Literature Review

36 hospitals, health systems cutting jobs Becker's Hospital CFO Report; by Kelly Gooch; updated 6/21/24 A number of hospitals and health systems are reducing their workforces or jobs due to financial and operational challenges. Below are workforce reduction efforts or job eliminations announced this year.  June:

AFT launches new union physicians’ organizing effort: Doctors across the country are joining together for rights and respect American Federation of Teachers; by Alexis Lopez; 6/18/24  AFT President Randi Weingarten announced the launch of a brand-new doctors’ organizing initiative and division: Union Physicians of AFT. Doctors across the country are faced with crippling burnout from administrative overload, frustration over financial barriers affecting their patients’ capacity to pay, and lack of respect from corporate owners who put profits over patients—and now they’re organizing with the AFT to fight back. ... These challenges are apparent across the healthcare sector, but less than 10 percent of all U.S. doctors have formed unions. The tide is rapidly turning. ... The ranks of AFT’s physicians have already grown at an unprecedented rate—with over 3,200 new members, from New York to Oregon, joining the union over the last year. The AFT is the fastest growing healthcare union and the second-largest nurses union in the U.S.

NIH: Hot weather safety for older adults OSHA: Heat - Working in outdoor and indoor heat environmentsOSHA - Occupational Safety and Health Administration; retrieved from their website 6/18/24 

Interim HealthCare Inc. recognized on Forbes list: America’s Best Employers for New Grads 2024 Morningstar; by Business Wire; 6/13/24 Interim HealthCare Inc. ... is recognized as one of the best places to work for recent college graduates on the Forbes America’s Best Employers For New Grads 2024 list. ... For the America’s Best Employers For New Grads list, more than 100,000 professionals with 10 or fewer years of work experience were surveyed at companies with 1,000 or more employees in the United States. The young professionals responded to questions about compensation, benefits, advancement opportunities, working conditions, flexibility, company image, and inclusion, along with whether they would recommend the employer to others. This award is presented by Forbes and Statista Inc.

The value of a DNP degree: Translating your knowledge into nursing practice Delaware State Nurses Association; by Karen L. Pickard, DNP, RN, CNE, NEA-BC; 6/13/24The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree has gained traction in the United States over the last twenty-two years. Nurses who specialized in clinical practice and held an advanced practice license supported the development of the DNP degree as an alternative to a terminal degree specialized in research science and academia, the Ph.D. ... Having a broader perspective related to the business of healthcare while understanding the clinical challenges nurses face at the bedside gives a DNP-prepared nurse opportunities to present information and solutions through a different lens. Opportunities on boards, advisory committees, and professional organizations have become vast, ...Editorial Note: Does your organization have DNP professionals whose skills you are under-utilizing? Do you have talented, motivated nurses who would benefit from a DNP career ladder plan? Share this article. What career ladder options and support do your Human Resources systems provide?

Union ratifies RN contract with Ascension Genesys WNEM-TV5, Genessee Co., Mich; by Hannah Mose; 6/5/24 The union representing the registered nurses (RNs) at Ascension Genesys Hospital announced the tentative agreement between the union and the hospital has been ratified. On May 20, Teamsters Local 322 president Dan Glass said there had been months of failed negotiations between the union and the hospital, and if there wasn’t an agreement made by May 24, the union would strike. However, on May 22, Teamsters Local 322 said a tentative agreement had been reached between the union and the hospital.

Man killed elderly parents, partner and himself in murder-suicide at SW Miami-Dade home NBC 6 South Florida; by Laura Rodriguez; 6/3/24A man shot and killed his elderly parents and partner before turning the gun on himself in a murder-suicide at a home in southwest Miami-Dade Sunday, police and family members said. According to police, [Jesus] Regueira [Jr.] shot and killed his parents, 83-year-old Jesus Regueira Sr. and 84-year-old Mercedes Morato, 61-year-old Kyrsten Stahre, who police identified as his girlfriend but family members said was his wife, before turning the gun on himself. ... The bodies were first discovered by family friend Joanna Cruz, whose mother was bringing food to Morato, who was under hospice care. ... “I think the problem was his mom had a severe stroke and she was in hospice and his mom was his life. Because someone had said that he wasn’t handling it well. The mom was there, but she had hospice coming in. His mom was his favorite person in the world. I don't know about the dad but I just know that’s probably what happened," Carol Miloch said. Editor's Note: Workplace violence in healthcare settings continues to rise, and to be a leading cause for nurse unionization and strikes.

Should all healthcare workers take the Hippocratic Oath? Becker's Hospital Review; Madeline Ashley; 5/29/24 As private equity expands across the healthcare industry and proper patient care is brought into question, Don Berwick, MD, a Harvard Medical School health policy lecturer in Boston and former CMS administrator during the Obama administration, called for an extended Hippocratic Oath for all who work in healthcare. During an April 3 senate hearing in Boston, titled, "When Health Care Becomes Wealth Care: How Corporate Greed Puts Patient Care and Health Workers at Risk," Dr. Berwick spoke passionately about how patient needs have been put on the backburner, but should be the No. 1 priority in healthcare.

St. Vincent Hospital nurses and the MNA file fifth in series of complaints with state and federal agencies about dangerous patient care conditions that continue to compromise the care and safety of patients admitted to the Worcester-based facility Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA); 5/29/24 As patient care conditions continue to deteriorate at St. Vincent Hospital, the registered nurses and the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) have filed yet another round of complaints to state and federal agencies seeking immediate intervention to protect patients and staff, a situation so dire the complaints include a direct appeal to the Department of Public Health to assign onsite inspectors on a daily basis to ensure hospital administration is providing the resources needed to ensure the safety of all concerned. In fact, the nurses report that DPH has recently been at the hospital investigating yet another serious patient safety incident. Editor's Note: As reported in numerous articles in our newsletter, patient safety and workplace violence/safety issues continue to be key causes for healthcare professional resignations, unionizations, and strikes (ie., nurses and/or physicians). It's time to review your organization's patient safety and workplace violence Policies and Procedures, staff and volunteer trainings, caregiver resources to ensure patient safety in the home, topics like "Abuse and Neglect," and your community's data on workplace safety concerns and community response resources.

22 top hospitals and systems, 15K+ open jobs Becker's Hospital Review; by Kelly Gooch; 5/24/24 Hospitals and health systems continue to grapple with workforce challenges, including recruiting top talent in a competitive environment. Below are the number of job openings at hospitals and health systems that are among those named to the U.S. News & World Report's 2023-24 Best Hospitals Honor Roll.  ... The numbers are from job boards as of May 24. [Click on the title's link for this list.]

Three ways to communicate with Gen-Z—and why it’s importantForbes; by Clarissa Windham-Bradstock; 5/28/24"It’s not what you said, it’s how you said it!" ... Gen-Z (born 1996-2015) is leading the charge on this one, according to a new Gallup survey. ... They want to hear full transparency. ... How to Speak Gen-Z: ...

Nurse charged with stealing pills while taking care of hospice patient Fox56; by Emily Cherkauskas; 5/22/24Pennsylvania State Police say a registered nurse stole hundreds of prescription pills while taking care of a hospice patient. According to Pennsylvania State Police, on Feb. 12, troopers were contacted by the director of operations at the Amedisys Home Health / Hospice Care. Troopers were told that Registered Nurse Ashley Laura Miller, 36, of Mohrsville, had become a suspect in the theft and diversion of Oxycodone and Ativan prescriptions. ... [Upon] the passing of the patient, an additional nurse noted that 200 Oxycodone and 30 Ativan pills were missing from the narcotics count. ... On Wednesday, May 22, Miller was arraigned with bail set at $5000.