Nursing students of Illinois State University’s Mennonite College of Nursing have something to look forward to. The college opened on Monday a nursing simulation laboratory building to better prepare practitioners with the basic skills in this field before they set out in the real world.

The $2.7million simulated hospital unit at Locust Street and Normal Avenue, Normal is part of the college’s ongoing effort to respond to the nationwide need for more well-trained nurses as a commitment to the state of Illinois, according to nursing college Dean Janet Krejci. It’s all of 10,000-square foot with assessment labs and four simulated private patient rooms with five, high-fidelity patient simulators.

Nursing students are guided by faculty members, can now practice basic skills such as taking pulses and blood pressure, starting IVs and treating wounds in a more interactive setting. The new generation of patient simulators are more realistic and can blink their eyes, make breathing sounds and, best of all, can be programmed by faculty members to hemorrhage, experience heart failure, and make bowel sounds. They can also ask students: “Who are you?” “What are you doing?” and “Where am I?” which students have to respond to and encourage them to become nursing advocates and not just clinical experts. As they progress, more complicated scenarios will be presented to students.

Missouri Western State University is poised to celebrate its 40 years of offering nurse education next month with a grand homecoming for its 2,000 nursing graduates.

Dr. Kathleen O’Connor, chairwoman of the department of nursing, said a lot has changed with nursing education since she started working for Western 30 years ago. Technological advances, more prescription drugs, new diseases and treatment, and evolving body functions spell the difference in learning before and today. Definitely, nurses of today are expected to know more and function at a higher level.

Initially, Western offered only an associate’s degree program in nursing but started a bachelor’s degree in nursing since 25 years ago. Dr. O’Connor said that this is in response to the increasing demand of employers for nurses with a bachelor’s degree. An average of 100 students per year is enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program. The school now offers a master’s program for students interested in administrative duties in the nursing field.

An increase in student population can be attributed to changes in demographics in the nursing population. There are now more men interested in the field, as are nontraditional students and students who are taking up second courses.

The continuous demand for nurses that is predicted to go on for another 15 to 20 years is a major attraction for students as a job with a salary that can pay off student loan debt is almost guaranteed after graduation.

A certified nursing assistant from Meadow Park Care Center in Prescott, Arizona was chosen the 2011 CNA Professional of the Year from the Arizona Health Care Association from among 26,000 CNA’s statewide.

Catherine “Cat” Shero, 55, works a lead CNA at the 64-bed skilled nursing facility and takes into her care 19 patients with behavioral health issues such as Alzheimer’s.

Her superior at the facility, Susan Bais, Meadow Park’s director of nursing services, only has praises for her. “She is wonderful with the residents. Very patient. She is very reliable — extremely reliable. They are not easy circumstances, and she makes a difference in their lives and has brought “a lot of organization” to the behavioral unit.”

Shero is very passionate with her job. She started working as a CNA since she graduated from high school in Flint, Mich., in 1973 and never considered another occupation since then.

Shero felt truly honored when she received her plaque of recognition and described it as being “like the Academy Awards for CNAs”.

Sheltered families at the Union Rescue Mission in downtown Los Angeles and Hope Gardens in Sylmar, California can look forward to be served with even better equipment, supplies and technology and extension of hours for pediatric nursing services after the UCLA School of Nursing received a grant from the Ahmanson Foundation.

According to Courtney Lyder, RN, ND, GNP, FAAN, dean of the UCLA School of Nursing, “the grant from the Ahmanson Foundation will allow for the expansion of much-needed after-hours care, parenting instruction and rapid assessments of the increasing number of homeless families”. ”

Founded in 1983, and funded through grants, donations and the UCLA School of Nursing itself, the Health Center is licensed by the state as a community clinic and provides acute and chronic primary health care services to homeless adults, children and the elderly. Last year, more than 8,600 patient visits were provided comprehensive medical services.

The center holds a particularly significant role in the state’s healthcare department as it’s the only shelter-based clinic in the city that provides health education, case management, medications, diagnostic services and preventive healthcare services for homeless families with children.

A nursing assistant of Cypress-Fairbanks Medical Center in northwest Houston is wanted for the rape of a female patient.

