The Chicago School District has committed to hiring more school nurses and having a nurse in every school, but there may not be enough certified school nurses to accomplish that goal. The district will hire licensed practical nurses and registered nurses and provide ways they can become certified school nurses.

Certified registered nurse anesthetists provide anesthesia care in different practice settings and can also be responsible for chronic pain management, said Passavant Area Hospital CRNA Matt Bednarchik. "Nurse anesthetists apply the same high standards of care, regardless of the type of procedure and the setting in which the anesthesia is delivered," said CRNA Mike Dunseth, who also works at Passavant.

The Novice Nurse Boot Camp is designed to give nurses within their first few years of licensure some tools and tips to take with them into their new practice setting. The nursing profession is one that can bring high levels of anxiety and fatigue if you are not properly equipped with tools to help alleviate some of the pressures that go along with this challenging career. With these tools in hand, you can set yourself up for a gratifying and positive career ahead. We will cover a variety of topics that the new nurse today needs to be aware of and capable of handling. Presenters of this boot camp will be newer nurses that have been through or are going through similar issues and can give you the tools and tips that they acquired while navigating their clinical practice. We at ANA-Illinois want to set you up to be successful and hit the ground running with this one-day workshop. Stay tuned for more details and registration information.

Illinois Nurses Foundation awards scholarships to qualified registered nurses and students. All applications and supporting material must be submitted online. Please be sure to review the criteria for each scholarship carefully. This will give you a better understanding of the documents required for each award. The submission window is January 6th through March 15th. Applicants can return to the application during the submission window to make changes and add the required material. Please be sure to save your work as you progress through the form. Late submissions or incomplete submissions will not be considered. Apply here.