The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has launched a nationwide campaign to report nurses’ experiences caring for COVID patients. The Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) has elected its next president and other board members. A storytelling podcast reveals innovative and human-centered solutions addressing today’s most challenging healthcare problems. Read on for more nursing news and insights.
AACN’s “Hear Us Out” campaign shares nurses’ experiences caring for COVID
The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has launched a nationwide effort to report nurses’ experiences from the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic and to urge those who are not vaccinated to reconsider.
The “Hear Us Out” campaign comes in response to the surge of the Delta variant, a dramatic increase in younger Americans dying, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) first full approval of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the AACN.
“We don’t want to scare the public, yet we are obligated to paint an accurate picture of life and death with COVID-19 in an ICU,” said Beth Wathen, AACN president, in a prepared statement. “COVID kills, and the death is a difficult, tragic, and lonely one. By engaging in an honest dialogue, we hope to help Americans understand the consequences of what is now a preventable disease.”
Hear Us Out mobilizes nurse voices and outlines the dangers of COVID-19 surges for the community at large. The campaign will include videos of nurses sharing their experiences taking care of patients with COVID-19 and materials that guide those who have been vaccinated to engage in constructive conversations with family and friends who have yet to be vaccinated.
A recent AACN survey of more than 6,000 acute and critical care nurses found that 92% of nurses said they believe the pandemic has depleted nurses at their hospitals and, as a result, their careers will be shorter than they intended. 66% feel their experiences during the pandemic have caused them to consider leaving nursing and 76% say that people who have yet to be vaccinated threaten nurses’ physical and mental well-being.
“Nurses leaving the profession will bring our healthcare system to its knees,” said Amanda Bettencourt, AACN president-elect. “It is avoidable, and it is the public who can help take the pressure off our overwhelmed nurses at the bedside.”
Stay up-to-date on the latest COVID-19 news, including vaccine boosters and efficacy, in our recent webinar by Dr. Margaret Fitzgerald: Moving from COVID-19 Pandemic to COVID-19 Endemic.
ENA elects next president and other board members
Terry Foster, MSN, RN, CEN, CPEN, CCRN, TCRN, FAEN, has been elected to serve as the 2022 president-elect for the Emergency Nurses Association.
Foster, of Taylor Mill, KY, is on staff at St. Elizabeth Healthcare in Edgewood as a critical care nurse specialist in the emergency department (ED). He also is an associate ambassador to the St. Elizabeth Foundation.
He currently serves as the ENA Board of Directors secretary/treasurer and has held numerous roles at the state and association-wide levels over the course of 40-plus years on numerous volunteer committees and as a chapter leader in the greater Cincinnati area. He is a Fellow in the Academy of Emergency Nursing and previously earned ENA’s highest honors: the Judith C. Kelleher Award and the ENA Lifetime Achievement Award.
“I am incredibly honored and humbled to be chosen by ENA members to lead this great organization that has been part of my life for so many years,” said Foster, who has also made a name for himself as a nurse humorist at speaking engagements across the United States. “My passion for emergency nursing comes from years in the ED dedicated to my patients. I am ready to use my knowledge, passion, and dedication as president of this association, which has been with me throughout my career.”
Following his year as president-elect, Foster will serve as ENA president in 2023. Voters in the 2021 ENA election also selected a new secretary/treasurer and filled seats on the ENA board:
- Secretary/Treasurer:
- Chris Dellinger, MBA, BSN, RN, FAEN, of West Virginia
- Board of Directors:
- Joop Breuer, RN, CEN, CCRN, FAEN, of The Netherlands
- Cheryl Randolph, MSN, RN, CEN, CPEN, CCRN, FNP-BC, TCRN, FAEN, of California
- Jack Rodgers, MBA, RN, CEN, NREMT-P, FAEN, of Georgia
- Vanessa Gorman, MSN, RN, CCRN, FAEN, FCENA, of Australia
Explore essentials of nursing leadership in our in-depth series: Leadership and Nursing Practice Specialty.
Podcast spotlight: See You Now Innovation Podcast
This storytelling podcast from the American Nurses Association and Johnson & Johnson reveals innovative and human-centered solutions addressing today’s most challenging healthcare problems.
Episodes unpack the personal motivations of each guest and explore how their experiences have sparked action. Each episode also features examples of nurse innovators, nurse allies, and other leaders in and at the intersection of health creation through their work and by developing unique programs, devices, technologies, protocols, and treatment approaches.
The podcast is available online and on popular platforms like Apple, Google, and Spotify.
| Find inspiration in humor in our webinar course, Healthcare Humor: Take Time to Laugh.
Views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Elite Learning or Colibri Group. Media referenced in this news round-up does not constitute an endorsement.
