Nurse-to-nurse hostility, nurse bullying, and “nurses eat their young” are all common phrases that new nurses hear when entering the nursing profession. Imagine this scene: You’re a new, 25-year-old nurse and you ask an older, experienced nurse a simple question. The older nurse responds in an angry, know-it-all way, making you feel inferior to her. Later that day, the same nurse gives you a difficult patient to attend to, knowing...  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 »

No matter how long you are in the nursing profession, you will always have to deal with patients and the patient’s family members. When a patient is hospitalized, it can be a very difficult time for their family, causing them to become more sensitive then normal. It is important to remember how you treat the patient and their family. Here are a few scenarios that can aggravate the patient and their family, and suggestions to help avoid...  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 »

Here’s a unique resource I think readers might be interested in. The American Nurses Association (ANA) plans to launch a diversity awareness resource center, reports Joe Cantlupe for HealthLeaders Media. ANA executives say the center’s aim is to ensure fair treatment of all patients, no matter their backgrounds, as cultural competency is a clear responsibility for nurses who work with patients every day. The center, which will...  Read More »

A growing popularity of book clubs is hitting the medical field. This ABC News report explores why literature is beneficial for physicians, nurses, and any other caretaker. Reading literature written from a patient’s point of view, such as The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, the memoir of the late French Elle Editor-in-Chief Jean-Dominique Bauby (who essentially wrote the book through blinking after a stroke left him almost completely...  Read More »

The Well blog in the New York Times this week explores an interesting and ever-present topic: why nurses bully each other, or “eat their young,” as many nurses call it. In it, Seattle nurse, consultant, and author Kathleen Bartholomew is mentioned-she literally wrote the book on the topic, which might be worth checking out: Ending Nurse-to-Nurse Hostility: Why Nurses Eat Their Young. The blog explores the reasons behind such...  Read More »

This will be an interesting trial to follow for nurses and all healthcare professionals, sure to set some precedent about nurse and physician reporting. Anne Mitchell, a former administrative nurse at Winkler County Memorial Hospital in Kermit, TX, will stand trial in a week at a state courthouse for “misuse of official information” after she anonymously reported a physician to the Texas Medical Board in April 2009, according...  Read More »

What an incredible story by The Missoulian about nurses’ connections throughout the world. The article tells the story of Michele Sare, RN, founder of Nurses for Nurses International, who arrived in Haiti on January 12with the purpose of teaching a local public health class. Less than an hour later, the 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck, and Sare’s entire purpose for being there changed. Sare spent the next week side by side with...  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 »