NEW YORK, Dec. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — The National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) is excited to announce the launch of two new major campaigns for its members under its new wellness initiative, NBNA Resilient Nurse Resource™. RETHINK, launched yesterday, was created to build awareness around the importance of vaccinations, with a focus on influenza and pneumococcal. The goal of RETHINK is to debunk common myths surrounding vaccines and to inform Black nurses and the Black community on the benefits of vaccinations. The website features an interactive ‘Test Your Flu IQ’ quiz to test participants knowledge and understanding on the flu and vaccines. There is also a flu and pneumococcal vaccination locator to assist with identifying providers in nearby serving areas. Anyone interested in learning more about vaccines can visit www.nbnaRETHINK.com.
On December 15, 2020, the NBNA will also launch its mental wellness campaign, RE:SET. This new initiative offers members FREE counseling services, education webinars, wellness podcasts and more, to aid them in maintaining their mental wellness throughout the current COVID-19 crisis. The free counseling services are only available for existing and new NBNA members, and their families.
Unfortunately, there is a stigma in the Black community surrounding mental health. This, in addition to the lack of providers from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds and culturally competent providers, contributes to only one-in-three African Americans receiving mental health treatment.
To provide the best patient care, nurses must be able to reset and recharge from the daily pressures and renew their resilience and strength. Creating tools for renewal and increased resilience is especially important as nurses have a high prevalence of anxiety and depression. With this comprehensive resource, NBNA members will receive holistic tools and resources designed to give nurses the boost they need to promote mental wellness and wellbeing.
“We know how difficult this year has been for nurses everywhere, especially Black nurses who are faced with both the pandemic and the current racial uprising,” states Dr. Martha A. Dawson, NBNA President. “It is crucial that we protect our nurses’ physical and mental wellbeing during such an unprecedented time in our country. With RE:SET we are able to provide them with the tools necessary to recover from the daily stresses of exhausting working conditions and challenges. It is essentially PPE for their mental and emotional health, which will help to impact their physical health.”
RE:SET provides NBNA members and their families with easily accessible options for mental wellness – including:
RE:SET Support Line: Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, members who need in-the-moment support, are connected with licensed clinicians for no-cost, confidential guidance and resources.
Free, Confidential Counseling: The RE:SET program provides up to five free sessions with experienced and licensed clinicians. This service removes the cost, access and privacy hassles of getting professional emotional support when NBNA members face a problem or situation that is difficult to resolve.
Text Coach®: Also known as ‘text therapy’ is available to NBNA members via mobile phone or desktop computer to help with non-acute concerns. Licensed clinicians will help nurses and their families boost emotional fitness and wellbeing by exchanging text messages, voice notes, tip sheets, videos and resource links.
To learn more about the RE:SET FREE tools and other resources, visit, www.nbna.org on December 15th.
To become a member of the National Black Nurses Association and to gain access to the FREE counseling services, visit www.nbna.org.
About National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) Founded in 1971, the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) is a professional organization representing 308,000 African American registered nurses, licensed vocational/practical nurses, and nursing students in 108 chapters and 34 states. The NBNA mission is “to serve as the voice for Black nurses and diverse populations ensuring equal access to professional development, promoting educational opportunities and improving health.” NBNA chapters offer voluntary hours providing health education and screenings to community residents in collaboration with community-based partners, including faith-based organizations, civic, fraternal, hospitals, and schools of nursing. For more information, visit nbna.org. #NBNAResilient
Embarking on a job search is often an exciting, and yet exhausting process. Beginning a new role, especially one that matches your professional and personal goals, reminds you of why you started a career in nursing and can restart your passion for what you do.
But a job search takes a lot of work, so some preparation before you begin will save you time and will help you find a good match for your skills and your own needs (a higher salary, a shorter commute, a new location).
Minority Nurse recently caught up with Anne Jessie, DNP, RN, and president-elect of the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing (AAACN), for some tips for nurses who are thinking of making the big move and starting a job search.
Q: Should nurses do any kind of self-evaluation or career evaluation before they begin a job search?
A: Yes. Self-reflection is always helpful. It is important to spend time thinking about why you think a job change may be needed or desired. Are you stuck in a place without opportunity? Is the company you currently work for unstable? Is there an unanticipated career opportunity that is too good to pass up? Once you determine your motivation for doing a job search, ranking the following areas in order of importance can be helpful in narrowing your search.
Company culture
New level of responsibility
Opportunity for growth within the new company or new job role
Pay and benefits
Company stability
Q: What is the best way to get organized and think about a job search?
A: Ask yourself what you have enjoyed doing most throughout your career, what you’d prefer never to do again, and what areas of career growth opportunities you may have identified. This self-exploration should help you to picture your ideal role more clearly.
