Nurses

On:
In: Home, Nurse education, Nurse licensure, Nurses, Nursing Practice

By Jackie Russell, RN, JD

MNA Nursing, Practice, and Regulatory Affairs Specialist

 

If it’s not documented, it’s not done. But what if it is documented and it’s not done?

 

Healthcare facilities throughout Minnesota are understaffed. Patient acuities are high, and lean management demands nurses spend less time with patients, which is distressing to nurses. Nurses have a duty to provide nursing care within their scope of practice and to practice safely. Priorities shift quickly on an short staffed unit. To provide optimal nursing care on an understaffed unit– from beginning to end of shift–leaves little time for timely documentation.
… Read more about: If it’s not documented, it’s not done. But what if it is documented and it’s not done?  »

On:
In: Bargaining, Home, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Nurses

By Emily Sippola, RN

MNA Member, United Hospital Tri-Chair

Months after the 2016 Allina strike, MNA nurses at United Hospital were surprised to find that the employer had unilaterally decide to change the calculation for our sick leave incentive bonus, which rewards nurses for not using sick time.

In May 2017, Allina decided to not count the hours United Hospital nurses were on strike toward “Regularly Scheduled Hours” and provided our sick time incentive bonus based on a lower number of hours nurses worked.

Nurses quickly filed a grievance based on the fact that the contract provides for upgrading Regularly Scheduled Hours based on additional hours worked but does not provide for downgrading based on hours on strike.
… Read more about: United Hospital nurses celebrate grievance victory over sick leave incentive  »

On:
In: Home, Nurses, Women, Workplace violence prevention

By Becky Nelson, RN, CCRN, CPAN

Chair, Health and Safety Committee

 

Back injuries. Needlesticks. Workplace violence. Chronic fatigue related to shift work. Building security. Bullying. PPE failures. Ergonomic problems. Environmental allergies. There isn’t a part of your professional life that the Health and Safety Committee at MNA wouldn’t address at some point.

 

The Health and Safety committee is currently working on tabulating and analyzing injury reports from represented facilities across the state and more, and are looking to fill out our membership roster with passionate, dedicated nurses from the Metro area and Greater Minnesota.
… Read more about: Health and Safety are Vital to Our Strength  »

Allina big debt

On:
In: Home, Insurance, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses

By Rick Fuentes

MNA Communications Specialist

 

Ok, check-ups aren’t fun.  Not because of what they might find but because what they might ask.  Who wants to admit they thought mac and cheese was a food group?  Still, they keep us healthy, even financially.

 

MNA members receive free counsel with Dorval and Chorne Financial Advisors.  This is not a small benefit or something to take for granted.  Most financial planners charge about $200 an hour for their advice, or, if they invest on your behalf, they take 1 percent of your proceeds as compensation. 
… Read more about: Get a Check-Up! A Financial One!  »

On:
In: Board of Nursing, Member Blog, Nurses

Barbara Forshier, RN, BSN, JD

MNA Member

 

Editor’s Note:  The Author is an Attorney for Nurses

 

Nurses frequently ask me whether or not they should have their own professional liability insurance. The answer is yes, you should carry your own insurance. You insure your home, your car, your health, why would you not insure your ability to practice your profession, your livelihood? Some nurses “have heard” that if you carry malpractice insurance you are more likely to be sued in a medical malpractice case. This is not true.

Now, you may ask, what about my employer, don’t they cover me?
… Read more about: To Have or Not to Have Malpractice/Liability Insurance  »

On:
In: Activism, Home, Nurse Staffing, Nurses, Standards of Care

By Megan Gavin

MNA Education Specialist

 

Here in Minnesota we are rightly focused on the elections that will decide the direction of our state for decades to come. We are working hard to elect pro-union leaders who will protect the right to collectively bargain contracts. In Minnesota and across the country, healthcare has become the number one issue for voters.  Costs continue to skyrocket; high deductible insurance plans drain more and more of individual families’ hard-earned money; and politicians continue to threaten protections for pre-existing conditions. The state of healthcare is not sustainable, and we need to demand change that puts the patients at the center.
… Read more about: Call ALL your friends in Massachusetts and tell them to Vote Yes on Question 1!  »

On:
In: Activism, Home, Legislative Policy, Nurse Compact, Nurses, Politics, Unions, Volunteer

By Julie Anderson, RN

Governmental Affairs Commissioner

 

There is a lot at stake in the upcoming midterm elections. Like many other nurses, I was excited to find out that a fellow nurse and an inspiring leader, Erin Murphy, was running for governor. I thrusted myself into the campaign and volunteered with the Nurses for Erin campaign. I did phonebanks, door knocks, attended meetings, had face to face interactions, attended the DFL convention as a delegate, and, of course, I voted for Erin for Minnesota governor in the primaries. After the primary went the other way without Erin Murphy representing the DFL on the ballot, I suddenly found myself asking “what now?” I realized, though, that my work was far from over.
… Read more about: Newly Political Nurse Now Permanently Active  »

On:
In: Healthcare, Home, Member Blog, Nurses, Nursing

By Becky VonBank

MNA Member

 

As a nurse, many of us have a nurturing ability within us. During my years of nursing, I found that when I shared my acquired knowledge with others, I supported my colleagues’ growth. My passion to learn became deeper, my professional practice became stronger, and patients and their families received better care.

 

I returned to Creighton University in Omaha to achieve a higher level of autonomy in the nursing practice, support my passion for lifelong learning, and gain more knowledge to share with others. I will graduate in May 2019 with my Acute and Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, which might not have happened without receiving an MNA Scholarship. 
… Read more about: Scholarship Fund Supports Two New Nurses  »

On:
In: Guns, Home, Member Blog, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Patient Safety, Workplace violence prevention

 

 

By  Jean Forman, RN

Chair, Government Affairs Commission

and Diane McLaughlin, RN

Government Affairs Commissioner

 

(Editor’s Note:  The following is the recommendation of the members of the Government Affairs Commission on a proposal that has not been adopted by the MNA Board or Membership.)

 

The MNA Convention is coming up quickly, October 6-8 in Minneapolis. We have so much important work to accomplish! We are writing as elected members of the Commission on Governmental Affairs (GAC) to gain your support for an important addition to MNA’s legislative platform regarding gun violence prevention and protection.
… Read more about: Support Our Platform on Gun Safety  »

On:
In: Home, Member Blog, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Politics

By Stefanie Asante-Totimeh, RN

Government Affairs Commissioner

 

As nurses, we are advocates and leaders who continually work on behalf of our patients and community. We are also involved in decisions that affect our workplace and communities when we partake actively in our union and our workplace.

The professional nursing population provides a unique perspective. We celebrate our differences, and, in turn, we are at the forefront of providing patient-centered care and decisions. How then does political awareness come into play with nursing?

Political awareness as a nurse does not necessarily mean being affiliated with a political party.
… Read more about: Nursing and Political Awareness  »