Monday | April 10, 2023

Healthcare starts with you. This is your beat.

☀️ Good Morning, readers!

Tomorrow The Nursing Beat (TNB) team heads over to Fort Lauderdale to co-host an event with our friends at connectRN at the Sparrow Rooftop. In partnership with Beekman 1802, Care+Wear, Gales, Eko, and Lyft Healthcare, connectRN has carefully curated a networking event where nurses can come to connect and learn. The event is this Thursday from 6-9 PM EST. If you are interested in attending, RSVP here. We are so excited to be there and meet you! 

Stay safe. Be healthy. Be kind. 

Tamara AL-Yassin (aka Nurse T)

CEO | The Nursing Beat

MORNING BRIEF 🍳 ☕️

What the Texas Judge’s Mifepristone Ruling Means for Abortion Access

As you’ve likely heard by now, Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of the Northern District of Texas suspended the US Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone last Friday. An outspoken critic of abortion, Kacsmaryk is giving the federal government seven days to appeal his decision before his ruling goes into effect. For now, however, medication abortion access remains unchanged. In addition, in a separate case in Washington State, federal judge Thomas 

Rice blocked the FDA from taking any action that would make mifepristone less available on Friday. This potentially accelerates the mifepristone issue’s path to the US Supreme Court. 

Even if the drug is ultimately banned, medication abortion with misoprostol alone would still be legal. Though not FDA-approved, this abortion method is commonly used in other countries and backed by the World Health Organization. International studies show a success rate of 95% to 99% for misoprostol-only abortion.

Patients Getting Hit With High Hospital Fees for Telehealth Visits

One would expect that telehealth consultations are much cheaper than in-person visits. But some patients are finding that they’re still getting hit with charges you’d only expect for doctor’s office visits. These unexpected “facility fees” cover costs associated with being seen in a hospital, such as equipment, medical records, and support staff. In effect, hospitals charge more than independent clinics for the same services. According to KHN, one driving factor in these fees is consolidation, when larger hospital systems acquire smaller physician clinics. Research suggests that physician service prices increase after hospital acquisition, as does billing for laboratory tests and imaging. 

Some states are moving to limit or ban facility fees or already have. These include Connecticut, Colorado, Indiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Ohio, Texas, and Washington.

Nurse Sues After Being Terminated from Exeter Hospital 

Registered nurse Melissa Tripp is suing Exeter Hospital over what she claims is wrongful termination. Tripp, who began working for Exeter in 2019, refused the flu vaccine and supposedly received a religious exemption. In 2020, Exeter Hospital wanted to know the nature of Tripp’s religious objection and ultimately denied the exemption and terminated her.

The hospital wanted Tripp to fill out a form to review her exemption to determine if it’s “firmly held and sincere.” Tripp says she believes in keeping her body as “pure as possible” and objects to fetal tissue (fetal cells are not used to make the flu vaccine), canine kidney cells, additional chemicals, and vaccine additives. It’s unclear how she feels about other vaccines or putting disease-fighting medications in her body. She is suing for religious discrimination and retaliation, the hospital’s failure to accommodate her religious beliefs, and wrongful discharge.

COMMUNITY PICKS 🌼 

The next class of student nurses will graduate in just a few short weeks. What better way to congratulate your preceptee than by gifting a pack of badge reference cards to help them stay sharp?

🧑‍💻 THAT REMOTE LIFE powered by

Do I Need a Remote Nursing Certification?

For bedside and aspiring remote nurses alike, many struggle with feeling inadequate when applying for a new job.

• Do I have enough experience?

• Will my resume look good enough?

• Will I stand out compared to other candidates?

To avert uncomfortable feelings of self-doubt, you might ask the popular question: Should I get a nursing certification? For remote nurses, certification is optional, but there are some things you should know. Certifications may:

• Demonstrate experience

• Show commitment to your field of expertise

• Indicate you need less training than a typical new hire

Even though the prospect of a remote nursing job may have you feeling rushed to get a certification so you can stand out, consider the cost-benefit analysis of the course you have in mind. Check out the full article here.

Ready to find your remote nursing role? Nurse Fern caters to remote job postings to nurses leaving the bedside. Check out our daily remote nurse job postings on Nurse Fern.

DAILY DIVERSION 💊

Canadian chocolatier Purdys has brought Easter joy to the children at Lions Gate Hospital. Purdy installed a dozen 2D Easter eggs, some up to 5 feet tall, in North Vancouver and gave the children’s ward residents each an Eastern gift box with binoculars. In addition, the children received a real Purdys chocolate egg for each Easter egg they found outside!

🤯 ONE BIG NUMBER

Thanks for reading! 🤓