Identifying and exploring resistance to the registered nursing associate role

Ruari Cassidy discusses factors that affect cohesion and acceptance of new roles in the healthcare workplace, in the context of the registered nursing associate role.

Knowledge and Practices on Risk Factors and Prevention of Varicose Vein among Operation Room Nurses of the Selected Hospitals

Lower-limb varicose veins (VVs) are frequent, and they're known to be more common in persons who work in jobs that require a lot of standing. Because nursing demands physical labour and lengthy periods of standing, women in this profession are at a higher risk of getting varicose veins. The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge and practices on risk factors and prevention of varicose vein among operation room nurses of the selected hospitals. A cross-sectional research design was used among registered nursing staff working in operation rooms of the selected hospitals. The convenient sampling technique was used to select fifty nurses. A structured pre-tested, validated tool was developed by the investigators to collect data from the nurses which include demographic as well as knowledge and practice variables of varicose veins. The findings of the present study show that 26% of nurses had inadequate knowledge and 14% of operation room nurses had poor practices. Also, there was a positive correlation between the knowledge and practice of nurses (r = 0.71). There was significant association for practice skills score with education and years of experience at p=0.05. The study concludes that to prevent occupational hazards in nursing, periodic health education and health promotion initiatives must be implemented.

Risks of COVID-19 by occupation in NHS workers in England

ObjectiveTo quantify occupational risks of COVID-19 among healthcare staff during the first wave (9 March 2020–31 July 2020) of the pandemic in England.MethodsWe used pseudonymised data on 902 813 individuals employed by 191 National Health Service trusts to explore demographic and occupational risk factors for sickness absence ascribed to COVID-19 (n=92 880). We estimated ORs by multivariable logistic regression.ResultsWith adjustment for employing trust, demographic characteristics and previous frequency of sickness absence, risk relative to administrative/clerical occupations was highest in ‘additional clinical services’ (care assistants and other occupations directly supporting those in clinical roles) (OR 2.31 (2.25 to 2.37)), registered nursing and midwifery professionals (OR 2.28 (2.23 to 2.34)) and allied health professionals (OR 1.94 (1.88 to 2.01)) and intermediate in doctors and dentists (OR 1.55 (1.50 to 1.61)). Differences in risk were higher after the employing trust had started to care for documented patients with COVID-19, and were reduced, but not eliminated, following additional adjustment for exposure to infected patients or materials, assessed by a job-exposure matrix. For prolonged COVID-19 sickness absence (episodes lasting >14 days), the variation in risk by staff group was somewhat greater.ConclusionsAfter allowance for possible bias and confounding by non-occupational exposures, we estimated that relative risks for COVID-19 among most patient-facing occupations were between 1.5 and 2.5. The highest risks were in those working in additional clinical services, nursing and midwifery and in allied health professions. Better protective measures for these staff groups should be a priority. COVID-19 may meet criteria for compensation as an occupational disease in some healthcare occupations.Trial registration numberISRCTN36352994.

Assessing the Job Satisfaction of Registered Nurses Using Sentiment Analysis and Clustering Analysis

Job satisfaction is a critical component of the professional work environment and is often ascertained through surveys that include structured or open-ended questions. Using data from 24,543 respondents to California Board of Registered Nursing biennial surveys, this study examines the job satisfaction of registered nurses (RNs) by applying clustering analysis to structured job satisfaction items and sentiment analysis to free-text comments. The clustering analysis identified three job satisfaction groups (low, medium, and high satisfaction). Sentiment analysis scores were significantly associated with the job satisfaction groups in both bivariate and multivariate analyses. Differences between the job satisfaction clusters were mostly driven by satisfaction with workload, adequacy of the clerical support services, adequacy of the number of RN staff, and skills of RN colleagues. In addition, there was dispersion in satisfaction related to involvement in management and policy decisions, recognition for a job well done, and opportunities for professional development.

The Effect of Electronic Medical Records on Nurses’ Job Satisfaction: A Multi-Year Analysis

To measure nurses’ rankings of their electronic medical records (EMRs) on their job satisfaction over time, a retrospective analysis of a set of cross sectional data from a survey conducted by the United States’ California Registered Nursing Board in 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016. Approximately 4,500 nurses ranked the usefulness of their EMRs in each of the five years.The EMR rankings increased steadily between 2008 and 2016 but the changes are small and the rates of change are very slow, suggesting that the problems with EMRs have been difficult to solve. The results show EMRs have a large impact: a one category increase in EMR rankings increased job satisfaction by as much as or slightly more than one-third for hospital and non-hospital nurses.The size of the effects and their persistence over eight years imply a substantial loss from poorly designed EMRs, and one which could have been avoided had EMR designs more closely matched nurses’ day to day work. The reductions in job satisfaction and potential effects on burnout are losses to be added to the more widely measured losses in productivity and negative effects of EMRs on patient-provider relationships.

A Qualitative Study of Nursing Student and Faculty Perceptions of Attrition

Institutions of higher learning struggle to supply enough Registered Nursing Professionals to meet demands in today’s healthcare environment. Hundreds of thousands of students are accepted into nursing programs each year, though many fall short of program completion. High attrition and low retention in registered nursing programs is a problem. The purpose of this qualitative study was to evaluate attrition and retention of registered nursing students over a four-year period at a Technical College in Georgia to determine factors impacting successful completion of the Associate of Science in Nursing Program (ASN). It further proposed to identify possible solutions to reduce attrition among nursing students. This study analyzed nursing student and nursing faculty perceptions on the causes of high attrition and low retention and perceived solutions to attrition rates. This study provides insight in the development of steps to decrease attrition in registered nursing programs, and other higher education programs of study.