1992_02 Insight February 1992

              Cyclical nursing
shortage ebbs
Some students
turned away
Wanda Russell	
Staff Writer
The nursing shortage of the
past several years is easing,
but studies show that the demand
fornurses will continue tooutpace
the supply and hospitals will have
, to wrestle with budgeting to meet
that demand.
"There was a time—in 1988 to
1989and even aslateas 1990—when
the name of the game was'if it has a
license and it breathes, you hireit/"
said Dr. Pauline Kliewer, professor
and chair of the CSUF nursing department.
Now hospitalsare reducing their
registered nurse positions, said
Kliewer. "However, we're not at all
looking a t geanngdown in nursing.
We still have a health care crisis."
In 1989 the shortage of nurses in
California was so severe that the
State Legislature established the
R.N. Special Advisory Committee
to study the shortage.
In 1990, the committee reported
that nurses were leaving the work
force, that there weren't enough
nurses to fill current vacancies and,
at the same time, the demand for
nurses was increasing.
Now more nurses are returning
to the work force, said Kliewer, and
more people are entering the nurs-
ing profession
"We're no longer getting a sense
of 'doom and gloom' from nurses
that existed a few years ago," said
Kristin Butler, RN. and nurse recruiter at Valley Medical Center.
Salaries and benefits are better
and administrations are trying to
make work conditions easier for
nurses, Butler said.
"I believe we're holding onto
them," she added.
There also has been a change in
the deli very of patient care. This has
contributed to the easing of the
nursing shortage, said Carol
Denton, nursing education consultant wi th the Board of Registered
Nursing in California.
Hospi tals are hiring more lower-
cost licensed vocational nurses,
aides, and transport people as part
of their staffing mix, said Denton,
and they are hiring fewer regj stered
nurses.
In addition to that, hospitalsare
sendi ng pa tients home "quickerand
sicker" than in the past, said Kliewer.
Patients are going home on venti-
latorsand intravenous fluids,creat-
ingagrea ter need fornursesinhome
care, she added.
Hospitals are also closing beds.
Acute hospitals are reporting a
nine to 11 percent vacancy rate
statewide, said Denton.
Hospi tab are trying to keep costs
down and hold thebottom line, said
Terry Bavin, RJM. and clinical instructor at Fresno Community
Hospital.
Salaries have increased substantially in nursing. While the average
starting salary for RN.S is about
$34,000, there are opportunities to
earn much more.
Increased salaries have been a
real drawing card in attracting and
retaining nurses, said Bavin.
An FLN. can make extra money
in addition to her base pay by participating in special programs, said
Bavin For, example, a nurse can
earn an extra $3,000 for getting a
special emergency room certification, he added.
Overtime and on-call time arc
other ways to earn more money.
Bavin refers to a nurse he knows
with specialized training in open
heart surgery who makes over    quired greater demand on nursing    replace them.Theagingpopulation    However, at some point, unsatis- "Over the long haul, people
Steve SklbbWlNticHT
While medicine always changes, the personal touch of nurses like Colette Baxter, right, Is what patients like Manuel Valdez appreciate..
factory work conditions drive look for job satisfaction other
many nursesoutof the work force, than salary," said Hawkins,
said Denton. Nurses need to feel they have
This is the most frequently re- some control over their own
ported reason for leaving." environment. Things like flex-
If unsatisfactory work condi- ible schedules to meet family
$70,000ayearbyworkingovertirne time, and were not initially planned among nursesalsoinearodecreased
and being available for on-call at for- activity and energy levels among
home. Kristen Butler, nurse recruiter at older nurses, said Butler, while the
Nursing school enrollments Valley Medical Center and past work remains physically and men-
have increased in the last two years president of the Central California tally demanding,
in California, said Denton. "Docu- Association of Health Care Recruit- "You need to keep educating
ments show that we are filling all ment, remembers the influx of those nurses now,get [graduates)    tionscontinue,saidDenton,nurses    needs are also very important
the spaces in nursing programs and nurses in the early 1980's. out into the field and get them    will again leave.                              to nurses, said Hawkins,
tumingawayqualified applicants."        "Everyone was feeling comfort- working so they'll be experienced        Salary compression is another        Nurses spend 38 to 42 per-
CSUFs Kliewer said she has seen able," said Butler. "They felt the nurses once the demand becomes    issue in nurse dissatisfaction, said    cent of their time charting, said
a    dramatic in- shortage was over. Then six months even greater."                                  Denton. This is where the starting    Hawkins. It's crucial to get increase in the num-      B-MH-i-aj-eBH-a-^-aHM-aHMiaMwia^-a^-aBBHBni-aM-aaMi      salary and top sal-    formation systems set up that
ber of people ap- ary are close to-    reduce the time required for
plying for .he "There was a time — in 1988 to 1989 and even as late as 1990 — ?ne,!hrer: "Nu\ses *°c.u.m_cntat,on ->« patients;
nursing program
at   CSUF.   Two
years ago, the program had 80 applicants. For the 1992
spring semester,
Kliewer said she ———
received 88 applicants in the first
four hours of registration.
