Nevada RNformation - September 2021

September, October, November 2021 Nevada RNformation • Page 5
Nurses in the News
From the Bottom to Barbies
By Tracey Long PhD, APRN-BC, CCRN
“It’s like a war zone,” said
a patient care coordinator
in an emergency room in
Alabama August 2021, who
pointed to the crush of anxious
people sprawled in the halls
of an already full emergency
department. Nevada has
joined the new surge of COVID
positive patients with a total
379K new cases due to the
new delta variant of the virus
with most cases in Clark County reporting 297,000.
The daily average is 1,013 interestingly like the peak
last August 2020. For a daily report go to https://
nvhealthresponse.nv.gov/. The latest hospital challenges
however aren’t from a larger number of Covid cases,
but rather from nurses leaving bedside nursing after
the challenging past 18 months during the worldwide
pandemic. “Nurses are tired, overburdened, and they
feel like forgotten soldiers” said Lee Bond, a Chief
Executive of a rural hospital in Alabama echoing the
sentiment of nurse administrators across the nation.
The New York Times reported one in five ICUs are
at least 95% capacity creating a bottleneck of sick
patients. “When hospitals are understaffed, people
die,” stated Patricia Pittman, director of the Health
Workforce Research Center at George Washington
University. Hospital beds are full of sicker patient and
hospital nurses are overburdened and tired. A simple
web search for nurses in the news reveals dozens and
dozens of articles about exhausted nurses reaching
their breaking point. Nurses continue to get national
attention in the news, but it doesn’t make the work of
serving sicker patients with fewer supplies any easier.
The already existing nursing shortage has deepened.
In 2019 there was an estimated three million nurses in
the United States, but one third of those were born
during the baby boom years meaning 640,000 of those
will be retiring soon leaving a wider nursing shortage.
In 2020 Nevada had over 22,000 nurses yet that was
still less what was needed. Nurses are being recruited
to Nevada. Nevada’s nurses earn 10% more than the
national average of nurses, which is approximately
$88,380 per year or $42/hour as of May 2020. The
average annual salary for RNs in Las Vegas is $92,720/
year compared to RNs in Reno, NV who earn $80,310/
year.
Travel nurse recruiters are enjoying lucrative results
as they can offer higher wages and sign-on bonuses
for nurses ready to leave their existing hospital jobs
to respond to areas with higher need. Whereas a
general floor nurse can make $42/hour, experienced
emergency nurses are being offered $140/hour. The
number of new graduate nurses doesn’t come close
to filling the need as they’re inexperienced and can’t
be used in the critical care units yet. There is also a
shortage of qualified nursing instructors, which limits
the number of nursing students a school can have
based on the state board’s reasonable requirement
of one instructor per eight students during a clinical
rotation.
Coming up with viable solutions to these challenges
are testing the creative minds of hospital administrators
and nurses, but the proposed answers so far are
unpleasant, which includes rationing nursing care and
supplies and lowering the standard of care just to keep
the hospital doors open in an already strained system.
The Delta surge has revealed an ugly truth-that COVID
isn’t going away. Despite the rise in COVID cases, the
public still has low percentages of vaccination and are
still not wearing masks.
Nurses can cling to hope and healing with the
following strategies in their control:
• Take oxygen breaks away from your mask during
your shift in private areas to breathe.
• Do something energizing that feeds your soul
and personal dreams on your days off.
• Keep perspective on the good work you’re
doing even with suffering and death around
you.
• Control your own thoughts and emotions
proactively rather than just responding to
depressing news reports.
• Guard your own health with adequate
hydration, nutrition, and sleep.
• Be kind and supportive of your nursing
colleagues and healthcare workers as we’re all in
this together.
• Consider joining a free MINDBODYSTRONG
program (see other article in this issue).
One favorable result of COVID-19 has been the
publicity and popularity of nurses worldwide. One
special nurse received a surprise compliment when
she was notified by the toy maker Mattel that she was
chosen to be the model for one of six new new Barbie
dolls in honor of female individuals leading the fight
against the pandemic in the United States.
