One of the most popular articles on nursing.About.com was How to Give an IM Injection. I just added it to The Nursing Site. I also noticed that the Celebrate Nurses page is getting some views. I will add content there this week. Meanwhile, you can also add a comment on the FB Nursing Site Page about your thoughts, ideas, concerns etc. about Nurses Week. This usually sparks some discussion as so many nurses feel that Nurses Week is silly, pretentious, and they never have had any good experiences with it. Bring on the discussion!!!!
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Understanding the Nursing Process
Are you struggling with the Nursing Process? Most student nurses do, and for some, the process takes quite a while to become comfortable with. For RNs, nursing is not all about the task at hand such as a dressing change, or passing medications. The nursing process is about seeing the whole patient and the factors that lead him to your door so to speak. Why is this middle-aged gentleman with CHF back again so soon? Why hasn’t this young woman learned about her diabetes and how to prevent such high blood sugars? The process is about being a detective and finding ways to educate your patients and help them to…
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Why Do We Need a National Nurse?
Why do we need a National Nurse in America? Terri Mills, a nurse educator from Portland Oregon posed that question in The New York Times in May of 2005. Since then a huge grassroots effort has evolved. Representative Lois Capps (CA-23)herself a nurse introduced a bill (HR 4903) to establish the Office of a National Nurse to the 109th Congress. It received a great deal of support and public endorsement, but did not pass. This bill needs to be reintroduced to the 110th Congress. The National Nurse Team went to Washington DC in March, 2007, to meet with legislators and to educate them about nurses and why we need an…
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Nurses Improve Care and Outcomes
Once again the value of nurses in providing quality care and improved outcomes for patients has been demonstrated by a study involving family medicine practices and diabetic patients. From the Annals of Family Medicine; January/February 2008.This result is not surprising. However, this particular study looks at outcomes in family practices with Nurse Practitioners versus physicians alone and practices with physicians and Physician Assistants. The practices with NPs provided better care. John Q. Public may not understand why this is so, but nurses will certainly understand why. The minimum education requirements for PAs and NPs is vastly different, as is the content and focus. You can become a PA with an…
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How Do You Hand Off Your Patients?
How do you hand off your patients to the next shift? Do you make rounds? Do you record the information? Are you available to the oncoming nurse during shift changes? What kind of information do you consider critical? How do you prefer to get your report? What changes would you suggest for your facility? Documentation is critical to continuity of care as well as to provide a record of the care you have given. Conveying information to the next person assuming care for a patient is also essential to providing quality care. It can be disastrous if something is left out. The Center for American Nurses is currently conducting an…