Nurse Journal of Nursing
Nursing Speciality Certification
Tags: certification future of nursing healthcare system nurse patient outcomes profession professional rn
The benefits of nurse certifications for the nurse, hospital and patient.
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"Just a nurse"
Tags: helping nurse nursing school outside the box
Being a nurse is sufficient...think outside of the box
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Do nurses really understand Advanced Health Care Directives?
Tags: acute care Advanced Health Care Directives advocate AHCD AHCD education health nurse
As a Nursing Supervisor, I have witnessed many problems associated with patients Advanced Health Care Directives (AHCD). On many occasions, patients are asked about AHCD when their medical condition worsens, leaving education of AHCD lacking and often put to the family to make end-of-life decisions. Both nurses and patients have verbalized not understanding AHCD. At the local hospital not only have many nurses acknowledged not understanding their role and responsibility about AHCD, but they also do not really have a good understanding themselves of what AHCD are; therefore, they do not feel comfortable educating patients and families about this vital healthcare issue. Research shows that providing AHCD education is effective in changing not only the treatment preferences of patients, but their attitudes toward end-of-life health care (AHRQ, 2003). There was an eminent need to look into this problem at the local community hospital.
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Literature Review: Safe Nurse Staffing
Tags: Competent Care float nurse float pool Floating floating nurse health ICU medication errors nurse Nurse and Burnout nursing ethics patient outcomes performance retention Staffing Issues stress Stress among Nurses work environment
The purpose of this literature review is to exam nurse staffing and staffing related issue and its impact on the healthcare world. Safe nurse staffing poses substantial issues at the clinical level including its tremendous impact on patient mortality, patient satisfaction, increased incidence of medical errors, and nurse dissatisfaction and burnout.
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Multidisciplinary Rounds In Various Hospital Settings
Tags: Bedside Manner conflict resolution hospital ICU ICU Nurse Multidisciplinary Rounds nurse
This paper focuses on the use of multidisciplinary rounds in various hospital settings with an emphasis on intensive care units. A comprehensive literature review on the studies that focused on the use of multidisciplinary rounds will be incorporated and referenced. Topics to be discussed in regard to application of multidisciplinary rounds are benefits, barriers, gaps in current literature, and recommendations for baccalaureate level nursing.
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“What is it with you?”
“I’ve got a fainter here!” I call over my sister’s head to the flight attendant. My sister is sitting in the aisle seat, I am in the middle, and my new patient is sitting by the window. He has just announced to me that he doesn’t feel well and thinks he may faint
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Nurse/Patient Communication Twenty Suggestions for Improvement
Tags: communication improvements nurse patient twenty
From time to time, physicians are taken to task by fellow physicians and many others for a variety of shortcomings in the practice of their profession. Common among the listed faults is a lack of effective communication with their patients.
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My Professional Path as a Nurse
Tags: ICU ICU Nurse nurse path professional
When I was a little girl, I’ve always been fascinated to see nurses in white uniform. I have this inner desire that nursing is something that I really wanted to do. Eventually, I enrolled in the nursing program and finished my degree. I started working in medical area and I learned that to be a nurse you have to be caring, patient, integrity, intelligent, have a compassionate and listening ear, and always seek knowledge for advancement.
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A Lesson Learned
Tags: care nurse reflection RN
I wanted to say something brilliant. I wanted to make it better. I had nothing to say. Instead, I put my arms around this tiny woman and I held her close. Her head rested on my shoulder as she sobbed for her losses. In that moment in time, there were no call lights, no medications, and no other important matters. There was no longer any urgency as I held this woman.
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Acute Renal Failure
Tags: acute renal failure Case Study critical care health care nurse patient concern patient outcomes
Acute renal failure (ARF) has become increasingly common in patients with critical illnesses. Up to two-thirds of intensive care unit (ICU) patients develop ARF with the leading cause being sepsis. Treatment of ARF has been associated with higher costs and the following adverse outcomes: increased length of stay, excess mortality of 30-71%, need for chronic dialysis in the patients who survive, and the requirement of discharge to short-term or long-term care facilities.
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Family Presence During CPR in the Emergency Department
Tags: Bedside Manner cpr critical care emergency emergency department Emergency nurse family Family Presence nurse
A descriptive survey conducted in 2000 (Myers, et al 2000) investigated attitudes and beliefs of patients’ families and ER staff members about FWR. The survey reported that 98% of patients’ families indicated that they had a right to be present and would do it and would participate in FWR again; 100% of family members said that FWR was helpful to them, and 95% said it was helpful for the patient. It also showed that 70% of professionals surveyed after their participation in FWR actually produced a higher level of “professional” behavior along with a more “professional” bedside dialog amongst the health care team. The survey also indicated that having the family in the resuscitation room prompted the staff to take the patient’s dignity, privacy, and need for pain management into greater consideration when compared to an un-witnessed resuscitation effort. (Myers, et al 2000)
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First Day of Kindergarten
Tags: kindergarten nurse school
Camera hanging off my neck, I prance from my car toward the playground. CRASH! THUD! POW! Right in front of the drop off zone a three car accident has unfolded before my eyes. Ella's preschool teacher, Mrs. Lewis, looks at me and declares, "Go, Cara. You're the nurse."
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I Am Dedicating This Poem To All The Nurses
Tags: dedication to nurses health care nurse poem
I was merely twenty something, When I started my career. Nursing was my dream, And now it is my fear.
