Some fortunate first-time moms are getting the help of what may feel like a “professional mom” in Public Health Nurses working within the Nurse-Family Partnership Program. NFP is a non-profit community partnership that provides first-time moms with the support of home visitations by a Registered Nurse. This nurse will visit with the mother from pregnancy until the child is two years old and provide support, education and counseling on health, behavioral and self-sufficiency issues.

The program was implemented in Humboldt County, California a year ago and participants are saying being involved has made them feel more secure and confident about parenting. Nationally, mothers who have participated are experiencing better prenatal health and returning to the workforce sooner. And their children are experiencing fewer injuries and improved readiness for kindergarten.

The Nurse-Family Partnership focuses on low-income, first-time mothers – a vulnerable segment of the population, which often has limited good parenting role models. Indeed, the average age of participants is 19 and most (88 percent) are unmarried and living with a median household income of $13,500.

The Nurse-Family Partnership has been in play for more than 30 years and results show the program prevents child abuse and neglect and provides a significant return on investment both locally and nationally.

According to NFP, for every dollar invested in the program, a community can see up to a $5 return. A 2009 analysis conducted by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE), showed the federal government actually saved more money than what it spent on the program because NFP services resulted in lower enrollment in Medicaid and food stamps.

Additionally, three NFP controlled program trials showed:
• 48 percent reduction in child abuse and neglect
• 59 percent reduction in arrests among children
• 72 Percent fewer convictions of mothers
• 56 percent reduction in emergency room visits for accidents and poisonings
• 67 percent reduction in behavioral and intellectual problems among children

“Some of our first babies are turning one year old and truly cruising into toddler hood,” said Kathryn O’Malley, supervising Public Health nurse for Humboldt County. “While we are still in the early stages of program implementation, our first-time parents have experienced numerous positive life changes.”

Nurse-Family Partnership programs are available in 385 counties in 32 states serving 21,494 families. If you are interested in the relational aspect of nursing, a career as a Public Health Nurse in a program like the NFP might be for you. Ideal candidates should have their RN with experience in pediatrics, maternal health, behavioral health or another related field.

It’s hard to put a price tag on ethics and very few of us can tout degrees on the subject, but we know it’s important to be “ethical” and we want to be seen as such by our employers or prospective employers. We know they notice and appreciate employees who demonstrate the ability to make good choices even in tough situations.

Yet it is increasingly difficult to define ethics, especially for healthcare professionals, when what is considered “the right thing” may be different depending on who you talk to – patients, peers, hospitals, clinics. But here are a few descriptors most would agree on: Honesty, integrity, carefulness, confidentiality, respect, non-discrimination, competence, legality and patient protection.

Most of us think these are no-brainers. We were raised on the “Golden Rule”, right? But start scanning healthcare headlines – the not so pretty ones – and ask yourself, “What would I do in that situation?” What at first glance may seem simple gets more complex when you put yourself in someone else’s shoes. For all that I was taught growing up and all that I believe, I’m not sure I would do right by everyone, including myself, if something unusual and unforeseen occurred.

That’s why I’m so impressed with the American Nursing Association’s continuing efforts to promote workplace ethics for. If you haven’t yet attended one of their ethics conferences, consider this the year. Enrollment is still open for the 2011 National Nursing Ethics Conference March 24-25 in Universal City, California.

The conference is open to Clinical Nurses, Nurse Administrators and Managers, Nurse Educators, Advanced Practice Nurses and Social Workers. While the definition of ethics could be debated forever there is a Code of Ethics for Nursing and this conference will give you a chance to review, discuss and dissect it with your peers. According to the American Nurses Association you will also “gain valuable information on how to balance your values and the values of the profession with appropriate goals of care, limited resources and professional responsibility and advocacy.”

There are 6 clearly defined topics/objectives that will be covered at the conference including advocacy, leadership practices and ways to incorporate self-care strategies. I very much appreciate that last one as it is very easy to neglect one-self when trying to do right by others.

This should be an intriguing and informative event that will add to your tool belt as you strive to be a valuable asset to your employer while being true to your morals, values and beliefs.

Planning to attend? Attended in the past? Tell us more in the comments section below.

I have only recently begun to comprehend the full scope of the burdens facing the future of healthcare in America including the large boomer generation with its complex medical needs, the high volume of new patients who will seek care under the new Affordable Care Act (ACA), and the continuing physician shortage as more and more doctors retire.

 In October, the Institute of Medicine issued a report entitled “The Future of Nursing, Leading Change, Advancing Health,” a detailed look at the way nurses can help alleviate these burdens and improve healthcare with shifts in their roles, responsibilities and education.

