LABOR NEWS
Rich-Poor Gap Widens in United States The 1.2 million households whose incomes put them in the top 1 percent of the U.S. saw their earnings increase 5.5 percent last year. Earnings fell 1.7 percent for the 96 million households in the bottom 80 percent — those that made less than $101,583.
RN’s Declare Victory in VA System By an overwhelming majority, nurses at VA medical centers across the country have ratified a national contract, a master agreement unprecedented in its protections of patient care standards and for strengthening the voice of RNs in the care of the nation’s veterans.
HEALTH CARE
Scant Oversight of Drug Maker in Menengitis Outbreak Some doctors and clinics have turned away from major drug manufacturers and have taken their business to so-called compounding pharmacies, like New England Compounding, which mix up batches of drugs on their own, often for much lower prices than major manufacturers charge — and with little of the federal oversight of drug safety and quality that is routine for the big companies.
NURSING
Nursing Schools Struggle to Keep Up with Demand The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projected the registered nursing workforce as the top occupation in terms of job growth through 2020, with the number of employed nurses rising from 2.74 million in 2010 to 3.45 million in 2020. In addition to 712,000 new job openings, the department predicted 495,000 replacement hirings, bringing the total number of nursing job openings to 1.2 million by 2020.