At 6:30 A.M. a head nurse reviews room assignments and the day''s challenges ahead: twenty-nine patients, most of them seriously ill, and four nurses to care for them. That means a barely manageable and potentially risky patient-nurse ratio of seven to one, with one nurse taking eight patients. Unfortunately, this dismal scenario is played out again and again in hospitals across the country.This in-depth, behind-the-scene''s account of a healthcare system under stress and the declining quality of medical treatment in America should serve as a wakeup call to the public. Faye Satterly, a Registered Nurse with over two decades of experience, spells out the alarming statistics: The average nurse today is forty-five years old and anticipating retirement. Only 12 percent of nurses are under age thirty. At the same time, nursing schools report decreasing enrollments and fewer graduates. The result is that the nurses who are on the front lines of healthcare are feeling overwhelmed and leaving the field for less stressful opportunities outside hospital settings.Compounding the looming crisis is the fact that just as nurses are becoming scarce, the need for them is becoming ever greater. Over the next decade, aging baby boomers will swell the ranks of the over-fifty-five population, a group that experiences higher healthcare needs than those in their thirties and forties.There are answers, the author insists, but they will require an honest public debate about our choices and expectations. What are we willing to do and how much are we willing to pay for safe, effective delivery of healthcare?This fascinating and disturbing account by a veteran nurse with extensive experience is a compelling call for action to counter the nursing shortage and ensure that "caring" regains its premium status in healthcare.

Through twenty case studies that illustrate a wide range of ethical challenges, this book explores the goals, methods, and practices of managed care, and offers practical guidance for addressing the ethical and policy issues inherent in such a system.

M.L. Flados has a gift for making the meaningful and the mundane come alive in this retrospective of growing up Norwegian and Lutheran during the Great Depression. Her vivid narration of a former American lifestyle, is a remarkable sociological study of the dirty thirties and World War II. . Follow the Authors interesting, sometimes hilarious, sashay from her childhood on a midwestern farm to life as a college professors wife, registered nurse, motivational speaker and writer. The Road From Spink is historical, readable, infinitely funny. The Road From Spink is a treasure. More than a personal family story, it is a sociological study of the Depression years and of a lifestyle in America that modern generations will never know. Bill Meyer, Publisher. President, Hoch Publishing Co. Inc., Marion, Kansas For those who love history, The Road From Spink tells the story of an important era. It is a must read. Bruce Odson, Publisher, Leader Courier, Elk Point, South Dakota. M.L. Flados writes with great detail and a sense of humor of growing up Norwegian and Lutheran in the Midwest. Julie Madden, Akron Hometowner.

Public Policy and Canadian Nursing: Lessons from the Field is the first text to explore the structure, governance, financing, and outcomes of Canadian health systems through a nursing lens. Drawing from his years of experience as a nursing leader in Canada, Michael J. Villeneuve looks to the impending system challenges for which policy interventions by nurses would make a valuable difference to Canadians. Intended to bolster the policy leadership competency of nurses, this volume is divided into three modules that guide nurses from the basics of Canadian governance to the history and evolution of health care in Canada and the tools and strategies needed to tackle public policy work. The author introduces readers to essential topics in health policy, including system financing and costs, Canadian population health status, and performance outcomes. Citing examples of nursing action and interventions throughout, this groundbreaking text offers practical tools and strategies to support Canadian nurses taking on policy development and highlights the vital role of the nursing profession in health system transformation. Reader-friendly and highly accessible, it features brief profiles of influential public policy leaders in nursing and other disciplines, discussion questions appropriate for undergraduate and graduate nursing students, and additional policy resources.

The Future of Nursing explores how nurses' roles, responsibilities, and education should change significantly to meet the increased demand for care that will be created by health care reform and to advance improvements in America's increasingly complex health system. At more than 3 million in number, nurses make up the single largest segment of the health care work force. They also spend the greatest amount of time in delivering patient care as a profession. Nurses therefore have valuable insights and unique abilities to contribute as partners with other health care professionals in improving the quality and safety of care as envisioned in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enacted this year. Nurses should be fully engaged with other health professionals and assume leadership roles in redesigning care in the United States. To ensure its members are well-prepared, the profession should institute residency training for nurses, increase the percentage of nurses who attain a bachelor's degree to 80 percent by 2020, and double the number who pursue doctorates. Furthermore, regulatory and institutional obstacles-including limits on nurses' scope of practice-should be removed so that the health system can reap the full benefit of nurses' training, skills, and knowledge in patient care. In this book, the Institute of Medicine makes recommendations for an action-oriented blueprint for the future of nursing.

Vols. for 1963- include as pt. 2 of the Jan. issue: Medical subject headings.