The phrase “like-mother-like-daughter” definitely pertains to Barbara Toney and Rachel Craft, who this month became the first mother and daughter pair to graduate from the Ohio University Southern (OUS) school of nursing. After receiving advice from the Lawrence County Workforce Development Resource Center, Toney and Craft decided nursing would be a good fit for the both of them. Craft, being recently married, believed the schedule...  Read More »

This may be preaching to the choir, but I thought our readers would be interested: Jennifer Johnson, who will be a guest blogger on the topic of nurse practitioner schools among other hot topics in nursing on The Leaders’ Lounge, a nursing blog for Strategiesfornursemanagers.com, posted about why people decide to become nurses. Her first couple of reasons include: 1. To meet a critical need. There is a great need for qualified nursing...  Read More »

About a month ago, I wrote about the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) AACN Nurse Residency Program,TM which dramatically decreased turnover rates for nurses in their first year on the job. The blog post prompted Daniel McCarthy, a retired airline pilot and flight instructor, as well as an aircraft mechanic, to write a comment. At 53, McCarthy went to nursing school and later became a nurse. Despite his experience in the tough field...  Read More »

The University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) AACN Nurse Residency ProgramTM (NRP) has helped program participants achieve a 4.4% turnover rate of first-year nurses–quite a feat, considering the national rate is 27.1%. So far, 61 sites have incorporated the program, which equates to about 16,000 participating nurses since 2002. In 2009, 11 participating sites had a 100% retention rate. It seems the key to the program is providing practice...  Read More »

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc., otherwise known as NCSBN, has raised the passing standard for the NCLEX-RN Exam. The new passing standard is -0.16 logits (the unit of measure for the exam) on the logistics scale. The standard is 0.05 logits higher than the previous standard of -0.21. The new standard takes effect on April 1, 2010. The standard is reviewed by the NCSBN Board of Directors every three years. The Board...  Read More »

Three major nurses’ organizations will be combining to form a new organization newly named National Nurses United, reports the San Francisco Business Times. The California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, the United American Nurses, and the Massachusetts Nurses Association are merging to form a membership that will be 150,000 strong. A founding convention will be held in December in Scottsdale, AZ, according...  Read More »

We all try to shape up our physical appearance at one time or another. But we sometimes forget to think about the professional image that we present to the world. Our actions, appearance, voice inflection, and ability to convey empathy and concern all play a role in our image. There are four categories we can focus on when considering as image makeover: Professional work environment and interactions Appearance Collegiality/team member role Professional...  Read More »

The California Institute for Nursing & Health Care conducted a survey of employers of nurses from March to May of 2009. The results: 40% of new nursing graduates may not find employment in California hospitals, as only 65% of hospitals indicated they were hiring new graduates, and many said they were decreasing the amount of new hires. In June, a series of meetings were held to discuss these finding and find possible solutions. The survey...  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 »

Clinicals are one of the most important parts of your nursing education. With everything that may be on your mind at the time, it’s important to remember proper communication and etiquette during each one. To practice good etiquette and common courtesy during each of your clinical rotations: Introduce yourself to the nurses on duty Ask if you can help out in any way Respect their territory and time Always be polite At the end, thank...  Read More »