A
s a staff rn working in Maine, Amy Tidd realized
that advocating for her patients had to extend beyond
the bedside. "When you start to explore the larger
issues at hand," she states, "it becomes apparent that
no matter how much work you do as a bedside nurse
to advocate for your patients, if there are policies that create barriers
for patients to get healthcare, our work is going to be futile."
With the oldest population in the nation and a stream of young
people moving to different states, hospitals in Maine are facing major
issues with staffing, and in rural areas many hospitals are closing.
18 N A T I O N A L N U R S E W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G M A R C H | A P R I L 2 0 1 8
Beyond the Bedside
By Shannon Clark
Through NNU's university
programs, RN Amy Tidd
improves her nursing
practice by learning
about the global forces
at work in determining
her patients' health.
Amy Tidd, a Maine RN and
an NNU university program
graduate, provides nursing
care during an RNRN
mission to Puerto Rico.
