• Avoiding Caregiver Fatigue

    Sorry to be a little late with this today. We are having very high winds, temperatures and fires in So. CA so the power is wildly fluctuating. I’m trying my best to get this done quickly now. The winds and heat can be so annoying, but also play havoc with health issues. So can the extreme cold, snowy, rainy weather that most of the country has dealt with for months this year and continues long into the Spring. We always take the time to educate our patients in how to stay warm or cool. How important fluid intake is especially with extremes in weather. That winds drive the pollen and…

  • Nurses Week Give Aways

    Nurse week begins Tuesday, May 6 and runs through Monday, May 12. You can find more information about the history of Nurses Week on TheNursingSite.com There are a lot of events taking place to honor nurses. Texas Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson was the first nurse elected to Congress. Last week she introduced House Resolution 540 to recognize nurses and Nurses Week. The American Nurses Association chose the theme Nurses Leading the Way……. and on Wednesday, May 7 at 1:00PM EDT the ANA is sponsoring a FREE webinar for nurses Transforming Healthcare Through Nursing Leadership. Nurses can earn 1 CEU free. Register now. The Nerdy Nurse is sponsoring a Tweet Chat…

  • Isn’t Collaboration in Nursing Something We Do Everyday?

    This post is part of a collaboration with other nurse bloggers through The Nurse Blog Carnival.  Keith and Kevin from RNFM Radio are hosting this months enlightening round which will be posted on 4/15/14. Collaboration in nursing is a term that can sound overwhelming and off-putting to many. In truth it’s probably something that you do everyday without even thinking about it. It’s not necessary for every situation, but when it is needed, the outcomes can be compromised if nurses are unwilling or unable to participate. If you stop and think about it, physicians have been collaborating for forever. When the generalist needs advice about a specific problem he calls…

  • Focus on Quality by Focusing on Evidence Based Nursing Practice in the Onboarding Process

    Health care has gone through many paradigm shifts in the past few years with focus on quality and containing the skyrocketing costs. As many more citizens find access to health care and insurance (7.1 million signed up under the Affordable Care Act) and the Baby Boom generation moves into the later stages of life, many more challenges will be felt by the industry. The focus has changed from a sick care delivery system to a wellness system. Patients are charged with the responsibility for their own health status and to do this they need education. That education has to include not only disease management and medication reconciliation, but specific instructions…

  • Why Nurses Aren’t Being Hired from New Grad to Experienced Nurse

    There is an excellent article today on Scrubs Magazine Weekly Best. It’s a frank discussion with HR about why they didn’t hire nurses and provides a great checklist of the top reasons for not hiring candidates. Anyone looking for that new or next job should take a long hard look. Just a few years back nurses were writing their own ticket to almost any job they wanted because employers were desperate to hire nurses and sometimes just a warm body would do. Today the scene has changed radically and employers can be and are being very choosy. Year after year nurses have been voted by the Gallup Poll to be…