Nurse leaders share top concerns

A roundup of views from nurse leaders across the nation reveals they share the same challenges despite working in vastly different settings. The growing incidence of workplace violence is a concern across facilities, especially with more patients seeking care in connection with opioid addiction and mental health issues. Nurse leaders also report difficulty in finding enough critical care nurse practitioners. At Community Hospital in Munster, Ind., a residency program was established to help close this gap. Elsewhere, nurse leaders are looking to new care delivery models that can address population health concerns, and they are considering distance technologies to bring high-level expertise to acute care settings. Keeping experienced nurses at the bedside is an especially pressing concern with so many baby-boomer nurses retiring. Erin LaCross, DNP, RN, at Parkview Regional Medical Center and Affiliates in Fort Wayne, Ind., framed the issue this way: "How do you have [the new generation of nurses] be as competent as possible, as fast as possible, and stay as long as possible while the patients are getting sicker and more complex?" LaCross is one of four AONL members whose views inform the story. (HealthLeaders Media story, 9/6/19)