Stress can be around every corner of a hospital. Nurses must care for complicated patients, work side-by-side with difficult coworkers, and comply with complex, ever-changing regulations. And that’s just the start of it. More stress is often waiting for you in your personal life when you step out the front door. The fragile fiscal environment is adding extra pressure and anxiety. A recent national survey conducted by HCPro revealed that...  Read More »

Are you in search of the ideal gift to show your gratitude to a fellow nurse? Is it time to reward yourself for all the hard work you’ve been doing? Whether it’s a resource to help save time or to expand knowledge—and whether it’s for you or a colleague—we’re going to make it easier on your wallet. In appreciation of your loyalty to HCPro and in recognition of the upcoming week that celebrates your profession, we would like to...  Read More »

“Our patient suffers from a rare form of Informaticsitis. She has lost her ability to Google and is now forced to read books.” And the winner is … (drum roll, please) … Sandy Biga! Congratulations, Sandy! 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?   Read More »

As HCPro continues its countdown to Nurses’ Week, our focus moves to improving the image of nursing. Bedside caregivers are at the forefront of healthcare every day as they care for patients and families and interact with physicians and peers. So isn’t it time to set high standards and improve the image of nursing? During your Nurses’ Week preparation, put celebrating the profession on your list of activities and empower...  Read More »

Many new graduates have to learn to work with many different personalities and work cultures. To do this successfully, they must understand themselves and how they work so that they can fit in with the rest of the team. Socialization or fitting in on a unit is as important for new grads as increasing their nursing skills. If they do not work at trying to be part of the team, their experience at their facility may not be a happy one, and...  Read More »

Nurses’ Week doesn’t start officially until May 6, but HCPro, Inc. is starting the celebration early! A nurse’s job is far from easy, and we’d like to show our appreciation for all that you do with some free tips, tools, product discounts, and book giveaways. In the next four weeks, be on the lookout for: April 13: A handout featuring pointers about how to present a positive nursing image inside and outside of your organization. April...  Read More »

Physicians have donated $350,000 to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston to prevent planned staff layoffs. The organization suffered a $20 million loss this month, reports The Boston Globe, and as a result planned 600 staff layoffs. Thirteen of the facility’s medical department heads announced they would donate the money to conserve coworkers’ jobs. In addition, they reached out to about 1,100 other physicians employed at the...  Read More »

Many nurses like to expand their minds with further education, and unfortunately that often leads to expanded college loans as well. But a new bill could lift some of the financial weight off those who use their higher education to train future nurses. A bill proposed on March 12 by two U.S. representatives would free nurses who earn a master’s or doctorate degree and go on to teach full-time at an accredited nursing school from repaying...  Read More »

“It’s time to get out of bed now. Your shift is over, nurse Joan!” And the winner is … (drum roll, please) … Mike Russo! Congratulations, Mike! 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? Looking for a new contest? Are you a stressed out nurse? We are asking you to complete the following sentence:...  Read More »

An integral part of handling a patient’s anger is letting the person know you understand the story, letting him or her know that you get it, or showing the person that you empathize with him or her. Recall that empathy means you recognize, perceive, and directly connect with the emotion of another. It is different from sympathy, which means you feel bad because of another person’s situation. Empathy is patient-centered. Sympathy...  Read More »