Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1090681
25 NURSING SPOTLIGHT Hospitals with better nurse work environments have safer pediatric care By Megan Knowles H ospitals that have better work environments for nurses provide safer care for the youngest — and often most vulnerable — patients, a study published in the Journal of Patient Safety found. For the study, researchers from Penn Nursing's Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research in Philadel- phia polled 1,875 pediatric nurses in four states. The researchers asked nurses whether they feel mis- takes are held against them and found answers ranged from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree." They also asked how nurses would grade patient safety in their work setting. To evaluate work environment, the researchers asked nurses how well hospitals supported autonomous nurs- ing practice and how effective their hospital's nurse manager is. In hospitals with lower-ranked work environments, consistently higher numbers of nurses reported less safety, and the biggest factor was mistakes being held against them. "In other words, in pediatrics, hospitals that have better work environments also have safer care," said study au- thor Eileen Lake, PhD, MSN. "Having a punitive environ- ment, or not feeling free to question decisions, are core ways to identify settings that don't support caregivers to work safely." Hospitals should ensure all managers know safety is di- rectly connected to work environment, Dr. Lake said. n 3 most, least rewarding parts of working as an RN By Mackenzie Bean M ost registered nurses enjoy that their work helps make a difference in people's lives, but many also feel frustrat- ed with workplace politics and administrative duties, according to Medscape's Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2018. For the report, Medscape surveyed 5,011 registered nurses, 2,006 nurse practitioners, 2,002 licensed practical nurses, 501 clinical nurse specialists, 389 nurse managers and 375 certified registered nurse anesthetists. Four takeaways from the report: 1. RNs said the three most rewarding parts of the job are: • Making a difference in people's lives — 40 percent • Working at a job they like — 11 percent • Being very good at what they do — 11 percent 2. e three least satisfying parts of the job are: • Administration/workplace politics — 24 percent • Amount of documentation they must complete — 13 percent • High patient loads — 9 percent 3. A majority (94 percent) of RNs said they were glad they became nurses. 4. However, only 76 percent said they would choose nursing as a career if they could do it over again. n Viewpoint: Why this nursing 'rite of passage' is bullying in disguise By Mackenzie Bean G iving new graduate nurses the busiest patient assignments as a "rite of passage" is really just an- other form of nurse bullying, travel nurse Mariam Yazdi, BSN, RN, wrote in an op-ed for Nurse.org. "Being given admission after admission, with a patient load of seven and eight, while the charge nurse and his or her friends have four or five patients is how nurses eat their young," Ms. Yazdi wrote. She said this practice can create a toxic work culture in which nurses who lack seniority are discriminated against. Ms. Yazdi acknowledged it can be uncomfortable to speak up about this unfair treatment but said young nurses must do so to help create a better work culture for themselves and future nurses. "You can change the narrative. You have the ability to stop the cycle of bullying," she wrote in the op-ed. "Don't allow your pain to be passed on to another generation of nurses. Empower yourself to use your voice. Your pa- tients, your career and your well-being ask it of you." n