The post How Closely Do New Jersey’s RN Graduates Reflect the State’s Diversity? appeared first on Campaign for Action.

Nursing students interact with social service providers during a role-playing simulation at The College of New Jersey. Photo courtesy of the New Jersey Nursing Initiative.

Nursing programs that want to teach the full range of factors that influence people’s health have an effective tool at their disposal: the Community Action Poverty Simulation (CAPS).

Over the course of two hours, students get a taste of what it’s like to live without ready access to transportation, child care, nutritious food, affordable housing, and the cash needed to cover utilities and other essentials. Students also discover how challenging it can be to access the social services meant to mitigate poverty’s day-to-day realities.

“The simulation puts things in perspective,” says Katie Hooven, PhD, MBA, RN, assistant professor in the department of nursing at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), located near Trenton, one of the poorest municipalities in the state. “CAPS helps students understand why health care is not everyone’s number one priority. It’s feeding their children and getting to their job.”

CAPS is overseen by the Missouri Community Action Network (Missouri CAN) to help policy makers, community leaders, students and organizations gain a greater understanding of what it means to live in poverty. At last count, roughly 1,500 organizations had licensed CAPS. Among them are almost 40 nursing schools, but because poverty simulations are often run with students studying a variety of majors and professions, CAPS is reaching nursing students on other campuses as well.

In November 80 TCNJ students from a variety of disciplines met at TCNJ to take part in the school’s sixth poverty simulation. In the center of the room, students congregated in“family groups” based on actual clients of the agencies that make up Missouri CAN. They received money, ID cards, dolls to represent young children and scenarios describing their individual situations.

Around the periphery, volunteers took their places at 15 tables representing community institutions—a local school, a utility company, and a pay-day lender among them. Then over the course of four 15-minute simulated workweeks, students fanned out among the tables in search of resources to meet their needs. At the conclusion of each week, the agencies closed, and students regrouped to figure out how they would acquire what they needed the following week. Periodically, students were dealt “Luck of the Draw Cards” representing vehicle breakdowns, medical bills and other unexpected occurrences that could derail even the best-laid plans.

Students who take part in the CAPS simulation report that they find it emotionally stressful to try and access resources within the time constraints of the exercise. Experiencing the frustration of having to wait to see a social worker or having an office close while they stand in line helps them develop an understanding of what low-income families regularly go through. For one TCNJ nursing student, the experience hit close to home, prompting her to reflect on her own upbringing. “I felt bad for my mom,” she told Hooven.

An increased ability to empathize appears to be one bi-product of CAPS, but it is far from the only goal of the simulation. TCNJ licensed CAPS as part of a larger effort, funded by a New Jersey Nursing Initiative grant, to integrate population health content throughout the nursing curriculum. A key goal of the project is to prepare students to mobilize community resources to achieve better health outcomes for their patients. Many TCNJ nursing courses now supplement traditional, hospital-based acute-care activities with community-based activities such as attending birthing classes, conducting home visits, or screening schoolchildren for various health conditions.

“We need a better focus on primary prevention,” says Hooven. “We need nurses that will think about ‘upstream’ solutions.” Those include connecting patients with the community resources that can facilitate their ability to lead healthier lives.

The CAPS simulation helps impart this lesson, and it is made especially vivid at TCNJ by the volunteers, who come from the school’s community partner organizations and simulate roles similar to those they play in the community. (Some schools use faculty members.) Many of the volunteers have lived in or been on the verge of poverty and openly talk about their struggles during a post-simulation debriefing with students. “The volunteers think it’s important that young people understand that when you tell someone to go get their medication filled, it’s not as easy as just handing them a prescription,” Hooven reports.

Research indicates that having a low income is a good predictor of poorer overall health, more chronic health conditions, riskier health behaviors, and more limited access to health care. With more than 39 million Americans living in poverty in 2017, preparing nursing and other health professions students to understand the full range of factors that can influence the health of economically stressed populations is urgent. Nursing programs may want to look into whether CAPS can help them address this need.

