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MESSENGER POST MEDIA

An honorary section for the week of May 7, 2017


Help us in celebrating the profession of nursing
and honor those who have so passionately
dedicated their lives to patient care.

EXPERTS ADVICE TO

FIRST-YEAR NURSES
BY MELISSA ERICKSON | MORE CONTENT NOW

A career in nursing promises to be rewarding, have multiple copies of your resume to hand and be their voice so they are heard.
but with every new path comes challenges. out. Also be prepared to answer interview-
Susan Grinslade, assistant dean
Here are a few words of advice from experts type questions such as knowing your
for undergraduate programs and
to new nurses. strengths/weaknesses, answering common
clinical professor, University at Buffalo
clinical scenarios specific to that unit, and
Your first year as a new nurse is key to School of Nursing
discussing how you work in teams or handle
your career success. During my first year,
a particularly stressful situation. Also, apply I would encourage nursing students
I carried an index card in my pocket and
for positions on the institutions website, but entering the workforce to find a position
wrote down things I wanted to look up after
be aware that they often receive numerous where they can enter into a nurse
work when I got home. For example, why is
resumes that exceed the number of available residency program (not all health-care
this drug used for this problem? Why is this
positions. The key is to stand out and make a organizations offer these). Residency
lab test important in the diagnosis? Why is
good, long-lasting impression. programs are designed to support new
the heart rate abnormal is this endocrine
nurses (education, mentorship, etc.)
problem? This was a wonderful habit, and Stephen A. Ferrara, associate dean of
during the first year of practice and are
my knowledge at the end of one year had clinical affairs and assistant professor at
associated with much lower attrition
markedly improved. It also set me up for Columbia University School of Nursing
rates.
lifelong learning. I believe this activity in my
first year set me up for success in nursing. The most important piece of advice I R. Shelly Lancaster, associate tion level. Effective networking begins with
have for new graduate nurses is to get professor of nursing, interim assistant understanding that networking is building
Registered nurse Kathleen D. Pagana, comfortable asking questions. They need to dean/director of outreach and college relationships. Take the time to build relationships
author of The Nurses Etiquette Advantage know that its OK to say I dont know and relations, University of Wisconsin with nurses they admire and would seek to
then seek the answer. They shouldnt be Oshkosh College of Nursing role model. The adage is true, it isnt what you
My best advice is to join and get active
afraid to ask for help doing so will prevent know it is who you know. I dont think anyone
with the American Nurses Association at
errors! The best piece of advice that I would addresses this issue when student nurses are
both the national and state levels. You
give a new nurse to help jump-start rotating through clinical settings, and it is one of
have to immerse yourself in the community Rebecca Maley, student successcoordinator,
their career is to network while they are the most valuable pieces of advice for the success
of nursing. You cant stay isolated in the University of Michigan School of Nursing
going through their clinical rotations. and longevity of their nursing career.
profession and succeed. Networking and
To the new nurse: Have them understand that developing
meeting people are ways to find cutting- Registered nurse Michelle Podlesni, president
effective networking capabilities will
edge knowledge. And build a support Be open to and look for opportunities to of the National Nurses in Business Association
take them further than their educa-
system. If you want to do something well, learn something new.
you have to rub shoulders with others who
are successful in the same field. Also, at Keep the patient and family the focus of
the state level, reduced memberships are your care.
offered for first-year nurses, and professional Always understand the reason or rationale
dues are often tax deductible if you itemize. behind everything you do.
Registered nurse Donna Cardillo, If you dont know something, look it up or
also known as The Inspiration Nurse ask a trusted mentor.
and author of Your First Year As A Nurse:
Making the Transition From Total Novice You are an important member of an
to Successful Professional interprofessional team build these
relationships, gain their respect and trust.
Advice to a new nurse would be to network Be accountable own your own practice.
in-person at the facilities where youd like to If you make a mistake, report it and learn
work. Oftentimes, hospitals have a day each from it.
month where they perform open-house-
type events to advertise their open positions Become a fierce advocate for your patients
and meet on the spot with one of their and families. They are overwhelmed and
recruiters. Use this opportunity to make a often totally confused by what is happening
good impression with your appearance, and you are there to guide them, teach them
MESSENGER POST MEDIA CELEBRATES NATIONAL NURSES WEEK MAY 6th through 12th, 2017

