Staffing and budgeting issues will always affect the delivey of health care and the quality of that delivery. The growing nursing shortage affects these issues, but is also the victim of these as well. U.S. Senators Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Susan Collins (R-ME) are circulating a “Dear Colleagues” letter in the U.S. Senate similar to the one which recently circulated in the House of Representatives. This letter is asking Senators to support appropriate funding for the Title VIII Nursing workforce Development funding. The NLN (National League for Nurses) is calling for all U.S. nurses to contact their Senators to please sign this letter by Tues. April 1. Short staffing can…
-
-
Nursing Scholarships and Nurses Caps
Kim at Emergiblog hosted the latest edition of Change of Shift this week. Here are two of my favorites from her findings throughout the nursing community. 101 Little Known Scholarships for Nurses from the Nursing Online Education Database. The second come from the NPR (National Public Radio) program All Things Considered. A recent “homework assignment” for the program was to find the best in obsolete skills. Fran Hill, who graduated from the Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing in Philadelphia, PA, talks about her skill of cap folding and how she recently revisited this skill and it reminded her of her early days as a nurse. Take a listen to this…
-
Cranial Nerve Assessment
Do you know your cranial nerves and how to assess them? Do you remember that silly rhyme to help you remember them? Don’t worry it doesn’t have to drive you crazy trying to remember, I have a couple right here to jog your memory.photo by Aron Balough stockxchng.com
-
DO NO HARM!
The March issue of ISMP Medication Safety Alert® Nurse Advise-ERR®, reminds us all to DO NO HARM! A nurse who was unfamiliar with the Type 2 diabetic injectable medication BYETTA (exenatide) withdrew the entire contents from the penlet (1.2 mL) and injected the patient with the equivalent of 60 doses. Once the prefilled pen is removed from the packaging, there are no instructions for use on the pen. However, it does clearly state “each prefilled pen will deliver 60 subcutaneous doses, 5 mcg per dose.” The label also states that there are 250 mcg/mL and the pen contains 1.2mL. It also states, “Do not transfer this medication to a syringe.”…
-
Tips to Avoid Burnout
Sometimes you just have to take some time to do the little things that you enjoy doing like reading a book, playing with your children or animals, taking a weekend trip, or engaging in a hobby like sewing, photography, or hiking. If you don’t take time to enjoy the things that mean something or help you to relax and feel like you’ve been able to escape or do something just for you, you can become angry, frustrated and resentful. These are the things that make your life worthwhile and make you feel worthy. Take time for YOU frequently. Don’t get so busy and stressed out that you feel like you…