What’s the difference between a leader and a manager? Nursing blogger The Nerdy Nurse feels that leaders aren’t always the same people who are managers. She finds that managers can be seen as hindrances to change, and concerns with money and budgeting get in the way of creating teamwork and promoting positive relationships with their staff. Read more in her recent blog post ‘What defines a Nurse Manager or Nurse Leader.’   Read More »

What do Oktoberfest beer girls and dental assistants have in common? They both wear the same outfit! At least in one dental office they do. The Austrian Times reports a German dentist has ordered traditional German Dirndl dresses for herself and her dental assistants in an effort to distract patients who are afraid of the dentist. Marie Catherine Klarkowski , came up with the idea after noticing how men looked at the low-cut Oktoberfest dresses, reports Austrian...  Read More »

Everyday photographs of nurses doing their jobs and interacting with patients are being displayed January 24-January 28 in the rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, DC. The images portray nurses in their everyday work routine, illustrating the importance of nursing, reported Newswise. The photo exhibit, Faces of Caring: Nurses at Work, is an award-winning presentation from the American Journal of Nursing. The photographs are being brought...  Read More »

Nurses’ long work hours are connected with patients’ chances of dying from heart attacks or pneumonia, according to researchers at the University of Maryland School of Nursing and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, who published their findings in the January/February issue of the journal Nursing Research. Researchers found that long shifts and lack of time off contributed to poor patient outcomes, including patient mortality....  Read More »

People with lower incomes have higher rates of hospitalization, according to a federal government report released January 13 in the latest issue of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The likelihood of being healthy, sick, or prematurely dying is influenced by a person’s race, gender, and income, says an article on HealthDay News. Though improvement has been made, these differences still remain. The report...  Read More »

A nursing student who was dismissed from nursing school after posting photos of her posing with a placenta on Facebook has won her case against her school and is to rejoin her classes. Doyle Byrnes, the Johnson County Community College, located in Overland Park, KS, nursing student took the photos during a clinical component at an area hospital. After her dismissal, Byrnes filed a lawsuit in which she stated the college violated her rights by failing to provide...  Read More »

How do you perceive nurses? How do you think members of the general public perceive nurses? Much of the public’s perception comes from media portrayals of nurses and what they do. Across all media, nurses are portrayed in a variety of ways: some positive, some negative. Truth About Nursing, a nonprofit organization that seeks to educate the public about the role nurses play in healthcare, put out a list of the 10 best and worst portrayals of nurses, with...  Read More »

A New York Times blogger by the name of Dana Jennings loves nurses. He loves all kinds of nurses, and he likes them more than any other medical personnel. In his post titled “In Praise of Nurses,” Jennings recalls the reasons why he prefers nurses over physicians. An excerpt from his blog juxtaposes the differences: Nurses are warm, whereas doctors are cool. Nurses act like real people;            doctors often act like aristocrats. Nurses look...  Read More »