Throughout the last 11 months, the coronavirus has laid bare many of the socioeconomic inequalities that exist in the United States. None of the exposed inequalities have been quite so shocking as those that exist between racial groups for healthcare access. Read on for ANA-Illinois’s examination of specific data on racial disparities in healthcare, the…
American Nurses Association – Illinois: Mentorship Program
At ANA-Illinois, we strive to provide our members with whatever they need to succeed in their nursing careers. It is widely recognized that mentorship is a huge component of career development. Faced with a rapidly changing health care environment, disruptive technology, and new challenges (like COVID-19), we believe that mentorship is more important than ever. …
Our Voice: Colleen Morley makes a case for patient advocacy and health literacy
Colleen Morley, DNP, RN, CCM, CMAC, CMCN, ACM-RN, had a successful career in credit and finance before deciding to go back to nursing school. Two weeks after getting her associates’ degree, Morley began working at Mount Sinai Hospital, where she stayed until making a move to Little Company of Mary Hospital, continuing to work in…
ANA-IL Provides Ways to Celebrate the Holidays Safely
With Thanksgiving directly behind us and the December holidays coming up fast, traveling is on many people’s minds. While everyone likes being with their families and enjoying a sense of togetherness during the holidays, the COVID-19 pandemic is making it a little difficult to do both in-person this year. For those who are unsure how…
The Social Determinants of Health
There are a number of different factors that contribute to a person’s overall health, including genetics and environment. While these are important to examine when determining health, in an editorial recently published in The Journal of Nursing Education, Dr. Teri A. Murray, PhD, APHN-BC, RN, FAAN proposes that we examine another factor: social determinants of…
Our Voice: Debra Savage supports evidence-based voting
Debra Savage, DNP, RN, MSN, BSN, has a nursing background that truly runs the gamut. Savage began her career as a staff nurse before spending some time in travel nursing and home health. Moving back into the hospital environment, she worked as a Maternal Clinical Coordinator for several different facilities. Eventually, Savage was named the…
How ANA-Illinois Improves Illinois Nursing
Here at the American Nursing Association — Illinois, our overarching goal is to improve nursing, whether it be the profession as a whole or by helping individual nurses to improve themselves. How we execute improvement can be done in two ways: by saying things that push for improvement in nursing and by doing things that…
COVID-19: Evidence as the Basis for Decisions
ANA COVID-19 Resource: Evidence as the Basis of Decisions In this time of unprecedented change and uncertainty due to COVID-19, the emerging scientific evidence results in recommendations that may change based on new data and information. As new information emerges, this must be communicated with all those affected by the pandemic and those caring for…
Our Voice: Bridget Heroff on the fluctuating role of the school nurse in the Covid era
Bridget Heroff MSN, RN, PEL-CSN, has worked in the field of Pediatric nursing for nearly 15 years. A year into attending St. Norbert College for a degree in Fine Arts and Communications, Heroff opted instead to pursue nursing. Heroff explains, “During the first couple of weeks of my first year of college, 9/11 happened. So…
How We’ve Got Your Back
Let’s face it. Sometimes, nurses have it rough. Even before the start of COVID-19, nursing had one of the highest rates of burnout of any profession. This was, in part, a result of overwork and unconventional hours, both of which have only been accentuated by the pandemic. At the American Nursing Association – Illinois, we…