Friday before a holiday… nothing better than that.. except TAKING AN ASSIGNMENT WITH YOUR FRIEND BRETT at ADEX MEDICAL STAFFING!  Fall needs are really starting to pop, and winter needs are just around the corner.  Weekly reminder – please keep me informed as to what’s going on with you.  Send me some referrals- $500 bonus!!!!  Don’t forget, we are on Facebook and Twitter.  We are like VISA – everywhere you want to be!

So I was going to write something deep and meaningful for a Friday e-mail, but I figured with a 3 day weekend coming up, you fantastic folks could use more light and fluffy.. so without further adieu… part 2 of what does September mean to you (part 1 of course was two weeks ago – people are still talking about that e-mail)  Have a great (and safe) holiday weekend!!!

SEPTEMBER IS:

AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Month
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Month
Apple Month Link
Atrial Fibrillation Month
Baby Safety Month Link
Backpack Safety America Month
Be Kind To Editors & Writers Month
Childrens’ Good Manners Month
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month Link
College Savings Month
Fall Hat Month
Go Wild During California Wild Rice Month
Great American Low-Cholesterol, Low-fat Pizza Bake Month  (MY PERSONAL FAVORITE!)
Gynecology Cancer Awareness Month
International People Skills Month
International Self-Awareness Month
International Strategic Thinking Month
Library Card Sign-up Month
(World) Leukemia and Lymphoma Awareness Month Link
National Alcohol & Drug Addiction Recovery Month
Million Minute Family Challenge (Sept.-Dec.)
Mold Awareness Month
National Chicken Month
National Childhood Injury Prevention Month
National DNA, Geonomics & Stem Cell Education Month
National Coupon Month
National Head Lice Prevention Month
National Honey Month
National Mushroom Monthtional Mushroom Mo
National Organic Harvest Month Link
National Osteopathic Medicine Month Link
National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month (Gov’t)
National Prime Beef Month Link
National Sickle Cell Month
Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month (
National Pediculosis Prevention Month
National Piano Month
National Preparedness Month
National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month Link
National Rice Month
National Skin Care Awareness Month
One-on-One Month
Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month Link
Reunion Planning Month
Schoolhouse Triangle Project Month
Sea Cadet Month
Self Improvement Month Link
September Is Healthy Aging Month
Shameless Promotion Month
Sports and Home Eye Health & Safety Month
Subliminal Communications Month
Update Your Resume Month (HINT HINT)
Women’s Friendship Month
World Animal Remembrance Month

- Brett Lazansky, Account Manager

Hospitals throughout the U.S. continuously attempt to understand their challenges in retaining employees. There have been numerous studies concerning the financial cost of bringing on a Registered Nurse. Estimates vary anywhere from $22,000 to as high as $60,000 to replace a general R.N. (Advisory Board, 1999; Jones 2005; Obrien-Pallas et al., 2006 Stone et al., 2003; Waldman et al., 2004).Cost are even higher for a critical care R.N. It is believed as much of 5% of a hospital’s budget is spent on nursing turnover. Turnover rates in hospitals throughout the country have been a major issue with hospitals reporting on average a 19-25% turnover rate.

Studies have been conducted to identify issues causing the high turnover rates in nursing. It has also been noted that increased patient satisfaction appears to have a direct correlation with nursing turnover in hospitals. Causes have varied from a shortage of nurses working, frustration with the work environment, weak leadership, and a balance between seasoned nurses and new graduates. The nursing shortage shows no signs of improvement in the near future. Currently the average age of today’s nurse is in the mid 40s.

Nurse/patient ratio has been identified as one of the top issues with nurses today. Many nurses feel this impacts their ability to provide adequate care for their patients. In turn, many nurses experience stress burnout and eventually leave the facility or nursing all together. The result is extremely high turnover cost for the hospital. High turnover can also lead to compromised care resulting in added legal cost for the facility.

One possible solution to resolving the turnover issue is to stabilize the work force at the facility with highly trained and seasoned nurses. A traditional travel nurse has multiple years of experience within a particular setting. They are very versatile and used to change. The seasoned travel nurse can stabilize a unit within the hospital while a full time employee is brought on board and brought up to speed. They can assist in providing a lower nurse patient ratio leading to higher employee and patient satisfaction. Travel nurses can also be utilized as mentors due to their typical experience.

Partnering with an excellent Travel company can assist hospitals in their battle to reduce turnover. ADEX Medical Staffing brings the comfort of providing compassionate, highly experienced nurses capable of stepping into a position at a moment’s notice. ADEX Medical Staffing prides itself in not only meeting the standards of “The Joint Commission”, but exceeding the standards. Whether you are in the market for a new travel nursing job or you are a facility looking for assistance in the stabilization of your workforce call ADEX Medical Staffing at 866-341-2339.