To Learn More:

• Visit the Community Action Poverty Simulation (CAPS) for details about the kit, licensing costs, and training for simulation facilitators.
• Download the Poverty Simulation brochure.
• Contact the Missouri Community Action Network (Missouri CAN) to find out who has licensed CAPS in your area. Contact those organizations to see if you can observe their next simulation.

The post Simulating Poverty to Prepare Nurses for Community Practice appeared first on Campaign for Action.

For the past few years, The Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action’s state-based Action Coalitions have been partnering with local groups to build a Culture of Health in their communities.  As we know, the most effective way to do this usually involves working with organizations outside of nursing to address a common issue or problem. I’m going to tell you about a particularly powerful partnership involving AARP that perhaps you can replicate in your state.

AARP has designated more than 200 communities nationwide as part of its “Network of Age-Friendly Communities.” Simply put, that means these cities or towns are well designed, promote health, sustain economic growth, and make for happier, healthier residents — of all ages. This network is an affiliate of the World Health Organization’s Age-Friendly Cities and Communities Program, an international effort launched in 2006 to help cities prepare for rapid population aging and the parallel trend of urbanization. The program has participating communities in more than 20 nations, as well as 10 affiliates representing more than 1,000 communities.

Two of the Campaign for Action’s Action Coalitions saw opportunity in age-friendly communities in their backyards. The New Jersey and Michigan Action Coalitions are teaming with AARP in a few of these towns to see how nurses can lead for better health.

New Jersey Action Coalition

The New Jersey Action Coalition learned about age-friendly communities in the Garden State from Stephanie Hunsinger, state director of AARP New Jersey, and an opportunity quickly presented itself.

The age-friendly community of Garfield, N.J., wanted a better understanding of its Meals-on-Wheels clients. But officials struggled to learn things like whether recipients were getting enough food, or what conditions were like in clients’ homes, or whether any or many clients had mental health issues. Then the New Jersey Action Coalition realized that it had volunteer nursing students who could help.

The students used their knowledge and skills to design and produce a form to capture data for Meals on Wheels so it could collaborate with other organizations to provide additional needed services for their clients. It was a valuable assignment for the students, and a great help for Meals on Wheels.

A food pantry that is part of the age-friendly community in Elizabeth, N.J. also recognized that it needed to do more than simply provide food. The pantry staff wanted to offer clients some health education while they were visiting. This time, the New Jersey Action Coalition sent the food pantry an advanced nursing student who is now helping prepare short videos in Spanish that are focused on health issues relevant to the community, such as diabetes prevention and hypertension. The volunteer student is also working to help prepare healthy recipes to be included in the food bags the clients receive to take home.

“Nurses are interested in volunteering with programs within the age-friendly communities because they know that this is where the profession is going – into the community,” says Edna Cadmus, PhD, RN, FAAN, co-leader of the New Jersey Action Coalition.

Michigan Action Coalition

When the Michigan Action Coalition heard about what New Jersey was doing, the leaders contacted Karen Kafantaris, AARP’s associate state director in Michigan, who also serves on that Action Coalition’s leadership team. Kafantaris educated the Action Coalition on age-friendly communities, and together they brainstormed a nurse’s role in that domain. The result was a one-pager detailing how nurses can contribute to age-friendly communities in Michigan.

The opportunities for Action Coalitions to collaborate with age-friendly communities are many – reach out to your AARP state office to begin the conversation.

The post The Best Partners May Be Right in Your Own Backyard appeared first on Campaign for Action.

She is part of the Campaign Outreach Advocates for a Culture of Health, or COACH, program.

Why did you decide to become a nurse?

Images of visiting nurses in commercials featuring them walking with their nursing bags, and television programs showcasing nurses saving lives lit a spark inside me. As an adolescent, I was hired as a “clerk/interpreter” for a municipal hospital in the Bronx. Nursing was a calling—to serve all individuals, but more important, the most vulnerable.