Despite the renewed interest in
nursing, Denton views the current
easing of the nu rsing shortage wi th
caution as she looks back at previous cycles in nursing shortages.
In the early 1980s, the federal
when the name of the game was 'if it has a license and it
breathes, you hire it/"
—Dr. Pauline Kliewer
top out in salary problems, progress, treatment
range in about six plans and nursing care,
years." Hospitals  are   installing
For  example, computers to decrease the
said Denton, in San R.N.'s     paperwork,     said
Francisco theaver- Hawkins,
age starting salary Hawkins would also like to
is $40,000 and the see more collaborative relations
toayearlaterttostortageretumed." Increasing the nursing pro- average top salary is $47,000. This between doctors and nurses.
While Butler is pleased that the grams is not enough to provide means that an experienced nurse,        "The  older  nurses  were
present nursing shortage is easing, California with a stable supply of who has worked 30 years in the taught to get up when a doctor
she feels that it will return. nurses, according to the report on field, may be getting only $7,000 came in, to give them your chair
Socictyisagingandsoarcnurses. thenursingshortageinCalifomia. moreperyear than a new gradu- and to wait on them," said
The average age of nurses in Cali- The report cites the work environ- ate nurse. Hawkins.
_     fomia is 42, according to the 1990 ment as the single most important        Marilyn Hawkins, director of       Someof theoldattitudesstill
government predicted the nursing    R-N. Special Advisory Committee aspect of recruitment and reten- nursing at Sierra Community exist where doctors expect def-
shortagc was over, based on the    rep011- tion of nurses. Hospital, said hospitals have be- erential treatment from R.N.s
Butler is concerned that in an- During past nursing shortage come more aware of the nursing rather than a partnership in
other 10 to 15 years, about half of cycles, salaries and benefits would shortage cycles and are trying to patient care. "It's easier for the
today's nurses will be retiring and go up and more nurses would en- keep the shortage from happen- younger       doctors       and
there may not be enough nurses to ter the job market, said Denton, ing again. nurses/'said Hawkins.
prevailing supply and demand of
R.N.'s, said Denton. However,
population shifts and advances in
technology were variables that re-
Tapes: from page one
interested in
Topics of the 67 informational tapes are AIDS, drugs,
stress, mental health, weight and nutrition
Each tape provides two to three minutes of current information in a specific topic area.
The most popular tape since the program became functional this semester deals with weight and nutrition. It
provides a plan to help establish better eating habits and
"includes examples of nutritious foods.
"Weight and body image are key concerns of students, as
well as sexuality," said Sam Gitchell, health educator in the
CSUF Student Health Center.
Other frequently called tapes pertain to marijuana, depression, relaxation techniques and AIDS. f
Use of the system, which has 24-hour access, requires a
touch-tone telephone and a menu listing of topics with their
corresponding code.
The tape begins with a short introduction of how to use
the system. An explanation of where to find help is also
included.
The caller inputs the three-digit code from the menu to
receive information and may select up to four tapes with one
phone call.
A tape of where to find help provides telephone numbers
of different organizations to call.
The Institute for Drug and Alcohol Preven tion is a private
organization that seeks information from experts in each
particularfield. The tapes are updated periodically based on
new data research and suggestions.
Each tape has been reviewed by either the CSUF Student
Counseling Center or the Health Center.
The system, valued at $6,000, was provided at no cost by
The Institute for Drue and Alcohol Prevention as a way of
giving something to me community.
Because the system requires less than one hour of staff
time per week, the Student Counseling Center is able to
provide information to a large number of people in a cost
effective manner, Gannaway said.
The largest cost of the program is publicity. The CSUF
Association, Inc. has agreed to support this area of the
program by supplying brochures. *
The brochures are available at the Kennel Bookstore,
University Student Union and the Henry Madden Library.
The menu of topics is also listed on page 174 in the spring
1992 schedule of courses.
