Nursing Blogs

from VickyRN - EXAMPLE: Pt with tracheostomy on the rehab unit. 0700 – Received pt in bed, resting quietly with eyes closed. Easily aroused to alert and fully oriented state with voice. Client indicates by shaking head that presently he has no needs and no pain or distress. Respirations even, unlabored via tracheostomy. Pt is receiving humidified oxygen @...

from tnbutterfly - How many of you have felt helpless or guilty when caring for a seriously ill or dying patient? How many become overwhelmed with emotion after a particularly “bad death”, or the death of a patient you have allowed yourself to become attached to? What should nurses do to avoid the pain that such circumstances often cause? Or are there appropriate...

from VickyRN - The clinical post conference has a unique focus in nursing education: the student’s own behavior and experience. Ideally, it should provide a nurturing setting for debriefing, discussion, and development of critical thinking skills. It should reinforce and expand the learning that has occurred in the clinical environment. The clinical...

from VivaLasViejas - As I've grown older (and hopefully wiser), I've become more and more appreciative of the human animal. Each and every one of us is different from everyone else, yet somehow, people under duress tend to behave in certain ways that have a consistency that never ceases to amaze me. And in my estimation, nothing causes duress like being a patient in a...

from traumaRUs - We've all been there: you get an ambulance call that EMS is bringing in an elderly patient who had a ground level fall and now their leg is shortened and externally rotated. Oh and by the way, they have dementia. Ugh...could your night get any worse? Here are some tips for dealing with the patients who are demented: 1. Enlist family...

from traumaRUs - Hi there, come on in, kick your shoes off and make yourself welcome. There's coffee brewing! The idea for this blog is to address issues in emergency nursing. I have been a nurse for 16 years: 2 years as an LPN, 12 years as an RN and 2 years as an APN. I have 10 years experience in a level one trauma center and 9 years as a pre-hospital...

from sharrie - One of the aspects of UK healthcare that is supposed to help us provide good quality care for our patients in clinical governance. All NHS organisations will have clinical governance committees and these help the trusts manage risk. I have tried to compile details of what clinical governance is, and how it can be used to help nurses improve...

from VivaLasViejas - If I had a nickel for every time I've had to answer that question, I'd be able to retire tomorrow. It is a question I am often asked whenever I meet new people. After the how-do-you-dos are said and the subject inevitably turns to "what do you do?", I almost always get sympathetic looks and comments on how I must be such a saint to work in a...

from VickyRN - RN to MSN programs directly bridge RNs with diplomas and associate degrees to the master’s degree level (Master of Science in Nursing degree). These type programs require licensure as a registered nurse, a certain amount of bedside work experience (usually 1 or 2 years), GRE or MAT (with minimum specified score, completed either before entry or at...

from VickyRN - RN-BSN programs are university-level programs specifically designed to address the educational needs of associate degree or diploma RNs who desire to complete the requirements for a BSN. Graduates of these programs earn a fully accredited Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. Many hospitals require the baccalaureate degree for management, patient...

from tnbutterfly - The Case for Killing Granny I just saw this article in Newsweek magazine. The title was enough to grab my attention. This is a very hot topic in the news today. Health care issues pertaining to our elderly should always be important to us. We all hope to live to a ripe old age......or do we? With all the discussion about rationing health...

from VivaLasViejas - Years ago, I received a greeting card containing a poem which exhorted the reader to do things he/she might not ordinarily do, "just for today". I don't recall who sent me the card or what occasion prompted her to do so, but I've never forgotten the gist of the verse, which was along the lines of "just for today, I will dress becomingly.....speak...