Wisconsin nurse’s discovery leads to massive syringe recall
Jeremy Sauld, RN, a nurse on staff at the Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital in Milwaukee, WI, is being credited with initiating a manufacturer’s recall of millions of defective syringes.
According to a recent report by MEDPAGE TODAY, Sauld, a cardiac critical care nurse, recognized that fluid in his syringe was retracting through the tubing while he was preparing a patient for an IV injection. Air bubbles began to collect, and Sauld sensed that the patient’s life could have been at risk had he not noticed the defect prior to an injection.
He informed a nurse colleague, Tracy Sanicola, RN, the facility’s vascular access team quality coordinator, and upon examining the supply room’s syringe inventory they discovered several thousand defective products with the facility.
The staff filed a report with the MedWatch reporting system offered by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. In August 2021, manufacturer Cardinal Health recalled approximately 267 million of its Monoject Flush Prefilled Saline Syringes across the country. The company reportedly received 37 reports of the plunger pulling back in syringes, but no injuries, according to the report.
Sauld received a HeRO award from the VA health system for his actions.
Nurse to speak at American Climate Leadership Summit
Milagros Elia, MA, APRN, ANP-BC, is among the many speakers who are expected to present at the 11th annual American Climate Leadership Summit (ACLS) 2022 from March 28-31.
Elia, the nurse founder and chief executive officer of M. Elia Nature-Based Healthcare Solutions, a company that offers professional presentations, educational workshops, and program development services to organizations interested in learning more about implementing sustainable nature-based solutions, will speak on the topic of “Reports from the Field: Direct from Climate for Health Ambassadors” on March 30.
ACLS 2022 brings together world-class speakers and diverse national and local leaders for four days of sharing and collaboration. It is reportedly the only national convention exclusively dedicated to building broad public support and political resolve for climate action.
Registration is available online.
Related: Leadership and Nursing Practice Specialty CE Courses
Alabama community colleges launch nurse apprenticeship program
Community colleges in Alabama are collaborating with the Alabama Office of Apprenticeship, as well as local hospitals and healthcare employers, to encourage more nurses to enter the field through an apprenticeship program.
According to an announcement made by Coastal Alabama Community College, new regulations effective March 17 allow healthcare employers to enter into an apprenticeship agreement with a sponsoring college. Students who apply and are accepted as nurse apprentices serve as employees of the healthcare facility and work alongside experienced nurses. Nurse apprentices can continue their employment by completing their apprenticeship and passing the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX).
The first cohort of the new program will begin this summer at Coastal Alabama and Gadsden State Community College. Additional sponsors and employers for the apprenticeship program will be accepted in the fall, according to the announcement.
“This is another way we’ve aligned the training and education offered by Alabama’s community colleges to meet the state’s workforce needs,” said Jimmy H. Baker, chancellor of the Alabama Community College System, in a prepared statement. “You’ll see the need for superb medical care within communities of all sizes in Alabama, and in those areas is also a community college that trains students to help meet those healthcare needs. Our colleges continue to build trust with every business and industry sector to secure and create opportunities for students to gain real-life work experience. This nursing apprenticeship is another means for employers who look to our colleges to gain willing employees who will be well-trained, both before and after completing a college program.”
The Alabama Hospital Association has welcomed the development of the nursing apprenticeships. “Alabama’s hospitals are grateful to Alabama’s community colleges and the Alabama Board of Nursing for their efforts to help meet a significant need for additional hospital nurses,” said Donald Williamson, MD, president of the Alabama Hospital Association, in a prepared statement. “Our hospitals look forward to working with their local colleges to provide hands-on experience and mentoring for these future nurses.”
Nurses are listed among the 25 highest-demand positions in the state, with more than 4,500 annual openings in the state for registered and licensed practical nurses. More than 8,800 students were enrolled in registered nursing and licensed practical nursing programs at Alabama’s community colleges last year, and a total of 3,150 students obtained a nursing credential, according to Coastal Alabama officials. Of the state’s 24 community colleges, 21 offer a nursing program.
“The opportunity for nurse apprentices to earn while they learn, to continue applying skills learned in class in a real work environment, and to extend time spent working with their preceptors, will positively impact the nursing industry’s critical needs for recruitment and retention of highly prepared nurses,” said Josh Laney, director of the Alabama Office of Apprenticeship, in a prepared statement.
The Alabama Legislature approved amendments to the state’s nurse practice act in 2021 to allow nursing apprenticeships in the state.
Nursing journal providing access to articles examining racism
A series of articles that offer a variety of perspectives on the state of racism in nursing and healthcare will be freely available through The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing (OJIN) until May 31.
According to the OJIN, the articles include “Race and Racism Discourse in U.S. Nursing: Challenging the Silence,” by Kechinyere C. Iheduru-Anderson, DNP, RN, CNE, CWCN, and Monika M. Wahi, MPH, CPH; “Rhetoric, Racism, and the Reality for the Indigenous Maori Nursing Workforce in Aotearoa New Zealand” by Denise Wilson, PhD, RN, FCNA(NZ), FAAN, FRSNZ, Pipi Barton, MPhil, RN, and Zoë Tipa, PhD, RN; and “Racial Identity and Transcultural Adoption” by Jessica Castner, PhD, RN-BC, FAEN, FAAN, and Karen J. Foli, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN.
The articles can be accessed online.
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West Virginia’s nursing programs to get nearly $23 million boost
More than 20 nursing education programs in the state of West Virginia will benefit from a nearly $23 million grant to support future education.
According to a report by MetroNews, the funding has been awarded to 26 programs at colleges, universities, nursing schools, and career technical education centers across the state. The awards will reportedly support up to 600 new nursing students statewide who are part of the West Virginia Nursing Workforce Expansion Program, an initiative announced by Gov. Jim Justice in December that’s intended to address the state’s nursing shortage by training and retaining nurses.