- Jim Shoemaker, RN, Director of Clinical Services

Operating Room (O.R.) nurses have seen a tremendous increase in demand throughout the country. Elective surgeries and general surgeries are up in most regions of the U.S.

O.R. nurses have a set of characteristics that are constantly called upon including:

• Excellent critical thinking skills
• Organization
• Educator
• Tremendous communication skills
• Calm demeanor during stressful situations

O.R. nurses typically fall into one of three categories.

1. Scrub nurse-The nurse is responsible for maintaining inventory during surgery as well as selecting and handling instruments. They are typically responsible for all supplies and counts of supplies used.
2. Circulating nurse- The nurse is responsible for maintaining the patient’s environment. They oversee the safety of the patient as well as making sure the patient is comfortable.  The Circulating nurse manages the overall nursing care during the patient’s visit to the O.R.
3. R.N. First Assistant- Works with the surgeon in providing direct patient care. The First Assistant may assist the surgeon in wound management as well as suturing.

The O.R. nurse works closely with the surgical patient, the patient’s family members, and other members of the healthcare team.  Surgery is a very stressful time for the patient and their family members. The O.R. nurse can play a vital role in alleviating that stress.

O.R. Nurses can obtain a voluntary certification. This can be achieved after two years and 2,400 hours of perioperative nursing experience. To become a certified operating room nurse (CNOR) you may visit the following website: http://www.cc-institute.org/cert_cnor.aspx

AORN is a professional association that empowers the O.R. nurse with education, standards of practice and peer networking. For more information go to http://www.aorn.org/

Currently ADEX Medical Staffing has tremendous opportunities for the Operating Room nurse. Call ADEX Medical Staffing at 866.341.2339 to hear more about our open positions.

- Jim Shoemaker, RN, Director of Clinical Services

Check out the following website to view the latest on Continuing Education Requirements for all of the states:

http://cme.medscape.com/public/nursecestaterequirements

Keeping you informed at ADEX Medical Staffing.

- Jim Shoemaker, RN, Director of Clinical Services

Labor and Delivery Nursing is projected to be one of the hot areas in the nursing arena over the next year. It looks like that economic downturn allowed many people the opportunity to get reacquainted and a new baby boom could be right around the corner. The need for L&D Nurses is already seeing spikes throughout the country and this trend is likely to continue.

The Labor and Delivery Nurse is a very special person. For many women, childbirth can be scary and a very stressful experience. The mother needs someone that the mother can trust and depend on for comfort.  They are true caregivers to family members as well as mother and baby. They are required to perform well in high-pressure situations and must be very attentive to any changes in the condition of the mother or baby. L & D Nurses typically follow a woman at the beginning of her labor. The nurse is responsible for providing support to both the mother and baby to assure a healthy delivery.

Fetal monitoring is a very important aspect of the Labor and Delivery Nurse. The nurse monitors the fetal heartbeat to look for any signs of distress. The Nurse is also responsible for assisting the mother in moving through the delivery process. This may include teaching breathing techniques, positioning the mother for comfort, as well as providing psychological comfort.

The L&D Nurse is trained in neonatal resuscitation in order to assist in an emergency situation. The ability to provide education to the mother and family after the delivery is also a key component of the skills needed. The Nurse needs to work with the mother to help her cope with post-partum depression. Teaching is also required for feeding of the infant, whether breast feeding or bottle feeding.

Many opportunities arise from a life in the Labor and Delivery Unit. Certification can be obtained through examination after two years of specialty practice. Some of the areas in which nurses can be certified are Intrapartum Nursing, Fetal Monitoring, and Nursery. Visit the following website to inquire about certification:

http://www.nccwebsite.org/Certification/default.aspx

The Association of Women’s Health Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHON) also offers certification in Fetal Monitoring. The following website has more information:

http://www.awhonn.org/awhonn/content.do?name=02_PracticeResources/2G3_Fetal-Heart-Monitoring_Landing.htm

Even though the job of an L&D Nurse is extremely stressful, it is one of the most rewarding positions in the nursing field. ADEX Medical Staffing is looking for excellent Labor and Delivery Nurses to fill exciting assignments throughout the country. Please call us at 866-341-2339 to inquire about joining the team at ADEX.

- Jim Shoemaker, RN, Director of Clinical Services

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. It was established in 1868 to commemorate the dead from the Civil War. Over the years it came to serve as a day to remember all U.S. men and women killed or missing in action in all wars.

As you celebrate this holiday make sure to buckle up and be safe!

