Friday | March 31, 2023

Healthcare starts with you. This is your beat.

☀️ Happy FriYAY TNB fam! 

This week we had another Nursing Beat post go viral with over 650K views! In New Jersey, nurses are demanding the mandate of safe nurse-to-patient ratios. Thousands of followers have left comments on our post highlighting the immeasurable pressure that nurses face with expectations to do too much with few resources. 

There have been many moments in my career where I was left at the end of my shift thinking, is this worth it? Is it worth losing my license to try and patch a broken system? The sad part is that most of us want to be good team players. We want to do the right thing, yet we are stuck in a cycle that prevents us from being the best we can be, and over time our will to do better degrades. What amplified issue is going on in your state or hospital system? Email us at Hello@TheNursingBeat.com and let us know!

Stay safe. Be healthy. Be kind. 

Tamara AL-Yassin (aka Nurse T)

CEO | The Nursing Beat

TODAY ON TNB'S BLOG:
RELATIONAL VERSUS TRANSACTIONAL JOB SEARCH

MORNING BRIEF 🍳 ☕️

New York Bill Will Further Recognize Value of Nursing Simulations

Like all other states, New York faces a severe nursing shortage. But you can’t hire more nurses if those nurses aren’t available. So a new NY bill is looking to speed up the process of getting new nurses into the field. It will allow nursing students to substitute simulation lab experience for up to 30% of their clinical training. This will, in theory, enable future nurses to qualify for the national nursing license exam sooner. 

Western New York nursing schools lobbied for the bill, arguing that the labs often provide more hands-on training and decision-making opportunities than clinical rotations. This is because many of those rotations consist largely of observations. The bill has passed the state Assembly and is now headed to New York governor Kathy Hochul to sign. 

Chronic Stress Is Causing “Weathering” in Marginalized People

It’s well known that racial health disparities exist. Native American, Black, and Hispanic people have lost more years in life expectancy and have worse health outcomes than white people. But these disparities may not just be due to genetics, diet, and exercise, as is often believed, according to researcher Arline Geronimus. Rather, the chronic stress from poverty and discrimination that marginalized people suffer damages their bodies at the cellular level. It causes “weathering” — the wearing down of your bodily systems, making you chronologically old at a young age. 

The theory is not new. Geronimus first introduced the idea in the 1990s but faced criticism. However, she’s now garnering more support. Check out her interview with NPR to learn how weathering can arise from stress, why the stress low-income people face is not the same as higher earners, and how social mobility for marginalized people doesn’t mean less stress. 

Connecticut Will Pay for $200K Audit of Stone Academy Nursing Students

In February, the three Stone Academy nursing campuses in Connecticut abruptly shuttered their doors amid controversy over the validity of its coursework. Students since then have been waiting in limbo to find out if their credits would transfer to other schools. In addition, the state has demanded, to no avail, that the academy pay the $200,000 to audit the academy’s records. 

But the state’s Office of Higher Education has now caved and agreed to pay for the audit. Before Stone Academy closed, questions arose about its examination passage rates (10% below what’s necessary), faculty qualifications (alleging that 20% of the school’s instructors were not qualified to teach), and clinical training. Students have been justifiably angry as they wait for the audit to see if their credits are valid. News of the state’s decision to pay came shortly after students protested outside of the Department of Education.

COMMUNITY PICKS 🌼 

As nurses, some days, all of our meals revolve around snacks. One of our favorite snacks here at TNB is popcorn. Check out this popcorn maker that has gone viral and these tasty seasonings to add a little extra oomph!

💸 FINANCE FRIDAY powered by

Couples Managing Money

Relationships with a nurse can be difficult! However, managing money with your partner doesn’t need to be! One study showed 78% of couples who talk about money regularly report a higher level of happiness. Here are a few tips to get you started talking about money with your partner:

1. Financial Check-Up: Explore each other’s assets and liabilities. Assets include current investments, real estate, or business ownership. 

2. Review Goals: Discuss each other’s short-term and long-term goals. These could include vacations, marriage, preferred work schedules, early retirement, charity, and more.

3. Money Dates: This is the most important and should be held monthly! Be creative and have fun with these. They could include more checkups, goal reviews, budget planning, spending challenges, etc. 

Download this guide and complete it together on a money date! Then, follow along for more money tips!

"THE BEAT" WITH NURSE KEL

🎶The Tempo🎶

🎵The Backbeat🎵

🏋️The Workout🏋️

🎧Podcast of the Week🎧

DAILY DIVERSION 💊

Tax Day is quickly approaching! If you’re not seeing an accountant, you may now be on the search for the best and cheapest online services to do your taxes. Don’t panic! There are tons of deals and discounts available for these services, as well as for some eateries for comfort food. Check out the list here!

🤯 ONE BIG NUMBER

Thanks for reading! 🤓