February 1 is the kick-off for American Heart Month. To raise awareness of heart disease in women, the campaign to wear red evolved into the Red Dress as the symbol to promote heart health in women. On February 1, everyone is encouraged to wear red to promote heart health. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHSS) has joined forced with The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to provide materials and FREE continuing education units for nurses and health educators to learn more about heart health in women. Read more… Photo courtesy of The Heart Truth, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. The Heart Truth and Red…
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Laugh Long and Hard Everyday!
Nurses have to have a sense of humor to survive the day-to-day basics of patient care! A reader sent me a link to a wonderful bit of humor about the 10 Terrible Patients You’ll Find in Every Hospital, and How to Deal With Them. I’m sure you’ll recognize a few. I know I did. Enjoy! Share some of your worst patients on The Nursing Site Forum, and how you dealt with them…..of course please be sure to be mindful of HIPAA regs and don’t include any identifying information.
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A Documentation Sample
Documentation is such an essential part of nursing. To many it seems a waste of time. They’d rather spend their time with the patients, but in the interest of continuity, we have to be able to communicate information about the patient and the care we have given. Documentation takes many forms in various institutions and facilities, but the basics include providing the most important points. If you can remember to answer the who, what,when,where,why and how your documentation should be accurate. Here’s a sample case study and how to derive the information you need to include. I hope it’s helpful to those who struggle with charting. photo from stockxchng.com by…
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Do You Want to Become a Nurse?
It’s that time of year when high school students have to start researching careers and thinking about what they want to do when they graduate next year. As nurses, we need to encourage young people to seriously consider a career in nursing. We need to mentor and nurture a new supply of nurses to take our place as we plan to leave the workforce. The nursing shortage is tremendous already, and the need for new nurses is growing exponentially. A career in nursing will ensure employment, challenges and rewards like no other career! Think about becoming a nurse. photo from Microsoft.com
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Need Help With Documentation?
Today I rediscovered a great book I read a few months back called Writing for Nursing and Midwifery Students by Julio Gimenez. Dr. Gimenez is a Professor at Middlesex University in north London. He teaches academic writing to nursing, midwifery and business students. This book is terrific at teaching nurses how to examine the care they have given and to document it by focusing on “the five w’s and an h” otherwise known as who, what, when, where, why and how. Check it out….it’s a must for your nursing library!