See Fran on MySpace. See Fran on Facebook. Follow Fran on Twitter. A veteran of social networks, Fran (short for “Frantic”), our Stressed Out Nurses mascot, officially started tweeting on Thursday afternoon. Her first tweet, “The Stressed Out Nurse is on Twitter,” fell on deaf ears, but things are already picking up. Sixteen fellow Twitterers (as of 12:52 p.m. EST ) are already following the colorful character. So, why should you? Fran...  Read More »

Q: What do you typically eat before a shift begins to make sure you have energy to last for 12 hours? Are you able to take snack breaks? If so, what do you usually eat? A: Twelve hours—from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.—is a really long day and it’s hard to have enough energy throughout, so I just do my best to eat things that won’t make me crash. I try my best to eat before work—like a bowl of cereal at home or a protein bar in the car. The mornings are...  Read More »

She began taking college classes at 12. Carrying a 4.0 GPA, she earned her high school diploma and associate degree at 15. And last Wednesday, Danielle McBurnett, a Chandler, AZ, resident, became the youngest student in the history of Arizona State University to receive a bachelor’s of science in nursing. McBurnett was home schooled early on in her life and decided she wanted to become a nurse at the age of 10, according to The Arizona Republic. Her...  Read More »

As part of our Nurses Week celebration, HCPro, Inc. included a quiz about Florence Nightingale in its nursing e-newsletters. We asked you to send us the answers. The reward for a perfect score? A chance to win a copy of the best-selling Ending Nurse-to-Nurse Hostility: Why Nurses Eat Their Young And Each Other. We received hundreds of entries and were tasked with choosing 10 winners. Here are the lucky nurses who, along with gaining some new insight on healthy...  Read More »

“No, doctor, when I said I wanted to go another ’round,’ I meant on patients!” And the winner is … (drum roll, please) … Peggy Hodapp! Congratulations, Peggy! Thanks to everyone who submitted a caption. They were all hilarious! And, we’ll be back next week with a brand new cartoon! Will YOU be the next winner? In the meantime, we’re going to give away a few copies of our Quick-E! Clinical Pocket Guides to some...  Read More »

Nurses and other clinicians strive to provide the best care possible, and in today’s healthcare environment, evidence-based care is essential. Every patient deserves care that is based on the best current scientific knowledge. Every nurse deserves to work in an environment in which evidence-based practice (EBP) is supported and its results utilized. We ask these questions in EBP: What is the clinical practice question? What evidence exists that will...  Read More »

Q: What went through your mind the first time you had to call a physician at home regarding a patient? A: It can be pretty intimidating to approach doctors on the floor or on the phone. But we have to place calls out to them pretty much all day. Patients have multiple doctors collaborating on their care so when we need to address an issue, we have to be sure to contact the right doctor. Talking to doctors isn’t as bad as you think it’s going to...  Read More »

President Barack Obama’s proposed healthcare workforce development funding for fiscal year 2010 would bring incentives to nurses both in the field and in the classroom. Of the $1 billion in the budget devoted toward strengthening healthcare professions, $125 million is allocated to the Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program (NELPN)—an $88 million increase from the 2009 budget. Funds for the Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) would increase by 40%. The...  Read More »

Marsha-Gaye Elson-Joseph, BSN, knew her nursing career could take her anywhere. Different facilities. Different units. Different states. The former TV news writer entered the industry because “there are a million different things you can do in nursing.” But she never expected her career would take her to a Kinko’s Copy Center. After a particularly frustrating day at her job as a per diem nurse at Jackson South Community Hospital in Miami last...  Read More »

Medical TV shows, such as ER, Grey’s Anatomy, and Scrubs, have often painted nurses in an inaccurate light. Now it might be time for a little Mercy. Mercy, a one-hour drama set to air on NBC this fall, will follow the happenings of the hospital through three nurses, one of whom just returned from a tour in Iraq. According to NBC.com, the show will also include digital features, including a “Test Your Nursing Skills” quiz with real first aid...  Read More »