You’re Being (Web) Paged Archive

The big nurses' rally by National Nurses United in Washington on 12 May 2010 means a lot. The extraordinary, almost surreal situation in which nurses have to take to the streets to push for patient safety is based largely on the fact that large numbers of people with six figure jobs can't be bothered to do those jobs. That's across the board, from licensing authorities to state governments to Washington. The sheer insanity of this situation is lost on nobody ... More »

In this age of vanishing doctors and nurses, it's like a war of the dinosaurs about who's going extinct first. The current moves to expand scope of practice for nurse practitioners have drawn criticism from the American Medical Association, which has in turn drawn ire from the nurses. The AMA cites the difference between a physician's training and nurse practitioner training as the main reason for its reservations about expanding the scope of practice of nurse practitioners. The scope of ... More »

Across the U.S., the muttering at local levels about nursing home and other institutional closures is rising to a roar. It's so far been a turgid tale of budgets, funding issues, and Medicaid. But the subject has been thoroughly ducked by state authorities, and public comments by officials are noticeably absent. How is this possible? Here is the more increasingly common situation: Some nice old soul whose main preoccupation has been trying to pay for medication has been told to leave, ... More »

If you consider nursing recruitment as a marketing exercise, the first things you notice are: The demand for nurses is huge. The recruiting methods are comparatively passive. If  you look at the stats, the Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the number of nursing positions in the market is expected to increase by 23% in the next decade. That's about double the average national figure. The need for more basic support for nurse recruiting has been recognized. The new Healthcare Reform Bill passed through ... More »

Before there were blogs, there were books. Nurses told their stories the old fashioned way, and they were just as intriguing as blogs today. Just out of nursing school I came across Echo Heron. I first read her book Intensive Care: The Story of a Critical Care Nurse. I was impressed with what she accomplished; returning to school as an adult with a child, helping to establish a critical care unit in her hospital, ... More »

Holy cow. Or should I say sheep? I had no idea there were so many knitting nurses out there. A recent search lead me to many blogs by nurses who knit. As a knitting fool my self, I am curious as to why so many of us pick up the needles and yarn after hitting the units. Can I just say how jealous I am of Nelda? She knits beautiful socks. And she's obsessed. ... More »

We will all at one point become a patient. Even as nurses, flipping to the other side of the bed can be difficult. Perhaps this is why we have earned the old wives tale of making "bad" patients. But I am often humbled, and angered, at the experiences patients endure. The New York Times has a 14 part series on being a patient. (You may have to register to read the series, but it's free) ... More »

I am hooked on forensics. I love the real life crime shows, the docu-drama's on MSNBC, and the science behind it. Did you know that nurses are also specialists in forensics? Just ask Kathleen Ecklelt, RN, FNE. She has a blog Forensics Talk that has excellent information relating the field. This blog written by a forensic nursing instructor has interesting posts about issues facing forensic nurses. One of the most common areas of forensic ... More »

I'm baffled. I can't find an old fashioned pediatric nurse blog. I've found NICU nurse blogs. But where are the pediatric unit nurses? Perhaps someone needs to direct me on where to look. I know there are pediatric nurses out there, so this post is for you. It continues in the theme of needing to remain up to date in the latest evidence based practice, with one of the best ways of keeping yourself informed ... More »

Nursing has moved towards evidence based practice, and it's not just for nurse researchers. The University of Minnesota has a great site that explains what evidence based practice means, how to evaluate and incorporate it into practice, and has a multitude of links for further information. Bedside nurses, new and old, need to remain on top of the latest research and findings that drive our nursing care. One of the best resources for finding the latest evidence based ... More »