By Jennifer Epstein A pelvic exam can be an uncomfortable experience, not just for the patient but also for the person doing the procedure — especially if that person is a medical student who has never performed an intimate exam on a real-life woman. To prepare doctors-to-be for their first time in an exam room with a woman whose feet are in stirrups, medical schools often bring in paid patients who tell the students if something hurts and, in some instances, instruct students on how to perform the exam. Read More…

Kernel Editorial Board The age old adage “practice makes perfect” may not always be true, but for senior nursing students, the practice represents the perfect situation. A Feb. 16 Kernel article documented the heart attack of Henry Wall, also known as SimMan. SimMan is one of five robots the College of Nursing uses to perform simulations as routine as breathing and as serious as a heart attack. The clinical simulations facility at UK consists of more than 10,000 square feet of labs and classrooms dedicated to training nursing students. The facility is there for students to use these robots...

by Brooke Huestis While high school seniors are still waiting to hear back from colleges, Penn’s Nursing class of 2014 can finally relax. Dean of Admissions Eric Furda confirmed that Penn notified applicants to the Nursing School about their admissions decisions on Friday, Feb. 19. Continuing Penn’s trend of increased applications this year, nursing applications went up 26 percent. The Nursing class will be the most selective ever, with a 20-percent acceptance rate, according to Furda. Read More…

By CINDY GEORGE The long-running debate about whether registered nurses should be required to have more than an associate’s degree punctuated the discussion in Houston on Monday during a national forum on the profession’s future. More than half the nation’s nurses earn associate’s degrees before starting their careers. But some think the starting line should be bachelor’s degrees. It’s a sore point at a time when experts are predicting a significant national shortage of nurses. Last year, the Institute of Medicine and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation convened...

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is calling for every patient with a long-term condition to have access to specialist nursing care. It wants guaranteed funding to avoid cutbacks in specialist nurses after the general election. It says specialist nurses save money through reduced complications and fewer hospital re-admissions. Prime Minister Gordon Brown recently announced that cancer patients would have access to specialist nurses. Read More…

MILWAUKEE, Feb. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Herzing University Online announced today that it has launched two Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree programs and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree to help talented nurses gain advanced degrees and fill important roles in the health care delivery system where their skills are most needed. “Our online MSN and BSN degree programs are designed for busy nursing professionals to advance their careers through convenient online classes that give them the flexibility to fit classes around their work and family schedules,”...

With acute care RNs facing staffing changes that will see their numbers decrease and the number of LPN positions increase, a question was posed to third-year nursing students at MacEwan University: “Why are baccalaureate-prepared registered nurses vital in acute care settings?” This is their answer: The purpose of a university degree is to provide a universal education. We study subjects ranging from psychology to microbiology, whereas a practical nursing diploma concentrates on achieving a more psychomotor scope of practice. Theoretical knowledge learned by BScN students provides an...

By Stacey Burling Inquirer Staff Writer When John Jerzak started nursing school in mid-2006, hospitals were offering $5,000 signing bonuses to nurses who promised to stay in their jobs for a year. Predictions that the country faced years of nursing shortages were a “mantra,” Jerzak said. The promise of that level of job security was appealing to a guy who had spent decades in a blue-collar airline job and was enduring post-9/11 pay and pension cuts. “I really felt that it would be like picking low-hanging fruit from a tree, and the choices would be abundant,” said Jerzak,...

Grantham University announced today the availability of several new Nursing programs to build upon and expand on the knowledge and skills a professional registered nurse has developed throughout his or her career. Grantham University, an online university dedicated to providing educational opportunities to working adults for nearly 60 years, announced today the availability of several new Nursing programs to build upon and expand on the knowledge and skills a professional registered nurse has developed throughout his or her career. The first, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing: RN-BSN Degree Completion...

Registered nurses who want to move into nursing management have a new online preparation option through The University of Texas at Arlington College of Nursing, one of the nation’s largest and best-ranked nursing schools. Applications for the first cohort in the new Master’s of Science in Nursing Administration program are due Feb. 15, with classes beginning March 1. The Academic Partnership program, delivered using Higher Ed Holdings’ state-of-the-science distance education platform, allows graduate nursing students to earn a master’s degree in 18 months on a flexible schedule...