Recent events leading to the transmission of the Ebola virus from a patient to two critical care nurses punctuate the importance of the vital partnership that must be diligently fostered between our bedside clinicians, nursing leadership and hospital administrators. Read the joint statement from the American Organization of Nurse Executives, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, and Emergency Nurses Association.
SOURCE: AONE READINESS ADVISORY

By Katie Sullivan
Amid debates about the nursing shortage, changes to nurses' scope of practice and educational requirements, only one thing is certain--the future of nursing remains in flux. FierceHealthcare talks exclusively with Beverly Malone, Ph.D., R.N., CEO of the National League for Nursing, about the issues, expectations and challenges nurses of the future will face.
SOURCE: FIERCE HEALTHCARE

By David L. Knowlton
Nurses truly run the front lines of hospitals. Their leadership oversees every hospital quality initiative essential to improving care—from reducing hospital-acquired infections, to cutting unnecessary readmissions, to preventing patient falls. Poor scores in these quality measures now result in government penalties that can hit hospitals hard. So why is the highest level of hospital leadership in our nation nearly devoid of nurses?
SOURCE: THE HUMAN CAPITAL BLOG FROM THE ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION

The American Organization of Nurse Executives is maintaining a webpage with news, recordings of informative conference calls with CDC and HHS, and useful links.
SOURCE: AONE READINESS ADVISORY

By Sunny G. Hallowell, PhD, APRN and Danielle Altares Sarik, MSN, APRN
Many Americans may not know that children born in the U.S. are less likely to survive to their fifth birthday than children born in other high-income peer countries. As a country, we can do more to ensure the health of our youngest and most vulnerable population. Using nurses and nurse practitioners to the highest level of their education and training is one strategy.
SOURCE: THE HUMAN CAPITAL BLOG FROM THE ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION

In the last 15 years, the availability of high-fidelity simulation has slowly begun to transform the clinical education of the nation’s nursing students. Schools that once relied on the combination of classroom education and hands-on experience in a clinical environment began to mix in time in a simulation lab, where nursing students could work with highly sophisticated mannequins able to display a range of symptoms and react in real-time to treatment.
SOURCE: THE HUMAN CAPITAL BLOG FROM THE ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION

In 2010, Texas Nurses Association created a Health Information Technology (HIT) Task Force, and in concert with TONE, appointed members from each organization to serve. The task force builds on the work of the national Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform (TIGER) initiative to use informatics in nursing practice and education to improve patient care.

You can see the PowerPoint presentation about HIT and access other materials about the program by clicking on "Learn More..." below.

This program is suited for nurses as well as other healthcare professionals interested in an informatics career and expanding their expertise. 50-seat maximum — reserve your seat now!
Jointly hosted by the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing, Seton Healthcare Family, the University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing, and the University of Texas at Austin Health Informatics and Health IT Program.

By Rick Pollak
With an election in November, Congress will not get much work done this fall. With that in mind, the American Hospital Association is laying the groundwork now to ensure that hospitals’ concerns are front and center when Congress is ready to act. Specifically, we’re working in four areas: Health care regulation, vulnerable populations, rural health, and Medicare and Medicaid funding.
SOURCE: HOSPITALS & HEALTH NETWORKS

Remember, you can access TONE benefits only if you keep your membership up to date. Now is the time to renew!

The American Hospital Association, American Medical Association and American Nurses Association today expressed solidarity and stressed collaboration in the fight against Ebola. "As our nation’s strategy to address the Ebola virus continues to evolve, hospitals and their partners in nursing and medicine are coming together to emphasize that a solution-oriented, collaborative approach to Ebola preparedness is essential to effectively manage care of Ebola patients in the U.S.," the groups said in a joint statement.
SOURCE: AHA NEWS NOW

By Linda H. Aiken, PhD, RN, FAAN and Olga Yakusheva, PhD
The Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) landmark report was remarkable in multiple respects including the interdisciplinary perspectives, its breadth and scope, its actionable recommendations, and the commitment of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to provide philanthropic funds to help implement the recommendations. One net result of the IOM Report, as viewed on the 4th anniversary of its release, is its notable impact on the commitment of stakeholders to finally make the transition of the nation’s nurse workforce to BSN qualifications, after many decades of limited progress.
SOURCE: HUMAN CAPITAL BLOG FROM THE ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION