Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

One of the most common stereotypes about the field of nursing is that it’s a female profession, but some students in Ohio State’s nursing program are hoping to defy that norm.

Despite continuing protests from some physician groups, the role of nurse practitioners in U.S. health care is expanding and will likely change both the costs and type of care experienced by millions of Americans. Partly driving this change is The Affordable Care Act, which will extend health care coverage to approximately 30 million more individuals, most of whom have not been able to afford health insurance in the past.

California lawmakers will be asked to consider whether to allow nurse practitioners and physician assistants to treat patients on their own. The idea comes as millions more Californians are expected to get health coverage next year, and there just aren't enough doctors to handle the expected influx of newly-insured patients.

Tom Kras, a 36-year-old firefighter with St. Petersburg Fire & Rescue, has already had two knee surgeries. He wondered what would happen to him if he could no longer carry people down ladders or cut a car open to pull out an injured passenger. Kras is one of a small, but growing, number of firefighters who are juggling their already-bizarre schedules to become registered nurses. It's a shift happening in fire departments throughout the region.

For many medical conditions, the expertise of a physician is not strictly required, and an individual may be ably served by a nurse practitioner or the like. Expanded scopes of practice, in which a non-physician renders care independent of a physician, not only expand access to health care and have the potential to decrease the cost of healthcare, but also reflect a respect for the free market system.

Health experts long have warned that as the population ages and more people get access to insurance through the Affordable Care Act, there won't be enough primary care doctors. Already, the national shortage of such physicians has been projected to hit 90,000 in seven years. In the past two years, a growing chorus of voices has promoted nurse practitioners as one possible solution.

Moral distress is a serious problem among nurses that must be addressed for personal health and best patient outcomes. Unaddressed moral distress, such as intense patient situations, can result in emotional exhaustion, compassion fatigue, and nurse burnout.

The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International announced it has established the Sigma Theta Tau International Global Research Grant in honor of CEO Patricia E. Thompson, EdD, RN, FAAN. The $12,000 grant and will be awarded to a nurse researcher whose work is focused on responding to health disparities globally.

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a point-of-care provider for the health care industry, has launched a new iPad app for web-based nursing procedures referenced by hospitals and other health care facilities. The new app offers immediate access to all content within the Lippincott's Nursing Procedures and Skills without the need for an Internet connection.

The National Nurses United is bringing a campaign to introduce the "Patient Protection Act" this week to urge minimum hospital staffing ratios in the District, kicking off a major legislative fight between hospital owners and operators.

Jeanne M. Novotny, the new dean of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing, has lofty aspirations for the less than 2-year-old school. By creating an atmosphere of learning and achievement, she hopes the Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing will one day mirror U.S. nursing schools like Johns Hopkins University, the University of Pennsylvania and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

Critically ill patients have an increased risk for aspirating oropharyngeal secretions and regurgitated gastric contents. The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses is helping critical care nurses be vigilant against aspiration. The Prevention of Aspiration Practice Alert offers research-based actions to reduce the likelihood patients will aspirate.