Nursing Blogs

from VickyRN - The response (answer) options follow the stem. The answer selection part of the test item contains several (usually three) incorrect choices (distracters), plus one correct answer (the key). The nurse educator should use clear and direct terminology in crafting the response options. Response options should not be verbose or contain overly...

from traumaRUs - ER orientation - how cool. The day finally arrived for the start of your orientation. However, what should you be learning in orientation? First, your ER should have a standardized length of orientation and it should definitely be more for the new grad RN. An orientation of 6-16 weeks is the norm, depending on your particular ER, number of...

from VickyRN - Imagine the effect the discovery of an alternate source of energy would have on our country and our economy – perhaps garbage from landfills could be used as cheap, clean, and “green” sources of energy. This would liberate us forever from dependence on foreign oil. Perhaps the cures for AIDS, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease are right around the...

from VickyRN - As educators, no words of encouragement lift our spirits higher than a note from a former student about his or her successes in the wonderful career of nursing. I thought I would share a recent letter (with permission from my former student, of course):

from VickyRN - Multiple-choice test items have two parts: a stem and various answer options. We will discuss the stem in this segment. The stem furnishes introductory information and enough content to clue for the response. It may be constructed as either a direct question or an incomplete statement. Questions are preferable, as these are easier to read. If...

from Thunderwolf - If you are new to the field of psychiatric nursing, counseling and therapy groups may present as a unique challenge for you. You may, however, have some questions concerning them. Why are they used? And, what are some of the differences? Allow me to share briefly some of the nuances of group. Group counseling and group therapy differ in...

from madwife2002 - As part of my blog and investigating foreign nurses in the USA I am running several polls so please feel free to go and vote to enable us to explore common myths and either prove or disprove them. here are several links to current polls Poll 1 Wages and the Foreign RN ...

from tnbutterfly - When considering a holistic approach to healthcare, it is important to realize the vital role that spiritual care plays in healing and in coping with health crisis. It is important to provide the patient and the family links to the care and support they need. Many patients find prayer to be very comforting and uplifting. Several hospitals,...

from Elvish - Hypoglycemia in newborns, as with adults, can be a medical emergency and in any case needs immediate treatment. At particular risk are newborns whose mothers had gestational diabetes (GDM) or prepregnancy type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus. My particular facility has standing orders to check a heelstick blood glucose on any baby whose mother had...

from Thunderwolf - When faced with an angry patient, what goes through your own mind? What are your typical responses? What interventions have you tried and used effectively? How did these interventions work or fall apart? What were the outcomes? And how did you feel afterwards once the crisis had moved on? In answering these questions and before addressing...

from Thunderwolf - The focus of this blog post is to elaborate and to come to an understanding as to what Mentorship is and what it can provide for you as a care giver in psychiatric nursing. I will also explore a bit of the similarities and differences of mentorship versus clinical supervision. In some ways, the two may overlap and overlap greatly. In some ways,...

from Thunderwolf - Newbie 101, Ground Zero Psychiatric nursing is unique and is a wonderful field of nursing. However, for the student nurse or for the new nurse entering the field, it may either cause much anxiety or alot of awe. Psychiatric nursing often presents its own unique challenges. This blog is to help prepare those who may have some concerns...

from Thunderwolf - Facing the Cliff in Recovery http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ9GrZ3CEyY (Based upon Creed's song and video, Six Feet From The Edge) The main character is singing while standing upon a crumbling cliff edge, falls in a free fall until he hits rock bottom, faces a sand storm, then meets a woman who presents him a bowl of water containing her...

from Angie O'Plasty, RN - There are some tools that have been around for a long time, but are rarely used because Medicare or Medicaid will not pay for them. Transfer boards, also called slide boards, fit into this category. When I asked why they were not covered by Medicare or Medicaid, I was told that a sliding board is a tool that helps the caregiver ‘s back more than...

from VickyRN - Analysis reflects the ability to break information down into parts, understand how these component parts are organized, and then infer how they are put back together again (classification). The learner must examine how each part relates to each other and find the underlying structure. This includes an awareness of the rules, dynamics, and...