By Shayne Roberson President William Bloodworth of Augusta State University has a tough job. With mandated budget cuts from the state, he had to sit down with his red pen and decide what academic programs at ASU would be put on the chopping block. I assume that in doing this, he considered the impact not only on the local student population, but on the needs of the community on the local and national level. Read More…

The Ottawa Hospital will cut nursing positions and conduct a review of each of its units in an attempt to find savings in the face of a $19-million budget shortfall. Restructuring is already underway at the Ottawa Hospital. Cuts include slashing 70 nursing positions through early retirement and leaving several vacant positions unfilled. Some staff will also be reassigned to different jobs. By law, hospitals in Ontario are unable to carry a deficit. Read More…

By Tammie Smith Aging population creates the need for care workers Angela Pitchford and other students in a nurse aide class in South Richmond are learning that there is a correct way to put a support stocking on a fragile patient, to help a patient move to a chair and to help a patient eat. Nurse aides do a lot of the basic physical duties in patient care settings –work calling for very intimate interaction with patients and tasks many view as unglamorous and messy. Read More…

“If you think health care is expensive now, just wait until it’s free.” – P.J. O’RourkeWhile many Americans complain about the cost of health care in the United States – and lawmakers in Washington, DC are seeking control of the medical industry – perhaps all concerned should first learn about the horrors of having access free or inexpensive health care that kills, causes suffering, and offers little in the way of health or care. Syndicated radio talk show host and attorney Mark Levin reported that an investigation of a British health care facility revealed horrible conditions including...

Chronic nursing shortages at the key hospital in eastern Newfoundland have meant closed beds and longer waits for service, a union official says. As many as 18 nursing positions remain unfilled at Clarenville’s G.B. Cross Memorial Hospital, said Debbie Forward, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Nurses’ Union. Forward said about 10 beds have been closed at the regional hospital for most of the last year because of ongoing staff shortages. Forward said working conditions for remaining staff have been difficult. Read More…

by Josh Heck Health care-related jobs top a Kansas list as the industry with the most vacancies and the highest demand for workers. The Kansas Department of Labor’s 2009 job vacancy survey shows the second-quarter demand for positions in health care remained steady, while demand for workers overall was down. Read More…

By STEPHEN LLEWELLYN New Brunswick’s long-delayed midwife regulations will be in place this spring, says Health Minister Mary Schryer. But some midwife advocates say they are being left out of the process and the Opposition is warning that the delay may make it hard to recruit midwives. Rothesay Tory MLA Margaret-Ann Blaney raised the issue during question period this week. She asked Schryer what the holdup is since the midwife legislation was passed in June 2008. “Many women are actually planning their pregnancies, or have planned them, around the legislation and the subsequent regulations,”...

By Denise Deveau, Canwest News Service For Zunobia Shafiqe, choosing the right career was simple for her. “The second year out of high school I was into a nursing program.” Now a manager of clinical practice for Bayshore Home Health in Vancouver, she graduated from Kwantlen University College in Surrey, B.C. with a nursing degree and a keen interest in pursuing community work. “I knew I didn’t want to work in a hospital so I spend the time at school finding out what’s out there 1/8for nurses 3/8. I quickly realized there was so much more out there than hospital work — from providing...

By ANDREW VILLEGAS TYRRELL COUNTY, N.C. — There are no doctors in rural Tyrrell County, N.C. There’s only Irene Cavall, a licensed nurse practitioner and the sole source of primary care for 4,000 residents spread out over 600 square miles. It’s been that way since the county’s lone doctor moved away two and a half years ago. Cavall sees as many as 40 patients a day at the Columbia Medical Center. It’s about 40 miles west of the Outer Banks; an ambulance ride to the nearest hospital takes 25 minutes. Read More…

For Zunobia Shafiqe, choosing the right career was simple for her. “The second year out of high school I was into a nursing program.” Now a manager of clinical practice for Bayshore Home Health in Vancouver, she graduated from Kwantlen University College in Surrey, B.C. with a nursing degree and a keen interest in pursuing community work. “I knew I didn’t want to work in a hospital so I spend the time at school finding out what’s out there [for nurses]. I quickly realized there was so much more out there than hospital work – from providing personal support to government...