Nursing News

The Board of Directors of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has moved to establish the Commission on Nurse Certification (CNC), a new credentialing body to oversee the certification of Clinical Nurse Leaders (CNLs). Composed of representatives from practice and academia, this new authority will lead the effort to certify graduates of master's level nursing programs that prepare advanced generalists for practice across a variety of health care settings. [click link for full article]

The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) has announced that it is disaffiliating from the United American Nurses (UAN), the national union formed by state nurses' associations in 1999. "We made our concerns known to the UAN, identifying what we viewed as problems with its structure and how it functions," said Barbara Crane, RN, president of the NYSNA Delegate Assembly. "We asked the UAN to undertake needed reforms so we could preserve the national organization. [click link for full article]

A conduct hearing held in Cardiff last week ordered a 36 year-old nurse from Wales be struck off the register for stealing medication from a vulnerable patient. An independent panel of the Nursing & Midwifery Council last week heard that Sarah Louise Cole was working in the Burns & Plastics Unit at Morriston Hopsital in Swansea in June 2004 when she purposefully suggested the need of medication for a patient so she could steal it. [click link for full article]

A 54 year-old nurse from Liverpool received a five-year caution after lying about being at work and claiming payment for days she did not work. An independent panel of the Nursing & Midwifery Council heard last week that while working at Zoe's Place in West Derby - a hospice for terminally ill babies - Helen Edge permitted a colleague to clock in and clock out for her but was in fact absent from work. [click link for full article]

The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing has received a federal grant to create a center to study people as they transition to the end of life.The UIC Center for End-of-Life Transition Research will advance the science of care for people of all ages facing death -- infants, children, adults and older adults. It is funded through a $2.4 million grant from the National Institute of Nursing Research, one of the National Institutes of Health. [click link for full article]

Health care reform issues, particularly how to achieve universal health insurance, were arguably more important to Americans in 2007 than ever before. A number of the 2008 presidential candidates, as well as federal and state lawmakers, presented detailed and workable health care plans, and leading states such as Massachusetts began to see their coverage efforts pay off. Yet, much work must be done in the coming year and beyond to build a high-performing health system. Below, we feature some of the top health policy stories of the year as well as Commonwealth Fund research and analysis that are helping to shape the debate about ways to stem rising health care costs, improve quality and efficiency, and provide comprehensive coverage for all.

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