[nursinghumor]

11/8/04: Texas: Nursing Shortage Isn't Due To Lack Of Students:The good news is that more people than ever are interested in nursing careers. The bad news is that not enough students are graduating each year to fill the job vacancies.
A shortage of one million nurses is expected in the United States over the next 10 to 20 years. Besides a lack of enough nursing teachers, one reason for the shortage is the difference in patients."
http://www.ktre.com/Global/story.asp...p;nav=2FH5Su83

I'm glad to see at least some coverage of the nursing faculty shortage.

They can throw all the money they want at building new schools, sign-on bonuses and perks. It won't make a dent in the problem if we can't start accepting and graduating nurses at 100% capacity real soon.

Andrew Lopez, RN
http://www.4nursing.com

[udali]

I am a Texas nurse and I have become a traveler because I don't like working in Texas Hospital, overall. I have worked in 10 states and I have been treated with less respect by doctors in Texas and in Maine. I have been treated with most respect by nurses and doctors in Nebraska, Tennessee and Arizona, Virginia and Connecticut were great too. I have to work in Texas occasionally to keep my residency, but I don't often enjoy the experience.

[nursinghumor]

My first job in Nursing was down in Laredo, Texas a small mexican bordertown. Nursing conditions are obviously not the best in the outskirts of Texas where no one wants to work.

In places like Houston, San Antonio, Austin and cities a bit closer to civilization, I would have been quite happy. Depends on the person how much job satisfaction, respect they perceive that they get.

Doesn't matter what state you go to, you'll hear the same overall complaints from nurses if you talk to enough of them.

Every US state has a shortage and it's just a matter of time before it becomes severe in all of them.

Andrew Lopez, RN
http://www.nursinghumor.com

[1mg.epi]

I like the Johnson and Johnson commercial about the pride of being a nurse. I always feel good about the advertisement and would think it would bring in "qualified" people.

I have seen here in Arkansas the nursing programs not enrolling more people into the programs due to lack of teachers. They want many teachers to have or be working on a masters degree. Then they pay CRAP for teaching. Some how we need to get more teachers.

[Randy, RN]

And it seems we are licensing some folks who might be dubious...this is kind of shocking.



Longview News-Journal, Monday, December 27, 2004
Study: Scores of Texas nurses are felons, INCLUDING REGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS

AUSTIN (AP) — Scores of licensed nurses in Texas are convicted drug and sex offenders, and some of them are working in violation of state law, a newspaper investigation has found.

An analysis by The Dallas Morning News found that 57 licensed Texas nurses are felony sex offenders, including 31 who are listed in the stare sex offender registry. About 140 nurses have &felony drug records, and about half of them hold current nursing licenses.

In one case, teacher Shellie Jorden was sentenced to five years deferred adjudication for fondling one of his fifth-graders in San Antonio. Authorities recommended he no longer teach kids, and the state revoked his teaching license.

But, no one restricted the vocational nursing license he also held, Jorden, registered as a sex offender, successfully completed his community supervision mid returned to nursing.

Now, at the community health clinic where he works, Jorden spends about half his time working with young children seeking immunizations, He said he understands concern about whether he should be working as a nurse. ‘‘I can see your point,” he said, But, he added,, “all it was, was an allegation.” He said he pleaded guilty because “that was the best thing for me at the time, It’s not actually that I’d done anything or harmed a child.”

However, the mother of Jorden’s victim said she is outraged he is working with children again, ‘this man has no business being around any children, period,” she said.
Katherine Thomas, is the Executive Director of the Texas Board of Nurse Examiners. A newspaper report has found that scores of licensed nurses in Texas have felony records. Thomas said the board would like the opportunity to investigate the allegations.

There are about 500,000 licensed nurses in Texas. About half of the licenses are current.
Many of the rest have lapsed but could be activated easily if the nurse pays a fee or enrolls in professional coursework.
Texas prohibits felony offenders from working as nurses if they have gone to prison, The newspaper found 58 nurses who have been incarcerated for felony sex or drug offenses whose licenses have not been surrendered or revoked.

The state board that licenses nurses conducts few background checks, in part because there is not enough money to do so, Instead, state officials rely on nurses to self-report their criminal convictions.

Katherine Thomas, executive director of the Texas Board of Nurse Examiners, acknowledged that the agency “may not be aware” of nurses who have not self-reported their records. She said the board “would like an opportunity to investigate”.

The Texas Hospital Association, which represents about 85 percent of the states hospitals, said most hospitals perform their own background checks. But they are not required by law to do so. And most doctors’ offices and clinics probably do not check nurses’ backgrounds. Thomas said.