Can you describe your philosophical evolution from making that decision to where you are today?

I began my career as a bedside nurse believing that this was the only way to practice nursing. Establishing the nurse-patient relationship with hospitalized patients was challenging, since the length of stay for a patient on average rarely went beyond three days.

During the genesis of the AIDS epidemic, I became a home care nurse. The nurse-patient relationship in the community is different, as we visited many patients over months and sometimes years and the dynamic includes both patient and family.

So my philosophy of the nurse-patient relationship has evolved along with my career from novice to expert nurse board-certified advanced public health nurse.

Of all that you have accomplished, what are you most proud of?

Gina Miranda-Diaz with her aunt who resides in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. She lived without power in her home for four months.

Service to others through volunteerism. The benefits go both ways. For example, I had powerful experiences volunteering in Manhattan on September 11, and during disasters with the American Red Cross. And these encounters prepared me for my humanitarian mission to Puerto Rico.

Following Hurricane Maria in September 2017, with the approval of the mayor of my community (a physician), I assembled a team of staff, inspectors, firefighters, paramedics, nurses, and residents. Together with the local hospital we collected and shipped to Puerto Rico thousands of pounds of supplies.

In December, the governor-elect of New Jersey, a delegation of Puerto Ricans, and I traveled to the island to meet with governor of Puerto Rico to discuss the recovery efforts. Another volunteer and I stayed on to deliver supplies to the west coast. That region had the greatest need; it was also where I spent the summers of my childhood.

Puerto Rico is my second home and I felt compelled to do everything and anything in my power to ease the suffering from illness, homelessness, and hopelessness of refugees that included my family. I believe that I did all I could and I would rank this experience as one of my finest moments in my life and what I am most proud of.

If you could change the profession in any one way, what would you change and why?

I would eliminate the phrase “Nurses eat their young,” which says that bullying and incivility are expected behaviors that novice nurses or newly hired nurses should accept as a rite of passage.

Bullying is harmful. Health and wellness cannot flourish and patients will suffer its consequences. Institutions will incur turnover, higher costs and interruption in the quality of care.

Nurses must be educated on how to intervene. While speaking out about bullying is not always easy, if you do nothing, there is a 100 percent chance that nothing will change.

What is the most important action that nurses can take to lead the way to improve health and health care in America?

It is imperative that nurses, who are experts in health care, become politically active and make themselves visible to lawmakers. We must speak truth to power — our patients depend on us to be their voice. We are inundated with messages from and about politicians, automobiles, and beverages, but when was the last time you saw a commercial featuring a politician speaking about the value of nurses?

What role do you see for yourself in building a healthier America?

Gina Miranda Diaz hands out a solar lantern to a woman outside a grocery store in Puerto Rico.

Addressing the opioid epidemic through public health strategies. As the first and only bilingual advanced public health nurse and health officer in New Jersey, I have an obligation to educate the populace in both English and Spanish. For example: my staff and I have partnered with the West New York police department in a drug diversion program, a collaborative effort between the Drug Enforcement Agency and police departments that allows residents to deposit unused medications at the police station.

Also, I am meeting with the West New York Board of Education to discuss providing school nurses with Narcan, an opiate antidote. New Jersey passed a law in 2017 permitting school nurses to provide Narcan to overdose victims, but its use has not been accepted or allowed in practice.

Finally, this past week, I was named chair of the West New York Municipal Committee Against Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. This county committee has been granted $1 million to provide additional resources for our town to combat this scourge.

The post Humanitarian Streak Led Her to Nursing—and to Help in Puerto Rico appeared first on Campaign for Action.

