New rules enacted for Washington nurses
MOSES LAKE - New state rules require nurses to update their
education and keep their skills sharp.
The new law, which affects about 100,000 nurses in Washington, is
intended to improve patient safety, according to a statement by the
Washington State Department of Health.
The new law went into effect Jan. 1.
MOSES LAKE - New state rules require nurses to update their education and keep their skills sharp.
The new law, which affects about 100,000 nurses in Washington, is intended to improve patient safety, according to a statement by the Washington State Department of Health.
The new law went into effect Jan. 1.
According to the new standards, every three years nurses must complete 531 hours of active practice, 45 hours of continuing nursing education and a self-assessment and reflection of individual professional practice.
The rules apply to registered nurses and licensed practical nurses.
"Some of the stuff can be tied into the nurses' work they are already doing; otherwise they'll have to do it on their own," says Carol Schimke nursing program facilitator with the Grant County Health District. "It can be as simple as reading an article and writing an essay on it. I think any additional education that we can receive will ultimately be passed on to the clientele that we work with in our different capacity as nurses."
Schimke says she and other nurses are responsible for keeping a log of their training in case they are audited by the Washington State Department of Health Nursing Quality Assurance Commission.
Nursing Practice Advisor Chuck Cumiskey says the rules are mostly aimed at nurses who are on "autopilot" and may need a refresher in the field.
"It's kind of like being a pilot - you wouldn't want to go on Alaska Airlines and not have the pilot practice. You want someone who is actively engaged in their profession," says Cumiskey.
Nurses who don't abide by the rules may eventually have to go inactive to help keep the public safe, says Cumiskey.
"A nurse could, in theory, do it all for free on the Internet," Cumiskey added.
Cumiskey says the rules were enacted to help keep people safe.
"It helps to protect the citizens of the state and the people who come here get quality nurse care," says Cumiskey.
Columbia Basin Hospital in Ephrata is preparing for the changes through the use of a computer program called "Health Stream."
"It's all sorts of classes that you can pick and choose for each department and for nurses in each area," says Heidi Cline, director of nurses at Columbia Basin Hospital. "For nurses in long-term care, you get patients with dementia so there's classes for dealing with patients with altered mental status."
Womb care, emergency medications and traumatic injury are just a few of the topics the 24 registered nurses and 13 licensed practical nurses can learn about as part of their continuing education requirement.
Cline says she thinks the new rules are a good idea because the medical field changes so rapidly.
"As a nurse myself, and the others, I think we're all excited about it, we want to know what's new and updated," Cline says.