Nursing (Page 3)

Posts categorized as Nursing also pull into the Member Resources > Nursing Practices page.

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In: Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Nursing

Mat Keller headshot

By Mathew Keller RN JD, Regulatory and Policy Nursing Specialist

With Minnesota’s medical cannabis law set to take effect on July 1, Minnesota nurses will likely be asked to administer medical marijuana in the hospital setting.  But are you ready to do so?  Here’s what you need to know about the new law.

  • Patients will not receive a medical marijuana “prescription” from a physician or APRN. Instead, a patient’s provider will certify that the patient has a medical condition that qualifies for medical cannabis use.  The patient will then need to register with the Minnesota Department of Health in order to be eligible to utilize the medication.

    • … Read more about: Are you ready to administer marijuana?  »

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In: Minnesota Nurses Association, Nursing

By Mathew Keller, RN JD, MNA Nurse Policy Specialist

We’ve all heard the news about the “nursing crisis” or “nursing shortage,” but imagine my surprise when, after graduating froNursem the University of Minnesota’s BSN program about 10 years ago, my classmates and I had a difficult time finding jobs. In fact, many of my peers were eventually forced to take on travel nursing assignments. Several are still in California, Missouri, and even Hawaii.

We here at MNA take claims of a nursing shortage very seriously. One of our priorities is to advocate for the profession. But, after digging into the numbers, we were surprised by what we found.
… Read more about: Minnesota Nursing Shortage: Fact or Fiction?  »

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In: Minnesota Nurses Association, Nursing

By Mathew Keller, RN JD, MNA Nurse Policy Specialist

We all know the five rights of medication administration: right patient, right route, right dose, right time, and right medication. Right documentation is often added as a sixth right.

But how can an RN give the right dose if she or he has not checked the patient’s blood glucose? In the clinical setting, blood glucose monitoring is often a delegated task. Whether the task is delegated to the patient or another properly trained assistive personnel is within the nurse’s discretion.

Diabetic items

Administering insulin based on an inmate’s self-reported blood glucose, however, presents an especially challenging ethical dilemma for  nurses in a prison setting.
… Read more about: Protect Your Practice: Insulin Administration in the Prison Setting  »

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In: Activism, Hospitals, Nursing, Politics, Standards of Care, Unsafe Staffing

 

 

Minnesota Nurses fighting for safe staffing levels for patients held an informational picket on Tuesday, June 24, 2014.  Legislative leaders from the area joined them to echo their concerns that patient safety is a concern.

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… Read more about: Video: Minnesota Nurses Hold Informational Picket at North Memorial Hospital  »

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In: Healthcare, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Nursing

 

On May 6, 2014, elected officials in Minnesota kicked off Nurses Week (May 6 – 12) with proclamations and public statements celebrating Minnesota’s nurses.  In the coming days, throughout the state, nurses will continue to demonstrate how Nurses Care by sharing their stories, using their contract to advocate for their patients, conducting food and clothing drives and feeding those in need.

Statement made in the Minnesota Senate.

Senator Chris Eaton, RN

The State of Minnesota places the highest priority on quality health care for all of our citizens and counts 116,685 dedicated and professional licensed nurses in the state. 
… Read more about: Minnesota Honors Its Nurses  »

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In: Activism, Bargaining, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Nursing, Sanford

RN-RunThief River Falls nurses beat Boston off the starting line of the running season this year, and may have Beantown trying hard to catch up.

MNA members of the Sanford – Thief River Falls Medical Center bargaining unit are celebrating the success of their inaugural 5k RN Run on Saturday, April 19 to raise funds for the community’s D.A.R.E. program.

Nearly 60 runners participated in the event and nurses were able to deliver $836 to the organization dedicated to drug abuse resistance education.

MNA Co-Chair Tiffany Eidelbes credited nurse organizers Kayla Knutson and Karey Johnson with imagining and executing an idea that brought a sizable crowd out for the festivities.
… Read more about: Thief River Falls “RN Run” Raises Funds and Fun  »

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In: Activism, Bargaining, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Nursing, Organizing

Imagine everyone in your town wanting to let you know you are awesome. MNA nurses in International Falls don’t have to dream.

Eight months into negotiating a contract with management at Rainy Lake Medical Center (RLMC), the 27-member bargaining unit is literally seeing signs of support throughout this picturesque city that shares a border with Canada.

Over 100 signs, sporting the message “We Support Our Nurses” are being posted in shop windows; hoisted high by firefighters, paramedics and EMTs; cradled by senior apartment residents; and displayed on bulletin boards throughout the city’s commercial districts. It’s a message warmly given from the town often referred to as “America’s Icebox.”  In addition, members of several other unions in the area have signed petitions of solidarity for the nurses.
… Read more about: Signs of Support for IFalls Nurses Line the Streets  »

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In: Activism, Bargaining, Hospitals, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Nursing

Nurses from Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar, Minnesota, showed up in full force with their families to report to the City Council the community needs first-rate nurses and first-rate patient care.

Carolyn Jorgenson, RN, MNA Board member told council members who are the trustees for the hospital that the facility’s management team has set a poor tone with nurses.  She told a sea of MNA red in the audience that the employer has delivered an underlying message of disrespect for the value of nursing for the community.

Here are excerpts of the comments offered by Jorgenson at last night’s City Council meeting:

“I absolutely LOVE and live nursing. 
… Read more about: Willmar Nurses Go to City Hall  »

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In: Activism, Bargaining, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Nursing, Organizing

Sandstone SignThey are a gritty bunch in this rural northern Minnesota hospital. The 25 nurses of Essentia Health – Sandstone ran a vigorous organizing campaign and successfully won MNA representation in Dec., 2012. Since then, first-time contract negotiations have tested endurance and patience. Now, after 11 months and 22 sessions, the new MNA unit is fortifying its resolve even more over a management proposal to include a Management Rights clause.

The insidious paragraph is so vague, it creates a management perception that wholesale changes can be made on a whim. “We can’t possibly think of everything that might come up during the term of the contract and this language would allow them to think they could arbitrarily change something, and we’d have no chance to bargain,” said MNA nurse negotiator Tara Mach.
… Read more about: Sandstone Nurses Stand Strong Against Management’s Rights Clause  »

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In: Activism, Healthcare, Hospitals, Legislative Policy, Minimum Wage, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Nursing, Politics

P1030876Budget Surplus

Today’s economic forecast showed the state has a budget surplus of $1.23 billion, due to better-than-projected revenue collections and lower spending. This news is a welcome change from past years of structural deficits, budget gimmicks and program cuts. This shows that Minnesota is on strong economic footing and the budget reforms made last session worked. Because the budget has been improving, the state has already paid off the entire “school shift” ($2.8 billion borrowed from public schools to shrink the 2011 budget deficit) so the $1.23 billion surplus is not obligated to be spent on any specific program.
… Read more about: MNA Legislative Update, February 28, 2014  »