“AAA today projected the number of Americans traveling on vacation this Memorial Day holiday weekend will increase 5.4 percent from 2009 with approximately 32.1 million travelers taking a trip away from home. Last year, 30.5 million Americans traveled during the same period” (PRNewswire-USNewswire, 2010).

- Sonia Coers, Account Manager

May 6^th marks the beginning of National Nurses Week, celebrating the birth date of Florence Nightingale, who was born on May 12, 1820 and considered by many to be the founder of modern nursing.

We want to take this opportunity to let you know how much we appreciate your tireless effort, your service, and your never-ending work ethic. As recruiters, we know that you often feel overworked and underappreciated.  We believe you are the backbone of the healthcare industry, and the services you provide are not overlooked.

Thank you for your dedication, your compassion and your caring. You should be thanked every day, not just today, for all you do for your patients, co-workers, and hospitals.

Happy Nurses Day!

- Sonia Coers, Account Manager

In many instances the elderly patient that has gone through a hospitalization finds themselves improving in their condition but not ready to be discharged home for independent living. The patient may require I.V. infusion, sterile dressing changes, physical therapy, or numerous other skilled healthcare requirements. Some of these patients may require numerous disciplines to assist them in their recovery. The big difference is that the patient has stabilized to a point that frequent physician visits are not required. In the acute care setting, within a hospital, daily visits by a physician are the norm.

The Transitional Care Unit (TCU) is a unit designed to fill the gap for patients not ready for independent home living. The patient requires the care of a licensed professional. The TCU traditionally utilizes a multidisciplinary approach in developing a plan of care for the patient. The patient usually has 24 hour visitation rights along with being in a setting as close to home life as possible. Family members are encouraged to participate in the plan of care and assisting in preparing the patient for a return to home life.

Nurses working in the Transitional Care Unit should be competent in gerontological (care of the elderly patient) nursing. Skill sets that are desired by the Transitional Care Nurse are orthopedic skills, IV therapy skills, and other rehabilitative skills.  The TCU nurse should be proficient in teaching the patient as well as the caregivers about the patient’s disease process as well as how to care for the patient. The Transitional Care Unit is based upon a patient’s ability to recover in a short period of time. It is not intended for long term stay.

To find out more about opportunities in the Transitional Care Unit call ADEX Medical Staffing at 866-341-2339.

- Jim Shoemaker, RN, Director of Clinical Services

During the past two Presidential Administrations, one resounding message has been delivered to the healthcare community. The message is that the United States healthcare system will move all medical records to an electronic format. There are many reasons for this shift over the past several decades.

1. Cost effectiveness
2. Better healthcare delivery
3. Less errors due to misinterpretation of handwriting
4. Instant access to patient conditions and records
5. Availability and ease to find documents within the healthcare file
6. Less time charting and more time for patient care
7. Checks and balances to prevent errors or omissions
8. Assist in streamlining the multidisciplinary healthcare system
9. Ease of having all medical records follow the patient where ever they are
10. Prevention of medication errors.

This major shift also creates many upcoming challenges for the healthcare worker. It will be vital that they be proficient in computer skills. Most nursing schools have inserted computer courses into their curriculum. One of the main challenges is that there is no standardized eMAR program. This means there are hundreds of different programs being used. Medical facilities must also dedicate the appropriate resources for training on the new programs to ensure the systems meet the facilities’ ultimate goals.

One of the major challenges for travelers is the necessity to learn new systems in a short amount of time. Nursing and Allied professionals should be proactive in becoming familiar with the most common systems utilized in facilities throughout the country. When accepting an assignment, the healthcare professional should clarify what system they will be utilizing. This will assist them in becoming better prepared for an assignment. Below are links to some of the most common systems used in the U.S. healthcare system today. Please call ADEX Medical Staffing at 866-341-2339 to inquire about positions throughout the U.S. ADEX is committed to preparing you for your assignments as best as possible.

Meditech – http://www.oncalllearning.com/meditech-training-software.htm

Cerner- http://www.cerner.com/public/Cerner_3.asp?id=133

Eclipsys- http://www.eclipsys.com/hospitals-education-training.htm

Healthcare Management Systems- http://www.hmstn.com/services/

- Jim Shoemaker, RN, Director of Clinical Services

Ever thought about pursuing a career in Legal Nurse Consulting? The non-profit organization American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants (AALNC) has plenty of free information and an overview called, “Getting Started in Legal Nurse Consulting” on their web site www.aalnc.org.

Atlanta RN’s who are interested and free this month, can attend Elizabeth Rudolph’s two-day course: “How to Be a Professional Legal Nurse Consultant” on April 24-25. For tuition and course information, please visit www.jurexnurse.com.

- Jim Shoemaker, RN, Director of Clinical Services