Browse job postings for the different types of roles that align with your identified career goals. Are the responsibilities described in the postings appealing and do you meet most of the qualifications?
Edit your resume so that prospective employers will understand what type of position you are seeking and how your experience aligns. You may need to edit the content depending on the job you are seeking. Highlight accomplishments and experiences that are most transferrable, listing the most recent and pertinent to the posting at the top of your resume.
Create a one-page cover letter template that identifies the position you are applying for and clearly demonstrates that you have done research on the company–for example, mention a recent company accomplishment or news story. This template can easily be customized to each job role you apply for. Address the letter to the hiring manager, recruiter, or human resource representative at the company.
Identify 3-5 people to be your references and ask them if they would be willing to speak to your skills. Consider present colleagues, professors, or supervisors.
After participating in a job interview, write an amazing thank you note within 24 hours of the interview.
Q: What are the best tools to use in a job search and what makes each one distinctive — for instance LinkedIn, networking, job boards, alma maters.
A: First, consider all your resources: General nurse recruiting websites or agencies, and nursing specialty job boards like AAACN’s Career Center, or those offered by the Organization for Nurse Leaders. Networking is, of course, one of the best ways to find a new position. I’ve heard our AAACN nurses say they found a new job after they joined one of our Special Interest Groups (SIGs), and I see job discussions frequently in our online community. Such new connections can help a nurse discover an area of practice they didn’t know about or had never even considered.
Second, create or optimize your LinkedIn profile. It should be an extension of your resume and cover letter, and should include a professional profile photo and engaging summary that highlights your skills, career achievements, and accomplishments. Also, include volunteer experience as appropriate, as well as education and professional certifications. Maintain your presence by regularly posting and commenting so you appear active and engaged.
Social media can also be a positive platform if used to contribute to conversations regarding timely health care topics. Ensure that you refrain from engaging in conversations that could be considered controversial. Also, make sure your profiles on Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms are set to private.
Q: Should recently graduated nurses conduct a job search in a different way from a more experienced nurse? Are there better approaches for nurses in different stages of a career?
A: While knowledge, skills, and attitudes are important, a positive attitude and ability to communicate flexibility in the acceptance of job assignments is key for the new grad. Content and processes can always be taught, but a positive attitude in an employee can sometimes be hard to find. Take full advantage of job fairs that are organized by your nursing school as well as healthcare systems recruitment events. Employers who offer nurse residency programs as part of orientation and onboarding are committed to hiring new graduates and investing in them as long-term employees.
Q: Is there anything about this time when so many processes are remote, that can impact a job search positively or negatively?
A: The biggest impact is the uncertainty of the impact from COVID-19 on the job market. Many organizations have suspended hiring and have temporarily furloughed nurses. That said, facilities that offer remote work such as nurse call centers have been vital to providing virtual clinical support to vulnerable populations and have expanded during this unprecedented time in health care.
We’ve seen this trend reflected in a jump in demand for AAACN’s telehealth resources and the networking among our AAACN members who practice telehealth. I think telehealth is going to continue to grow significantly in coming years because its value will remain even when COVID-19 has been tamed.
Q: How can a nurse prepare to use this time as an advantage?
A: Self-educate and develop skills that support patient engagement, mutual goal setting, and motivational interviewing that promote patient self-care management. AAACN’s Care Coordination and Transition Management (CCTM) resources can assist in developing these skills and competencies. These skills are especially critical when working with patients virtually but can translate to any work environment to ensure improved disease management and quality outcomes.
Milestones are a big deal, and they are often times of celebration. Throughout July, that’s exactly what the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN) has done. This month marks the 40th of the Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) as well as of the emergency nursing specialty certification. What makes this all even more significant is that the CEN was the first emergency nursing specialty certification offered anywhere in the world.
“As emergency medicine was becoming recognized as a specialty, emergency nurses formed the Emergency Department Nurses Association (today’s Emergency Nurses Association) and in the mid- to late-1970s recognized the need for a certification program for emergency nurses. Thanks to the forethought and efforts of the association and some extraordinary nurse-pioneers, the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN) came into being and several years after its creation was purposefully separated from the professional association to become a fully independent certification body,” explains Janie Schumaker, MBA, BSN, RN, CEN, CENP, CPHA, FABC, the Executive Director of BCEN, which is based in Oak Brook, Illinois.
Taking that first CEN exam was much different than it is today. “During BCEN’s first full year of operations in 1980, the very first emergency certification exam was offered on July 19 at over 30 sites around the country, including Alaska,” says Schumaker. “More than 1,400 RNs took the four-hour, 250-item, pencil-and-paper exam. After waiting several weeks for notification by mail, 1,274 nurses received the news that they had passed and became the first RNs to earn the Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) credential.
