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Palms West Monthly • August 2019 • Page 1
Palms West
Monthly
WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • WEST PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE GROVES • THE ACREAGE Volume 9, Number 8
Time to tip our hats to Palm Beach County’s nonprofits The public is asked to submit nominations now for the third annual Hats Off Nonprofit Awards that will take place Tuesday, Oct. 1.
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‘Streetcar Named Desire’ kicks off Dramaworks’ upcoming season
Also included in Palm Beach Dramaworks’ lineup is a world premiere based on actual events from television’s early years, when McCarthyism and anti-Semitism defined the nation’s political climate.
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Non-profit aims to jumpstart WPB neighborhoods
Known locally as Northend RISE, its goals include breaking the cycle of poverty in the city’s north end neighborhoods.
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FREE • August 2019
MEDICAL EMERGENCY!
Amid a potential nursing shortage that threatens the state’s healthcare system, Florida’s universities get creative to meet demand for nurses. By CINDY KRISCHER GOODMAN The Associated Press
With more rehabilitation facilities, urgent cares, walk-in medical clinics and outpatient facilities, it is easier than ever to get medical treatment outside of a hospital or doctor’s office. But will there be enough nurses to provide proper care? Amid a potential nursing shortage that threatens Florida’s healthcare system, the state’s universities and colleges are devising creative solutions to graduate more nurses. The Florida Center for Nursing predicts the healthcare demand from baby boomers at the same time that 40 percent of existing nurses will be retiring could create a need for 114,000 more nurses by 2023. Yet, more people are vying for spots in nursing programs than there are positions available. Florida universities report turning away as many as two-thirds of applicants seeking a bachelor’s in nursing degree. Tapping into technology, however, may help. One solution is a change in how registered nurses get real-world practice with patient care. Most nursing programs require students to complete clinical hours in hands-on medical care environments in addition to their classroom learning. Universities say this requirement, along with a shortage of nursing faculty, has forced them to limit enrollment. “Every hospital works with multiple schools, but there is a limit on how many students at one time they can have in a clinical setting,” said Dr. Safiya George, the new dean of the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. “Even if you built a bigger auditorium for classes, you have to have enough clinical partnerships for students to get their hands-on hours.” Enter simulation labs. FAU and an increasing number of nursing schools in Florida are offering simulation scenarios to give students experience with patient care. At Florida International University’s Simulation Teaching and Research (STAR) Center, nursing students can witness a live birth, a heart attack, or a devastating sports injury and interact with a mannequin who simulates a patient. The simulation center on the FIU main campus in Miami has a 15-bed critical care unit, primary care offices, prep-scrubbing stations, a virtual dissection table, and operating rooms equipped with surgical instruments. In the controlled environment, students get on-the-spot feedback from a teacher and practice communicating with a patient’s simulated family members. “We mirror what’s happening in hospitals,” said Henry Henao, director of FIU’s STAR Center. “Except students get to make the decisions rather than just observe the decisions.”
A CHANGE IN THE RULES
After a two-year study in which FIU participated, Florida’s State Board of Nursing now allows students to get up to half of their clinical hours in
THIS IS GONNA BE A HOOT! Check out the owl yoga class coming to Okeeheelee Nature Center. PAGE 4
simulation labs. For the 2018-19 school year, FIU accepted 120 undergraduates into its bachelor’s in nursing program. “We would be unable to accept as many as we do if not for the simulation center,” said Dr. Ora Strickland, dean of the Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Florida International University. Throughout the state, most universities already have or are working to increase undergraduate class size. Strickland said FIU uses the simulation center also to educate nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists and nursing graduate students. And the university also has a simulation center to train nurses in home-based care. “Now that patients are spending less time in hospitals, we have to teach our students how to work with patients and families in the community and home setting,” Strickland said. Steering nurses in the direction of home health and skilled nursing could prove challenging. The Florida Center for Nursing estimates the state has about 12,000 nursing vacancies, twice as many as in 2009. Mary Lou Brunell, executive director of the Florida Center for Nursing, said the increasing need in Florida will come from facilities such as rehabilitation centers and nursing homes that cater to the aging baby boomer population. That path, however, is a tougher sell. “Entry level jobs are easier to find in home health or urgent care or hospice,” said 2019 FIU nursing graduate Ashley Mathews. “For me and my classmates though, a hospital setting is where we would like to be.” Florida’s previous attempt to graduate more nurses hasn’t panned out as expected. In 2009, Florida made it easier for new nursing schools to open, limiting the power of the state Board of Nursing to turn down viable programs. In 2018, 354 nursing programs enrolled students – including an assortment of technical schools and private colleges offering associate degrees. The result is too many students are failing NURSES / PAGE 8
Seven steps to take now for hurricane season These steps will help keep you and your family safe in the event of a storm. The hurricane season officially started on June 1 and runs until Nov. 30. If you have not prepared yet, the American Red Cross urges you to take steps now to be ready in case of an emergency. “Planning and preparing can make a big difference in people’s safety in the wake of a hurricane or tropical storm,” said Joanne Nowlin, chief executive officer for the American Red Cross South Florida Region. “Take steps now to get ready and keep your loved ones safe before a storm threatens South Florida.” Here’s seven steps recommended by the Red Cross: Determine your risk; Create an evacuation plan. Practicing the plan minimizes confusion and fear during the event; Build an emergency kit with a gallon of water per person per day, non-perishable food, a flashlight, battery-powered radio, first aid kit, medications, copies of important papers, cell phone chargers, extra cash, blankets and emergency contact information; Be informed. Learn about the community’s hurricane response plan. Plan routes to local shelters, register family members with special medical needs as required and make plans for pets; Download the free Red Cross Emergency App to select up to 35 different severe weather and emergency alerts on your mobile device. The content includes expert guidance on what to do before, during and after different emergencies or disasters – from home fires to hurricanes; Keep insurance policies, documents and other valuables in a safe-deposit box. You may need quick, easy access to these documents. Keep them in a safe place less likely to be damaged if a hurricane causes flooding. Protect windows with permanent storm shutters or invest in one-half inch marine plywood that is pre-cut to fit your doors and windows. For more information on the Red Cross, go online to redcross. org/southflorida.