“G GIFTED HEART”
Those three words scream gifting. My gift to my daughter as she was beginning her first year at a very competitive University. As an adult now, I am very proud to support her financially, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. It has been amazing to witness her growth and accomplishments.
“Gifted Health Care is a nurse-run, woman-owned company that has local offices in Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma. We provide the most comprehensive range of healthcare services to physicians and clinicians. Since 2021, we’ve expanded our committed care programs
to include a variety of specialty areas.” – Karen Lewis, President and Owner, G GIFTED HEART
The idea is simple, if a physician prescribes a medication to a diabetic, the nurse administering it must acquire it in a timely manner. If a physician fails to provide this crucial information to the nurse, then the medication may not be provided and the patient may die. This is a very real risk for public safety and health. A perfect example of how this risk is realized occurred at the OKC St. Vincent in New Orleans. The public’s safety came to a halt when a nursing staff member inadvertently provided wrong medication to a patient.
Nurses have faced similar issues in the past. Vincent, the situation escalated rapidly when a member of the emergency response team inadvertently provided incorrect treatment to a patient. As a result, this same member of the emergency response team was subsequently reassigned to manage the emergency room. This individual did not receive additional training regarding the appropriate treatment for a diabetic patient with seizures.
In response to these oversights, the American Medical Association, which is responsible for the regulation of hospitals within the country, held a conference to discuss these issues. At the conference, several new regulations were introduced regarding the care of patients in hospitals. These new regulations are now being enforced by state boards of nursing. In addition, the conference resulted in the association of nursing institutions creating a list of “conditions that are prerequisites for certification”. These conditions vary from state to state but essentially, they include completion of an approved state board training course, completion of a minimum number of credited hours in an approved field, among other requirements.
One condition imposed is the completion of an Gifted Healthcare approved community nursing BSN program. Currently, there are nine community hospitals in the entire state of Oklahoma. To receive their BSN degree, nurses need to have already completed their master’s degree. An Oklahoma nurse also must have at least one year of experience as a registered nurse. Even though these requirements are now in place, many nurses are still waiting for approval to complete their BSN programs. According to a report, released in August 2021 by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Nursing, waiting for approval to take the exam and obtaining BSN certification from community hospitals can take up to three years.
One reason for the increased waiting time is that community hospitals typically partner with a particular nurse practitioner, who is a in treating patients with chronic diseases. The BSN nurse practitioner requires much more clinical experience than a traditional RN. As a result, waiting for approval to take the exam and obtaining certification can be very frustrating for these nurses. According to a report, released in August 2021 by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Nursing, waiting for approval to take the exam and obtaining BSN certification from community hospitals can take up to three years.
In addition to the difficulties nurses encountered while getting their BSN, some community hospitals did not offer training in alternative treatment options, such as complementary medicine. Although this practice was banned in the early part of the 20th century in the United States, more hospitals are now training their nurses in this method. According to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Nursing, many nurses required additional training in alternative medicine after they received a BSN degree. Although some community hospitals stopped training certain nurses because of regulatory pressures, many community hospitals are now training all their nursing staff in this method. According to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Nursing, it will likely take one to three years to complete a BSN degree from an accredited institution of higher learning in the state of Oklahoma
