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At Westways we are always trying to have a great time and include all of our dedicated employees and client’s in the festivities. On July 18th, we are going to watch the San Diego Padres take on the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park. We will be sitting atop the Western Metal Building enjoying the California sunshine. Contact Kimberly in our SD office at 858-514-1244 for more info about this event and how to reserve your tickets!

Today is the start of National Nurses Week (May 6 - May 12). Westways would like to wish all of our fellow nurses a happy National Nurses Week! Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the healthcare industry. Don’t forget to stop by your local branch office party to celebrate!

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This month, as we celebrate our profession and Florence Nightingale’s birthday, it is a good time to ask, how healthy is nursing?

By my prediction, we are mid term in this economical nursing cycle. There are a number of companies who have not been able to survive the current market softness. Also, we are starting to see a decline of hiring by hospitals. Wage increases for nurses have flattened out; probably becoming negative in real terms over the coming years. Historically, this has been consistent with how the hospitals operate in these conditions. We will also see enrollment in nursing schools drop, and at some point, the very rapidly aging RN population will become greater than the younger nurses entering the profession. In addition, President Obama is working on a new healthcare package that will more then likely drive more patients into the hospitals.

My opinion is that the worse things are in the short term, the greater the nursing demand will be in the long term. Then we will be dealing with the dynamics of a nursing shortage of epic proportions.

Nursing is the backbone of health care. Nurses have more individual contact with patients than any other health profession, every day. But the image that has been created isn’t particularly flattering to the public.

The public doesn’t know who to blame it on, but in today’s hospitals, it is sometimes hard to feel truly cared for. Blame it on shortened length of stay. Blame it on short staffing. Blame it on managed care. But we have to find a way to show patients we care even when we’re too busy. We have to keep talking to them. We have to introduce ourselves as we lead them into an examining room or meet them at the beginning of a shift. No matter what’s going on in health care, nurses are the keepers of caring. Would you want it any other way?

Remember, we will always have a boss to answer to. Even though they are in charge, we know who the real boss is. WISHING EVERYONE A HAPPY NURSES WEEK! - Harold Sterling, CEO

Westways takes a great deal of pride in the employees we provide to our client facilities. One way of maintaining a high level of professionalism and a group of highly qualified staff is through our RN Referral Program. Our RN Referral Program is designed to build a strong group of nurses through the eyes of our employees. Let’s face it, you know the nurses you appreciate working with and the ones you don’t. We also know that as a dedicated healthcare professional, you have the ability to spot talented nurses and that is why our RN Referral Program has been such a huge success. Please call the manager of your local branch office for more information about our RN Referral Program and how it will benefit you.