit crimes. But the
close relationship between nurses and
patients and the often-sensitive
nature of their work also makes them
vulnerable to being falsely accused of
abuse, theft or other crimes. The Royal
College of Nursing in the UK successfully
argued that keeping a record of
allegations back up by little or no
evidence could be “immensely damaging”
to the careers of many nurses.
They say they hope police forces in
other jurisdictions follow suit.
SURREY, British Columbia — Nurses
and other hospital staff at Surrey
Memorial Hospital are being praised for
their quick response to help patients
after the province’s busiest emergency
room flooded.
Nurses leapt into action and worked
alongside other hospital staff to
evacuate patients or move them to
other areas of safety in the hospital
as well as use towels, sheets and
anything else at their disposal to keep
the water at bay. The flood was
caused by a broken water main as the
result of a construction accident and
the emergency room remained closed
for a few weeks.
BRITISH COLUMBIA — Should all
health care workers be required to
get a flu shot as a condition of their
employment
Those who opposed a proposed
policy mandating flu shots for health
care workers have won a temporary
reprieve. After heated debate, the
provincial government has announced it
will temporarily back away from
enforcing a policy that requires thousands
of B.C. health care workers to get
a flu shot. Although the policy remains
in place, the province says it will
encourage compliance this year instead
of enforcing it. Under the policy, health
care workers would be required to get a
flu shot. If they refuse, they are to wear
a mask throughout flu season. The
province says it adopted the policy
because fewer than 50 per cent of
health care workers in B.C. are getting
the annual flu shot. The announcement
was met with vocal opposition from a
number of unions, who claimed the
measures were too heavy-handed.
WESTCLIFF-ON-SEA, UK — A woman
who is believed to be the longest-serving
nurse in England is retiring after a
career that spanned nearly six decades.
Jean Colclough, 74, began working as
a nurse in 1956, when she was just 18.
Her dedication to her job is all the more
impressive, considering that when she
was younger, Colclough had to have a
lung removed and was told she
wouldn’t live past 40. She told several
media outlets that she would happily
remain in her position, but that she was
taking retirement due to pension
reasons. Colclough initially wanted to
become a doctor, but her family
couldn’t afford the tuition. However,
she told the BBC she had no regrets: “I
don’t think I could have done better
than I have done.”
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“Enhancing Professional Competency”