Campus awareness program
Informational telephone messages
Alcohol
315 Drinking and Driving: A Deadly Combination
317 Alcohol and Drugs Don't Mix
318 What is Alcoholism?
319 Alcohol and Health
320 Alcoholism; A Family Disease
321 Responsible Party Giver
322 Drinking While Pregnant: Effects on the Baby
Marijuana
129 Marijuana: Fact and Fiction
130 Is Marijuana Harmful to My Body
131 Marijuana: The Mental Effects
132 Are There Medical Uses for Marijuana?
133 Marijuana: The High That Lasts
Cocaine
134 Facts Abou t Coca ine
135 Crack
136^Your Money, Your Life: Cocaine Takes Both
Tobacco
301 How to Quit Smoking
302 Effects of Cigarette Smoke on Non-Smokers
303 Why Should I Quit Smoking?
304 Are You Ready to Quit Smoking?
311 Cigarettes, Pipes, Snuff: It's AH the Same
Other Drugs
313 Anabolic Steroids
305 Speed Still Kills
306 PCP...It Really Is THAT Bad!
307 Barbiturates and Other Downers
314 MDMA: A Drug Called "Ecstasy"
309 LSD and Other Hallucinogens
310 Narcotics and Opiates
312 Designer Drugs Aren't Fashionable
316 Pregnancy, Drugs and Your Baby
Stress
329   Stress What Is It?
333   Stress Management for Adults
120   Exercise: A Stress Control Tool
122   Eating for Less Stress
125   FindingTime for Fitness
Mental Health Issues
334 Depression
326 Suicide: Facts and Myths
330 Suicide and the College Student
331 Rape: The Victim
332 Date Rape
Weight and NurRmoN
101 Wise Wrightfvlanagement
102 Are You Overweight or Over-Fat?
103 Need to Lose 10-15 Pounds?
104 Learning Habits for Lasting Weight Control
105 Preventing Diet Relapse
106 Dietary Fat and Cholesterol: The Difference
108 Fast Foods: Consider Your Choices
109 Fight Osteoporosis: Bone Up on Calcium
111 Anorexia Nervosa
112 Bulimia
113 Dietary Management of PMS
114 Sports Nutrition: Energy Sources
115 Nutrition for Athletes
AIDS
140 What is AIDS?
141 What is ARC?
142 AIDS and Sexuality
143 Am I at High Risk for AIDS?
144 What are the Symptoms of AIDS?
Taking Charge
127   Am I Hooked?
119   Is There a Chemical Problem in Our House?
137   What to Do When Someone You Care About
has a Chemical Problem
343   Where to Find Help
Call 278-3050 from any TouchTone phone.
Available 24 hours a day; Totally anonymous.
Playwright: from page four
his character and spiritual path was his grandfather,
also named Joe Trumpower.
His grandfather instilled in him the wisdom of the
Oglala Sioux, the largest of the three divisions of the
Sioux nation, and led him down the path of the four
virtues all Sioux Indians should follow.
The four virtues include bravery, fortitude, generosity and wisdom.
Admitting his nervousness during the interview,
Trumpower spoke highly of his peopleand his grand-
^fattjer, who didn't understand his need to study
philosophy.
Trumpower'sgrandfather would tell him: "People
think that you have to work toward wisdom, but you
don't have to. It will just come from living and from
inside you. ThernoTemistakes you make, the more
you will leam."
Talking with Trumpower, a man who likes a little
coffee with his cream and sugar, it was evident his
grandfather's words were very much a part of him.
He is a tall, dark-haired man who would rather be
fly-fishing or reading than trying to look you in the
eye and talking about himself.
"1 think I wilf probably move back to the mountains. I like it there," Trumpower said.
He wants to keep on doing what he's doing—being
anartist.astudcntoflawardliferjhikjsopty
and hopefully one day marrying and raising a family.
He said hell keep on trying to do what he can," for it
is trietittleeveryday things—wliat a irother teaches her
child — that will makea difference, not some politician
with a lot of power or money—not anymore."
After the "Whi te Dove" production is completed,
Trumpower, Ortega and Cortes will gather their
"family" and put together the next production, titled
"Mighty Oak," which was passed on to Trumpower I
by his grandfather. "It is about a great oak that lives
in harmony with the valley," he said.
Harmony seems to surround Trumpower as he '
movesalong trying not to argue but striving to main- j
tain balance with the universe. ',
"A lot of Indians think we should keep the stories :
to ourselves. But if I can do my part to help out by ;
telling them, I will," Trumpower said. "I understand :
their feelings, but I feel I have to do what I can."
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