Amy Sullivan treated the first COVID-19 patient in
Brooklyn, New York and still returned to work after
she became ill herself before the world knew how to
protect against the virus. The “Thank You Heroes”
program by Mattel also is making barbies in the
likeness of other healthcare professionals including
Dr. Audrey Sue Cruz, an Asian-American physician
who helped fight racial bias; Professor Sarah Gilbert,
who helped develop the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine,
Dr. Jaqueline Goes de Jesus, who led the genome
sequencing of Brazil’s COVID-19 variant; and Dr. Kirby
White, who developed a doctor’s gown that could be
laundered and reused.
Time magazine also named nurse Amy Sullivan one
of the 100 influential people in America as the first
frontline COVID-19 workers. The nurse’s unique arms
and neck tattoos have been meticulously duplicated on
the Barbie doll along with her characteristic flamingo
bandana and flower socks. Amy is amazed and
honored and hopes the message of her unique look
inspires others to know it’s ok to look different and still
be a compassionate and competent nurse.
Reflections and Lessons
Learned from the
COVID-19 Pandemic
Susan S. VanBeuge,
DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP
Looking back to early 2020,
hindsight is just that – 2020.
I recall those early reports in
January 2020 about a serious
virus, but it was far away and
didn’t register on my radar.
These reports happen in our
everyday life, a natural disaster
that catches our eye but, in the
end, doesn't have a significant
impact on our daily activity. For
me, COVID-19 was a bit like
this – far away, but not likely to make an impact on my
daily routine or practice.
Fast forward 18 months, and this reflection takes on a
different patina. As nurses, we have learned a lot about
our profession. We are resilient, talented, innovative,
professional, and never give up. As demonstrated by
Gallup, nursing is the most trusted profession year
after year, with 2021 being no different. In addition,
for the 19th consecutive year, nursing has been ranked
the most honest and ethical profession (Gallup, 2020).
Having the designation of the most trusted is a source of
pride and comes with a responsibility to our community
of patients. This responsibility can be heavy at times,
and COVID-19 has tested this to the maximum! Long
work hours, extra shifts, increased patient loads, grief,
and working through many unknowns created an
environment of constant flux and uncertainty.
As nurses, what have we learned through all of
this? In a broad sense, I believe we've learned that
we are an amazing group of professionals who, when
called upon, can get the job done. As noted, we can
be the innovators to find the best ways from triage to
complex patient care adapting to situations we would
have never dreamed of. From hospitals to outpatient to
home health, we found ways to adapt and overcome
the basics of patient assessment and care to deliver the
vital role of a professional nurse.
Looking at the big picture, I see many lessons learned
that continue to evolve. First, the bigger picture is that we
need never forget that we need each other. As a team,
we work better together than fragmented. We all bring
the knowledge and talent from our particular practice
areas to make a collective of information to get the job
done. Second, stop and take a moment to be present.
Be in the moment and take inventory of our daily work,
impacting patients and our communities as nurses. Third,
be kind to yourself. This pandemic has been the long haul
of all long hauls! Who didn't think that when COVID-19
became a word in our vocabulary in March 2020 that
"it would be over in a month or so" and not to 'sweat
it'? That was me, for sure. The pandemic evolved into a
marathon, not the expected sprint. Thus, we all need to
employ the adaptive skills learned to pace and be in it for
the long haul. It is okay to take time off, enjoy yourself,
hold still and savor the moments of peace. It is also crucial
that we support each other with kindness, empathy, and
uplift as we navigate our journeys.
Our world of professional nursing will not be the
same again post-pandemic. And would we want to go
back? The lessons learned in our clinical practice have
been exponential and will be valuable forever. In our
caring for others, we must also remember to care for the
caregiver: ourselves. If nothing else, be kind to yourself.
References:
Gallup, 2020. Downloaded from https://news.gallup.com/
poll/328136/ethics-ratings-rise-medical-workersteachers.aspx
The Carson City School District is looking
for knowledgeable, caring nurses who
are self-starters and enjoy working with
school-aged children.
Great benefits and excellent schedule.
Northern Nevada is a wonderful place
to live, within a short driving distance of
Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, Napa Valley,
and Yosemite.
Apply online:
www.carsoncityschools.com