InBrief

Nurses voted
MOST ETHICAL
BY MELISSA ERICKSON | MORE CONTENT NOW

Nurses are consistently ranked No. 1 in hon- SPECIALTIES BREAKDOWN


esty and ethics, according to a Gallup poll.
Nursing is one of the fastest growing
Nurses are viewed as having very high or
occupations in the U.S. Nurses make up the
high ethical standards by 80 percent of
majority of the health-care industry, according
the public, 15 points higher than any other
to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. The range
profession in the poll. Nurses have topped
of specialties gives nurses plenty of choices
the list every year since they were first
for where they work. Twenty-nine percent of
included in 1999, with the exception of 2001,
nurses work in general and surgical hospitals;
when firefighters were included in response
15 percent work in doctors offices; 13 percent
to their work during and the 9/11 attacks.
in nursing care facilities; 10 percent in out-
RETIRING WORKFORCE patient facilities; and 8 percent work in home
health services, according to the BLS.
By 2020, the U.S. economy will create more
than 1.6 million jobs in nursing, but hospitals TYPICAL PAY
and care facilities will be short 193,000
The hours and constant demands may be
nurses to fill those positions, according
challenging, but nursing jobs pay well.
to Georgetown Universitys Center for
The BLS reports that the median salary
Education and the Workforce. An aging
for a registered nurse who typically holds
population dealing with chronic health
a bachelors degree in nursing is $68,910.
issues is one reason. Another reason is that
For jobs that require a masters degree,
nurses are aging, too. Over 50 percent of
the median salary can be $20,000 higher
nurses are over 50 years old, said Nicole
or more. For a licensed practical nurse, a
Smith, senior economist and one of the leads
certification usually tied to an associate
on the study.
degree, the median salary is nearly $43,000.
MESSENGER POST MEDIA CELEBRATES NATIONAL NURSES WEEK MAY 6th through 12th, 2017

ITS YOUR TIME


GROUP WANTS TO DOUBLE THE AMOUNT
one of the reasons for this is that there are not people
who understand the mindset of these men in the
population. Nurses are the people who interact with
and provide education for their patients.
In addition to those benefits, having a stronger male
presence in nursing is an opportunity to focus on
OF MALE NURSES WORLD-WIDE BY 2020 mens health issues and strengthening the health of
the general public. This is one of the biggest values


BY MELISSA ERICKSON | MORE CONTENT NOW that men bring to the nursing profession, Mott said.
BARRIERS
Within nursing men tend to gravitate toward certain
Instead of focusing specialties.


on how men and women
nurses are different,
there really needs to be
a change in thinking
These areas include the emergency department,
intensive care unit, surgery and then certified
registered nurse anesthetist for male nurses with
graduate degrees, Mott said.
Do men face certain challenges or discrimination
working in a female-dominated environment?
It is true that many times, men are questioned about
that a nurse is a nurse, some of the care that they provide and that their
care, especially providing intimate care, is sexualized,
no matter their gender. Mott said. By having more men in nursing, this false
image will hopefully go away.
JASON MOTT Instead of focusing on how men and women nurses
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION are different, there really needs to be a change in
thinking that a nurse is a nurse, no matter their gender.
FOR MEN While they may do things a little bit differently, both
IN NURSING genders are in nursing for similar reasons, mainly
providing care for the patients they serve.

A
s women are being encouraged to pursue careers in male-dominated fields like
engineering and the sciences, more men are discovering the diverse opportunities
in female-dominated nursing fields, with their relatively good pay, job openings and
path to advancement. After all, you cant put a gender on quality nursing care.
HISTORY
Nursing wasnt always a profession associated with women, and it began long before Florence
Nightingale in the 1800s.
The first nursing school was in India and opened in 250 BC. Men were the primary nurses until
the mid-800s. Most male nurses before that time were either priests or in the military, said Jason
Mott, assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh School of Nursing, and secretary
of the board for the American Association for Men in Nursing.
Things changed in the 1800s, when men were not allowed to enter nursing schools.
It wasnt until the 1950s that men were again allowed to enter nursing school and become
nurses, Mott said. One of the most famous male nurses is American poet Walt Whitman. During
the Civil War, he provided nursing care to wounded soldiers.
RECRUITMENT
Statistics show the percentage of male nurses is 10 to 11 percent of the nursing workforce.
This equates to approximately 350,000 male nurses in the United States, a number that has
remained fairly flat in recent years, Mott said. But, thats an increase of about 7 percentage points
since 1970, when male nurses made up about 3 percent of the industry, he said.
Male nurses tend to make more money than their female counterparts, according to a survey
published in JAMA in 2015. The wage gap was between $5,000 and $10,000, and the study
pointed to an adjusted wage gap of $5,100 overall.
The American Association for Men in Nursing is actively recruiting men to enter the nursing
profession with its 20 x 20 campaign. The goal is to have 20 percent male enrollment in nursing
programs throughout the United States and the world by the year 2020.
Nursing is a great profession. The pay is on the higher side. Plus, there is job security, Mott said.
Besides the financial possibilities for men in nursing, there are other tremendous opportunities.
Traditionally, males as a whole tend to not seek health care as much as they should. I think
MESSENGER POST MEDIA CELEBRATES NATIONAL NURSES WEEK MAY 6th through 12th, 2017

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