Reentering the workforce confidently.
Thinking of coming back to nursing? Your timing is great.
Journal Article↗
Biomedical subjects
Susan Letvak
Publications and source records attributed to Susan Letvak.
Reentering the workforce confidently.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Adult↗
Postanesthesia care of the patient suffering from traumatic brain injury.
Each year 1.5 million people in the United States suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI), and many of these patients require immediate surgery. TBI patients provide additional assessment and technological challenges for perianesthesia nursing care. A major goal of PACU nursing is the prevention of secondary head injury during the postanesthesia period.
Blood Flow Velocity↗
The experience of being an older perioperative nurse.
THIS QUALITATIVE STUDY used a purposive sample of perioperative nurses age 50 or older to describe the experience of being an older perioperative nurse. Three themes were identified from data analysis: growing old in the OR, inter-personal and organizational concerns, and worries about the future. THESE OLDER PERIOPERATIVE NURSES still are challenged and energized by being in the OR, although they have concerns about call and scheduling and have experienced conflict with surgical technologists. THESE NURSES ALSO ARE VERY WORRIED about the future of nursing, specifically perioperative nursing. They aptly asked, "What's going to happen when the older nurses are gone and no one is here to train the new ones?"
Age Factors↗
The experience of being an older staff nurse.
The nursing workforce is aging at an unprecedented rate, yet we know very little about the experiences of older staff nurses. A qualitative design with purposeful sampling was used to describe the experience of being an older staff nurse. Data were obtained through in-depth interviews with 11 staff nurses over the age of 55 who were employed at least part-time in six hospitals located in the southeastern United States. Data analysis was guided by a feminist perspective utilizing the voice-centered relational method developed by Brown and Gilligan. Study findings demonstrate that older nurses are working because they continue to care, despite the stressors of intergenerational conflict with younger nurses, less respect from patients and families, and inequity in pay. Older nurses are confident in their abilities and are capable of meeting the demands of hospital nursing.
Age Factors↗
Myths and realities of ageism and nursing.
Ageism is pervasive throughout society, and it is an especially important issue for nurses because the nursing workforce is aging rapidly. This article explores ageism as it applies to women and nurses, along with the myths and realities about this prevalent attitude. It also presents strategies for managing and educating the aging nursing workforce.
Age Factors↗
Integration of gerontology content in nongeriatric undergraduate nursing courses.
During the last several years, a school of nursing in the southeastern United States has made concerted efforts to integrate geriatric content into every undergraduate course except obstetrics. Even the pediatric nursing course has infused content about grandparents, both as care providers for children and as extended family members. Faculty expertise and passion for teaching geriatric best practices stimulated innovative and creative student experiences without overwhelming curricular revision. This article describes how gerontology content was incorporated into each curricular area and provides examples of classroom and clinical teaching strategies that were successful at this school.
Aged↗
Health and safety of older nurses.
The nursing workforce is aging at an unprecedented rate yet little is known about the health and safety of older registered nurses (RNs). The survey reported here examined the relationships between demographic variables, job attributes (job satisfaction, control over practice, and job demands) and the physical and mental health and job-related injuries and health disorders of 308 nurses over the age of 50. Findings indicate that nurses with higher job satisfaction, higher control over practice, and lower job demands experienced increased physical health. Increasing age was positively correlated with mental health. Almost a quarter of older RNs experienced a job-related injury within the past 5 years, and over a third experienced job-related health problems. Nurses with higher job demands and those employed in hospital settings were more likely to have an injury. Overall, older RNs reported higher levels of physical and mental health than the national norm. Efforts must be made to keep older RNs healthy so we can retain them in the workforce.
Accidents, Occupational↗
The importance of social support for rural mental health.
While the mentally ill are considered to be vulnerable as a group, those who are mentally ill and reside in rural communities are at a greater disadvantage due to limited access to health care, a scarcity of resources, and traditional cultural belief systems. Social support has been found to have a direct effect on the well-being of families and individuals. Specific strategies are presented which will assist rural health nurses in providing the support systems necessary to help rural residents in managing and coping with stress and mental health problems.
Health Services Needs and Demand↗
Retaining the older nurse.
The nursing workforce is aging more rapidly than the workforce as a whole, and fewer young people are entering the profession. It is imperative that older nurses be retained, not only for their experience and expertise, but also to prevent worsening an already critical nursing shortage. A descriptive survey design was used to determine the knowledge base and plans for the aging RN workforce by North Carolina hospitals and nursing homes. Nurses over age 55 made up 14.1% of the respondents' RN staff. Most administrators are aware of the aging workforce and wish to retain older nurses. Unfortunately, 94% of facilities have no policies in place to address the needs of older nurses, and 87% admitted to having no immediate plans to do so. Specific recommendations are made to assist nurse managers in retaining the older RN.
Age Factors↗
Inclusion of women in nursing research: 1995-2001.
BACKGROUND: Although the inclusion of women in research has been examined in medical publications, little is known about how federal mandates have influenced the inclusion of women in research published in nursing journals. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the inclusion of women in published nursing research from 1995 to 2001, with a focus on the leading causes of mortality. METHOD: All the articles in each journal were reviewed, and all the research articles that focused on the top 10 causes of death were sampled to measure the inclusion of women, the characteristics of the women included, the funding source, and the topic. RESULTS: Of the 1,149 studies reviewed, 139 met the inclusion criteria, and 117 of these studies included women. Only 15 of the studies reported the age of the women in their samples, and 10 of these included women between the ages of 35 and 64 years. The most frequently reported race was White (n = 21), followed by African American (n = 17), Hispanic (n = 6), and Asian (n = 2). There were no associations among year of publication (p =.62), federal funding (p =.30), and inclusion of women. Among the studies including women, heart disease was the most frequent topic (n = 52), followed by Alzheimer's disease (n = 21), cancer (n = 14), respiratory illness (n = 14), and diabetes (n = 8). DISCUSSION: Although the majority of the research included women, continuing efforts must be made to include sufficient numbers of women.
Adult↗
Targeted group advising.
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Attitude of Health Personnel↗
An innovative strategy to enhance new faculty success.
Faculty stress is a factor in the current shortage of nursing faculty. New faculty members in schools of nursing are subject to stress from many sources. This article reports on an innovative strategy that decreases stress for new faculty while facilitating faculty tenure success.
Attitude of Health Personnel↗