“You’re gonna have to man up here and take some of the pain because we can’t give you a lot of medication.” That’s what Sarah May Casareto, RN, is alleged to have said to a patient who screamed in pain during his November 8 surgery at Abbot Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. Turns out, she couldn’t give him more of his medication because she had taken it herself prior to surgery. The patient, undergoing surgery...  Read More »

Researchers from Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN, are looking to use robotic “nurses” in operating rooms by using a hand gesture recognition system. The hand gesture recognition system uses a camera and a formula that finds the location of the surgeon’s head and triggers where the robot’s hands will go, reported Daily Tech. Researchers hope that the new technology will decrease the length of surgeries. Juan Pablo Wachs, an...  Read More »

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...  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...  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...  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...  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...  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....  Read More »

Nurses and Facebook were in the news recently when a nurse spotted eye cancer on a child from a Facebook photo. Last month, Facebook photos caused a controversy after four Kansas nursing students were dismissed for posing for photos with a placenta and then posting them on Facebook. Doyle Byrnes is the nursing student at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, KS, who was dismissed from the college nursing program as a result...  Read More »