Not being a nurse, I’ve never really thought about what happens when patients are admitted to the hospital and they are smokers. However, this is something that nurses and healthcare providers have to deal with all the time, and a recent survey says that many are not offering patients any help with quitting. The survey, published in the July issue of Nicotine & Tobacco Research, finds that nurses and healthcare professionals often...  Read More »

A 12,000-strong nurses’ strike is planned for June 10. The nurses will represent 13 Twin Cities hospitals. On the same day, 13,000 California nurses will strike as well. The nurses in Minnesota are fighting proposed pension and benefit cuts. They are also fighting for the hospitals to commit to strict nurse-to-patient ratios. Citing economic woes, the hospitals are requesting more autonomy in this area, with the option of floating...  Read More »

This contest started at the end of last year, and we had so many great submissions I just had to keep it going! All of your nominations for best nurse mentor were incredibly inspiring. Finally, though, we have picked TWO winners: Bev Perry and Lena New! Here is an excerpt from Jessica Perry, who nominated Bev Perry: “Bev Perry is a nurse whose motto has always been to treat every patient and staff member as she would want to be treated...  Read More »

Throughout the year, CNN.com has named everyday, inspiring people CNN Heroes, highlighting those who help others. Faith Coleman, NP, was recently named a hero. In 2003, Coleman was a contract worker with several doctors, receiving no health insurance when she learned she had kidney cancer. After her battle with cancer, Coleman, a mother of six, opened a free clinic with the help of her colleague, John Canakaris, MD. The clinic, called the...  Read More »

Many nurses think they don’t have time in their day to think about evidence-based practice (EBP). But EBP helps us provide high-quality patient care based on research and knowledge, rather than on traditions, myths, hunches, advice of colleagues, or outdated textbooks. EBP changes the familiar saying "this is the way we have always done it" to "show me the evidence." Why is EBP important to nursing practice?...  Read More »

Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas has ended its 20-year relationship with McDonald’s, the nation’s leading purveyor of fast food. It’s a move that has many cheering as healthcare professionals have long argued that the presence of fast food restaurants in hospitals undermines the organizations’ efforts to promote healthy eating. The McDonald’s franchise will be replaced by restaurants owned by Puente-Brancato...  Read More »

Patients can be quite hard to understand, making them difficult to treat. It’s important to look out for certain behaviors, especially obsessive-compulsive behaviors. Remember: Obsessions are thoughts that occur over and over again Compulsions are acts the person performs as a way to deal with obsessive parts Obsessive-compulsive behaviors are most often seen in anxiety disorders, called obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In OCD,...  Read More »

“Poor Dr. Jones, he’s just received the results from the walk around–now he has to tell the partners. I told him not to take them to the cafeteria.” And the winner is. . . (drum roll, please). . . Vicky! Congratulations, Vicky! 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...  Read More »

A couple of months ago, we asked you to share your cost-savings ideas for our contest to win one of our Quick-E! clinical reference books. We received dozens of entries and picked what we thought were the best strategies to implement quickly and easily. Congratulations to Terri Johnson, Marfy Yanac, Betty Gregg, Donna Label, and Laura Webb for having the most creative methods for saving your pennies during this tough economic time. So what...  Read More »

“As you may know, we are in the middle of a C. diff. outbreak and…” And the winner is. . . (drum roll, please). . . Doug Barnett! Congratulations, Doug! 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 nurses....  Read More »