“While BCEN has operated independently from ENA for many decades, we support each other and strongly believe professional membership and board certification are both important for RN success and to advance nursing excellence across every nursing specialty.”
Two years later, in 1982, that number of nurses who held the CEN had increased to 6,000. By 2005, 23,000 nurses held a CEN. By the end of 2020, BCEN expects to have 40,000 CENs.
“As the years went by and emergency nursing knowledge and patient care needs evolved, for instance with the introduction of medevac flights and taking into the consideration the unique physiology of pediatric patients, BCEN developed and introduced certification programs for flight nurses, the Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN®) in 1993, the Certified Transport Registered Nurse (CTRN®) in 2006 for critical care ground transport nurses, and the Certified Pediatric Registered Nurse (CPEN®) in 2009. BCEN’s newest certification, introduced a little over 4 years ago (in 2016) is the Trauma Certified Registered Nurse (TCRN®) for nurses who practice across the trauma continuum from prehospital care to rehabilitation and including injury prevention. This is our fastest growing certification program, which is not surprising given that trauma is a major public health issue affecting people of all ages,” says Schumaker.
And BCEN keeps making sure that nurses can learn more. This past May, it began offering its first certificate program BCEN EDvantage.
Schumaker, a certified nurse, says that she is sure the skills she learned through becoming certified saved lives. “Once the connection between my knowledge, the care I was providing, and the correlation to studying for the Certified Emergency Nurses exam was clear to me, I became a lifelong certification advocate. I have since become certified in other areas of practice that have been a part of my career. Certification has helped ensure I have the knowledge and expertise to do the best possible job in my given role,” says Schumaker. “To me that is huge because I want to be a strong contributor and make a difference.”
Nurses across the globe are working together as a united front against the COVID-19 pandemic and as a much-needed support for each other. Today’s International Nurses Day honors that dedication with the motto of “Nursing the World to Health,” a theme that’s spot-on appropriate for the times.
Sponsored by the International Council of Nurses (ICN), a federation of more than 130 nursing organizations throughout the world, International Nurses Day is always held on the birthday of Florence Nightingale, long considered the founder of today’s nursing profession. The day honors nurses for all they do and helps spread the importance of support for the nursing industry all over the world.
Because nurses work with all people and treat a range of short-term and chronic conditions and health problems, they are the caregivers who address the global health problems from the very front lines. Whether it’s in the most state-of-the-art hospital facility or in a patient’s living room, nurses provide care, education, emotional support, and resources. They do this in the most dire circumstances and within the safety of structured organizations, sometimes worried about their own health and safety.
The Nursing the World to Health theme highlights some of the challenges nurses face every day across the globe. The incorrect ideas that they aren’t leading, active participants in healthcare or some of the discrimination they face on and off the job are addressed in the ICN’s report for International Nurses Day 2020 Resources and Evidence.
Promoting the lifesaving work nurses do, how involved they are in healthcare leadership, and their vital role in reshaping progressive healthcare policy worldwide is all essential to helping the public understand the value and relevance of the nursing industry.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the world exactly how dedicated nurses are to their patients—even risking their lives, and some losing their lives—to provide care to people who need it. It has also shown clearly that nurses need more support and that the world needs more nurses. The shocking reports that healthcare staff ran short of personal protective equipment shows glaring faults that exist and put nurses directly in harm’s way. Nurses are also called to navigate the systems in different countries that place healthcare on varying levels of importance and relevance to the greater good. And they also must work within the confines of the resources available to them where they are.
THE ICN sees hope in the growth in nursing leadership and influence throughout the world. As each nurse works to provide the best care, to maintain or exceed the nursing standards, to commit to lifelong learning, and to support their fellow nurses and healthcare teams, the nursing industry will see positive change.
While the nation continues to grapple with the growing COVID-19 pandemic, one fact is particularly worrisome. Older adults who contract the virus are dying at much higher percentages than younger people.
“The effects of aging have a major influence in the response to a respiratory virus or bacteria,” says Michelle Moccia, DNP, ANP-BC, CCRN, GS-C, and GAPNA’s past president. “As one ages the immune system is less responsive to a virus or bacteria with an inflammatory response to fight off the virus and/or tolerate the complications from the virus. The elderly have limited cardiopulmonary reserve thus a compromise in airway and breathing can lead to the inability to breathe thus predisposing individual to complications such as pneumonia.”
And as the medical community gains more understanding about this particular virus, other factors are emerging, says Deborah Dunn, EdD, MSN, GNP-BC, ACNS-BC, GS-C, and GAPNA’s president. “Some experts have theorized that in addition to the pneumonia burden there may be an increased or exaggerated lung inflammatory response to COVID 19 in older adults – leading to the severe respiratory distress and failure seen in older adults.”
