I was thrilled to see today that Diana Mason, editor-in-chief emeritus of The American Journal of Nursing has come out in support of an Office of the National Nurse after spending some time discussing the issue with nurses from the UK where they have this kind of national leadership for nurses. Read her comments in the AJN blog, Off the Charts as she poses the question, “Why doesn’t the U.S. have an Office of the National Nurse?”
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09-11-01 Never Forget
Our hearts and prayers are with all who lost loved ones on that horrible day in NYC, PA, and Washington DC. Take a moment of silence to remember, and never forget!
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New York Mandates Flu Shots for Nurses
Despite objection in July from the New York State Nurses Association, New York has imposed a mandate for all health care workers to be vaccinated against the flu virus this year. New York was very hard hit last spring by the H1N1 Swine flu and is experiencing another rush of the illness so far this fall. According to a survey by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) less than 50% of health care workers take the annual flu shots. There are a variety of reasons cited, but many state that they “got the flu anyway” the last time they took the shot. The moral issues weigh in as…
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Is Your Drug Book or Application Up to Date?
Do you have the latest version of your drug book, smart phone application or software? The advantage of smart phone or PDA applications as well as any medical software is that it can be updated frequently where as a hard copy book cannot. But whatever your personal or professional choice, you need to update them at least once a year. Each year thousands of new drugs become available or have significant changes in applications, side effects, etc. Nurses have the responsibility to teach patients, caregivers and family members about medications and unless they have the most up-to-date information at their fingertips, this basic process can be severely hampered. Remember to…
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Voices of Meningitis Initiative
The National Association of School Nurses is hoping to help save lives this year and inform parents about the dangers of meningitis for teens and preteens ages 11-18. This can be prevented if children receive the vaccine. Actress Lori Laughlin is a mother of 3 herself and is the national spokesperson for the Voices of Meningitis Initiative. She has made a public service announcement video (see below) and along with school nurses across the country the initiative hopes to inform parents about the dangers of meningococcal meningitis. Although this disease is rare, it is also hard to recognize in early stages because the symptoms are similar to those of other…