Melissa Mills BSN

Workforce Development, Education, Advancement

Melissa is a nurse with over two decades of experience in leadership and workforce development. She loves to help other healthcare professionals advance their careers.

Workforce Development Columnist

All Content by Melissa Mills

  1. Melissa Mills

    Staffing and Unions: Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak

    Melissa Mills replied to Melissa Mills's topic in Collective Bargaining, Union

    Thanks for your comment! I agree that there are pros and cons to unionizing. I have no experience with nurse unions, however, my experience with non-professional unions (my husband's company) isn't...
  2. Melissa Mills

    Washington Nurses Celebrate House Bill 1155

    Melissa Mills replied to Melissa Mills's topic in Nursing News

    I agree with tnbutterfly - nothing goes into depth on how it will be enforced. I assume that is up to the state.
  3. Melissa Mills

    What is One of the Most Memorable Moments in Your Nursing Career?

    Melissa Mills replied to tnbutterfly - Mary's topic in General Nursing

    As an on-call hospice nurse on 2nd and 3rd shift, I often went to patient's homes when they were having extreme pain, agitation, or other symptom management issues. One night I was called to the home...
  4. Melissa Mills

    Work From Home: Nurse Case Manager

    Melissa Mills posted a topic in Case Management

    Many nurses have the dream of working from home. But, how? There are several different types of work at home nurse positions. One of the most common work from home nursing positions is a nurse case...
  5. Melissa Mills

    5 Tips For Using People First Language in Your Daily Practice

    Melissa Mills posted a topic in General Nursing

    Mark Twain once said, “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter - ‘tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” This is...
  6. Melissa Mills

    5 Tips For Using People First Language in Your Daily Practice

    Melissa Mills replied to Melissa Mills's topic in General Nursing

    So glad you enjoyed it, VivaLaViejas! It is important that we bring awareness to how our words can make someone feel!
  7. Melissa Mills

    6 Phrases Every Nurse Manager Must Learn to Say

    Melissa Mills posted a topic in Nurse Management

    Being a nurse leader is challenging. You might often feel like you are performing an impossible balancing act between management and the staff in your department. You want staff to respect you and...
  8. Melissa Mills

    6 Phrases Every Nurse Manager Must Learn to Say

    Melissa Mills replied to Melissa Mills's topic in Nurse Management

    I agree, Klone! Setting expectations upfront is the sign of a great leader. Thanks for sharing.
  9. Melissa Mills

    The Essentials of Medication Reconciliation in Home Care

    Melissa Mills posted a topic in Home Health

    You enter the home of Mrs. Jones to do her start-of-care OASIS assessment. You chit-chat with her before diving into your nursing care. She tells you that she was just released from the local hospital...
  10. Melissa Mills

    The Essentials of Medication Reconciliation in Home Care

    Melissa Mills replied to Melissa Mills's topic in Home Health

    I agree with you completely, Kaisu. I think where we often run into problems as a nurse is having the time to dedicate the time to reconciliation that it needs truly. When you do have that patient...
  11. Melissa Mills

    4 Reasons Ghosting an Employer is a Bad Idea

    Melissa Mills posted a topic in General Nursing

    Ghosting is a term that’s commonly used in online dating to describe “standing up” a date or connection. You just disappear from the person’s life and end all contact without giving any...
  12. Melissa Mills

    Protecting the Vulnerable: How Nurses Must Place Patient Safety at the Forefront of Practice

    Melissa Mills replied to Melissa Mills's topic in General Specialties

    Hi, Juan de la Cruz - I completely agree with you that all patients receiving care have a certain level of vulnerability. Even when my mother who is 100% capable of making her own decisions is in the...
  13. Melissa Mills

    8 Best Apps for Patient Self-Care

    Melissa Mills posted a topic in Coffee Lounge's Lounge

    According to a New York University School of Medicine study of 1,604 mobile phone users in the U.S., over half (58%) downloaded at least one health-related mobile phone app. The most popular...
  14. Melissa Mills

    4 Reasons Ghosting an Employer is a Bad Idea

    Melissa Mills replied to Melissa Mills's topic in General Nursing

    JadedCPN - No offense taken at all! I hear you that sometimes trying to use the "hip" or new terms can feel a little odd. But, using the words that people search for online is very important when...
  15. Melissa Mills

    Understanding the Power of Nursing Specialty Certifications

    Melissa Mills replied to Melissa Mills's topic in General Nursing

    Congrats, YuHiroRN, BSN! It is a great accomplishment!
  16. Melissa Mills

    Nursing Uniforms: From Skirts to Scrubs and Beyond

    Melissa Mills replied to Melissa Mills's topic in General Nursing

    Love
  17. Melissa Mills

    Recognizing the Red Flags of Sex Trafficking

    Melissa Mills posted a topic in General Nursing

    You work in the ED. Tina, a young woman in her early 20’s, has just been brought back to Exam Room 8. You go in to introduce yourself and see that she has come with complaints consistent with a UTI....
  18. Melissa Mills

    Top 10 Nursing Apps You Need to Download Today

    Melissa Mills posted a topic in Coffee Lounge's Lounge

    It seems that there is an app for just about everything these days. I mean, there's even an app that tells you if it's a good time to run to the bathroom during a movie and one that will help you find...
  19. Melissa Mills

    Top 10 Nursing Apps You Need to Download Today

    Melissa Mills replied to Melissa Mills's topic in Coffee Lounge's Lounge

    Love Turbo-Scan! It's great! And, eliminates the need for a scanner at home or a trip to the local
  20. Melissa Mills

    Top 10 Nursing Apps You Need to Download Today

    Melissa Mills replied to Melissa Mills's topic in Coffee Lounge's Lounge

    Thanks for the
  21. Melissa Mills

    3 Signs it Might be Time to Leave Bedside Nursing

    Melissa Mills posted a topic in General Nursing

    When you graduated nursing school, you may have envisioned working at the bedside for thirty or forty years before hanging up your nursing shoes. But, lately, you're not sure you want to finish 2018...
  22. Melissa Mills

    Just Landed Your First Nursing Management Job - Now What? 8 Steps For Success

    Melissa Mills posted a topic in General Nursing

    You hang up the phone. You did it! You just landed your first nurse leadership position - now what? You may have literally had this thought running through your mind. Sure, you know you need to tie...
  23. Melissa Mills

    6 Places the Community Needs Nurses

    Melissa Mills posted a topic in General Nursing

    Everyone knows that nurses work at the bedside. But, the community doesn't usually consider the need for nurses in other areas of healthcare and even other industries. Just imagine a world without...
  24. Melissa Mills

    7 Ways to Increase Your Patient's Health Literacy

    Melissa Mills posted a topic in General Nursing

    Nurses rattle off acronyms and big words like it's their job - well, actually it is! But, when those big words get in the way of your patient understanding what's going on with their health, it's a...
  25. Melissa Mills

    3 Signs it Might be Time to Leave Bedside Nursing

    Melissa Mills replied to Melissa Mills's topic in General Nursing

    SobreRN - Yep - this is a great example. I don't think tell them "like it is" was the real reason behind this though - it sounds like your dissatisfaction with the system might have been at play. And,...