It's Unanimous-AFT National Endorses HR 4903!

July 20 to July 23 were exciting days in Boston for supporters of the Office of the National Nurse, as the nearly 4,000 delegates to the 2006 convention of the American Federation of Teachers voted unanimously to support HR 4903, the National Nurse Act of 2006.

The AFT represents 1.3 million teachers, professors, and other educational professionals, nurses and other healthcare professionals, and public employees. It is also home to some of the nursing educators leading the effort to create the Office of the National Nurse, which made the AFT approval particularly special. The resolution was in fact originally proposed by Local 2277 of the AFT, the Portland Community College Faculty Federation, of which Teri Mills and Alisa Schneider are proud members. It was approved at the AFT-Oregon state convention in April, then forwarded to the national AFT.

The resolution, Creating the Office of the National Nurse was number 18 of the more than 75 resolutions introduced at the convention. It was initially taken up by the Healthcare Committee, whose 100 members represented healthcare locals from all over the nation. Local 2277 President, Michael Dembrow, presented the resolution to the committee members, along with an amendment to include an explicit reference to HR 4903. The amendment passed without objection, and the resolution left the committee with a unanimous Do Pass recommendation. Even more important, it was ranked among the top three resolutions of the committee, which meant that it was guaranteed to be considered for action on the convention floor. Had it not made the top three, it would have been referred to the AFT Executive Council to be considered at some later date, as was the fate for the majority of resolutions.

Instead, on July 22nd, under the leadership of AFT Executive VP Toni Cortese, Resolution 18 was taken up by the delegates and passed unanimously, to considerable applause and roars of approval (most likely from healthcare locals!).

Below is a copy of the resolution.



Creating the Office of the National Nurse

WHEREAS, nurses are crucial to the promotion of preventive care and the caring of the whole person; and

WHEREAS, nurses are highly valued and trusted by the public, and are often in a position to deliver educational messages to the public about ways to improve their health and prevent disease; and

WHEREAS there is a serious effort to create an Office of the National Nurse; and

WHEREAS, the National Nurse would act to raise awareness of health issues and promote good health through education and community outreach; and

WHEREAS, the National Nurse would serve as an effective complement to the existing United States Office of the Surgeon-General; and

WHEREAS, the Office of the National Nurse would provide input at the public policy table on a number of valuable initiatives, such as

Providing weekly broadcasts for the media and the internet to promote health;
Increasing the number of nurse educators;
Facilitating the deployment of nurses to under-served areas;
Creating a National Nurse Corps to deliver nursing assistance and education to communities, particularly communities in crisis and

WHEREAS, the American Federation of Teachers represents many thousands of nurses and nurse educators across the United States; and

WHEREAS, this effort to create the Office of the National Nurse was initiated by nursing faculty who are members of AFT Local 2277, the Portland Community College Faculty Federation; and

WHEREAS, this effort is generating widespread support across the nation, with legislation to be introduced in Congress;

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers encourage the effort to create an Office of the National Nurse embodied in legislation such as HR 4903 and work to promote passage of legislation such as HR 4903; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT help to spread awareness of the effort to create an Office of the National Nurse among its members and partners. (2006)

Travel Nurse Employment: Tax Advantages of Per Diem Deductions

The way you report your per diem earnings as a travel nurse could save you thousands of dollars in taxes. Whether you are looking to maximize deductions, reduce taxes, or increase your returns, if you are a travel nurse you should take the time to learn as much as possible about per diem tax rules.  Most travel nursing agencies can explain how these rules work.

Finding the Right Travel Nursing Placement Agency

A number of my articles somehow got deleted. Once I get the chance to look through my backup files I will put them back up.

Advocate for Every Patient By Supporting HR 4903

Pictured: Heidi Madsen with client from her parish

My profession and ministry is to serve the underserved and link patients to community resources, provide education, referrals to counseling, patient advocate, support at the end of life. The list is endless. My blessing is to provide the emotional and spiritual support to my patients while we journey together on this earth.

Heidi Madsen, RN
Parish Nurse
Cleveland Clinic

Tips On How To Start A Career In International Travel Nursing

If you are a nurse who enjoys traveling, you may want to consider a travel nursing position. Many travel nurse placement agencies offer positions that range anywhere from four to thirteen weeks depending on the case. This type of position offers the opportunity to expand your horizons while obtaining more experience in your chosen field.

In terms of compensation, the traveling nurses tends to make anywhere between 10-15% more than the staff nurse with incentives and bonuses added to the package. For many nurses, being a travel nurse opens the opportunity to see parts of the country they would not ordinarily see in the course of normal employment. If you aren't able to travel because of children or financial obligations, you can still experience the thrill of being a travel nurse by accepting assignments closer to home. Of course, when you are able to do so, you can ask for assignments in other cities or states. That is one of the benefits of being a travel nurse with a placement agency: it leaves you in control of which assignments you accept. Unlike a staff position, you are not required to report to work every day as per a set schedule unless you are on an assignment. When you are in between assignments, the choice is yours to accept or decline, and often times with a travel nurse, bonuses are paid to those who complete assignments.

Are the assignments always in hospitals or nursing homes? That depends on the assignment, but the potential is also there for private duty. Some nurses prefer private duty cases, and in many cases, the pay is higher than it is in a facility-based assignment. Let the placement agency know if you prefer a particular kind of environment because they will try to accommodate you whenever possible. The key role is to meet the needs of both the patient or facility and the nurse. The more comfortable the nurse is with the position to which she has been assigned, the easier it will be for her to perform her job.

Travel nursing opens up many opportunities in the field, and for the nurse who is good at what she does, and not adverse to relocation, opportunities in other states as a staff nurse may be a thought to consider. This is a good way to feel the waters and see if you like different scenery before making the permanent decision to move to an unfamiliar place. This type of position is not for everyone, but if you like to travel and try different things, this is the kind of position you will love. Not only will you see other parts of the country, you will experience a completely different world of individuality in the new people you will meet.

Castro Valley Rotary Supports National Nurse Act

Pictured: Teri Mills and KJ Page
Thank you to the Castro Valley Rotary Club, President Bernie Kempen and past President KJ Page for inviting Teri to speak at their weekly meeting about the National Nurse Act of 2006. A reporter from the Castro Valley Forum wrote these comments:

By the very nature of their activities, Castro Valley Rotarians are used to hosting important guest speakers and supporting a good cause. Their weekly meeting yesterday, organized by the past president KJ Page, featured a speaker with a mission of national significance, Teri Mills, RN, MS, ANP, and a founder of the National Nurse Act of 2006, who was introduced by the CV Rotary president, Bernie Kempen.

The idea, initiated by Mills, was to establish an Office of the National Nurse within the national government, to be led by a registered nurse appointed by the Secretary of the Office of Public Health and Science.

As health care providers, we can do better, said Mills. It is our obligation to teach every American how to prevent diseases.

To read the article in its entirety, visit The Castro Valley Forum

Start Spreading the News! Nursing Jobs in New York

If someone would have told me ten years ago that I could get paid to move to New York City, have my rent paid for me, make almost double my hourly rate plus a several thousand dollar bonus for commiting to live there for three months I would have said they were crazy. But that is exactly the situation I now find myself in as I consider my next assignment as a traveling nurse in New York City. Wow! New York City!

Before I take any new assignment as a traveling nurse, I always write down the pros and cons of the new assignment. This one was easy. Yankee Stadium, The Empire State Building, Central Park (I hear A-Rod walks around with no shirt on), Lady Liberty, shopping, restaurants. The list is endless.