Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1468749
57 NURSING SPOTLIGHT Indiana board ordered to end bias against nurses with opioid use disorder By Cailey Gleeson T he Indiana State Nursing Board discrim- inates against nurses with opioid use disorder and must work to end the civil rights violations, the U.S. Justice Department said March 25. The department launched an investigation into the state board after receiving a complaint from a nurse alleging that she was denied par- ticipation in the Indiana State Nursing Assis- tance Program because she takes medication to treat opioid use disorder. Investigators found the board violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by prohibiting nurses taking this medication to participate in the program, which rehabilitates and monitors nurses with substance use disorders, and is often required to maintain an active license or have one reinstated. A letter detailing the findings asked the board to work with the Justice Department to resolve the identified civil rights violations. n The exodus of young nurses By Mackenzie Bean T he U.S. nursing workforce fell by more than 100,000 in 2021, primarily driven by nurses under age 35 leaving hospital-based jobs, according to an analysis published April 13 in Health Affairs. Researchers analyzed nursing workforce trends from 1982 to 2021 using data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of La- bor Statistics' Current Population Survey. The nursing workforce decreased 1.8 percent between 2019 and 2021, marking the largest drop seen in four decades. This decline stemmed primarily from younger nurses leaving the field, research- ers found. The number of nurses younger than age 35 fell by 4 percent over this time period, compared to a 0.5 percent decline for nurses ages 35 to 49 and a 1 percent drop for nurses 50 and older. While more data is needed to confirm this trend, researchers said a sustained reduction in the number of younger nurses would pose "ominous implications for the future workforce." Nurses typically re- main in nursing for their entire career, which means a drop in young- er nurses would create workforce issues felt over a generation, they said. A decline in older nurses who opt to retire early would have a more minor effect. Pandemic-related stressors and hospital workforce shortages may be causing younger nurses to reevaluate their work environments and experiences, researchers said. "Significantly larger efforts to support and sustain early career nurses, who have had a trial by fire in their new profession, may be needed, along with more effective strategies to reward those who remain at the front lines and those who are needed to return," researchers concluded. n Why nearly 750 Minnesota nurses left bedside care positions By Kelly Gooch N early 750 surveyed nurses in Minnesota have identified poor hospital management and chronic short staffing as the top issues causing them to leave bedside care positions, according to a report released March 31 by the Minnesota Nurses Association. e report is based on a survey of 748 nurses who le an MNA-repre- sented nursing job in the last two years and did not take a new job in another MNA-represented facility. e survey was conducted between Dec. 22, 2021, and Jan. 17, 2022. Four findings: 1. irty-five percent of nurses said management issues contributed to them leaving their bedside position. Sixteen percent said the same about short staffing. 2. Of the nurses who cited the pandemic as a contributing factor in their decision to leave their bedside position, nearly 40 percent also cited management concerns. 3. Of the nurses who cited stress or burnout as a contributing factor in their decision to leave their bedside position, 40 percent also iden- tified poor hospital management and 26 percent identified persistent short staffing issues. 4. Fewer than 3 percent of surveyed nurses said COVID-19 vaccina- tion requirements contributed to their decision to leave the bedside. e Minnesota Nurses Association — which has more than 22,000 members in Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin — re- leased the survey findings amid their support for the Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act. n irty-five percent of nurses said management issues contributed to them leaving their bedside position.