Just when we thought that the over-stretched medic scenario could not get any worse, in comes a survey which reveals that due to the acute shortage of staff, nurses are now missing out on some important training, which is inclusive of basic life-support and controlling and curbing of dangerous infections like MRSA. Dangerous practice? Of course! And can we say unethical? Definitely not to be missed! It was revealed by a poll of over 3,000 nurses for the Royal College of Nursing that 32% of them had been unable to attend the “compulsory” training as they had to immediately start working...

As coverage is extended to the once uninsured, observers hope regional medical schools are able to satisfy the growing demand. The University of New England was already planning to nearly double the size of its medical school in Biddeford. Its timing couldn’t be better. The health care reform law signed last week by President Obama will extend insurance to more than 30 million uninsured Americans. In Maine, that means that about 140,000 people will soon be more likely to see a primary care doctor than wait until they’re sick enough for the emergency room. They might have to wait to...

TOKYO, Japan—Only one Filipina nurse, Ever Lalin, on Friday passed the Japanese nursing exam, the first to do so under Japan’s drive to attract Asians to help ease the nation’s severe shortage of nurses. Two other Indonesian nurses overcame language barriers and passed the test after coming to Japan in 2008 and 2009, the health ministry said. However, 251 others from the two nations failed, apparently due to language troubles since all of them are licensed nurses in their home countries. About nine out of 10 Japanese students passed the same test. “It is certain that issues...

Hours before President Obama signed the health care bill Tuesday, George Butler, a retired steelworker, was the first patient to enter Evanston-Rogers Park Community Health Center. By 9 a.m., all of the 22 black and gray molded plastic seats were filled. Mr. Butler, 75, who normally comes to have his diabetes and high blood pressure treated, needed a doctor’s note to get an extension on paying his gas bill. The rest of a lower-income Hispanic and black clientele sought typical medical help: advice on hypertension, refilling medications, a checkup for a newborn and follow-ups on test results....

Ultimately the health care bill means more people have access to doctors, but there’s already a shortage of physicians and nurses. One medical professional says you shouldn’t worry. At the Michigan State Medical School they are the next generation of doctors on the front lines of medicine and up against new health care legislation. William Strampel, MSU Osteopathic Medicine Dean: “I think there are going to be some glitches, I think there are going to be some rough spots, we’re going to work over the next 5 years, but I do not believe the whole system is going to collapse.”...

The UAE needs around 7,000 more nurses to overcome the staffing shortage and increase the number by at least 25 to 30 per cent. There are approximately 23,000 nurses and midwives working across the seven emirates. The secretary of the Nursing and Midwifery Council said that low wages, low status and limited career progression are all factors influencing the shortage. An increase of 30 per cent would bring the number to almost 30,000, The National newspaper quoted the council officials as saying. Fatima al Rifai, director of the federal department of nursing at the UAE’s Ministry of Health...

By CHRISTINA SPENCER, PARLIAMENTARY BUREAU OTTAWA — Canada is in danger of losing huge numbers of nurses to other countries as provincial governments struggle to slash deficits by freezing or cutting their jobs, nursing advocates say. “We are very concerned that nurses are actually going to the (United) States,” said Linda Haslam-Stroud, president of the Ontario Nurses Association. “The States have many recruiters up here on a monthly basis.” Read More…

Alberta hired between 200 and 300 nurses in the past couple of months thanks to money allocated in this year’s budget to cover the provincial health board’s $1.3 billion deficit, Health Minister Gene Zwozdesky said Monday. “The circumstances today are far different than they were a year ago,” he said. “What we’re striving more so for now, than ever, is a stable, predictable funding mechanism that will allow for greater and more effective and efficient planning.” Read More…

By CHRISTINA SPENCER, Parliamentary Bureau OTTAWA — Canada is in danger of losing huge numbers of nurses to other countries as provincial governments struggle to slash deficits by freezing or cutting their jobs, nursing advocates say. “We are very concerned that nurses are actually going to the (United) States,” said Linda Haslam-Stroud, president of the Ontario Nurses Association. “The States have many recruiters up here on a monthly basis.” Health experts warn Canada could face a repeat of the 1990s, when health-care cuts by the provinces drove as many as 27,000 nurses to the U.S....

Blame government for staff shortages; ‘If one link in the chain is not working, then the entire hospital doesn’t function,’ MD says By CHARLIE FIDELMAN, The Gazette A top Health Department official yesterday rejected suggestions that a string of emergency room deaths and surgery delays were caused by a lack of government investment in nurses, saying no political party has done more for Quebec’s nurses than the governing Liberals. “I’m not saying there’s not more to do, that’s coming gradually,” said Karin Rivard, press attaché to provincial...