You’ve just completed an 12 hour shift and all you want to do is head home to relax. Just before your shift ends, however, a patient is admitted with internal bleeding. Nurse blogger The Nerdy Nurse recently posted on some of the reasons why she hates getting an admission at a shift change. Here’s a few of her reasons: Patients almost never have an accurate medication list or their medication bottles. The patient room is often filled...  Read More »

Traveling healthcare is all the buzz these days. The New York University (NYU) College of Nursing has created a program called “Feeling Good in Your Neighborhood” featuring a mobile health van that is driven to schools in Brooklyn, NY, each day to provide primary healthcare to high school students from immigrant families. The van is funded by a $2.9 million grant given to NYU’s College of Nursing by the Federal Health Resources...  Read More »

Once again, Rebecca Hendren of HealthLeaders Media has provided a provocative column on nursing. This time, she explores the rash of strikes that are breaking out over the country. Yes, there are many reason for this, but surely, one is nursing stress resulting from the intense demands put on nurses. For example, Hendren writes “New graduate initiation practically stipulates that a requirement of successful floor nurses is a gargantuan...  Read More »

By Wendy Leebov I’ve been doing a lot of communication skill training recently and I’m repeatedly impressed by the impact that nonverbal dynamics have between staff and customers on rapport, trust, and mutual respect. I’ve been privileged to observe many people’s nonverbal behavior as they try their hand at various everyday scenarios. And here’s what I see: Some people say the right thing, but their nonverbal...  Read More »

Communication between staff members in hospitals is a topic that has been studied and practiced in great detail. One particular concern has always been the handoff: when a one staff member leaves a shift and another comes in. How do you ensure that all critical information gets passed along-and is understood-to ensure patient safety? An interesting article from HealthLeaders Media, written by Sarah Kearns, explains how one hospital addressed...  Read More »

Nurse retention is often achieved by nurse satisfaction—but how do you achieve true job satisfaction in a hectic healthcare environment? One answer might be medical mission trips. An interesting piece written for HealthLeaders Media by Rebecca Hendren explores what medical mission trips can do for RNs by profiling a nurse who went to Haiti with a group of healthcare professionals.  Though salary is an obvious factor in job satisfaction,...  Read More »

Despite all the talk about critical thinking, nurses operate in a very task-oriented system. In our rush to take care of all our patients’ needs, we are prone to neglect ourselves, which affects not only our own health but also our ability to care for patients. Remember, there are few things that can’t wait five minutes, so take a moment for yourself. Much of my increased efficiency at the bedside results from the way I now manage...  Read More »

The first step to mastering time management is to assess how you spend your time. One way to do this is to use a time management tracking tool. Thanks to our recently published book, Quick-E! Pro Time Management: A Guide for Nurses, we have a template you can start using today. Check it out here. During the course of several shifts, note how you spend your time. Once you have collected the data, look for patterns. For example: Are you routinely...  Read More »

The best approach to time management is an organized, proactive approach. Each shift begins the same way: Getting a patient assignment Reviewing the medical record Getting the shift-to-shift handoff report Assessing the patients Documenting your care So when you arrive on shift, you receive a patient assignment. Each patient has a unique diagnosis and specific needs. It is critical you have a mechanism to quickly organize the patient-specific...  Read More »