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Malnutrition in the Elderly: An Unrecognized Health Issue
Tags: elderly elderly patients health issue malnutrition nurse risk factors
Malnutrition is defined as an imbalance of nutrients caused by either an excess intake of nutrients or a nutritional deficit. Malnutrition is becoming increasingly more common among the elderly population. This is a cause for concern considering malnutrition negatively affects the health of the older adult. An estimated 5-10% of elderly people living in the community setting are malnourished (Furman, 2006). About 60% of hospitalized older adults (age 65 or older) and 35-85% in long-term care facilities are experiencing malnutrition (Furman, 2006). From these statistics, malnutrition seems to be even more prevalent in hospitals and long-term care facilities, as compared to community-dwelling older adults.
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Memories from a Haitian Cholera Treatment Center
Tags: care cholera haiti nurse treatment center
In January and February of this year I worked in Haiti with United States NDMS DMAT and ImSurt teams providing medical and surgical care to the victims of the January 12th earthquake. What I experienced during those weeks only partially prepared me for what I would experience upon my return to Haiti
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Nurse, please pray with me.
Tags: care comfort health nurse prayer
Prayer may benefit both the nurse and the patient; both may find comfort in prayer. Prayer may also help patients and their families adjust emotionally to their illness or life events and support the patients’ spiritual health.
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Pathogen Transmission from Blood Pressure Cuffs
Tags: blood pressure cuffs health nurse pathogen
Decades of research has been conducted regarding the transmission of pathogens in hospitals from patient to patient, patient to staff, and staff into the community.
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Pharmaceutical Counseling
Tags: counseling health medication medication errors nurse pharmaceutical
1.5 million Americans are sickened, injured or killed by medication errors each year; seniors most at risk due to the polypharmacy risk factor. Adding pharmaceutical counseling to patients on four or more medications decreases the risk of medication errors
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Pressure Ulcers Management
Tags: complication health management nurse nursing assistant nurtrition pressure ulcer risk factors skin wound care
Pressure ulcers are a major complication associated with the loss of mobility, activity, increased moisture, poor nutrition, friction, shear, and altered sensory perception. They are caused by unrelieved compression of the blood vessels and tissues resulting in the lymphatic system not filtering waste products.
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Preventing Falls in the Elderly Long Term Care Facilities
Tags: elderly elderly care fall prevention falls health nurse risk risk factors
The elderly long-term care population is at increase risk for falls and fall related injuries. The implementation of a fall prevention program is important for ensuring resident safety. Systematically assessing residents’ risk for falls and implementing appropriate fall prevention interventions can reduce the number of falls in the elderly long-term care residents.
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Recognizing and Overcoming Toxic Leadership
Tags: behavior leadership managers nurse toxic work environment workday
Toxic nurse managers are detrimental to organizations, diminishing staff morale, thwarting creativity, and creating unnecessary job stress. Toxic nurse managers can also negatively affect an organization’s bottom line as staff absenteeism may increase, job satisfaction and critical thinking may decrease, leading to turnover and complicating innovation, decision making, and problem solving.
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Relationships among the Elderly: The Effects on One’s Health and Psychosocial Well Being
Tags: aging dating elderly health nurse psychosocial relationships
Advances in medicine are allowing many adults to live longer lives than previous generations. In fact, the elderly population is becoming one of the largest growing sectors of the present population. Recently, researchers have begun studying what factors contribute to successful aging. These studies are showing that the impact of family and social relationships plays an important part in one’s health and psychosocial well being. People can get lonely, so dating for seniors could be a great boost for their psychological well being.
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Smoking Cessation Education in the Elderly
Tags: cessation elderly health Health Promotion nurse quitting
The role of the professional nurse as direct care provider and educator is pivitol in providing clients with the information and support necessary to facilitate smoking cessation and improve client health outcomes.
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There Are No Simple Cases
Tags: body case Code Blue nurse outcome PACU recovery simple study temperature
As a twenty year experienced recovery room nurse, I know that no case is ever the same. People are individuals. They react differently to medications. They metabolize drugs at different rates depending on age, body mass, body temperature, kidney and liver functions. Although everyone is different, I can basically expect a certain outcome in recovering people. But in saying this, you can always expect the unexpected.
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Examining the Transition for New Graduate Professional RN
Tags: new graduate nurse professional rn student nurse transition work environment
Transition into the role of the professional nurse is cause for great excitement and apprehension for the student nurse. As a soon to be BSN graduate, this author noted a similar theme amongst classmates which provided an opportunity for inquiry to highlight key strategies for successful transition for the entry-level professional nurse
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Female R.N.’s: You May Be Working for Less Pay than Your Male Counterparts
Tags: female r.n. jobs nurse pay rate
Although CRNP’s and PA’s are comparable at the most basic of levels, more is expected of CRNP’s because we are licensed to do more! What we cannot do is work a 50 hour week for a 40 hour paycheck! So why do we continue to the right thing for less pay?
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End-Of-Life-Care: Are Nurses Educationally Prepared?
Tags: care comfort death end of life end-of-life care health medical technology nurse physical health spiritual-psychosocial health
End Of Life Care study in the RN Journal. Are nurses prepared to offer quality end-of-life care to patients and families?
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Help Me Get Better
Tags: care nurse reflection RN
A Registered Nurse reflects on her experiences as an RN professional!
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