Preventable injuries like bike accidents are the number one killer of children in the United States, according to Safe Kids Worldwide, which works to keep children safe from injuries. In 2014, nearly 243,000 children ages 19 and under were seen in emergency rooms for injuries related to riding bikes. Bike helmets reduce head injuries by 85 percent and brain injuries by 88 percent, and community events that provide free helmets (like the ones held by WNYHD) can increase the odds by four that a child will wear a helmet.

The Safe Kids Day in West New York included many community partners, such as the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN)—New Jersey Chapter, says Gina Miranda-Diaz, DNP, MPH, director and health officer of WNYHD and a Breakthrough Leader in Nursing. As a public health nurse, she is aware of the risks that children face while riding bikes or anything on two, three, or four wheels.

“We believe children should be able to enjoy cycling without fear,” she said. “Helmet use can mean the difference between a life-altering or life-ending injury and a healthy child.”

Miranda-Diaz serves as president of NAHN’s New Jersey chapter and is also a Campaign Outreach Advocate for a Culture of Health, or COACH. In this role, she works to raise awareness of nursing’s role in building a Culture of Health through public speaking, networking, fundraising, and advocacy.

“I am keenly aware of the importance of creating and nurturing a Culture of Health, and I’m pleased to share the work that I, my staff, and Hispanic nurses of New Jersey are doing to support our community,” she said.

The post Nurses, Partners Help Kids Stay Safe on Wheels appeared first on Campaign for Action.

New Jersey Action Coalition leaders are among the authors of a new book on an innovative post-acute care residency program that offers a practical approach to transitioning and retaining new nurses in post-acute care settings.

Published by Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI), Developing a Residency in Post-Acute Care, was written by the following Rutgers University School of Nursing faculty members: Edna Cadmus, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, co-lead of the New Jersey Action Coalition; Susan Salmond, EdD, RN, ANEF, FAAN, co-chair of the New Jersey Action Coalition’s education pillar; Linda Hassler, DNP, RN, GCNS-BC, FNGNA; Nancy Bohnarczyk, MA, RN, CNE; and Katherine Kuren Black, MSN, RN-BC.  It is based on lessons learned by the authors and their state partners who developed such a program in New Jersey and were lauded for the results.

In 2013, the New Jersey Action Coalition received $1.6 million from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to prepare new registered nurses for practice at state post-acute care facilities. The program successfully paired new nurse graduates with experienced nurse preceptors for two 12-month cohorts, and helped to improve care for residents in nursing homes and other facilities and stabilize the state’s nursing workforce.

The effort was to address health care’s shift as the U.S. population ages from acute care environments to post-acute and community settings, including long-term care, assisted living, rehabilitation, homecare, and hospice. New nurses in particular lack the specialized knowledge required for chronic care and gerontological care and are often unprepared to transition into post-acute settings.

The authors created a practical guide based on their experiences for other nurse educators. Read an excerpt from the book or find out more and purchase it on the STTI website.

The post New Book Offers Lessons on Retaining New Nurses in Post-Acute Care Settings appeared first on Campaign for Action.

Edna Cadmus, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, pictured here in 1976 on the day she graduated from nursing school, began her career as a nurse’s aide and licensed practical nurse before becoming a registered nurse.

“Nursing Journeys” is a profile series featuring Action Coalition leaders discussing their career paths and reflecting on the lessons they’ve learned along the way.

Edna Cadmus, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, is clinical professor and specialty director of the graduate nursing leadership tracks at the Rutgers University School of Nursing. She’s also executive director of the New Jersey Collaborating Center for Nursing and co-lead of the New Jersey Action Coalition.

Cadmus began her nursing career as a candy striper, nurse’s aide, and licensed practical nurse in New Jersey before she became a registered nurse. She has held numerous leadership positions in hospitals and is particularly passionate about intensive care unit nursing.

Why did you decide to become a nurse?
The summer I was 14, I became a candy striper at a local hospital where I had the opportunity to observe and help out on a medical surgical unit and in the newborn nursery. That started my love for nursing. When I was old enough to get a job I worked at that same hospital as a nurse’s aide.

