A Civil War nurse is being honored with a historic marker in Pennsylvania. A nurse-led task force produces four clinical practice procedures for urinary catheters. New York law requires nurses to be consulted on patient ratios. A podcast features monthly conversations with nursing leadership experts. Read on for more nursing news and insights.
Historic marker placed honoring civil war nurse
A nurse who volunteered during the Civil War and led an effort to acquire and preserve George Washington’s Headquarters at Valley Forge, PA, is being honored with a historic marker, according to a report by The Times Herald.
Anna Morris Holstein becomes the first Pennsylvanian to receive a Historic and Museum Commission marker sign from the town of King of Prussia, according to the report.
The report claims that Holstein decided to join the war effort after her husband William told her of the horrid conditions in camp hospitals. She reportedly dedicated her time trying to improve conditions, eventually becoming Matron in Chief of Camp Letterman hospital in Gettysburg, PA. Holstein and William were said to have sat near President Abraham Lincoln during the Gettysburg Address. Her experiences as a wartime nurse in 1867 are immortalized in a book that she wrote entitled Three Years in Field Hospitals of the Army of the Potomac.
Nurse-led task force helps create urologic tool
In response to a need for improved urinary catheter care and guidance for nurses and other healthcare providers, the Society of Urologic Nurses and Associates (SUNA) has released an online series of clinical practice procedures for urinary catheters. The resources include four clinical practice procedures and two teaching tools that aim to advance nursing practice through education, enhance patients’ quality of life, and improve outcomes, according to SUNA officials. The four clinical practice procedures were produced by the SUNA Clinical Practice Procedures Task Force and include catheterization and insertion guidance for female and male adult patients.
“SUNA developed these resources because there is limited evidence-based information for catheter insertion and catheter care,” said Gina Powley, MSN, ANP-BC, SUNA president.
Diane K. Newman, DNP, ANP-BC, FAAN, BCB-PMD, is the task force chair who collaborated with a group of urologic nursing experts to produce the clinical practice procedures. Newman is also the author of two tools that cover patient education for intermittent self-catheterization and provide detailed information about catheterization methods and types of catheters, according to SUNA officials.
Task force contributors also included Susanne A. Quallich, PhD, ANP-BC, NPC, CUNP, FAUNA, FAANP; Margaret A. Hull, DNP, WHNP-BC; Powley; and Katie Wall, MSN, FNP-C. Peer reviewers included Laura R. Flagg, DNP, ANP-BC, CUNP; David Martin Julien, DNP, FNP-C, CUNP; Michelle J. Lajiness, MSN, FNP-BC, FAUNA; and Donna L. Thompson, MSN, CRNP, FNP-BC, CCCN-AP.
New York law requires nurses to be consulted on patient ratios
Legislation requiring general hospitals to seek input from nurses and other staff members when creating staffing plans on how many patients are assigned to nurses has been signed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. According to a local New York report, the law requires hospitals to form committees composed of nurses, ancillary staff who provide direct patient care, and hospital administrators to form the staffing plans. The law also requires nursing homes, which are often understaffed, to provide at least 3.5 hours of direct nursing care to each resident.
The law has gained the support of the New York State Nurses Association, whose officials said the law will help “bring New York closer than ever before to [the] ultimate goal of equitable, universal, safe staffing standards in every hospital and nursing home throughout the state, regardless of zip code.”
Podcast spotlight: Today in Nursing Leadership
A series that features monthly conversations with nursing leadership experts, the Today in Nursing Leadership podcast is geared towards those leaders who are attempting to stay one step ahead. Episodes include conversations centered around the information, insights, and innovations that drive change and provoke action. During each recording, experts highlighting the challenges that nurse leaders experience today and how to navigate these challenges for success are offered.
The most recent episodes include “Preserve the ART of Human Caring with Micro-Practices,” “Street Nurse Program Delivering Care to Meet Patient,” and “When the Customer Is Not Always Right.” The podcast is available here.