What can people in those specific age categories do? “It is best for older adults to avoid crowds,” says Moccia, noting the oft-heard advice about washing hands, staying home if you’re sick, and avoiding others who are ill holds true. And Dunn notes that if a loved one is in a facility and the facility restricts visitors, it’s going to be important to keep up communication with loved ones to keep anxiety and social isolation at bay.
“Prevention and control of the spread of COVID-19 rests on halting transmission,” says Dunn. “Nurses know that in the healthcare setting they play a key role in stopping transmission by frequent handwashing, avoiding droplet contact, and early identification, triage, treatment, and quarantine of persons who may have infection.”
Both Dunn and Moccia say nurses should be especially careful to wash their hands before and after entering a patient’s room, wearing gloves when contact with bodily fluids/blood/secretions may occur, practicing needle precautions, and wearing protective equipment if they are in contact with a patient who has or is suspected to have COVID-19.
As patient advocates, nurses can educate patients and their families. Nurses can help patients with personal hygiene like washing their hands, using hand sanitizer, and disposing of used tissues, says Dunn. Protecting their health while giving them some control also helps with the uncertainty and anxiety people are feeling right now.
“Families with older adults in care settings such as assisted living facilities or nursing homes want to know that their loved ones are being cared for and having their needs met,” says Dunn. “Nurses working in these facilities should facilitate communication about the measures being taken to protect patients from infection, why adherence to the measures is needed, and reassure families about the status of their loved ones health.”
As nurses work through this unprecedented outbreak, they can keep updated with the CDC website about COVID-19. Nurses who work with infectious and contagious illnesses know that staying current with continuing education can be life saving—for them and for their patients. “Nurses in acute care settings and other healthcare setting where they may care for patients with contagious conditions that require face masks during care should be fitted for the N-95 mask and be trained in the proper wearing of the mask,” says Dunn.
As COVID-19 works its way around the globe, the medical community is working hard to prevent the spread, educate the public, and even offer some hope.
“I’m sure we will see a lot more information from infectious disease experts,” says Dunn, “as they are studying COVID-19 underlying physiologic mechanisms closely and develop targeted treatments.”
National Association of Indian Nurses of America (NAINA) is celebrating the ‘Year of the Nurse and Midwife’ with a variety of activities throughout the year. NAINA, a professional organization for nurses of Asian Indian origin and heritage, collaborates with other national and international nurses associations in its journey towards professional excellence and improving global health. In 2019, NAINA joined the ‘Nursing Now’ global campaign. For the ‘Nursing Now’ campaign, NAINA selected three focus areas: enhancing clinical practice by continuing education, empowering nurses to become leaders at the bedside and beyond, and sharing examples of best nursing practices. In January 2020, NAINA joined the American Nurses Association’s Healthy Nurse, Healthy NationTM campaign as a champion organization to positively impact the health of its members and advance the goals of ANA.
NAINA’s upcoming national event on April 18th, 2020 will advance the goals for ‘Nursing Now’ and its commitment to the Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation challenge thereby empowering nurses to take charge of their health and the health of the nation. NAINA’s 4th Leadership conference will be held at Howard Community College, Columbia, Maryland. This conference is designed for licensed health care professionals and pre-licensure students as well. This one-day event is designed to augment the knowledge, understanding, and appreciation for self-care, workplace safety, and promote resilience in nurses. The event will promote interprofessional learning and it will highlight how nurses can lead interprofessional teams from the bedside to the boardroom and promote health for themselves and others to build a healthy nation.
Deborah J. Baker, DNP, CRNP, NEA-BC, Senior Vice President for Nursing, Johns Hopkins Health System and Vice President of Nursing & Patient Care Services, Johns Hopkins Hospital will give the keynote address.Lois Gould, MS, PMP from American Nurses Association will address the participants on the topic of ‘Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation: The Grand Challenge’. Mary Kay DeMarco, PhD, RN, CNE, past president, Maryland Nurses Association, Georgene Butler, PhD, RN, CNE, Dean, Health Sciences, Howard Community College, Maryland, and Bobby Varghese PhD, RN, CNE, Professor of Nursing, Broward College, Florida will speak on various topics related to the theme of the event: Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation: Leading from the Bedside to Boardroom. Viji George, MA, BSN, RN, RNC-NIC will moderate the panel discussion on the domains of ‘Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation grand challenge’ . Teams from several state chapters of NAINA will enact how to create joy and find meaning at work amid challenges and pressure.
NAINA is an ANCC accredited provider of nursing continuing professional development and nurses may earn up to 6.5 contact hours by completing this conference activity. Registration is open to nurses for this great educational event for an affordable price of $50.00. Please visit the NAINA website for details of the conference and other monthly NAINA webinars (www.nainausa.com).