Describe the journey you went on to get from that decision to where you are today.
I worked my way up! When I was in my baccalaureate nursing program, I worked as a nurse’s aide and licensed practical nurse. As a newly minted RN, I moved to New York City and began at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center on a surgical unit and on an ICU as a staff nurse. There, a director of nursing saw my potential and recommended me for a leadership position. This is where my leadership journey began! My first leadership position was as an assistant nurse manager, and I progressed to nurse manager and clinical leader of the surgical services division.

My love for intensive care nursing brought me back to Englewood Hospital and Medical Center in New Jersey as director of the ICU for several years. Then I became the senior vice president for patient care services for nearly 17 years. From there I wanted to share what I had learned as a leader with students in a more formal way, so I began teaching at Rutgers, where I got the opportunity to create a leadership track for nursing students. In addition to teaching, I also serve as the executive director for the New Jersey Collaborating Center for Nursing, where I focus on workforce issues.

What impact did the Institute of Medicine’s Future of Nursing report have on you?
The report helped validate where nursing needed to head and the challenges we would face along the way. It also provided evidence to support the changes needed in our profession.

How have you been involved with the Campaign for Action?
I have been a co-lead of the New Jersey Action Coalition since its inception in 2010, and have had the opportunity to work with a diverse group of nurses and organizations in that position.

Edna Cadmus encourages the next generation of nurses to engage with professional organizations, take risks, and consider careers outside of the hospital.

Of all you have accomplished, what are you most proud of?
Three times I led nurses at Englewood to help achieve Magnet status (a designation awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center for superior nursing processes and quality patient care). Building the infrastructure and environment where nurses can flourish is very important to me.

What is the most important action that nurses can take to lead the way to improve health and health care in America?
Nurses can get involved in their communities and take leadership roles on committees and boards that influence health care. Nurses need to make themselves visible and heard.

What advice do you have for the next generation?
When I started my career, most nurses worked in hospitals. But nurses these days have so many more opportunities to explore. The community is where the future of health care lies and where younger nurses are especially needed. Don’t be afraid to take risks and step out of your comfort zone. Recognize that there will be challenges wherever you choose, but choose to make a difference. Most important, engage with your professional organizations—they can help provide structure for your growth and help you keep learning, both formally and informally!

The post Nursing Journeys: She Started as a Candy Striper appeared first on Campaign for Action.

Maria Torchia LoGrippo, PhD, MSN, RN, is assistant professor at Rutgers University in the Division of Entry to Baccalaureate Nursing and a co-director for the RN to BS in nursing program. She has worked in multiple settings, including emergency rooms, intensive care, and as a neurosurgical clinical coordinator at both Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Roosevelt Hospital, NYC. With a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, New Jersey Nursing Initiative Faculty Preparedness Program scholarship, Maria obtained her PhD, her doctoral work focused on perceptions of trust and stress among pregnant women receiving care from certified nurse-midwives.

With the Future of Nursing, Campaign for Action, Maria was a project director for a RWJF State Implementation Program grant addressing seamless academic progression at Rutgers. She is a 2014 Breakthrough Nurse Leader. The Campaign for Action is an initiative of AARP Foundation, AARP, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Maria is part of the Campaign Outreach Advocates for a Culture of Health program.

Why did you decide to become a nurse?    

My mother was the secretary in a busy obstetrics and gynecology practice in South Jersey. As a child, I would go with her to the office and see the nurses/doctor working with patients. I just felt that one day I wanted to be like them.

Can you describe your evolution from making that decision to where you are today?

If it were not for my parents’ support to pursue a nursing undergraduate degree at a four-year university, I certainly would not be at this stage in my career. Since then, scholarships and awards have represented for me a significant opportunity, one that has made me feel more accountable in paying it forward, giving back to the profession and truly making a difference.

Of all that you have accomplished, what are you most proud of?