“Transforming the nursing profession is a crucial element to achieving the nation’s vision of an effective, affordable health care system that is accessible and responsive to all,” said committee vice chair Linda Burnes Bolten, Vice President for Nursing, Chief Nursing Officer and Director of Nursing Research, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles. Welcoming nurses to the table to advance discussions on healthcare reform makes a lot of sense considering there are over 3 million nurses in the country (comprising the single largest segment of the healthcare workforce) and they spend the greatest amount of time delivering patient care.

The study outlines in detail the kinds of changes that need to take place within the nursing profession before nurses can have an impact on the bigger picture. The committee hopes to see the following changes (and more) in years to come:

• An increase in the number of nurses with a 4-year degree from 50% to 80%.
• Double the number of nurses who pursue doctorates.
• Implementation of residency training.
• Removal of scope of practice barriers by state, federal and health care organizations.
• More organizations providing nurses with leadership training opportunities.
• More nurses participating in management teams, boards and other groups shaping health care policy and practice.

The report is a comprehensive 600-page document based on the committee’s research of scientific literature on the nursing profession as well as public forums held by the committee to gather insights and evidence from a wide range of experts.  The committee is meeting again this week to begin brainstorming ways to implement their recommendations.

Nurses are a large group of unsung medical heroes who may finally have their day as they step into new roles of influence and leadership at this major turning point in healthcare history.

As you’re all aware by now, job hunting today is a much more complex endeavor than ever before. Let’s review what we’ve learned about job hunting over the past several months. Here are some of the things you need to be doing to be competitive in today’s job marketplace:

1. Join both real world and virtual groups for networking and support.

2. Enlist the help of a mentor or career counselor.

3. Stay on top of current and emerging trends by reading industry-specific magazines and blogs regularly.

4. Attend classes and workshops whenever possible.

5. Keep your resume up-to-date.

6. Be intentional about improving your personal character.

And finally, Google yourself to see what comes up! That’s right. I “googled” myself several years ago and was only listed 3 times in very obscure articles and websites. Totally harmless. Now my name is all over the place and some of the information is outdated and incorrect. Fortunately, there is nothing embarrassing or incriminating. More and more companies are requiring their HR people to research job candidates online, and though it may seem a violation of our privacy and our rights, the things they’re finding could affect your ability to get or keep a job.

Remember:

• If you are on social sites like Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, make sure your profile pictures and biographical information are correct and current. If you have questionable photos, posts or friends, remove them. If your pages contain things you wouldn’t want your kids or your mom to see, you definitely don’t want it there for employers to see!
• Ask current or former co-workers and supervisors to provide recommendations on LinkedIn.
• If you find your online reputation to be seriously troubling you may want to enroll the help of a reputation management company like ReputationDefender.

Still think all of this stuff is just a passing fad that will go away with time and have no real impact on the way we do business/ Consider this: The Library of Congress will be acquiring and permanently storing the entire archive of public Twitter posts since 2006. It’s not going away!

We are pleased to introduce New York-Presbyterian Hospital as a new Featured Employer here at Hospital Dream Jobs. NewYork-Presbyterian has extremely high levels of both employee and patient satisfaction scores. They maintain these scores while serving over 2 million patients a year.

They are the largest not-for-profit academic medical center in the nation and last month, they received the prestigious ranking of #6 in America’s Best Hospitals list by U.S. News & World Report.

To help job seekers learn more about their culture, career areas and upcoming events, NewYork-Presbyterian has created a new career website. This site offers a wealth of information and gives job seekers an opportunity to hear first-hand stories from hospital employees.

Edy, a Clinical Laboratory Chief Technologist, says that the people she works with are truly quality people, focused on patients. On her video, she shares that one Friday evening, an Oncologist approached her with a baby’s bone marrow aspirate in hand. “I need to treat this patient today,” he said. The Oncologist, Pathologist and Edy sat side-by-side to run the needed tests far into the evening so that the baby could receive care that night. “I’m a mother.” She says, “And that baby is someone’s loved one.”

Marisol, a Physician’s Assistant in the surgical department agrees. “The teamwork is amazing.” She thrives on connecting with her co-workers and also enjoys the annual Employee Recognition Day. “The care here, for all people, is outstanding.” She says, “The best compliment is when a patient tells me that they are comfortable and happy. They also like that I can speak Spanish. And everyone that I work with here is so very compassionate and caring. It makes a big difference for me.”

In spite of high unemployment rates and budget cuts at medical centers nationwide, NewYork-Presbyterian continues to hire and support employee benefits and programs. In 2009, the hospital hired 1,918 new employees, including 658 new nurses, and they expect to hire more than 1,900 employees this year. It’s obvious that they value their team members, patients and quality care.

Search for current job openings at NewYork-Presbyterian.