Nursing

Julie A. Fairman, Cynthia Connolly, and Patricia D’Antonio of the School of Nursing advocated for governors to reduce restrictions on care given by nurse practitioners (NPs) during the pandemic, as many states still require NPs to be supervised by physicians.

Connie Ulrich of the School of Nursing wrote an op-ed about the coronavirus’ emotional toll on health care workers. “As the pandemic slows, hospital administrators, educators, researchers, and others must begin to develop and implement interventions to address the trauma and psychological damage sustained by health care workers on the front lines,” she wrote.

Tarik Sharif Khan, a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Nursing, wrote an op-ed about the struggle to access needed medical supplies amidst the coronavirus pandemic. “While local and state officials like Mayor Jim Kenney and Gov. Tom Wolf are trying to obtain supplies and prepare for the surge of COVID-19 cases, their ability to respond is ultimately limited by the powers the president chooses to exercise, and the support the federal government offers,” he wrote.

Kathryn Bowles of the School of Nursing spoke about her path to the nursing profession. “A bachelor of science sets the foundation for a myriad of directions,” she said. “There are multiple opportunities in addition to hospital nursing. You can start a business, be an entrepreneur, you can do research or go into the pharmaceutical or insurance industry, or even health-care law.”

David Barnes of the School of Arts and Sciences spoke about the role of supportive care during viral outbreaks. “There are actually plenty of cures for viral illnesses,” he said. “We just don’t think of them as cures. We’re still kind of myopically fixated on finding a cure, when what we really should be doing is getting adequate basic nursing care for all patients.”

Catherine McDonald of the School of Nursing led a study that found that more than half of Pennsylvania school nurses keep the opioid-overdose drug naloxone at their schools. “I didn’t anticipate it would be that high, although it also indicates we could do better to get to a higher number,” she said.

Rosemary Polomano of the School of Nursing said the rise of doctors prescribing opioids to treat chronic pain in the late 20th century “was not based on strong science.”