I am most proud when I am able to teach future nurses and “pay it forward” by sharing with them the impact of the professional nurse on improving health. I teach undergraduates at Rutgers University and am the co-director for the RN to BS in nursing program. It is truly an honor to motivate and inspire our students to be change agents and leaders in building and promoting a culture of health in N.J. and beyond.

If you could change the profession in any one way, what would you change and why?

I would love to see more nurses on boards. Yes, we have begun to move the needle slightly but we have a ways to go. There are many great leaders in the profession who are able to advocate for patients, who understand the health care system and need to be at the table to shape health care delivery. I would like to have nurses on key corporate and government boards to demonstrate the value of nursing and the important voice we have for the consumer.

What is the most important action that nurses can take to lead the way to improve health and health care in America?

Get involved. Nurses as volunteers can support local community work and become leaders to address initiatives to improve health. Nurses are vital players in this effort to improve quality, access and reduce costs. It is our responsibility to be active members of the profession of nursing.

What role do you see for yourself in building a healthier America?

I believe that it is my role to be a voice in this campaign to build healthier communities in N.J. and across this nation. Our role—and therefore mine individually—is to collaborate with other professions, like local police and health officials, and raise awareness of the key health issues for neighbors and to help to develop strategies to address them.

The post Most Proud When I Pay It Forward, Says Nurse Leader appeared first on Campaign for Action.

“I am overjoyed at having been the recipient of this amazing honor,” wrote Miranda-Diaz, who as a fellow will work with the New York Academy of Medicine’s Institute for Urban Health program to eliminate health disparities. The subject is close to her heart, one she focused on while pursuing her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree.

The New York Academy of Medicine fellows are health professionals who have completed their professional training, been active in their field for at least 10 years, and demonstrated outstanding accomplishments in their profession. The academy, founded in 1847, is dedicated to advancing the health and well-being of people living in cities.

The post Breakthrough Leader Named New York Academy of Medicine Fellow appeared first on Campaign for Action.

State

California: Bay Area Council Economic Institute Analysis Finds Granting Full Practice Authority for Nurse Practitioners Increases Access and Controls Costs

Florida: Expanding Scope of Practice for Advanced Registered Nurses, Physician Assistants, Optometrists, and Dental Hygienists

Kentucky: Full Practice Authority for Nurse Practitioners Increases Access and Controls Cost

Massachusetts: Controlling Health Spending in Massachusetts

Minnesota: Full Practice Authority for Nurse Practitioners Increases Access and Controls Cost

New Jersey: Full Practice Authority for Nurse Practitioners Increases Access and Controls Cost

North Carolina: Economic benefits of less restrictive regulation of advanced practice nurses in North Carolina.

Ohio: The Impact of Full Practice Authority for Nurse Practitioners and Other Advanced Practice Registered Nurses in Ohio

Pennsylvania: The Value of Full Practice Authority for Pennsylvania’s Nurse Practitioners

Texas: The Economic Benefits of More Fully Utilizing Advanced Practice Registered Nurses in the Provision of Health Care in Texas: An Analysis of Local and Statewide Effects on Business Activity

National

 Medicare and Medicaid: Impact of Nurse Practitioners on Health Outcomes of Medicare and Medicaid Patients

Comparing the Cost of Care Provided to Medicare Beneficiaries Assigned to Primary Care Nurse Practitioners and Physicians

Anesthesia: Cost Effectiveness Analysis of Anesthesia Providers

Maternity care: Potential Medicaid Cost Savings from Maternity Care Based at a Freestanding Birth Center

Neonatal: Collaboration, Not Competition

Long term care: Onsite Nurse Practitioners at Skilled Nursing Facilities Prevent Avoidable Hospitalizations

Retail clinics: Scope-of-Practice Laws for nurse Practitioners Limit Cost Savings That Can Be Achieved in Retail Clinics

The post Studies That Show the Economic Benefits of Removing Barriers to Practice and Care appeared first on Campaign for Action.