A New Look at Nursing Safety, Article Review Example

Abstract

This essay examines the qualitative study in the journal article A New Look at Nursing safety: The Development and Use of JHAs in the Emergency Department from the American Society of Safety Engineers by James D. Ramsey, PhD., M.A. Nursing is a difficult occupation and deals with a significant amount of understaffing issues. Nurses should be prepared for all of the challenges that they will face in the workplace.

Research Question

Do accredited nursing institutions adequately prepare nurses for their future occupations? If so, in what capacity and is this information current and relevant to the increasing challenges of the modern nursing profession?

Problem

Nurses face a significant amount of occupational hazards. These hazards can include back injury, risk of communicable diseases, arthritis, and other health-related issues (Ramsey, Phd., M.A. 2005). These well-known occupational risks could be responsible for the nationwide shortage of nursing staff (Ramsey, Phd., M.A. 2005). Since accredited nursing institutions are the facilities responsible for instructing nurses in workplace safety, it is important that today’s nurses are equipped with the knowledge that they will need to stay safe on the job.

Purpose

The paper has two purposes. The first is to investigate how much health and safety standards are taught at nursing schools (Ramsey, Phd., M.A. 2005). The second is to investigate the level at which occupational hazards are described as part of the job description of nurses (Ramsey, Phd., M.A. 2005).

Hypothesis

This study does not have a hypothesis.

Independent Variable

The independent variable in this study is the job descriptions of the nurses, as these descriptions can and often are changed to adjust to a rapidly changing world.

Dependent variable

The dependent variable in this study is the literature that is used to determine average nurses’ occupational hazards, as the literature cannot be changed and is heavily dependent upon various factors within the workplace.

Theoretical Framework

This article examines the occupational hazards of nursing and seeks to understand if nurses are adequately prepared for an occupation that has several physical risks. To understand this, one of the most basic and important things to do is understand the amount of time that most nurses spend in post-secondary courses.

There are different levels of nursing and therefore, there are widely varying amounts of time that nurses can be in school. Most nurses attend college for 2-6 years (Choose Nursing). An LPN attends college for 9-12 months in most states while an RN attends school for at least 2 years and generally obtains an associate’s degree (Classes & Exams; How long does it take to become an RN).

Many nursing programs are also accelerated, to meet the needs of hands-on students who are serious about getting to work in their field of choice. Judging by this data, it may be safe to assume that the average nurse attends nursing school for two years. Is two years long enough to learn everything that is necessary about occupational safety? The obvious answer is no. While all nurses are trained about basic safety protocols during their time in nursing school, a great deal of what they learn about occupational safety comes from experience on the job – as is the case for most specialized trades.

According to Ramsey, PhD., M.A., the number one concern of most occupational nurses is stress. Many nurses work hard shifts with long hours and few breaks. He also states within the same article that the United States faces a nationwide nursing shortage. Therefore, the long hours and stress that nurses face on the job could have something to do with the fact that several health care environments have understaffed nursing departments.

There are several main obstacles that nurses will face in their daily occupation. The first is blood borne pathogens, which can transmit accidentally through a used needle pricking their skin (Ramsey, Phd., M.A. 2005). The second are air borne pathogens from diseases such as tuberculosis (Ramsey, Phd., M.A. 2005). The third is musculoskeletal injury such as back pain (Ramsey, Phd., M.A. 2005). Then there is also chemical exposures, unmanaged stress, and workplace violence (Ramsey, Phd., M.A. 2005).

Each health care facility is responsible for issuing members of their nursing staff a job description at the time of hiring. Each job description is different as each setting is different. However, the job description must explain what it is, in general, that nurses are going to be dealing with each day.

Educational institutions should include more comprehensive nursing programs that prepare more nurses for the individual obstacles that they will face on the job. Due to the violence that affects nurses, it should also be required for them to learn some form of basic self defense so that they will be prepared to deal with these issues without letting themselves be harmed or harming the patient. Another issue that should be addressed more widely is the issue of dealing with unknown chemicals and toxic waste. It is highly important for any healthcare worker to learn what they are up against and how to deal with it effectively.

Population

The population in the study consisted of occupational nurses in the United States.

Setting

The primary setting for this study is unknown. However, since most nurses work in clinics, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities, it can be inferred that this is where the setting of the study took place.

Sampling Method 

The sampling method for this study involved summarizing the research literature regarding nursing occupational hazards, discussing current nursing educational requirements and general nursing job descriptions from various departments, and describing a research design that will protect the nurse from unintended occupational hazards (Ramsey, Phd., M.A. 2005).

Conclusion

The nursing occupation faces a significant issue of worker shortage and occupational hazards. New nurses that are entering the field are dealing with an increasing amount of dangerous conditions; therefore it is necessary that they be prepared to confront these issues. Occupational safety should be a top priority for nursing schools and more comprehensive programs should be developed so that nurses can prepare for an ever-changing and increasingly dangerous world.

References

Choose Nursing: FAQs: How long does it take to become a nurse?. (n.d.). Welcome to ChooseNursing.com. Retrieved July 20, 2010, from http://www.choosenursing.com/faqs/time.html

Ramsey, PhD., M.A., J. D. (2005). A New Look at Nursing Safety: The Development and Use of JHAs in the Emergency Department. American Society of Safety Engineers, 2(2), N/a.

How Long Does it Take to Become a Registered Nurse?. (n.d.). Degrees, Schools, Online Courses and Careers – Over 20,000 Articles. Retrieved July 20, 2010, from http://education-portal.com/how_long_does_it_take_to_become_a_registered_nurse.html

classes, a., & Exam…, a. p. (n.d.). How Long Does it Take to Become a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)?. Premier Online Directory of Degree Programs & Career Planning Articles and Videos from Top Colleges and Universities. Retrieved July 20, 2010, from http://degreedirectory.org/articles/How_Long_Does_it_Take_to_Become_a_Licensed_Practical_Nurse_LPN.html