Court documents showed that investigators gathered evidence and testimony which proved that Manuel Alvarado raped her inside her hospital room after she fell ill and was admitted on May 4.

The nursing assistant entered her room at about 10:40pm informing her that he was there to change her diaper, clean her up and give her a massage. But the patient felt something was not right when he began touching her inappropriately. Despite her pleas for him to stop, he continued to rape her.

Unknown to the suspect, the patient gathered biological evidence when he left.

A check with the hospital staff confirmed that Alvarado was assigned to the patient’s care and the hospital is now fully cooperating with the investigation.

Manuel Alvarado is charged with aggravated sexual assault of and elderly/disabled person and bond will be set at $30,000 when arrested.

A nurse working for Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport, and charged last July in connection with suspicious deaths of patients, has been allowed to return to work, in a ruling made by Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). She has been cleared of charges that alleged her tampering with saline solution and contaminating it with insulin at the hospital..

Reports from SkyNews mentioned that 27-year old Rebecca Leighton could continue to work while an internal investigation continues over her admission of theft of opiate-based drugs. The conditional NMC ruling also specified that Miss Leighton would only be allowed to work at Stepping Hill.

The hospital, however, made a statement that Miss Leighton would remain suspended from work on full pay.

1. One of the most financially rewarding careers in the world.
2. Make a difference in the lives of others.
3. Immense satisfaction in helping the sick, elderly and injured.
4. Opportunities for advancement are diverse and endless.
5. A recession-proof career.
6. Predicted to be one of the fastest growing and highest paying jobs in the next decade.
7. Enables positive impact on all sectors of society.
8. Varied work settings
9. Flexible scheduling of shift
10. Exciting and a fast-paced working environment
11. Offers both collaboration, with other members of the medical team, and autonomy.
12. One of the most respected professions in America.

A successful nursing interview is one of the important factors in getting your dream job. Preparing for it must be your primary consideration as it can make or break your job hunting process. A nursing interview isn’t only experienced by a recent nursing school graduate but even an experienced nurse looking towards career advancement. Here are some nursing interview tips that could help you shine out above the rest.

Be ready with your credentials.
When you report for your nursing job interview, make sure you have with you a complete set of credentials to present to your employer and extra copies, as well. Credentials should basically include your resume, which must be free of any errors, your nursing license and qualifications, a complete and typed list of references and previous managers and recommendation letters.

Prepare good answers to interview questions.
Be ready to answer tough questions ahead of time. Questions usually touch on your personality and characteristics, training and qualifications, key competencies required for the position, and situational problems such as dealing with difficult patients/ doctors. Experienced nurses will be asked about previous job experiences, especially negative experiences, lessons learned from them, and how you would use those experiences in a positive way in your new position, while recent graduate nurses should be able to convince interviewer of her ability to learn quickly on the job.

Have a written list of relevant questions to ask your potential employer and, also, a pen and paper to write down any additional questions that occur to you during the interview. This will present you as a prepared and professional person and show your enthusiasm to embark on a nursing career in that particular company. Some examples of these questions are:
What is the nurse-to-patient ratio?
What professional development opportunities are available to nurses?

Research on the nursing employer and department.
Gather as much information as you can on your potential employer and the position you are applying for before the interview. This gives you the confidence and skills to convince the employer that you are the best candidate for the position.

Be caring.
Care and compassion are best characteristics of a nurse and this is what you should showcase in your interview. Being too aggressive, dominant and harsh won’t work well against a candidate who exhibits good people skills and can help people feel relaxed and cared for.

Dress professionally.
Your appearance can make a significant impression. Dress in a business-like and formal manner, preferably in pantsuit, dress or skirt with jacket, to portray a nurse’s image of being a competent professional. Make sure all your interview clothes are clean, well-pressed and tidy.

Prepare for your interview thoroughly and bring that confidence with you as you aim to ace that nursing interview.

This is an except taken from Yahoo news:

The numbers are in: Nursing is the hot job of the decade.
In its latest projections, the U.S. Department of Labor has estimated that nearly 600,000 new registered nurse (RN) jobs will be created by 2018 – more than any other individual job.
With an average salary of $65,130 per year, nursing jobs look better and better.
If you’ve thought about becoming a nurse or taking the next step in your current nursing career, there’s no better time than now.