Susan Hassmiller, PhD, RN, FAAN, senior advisor for nursing at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is spending her summer vacation doing something extraordinary. She is not spending her days soaking up the sun, or taking a cruise to Alaska. Instead she is traveling in Europe, learning about the life and work of Florence Nightingale. Throughout Hassmiller’s journey across Europe, she is blogging about her experience. Her trips marks...  Read More »

Nominations are open for the HCPro 2010 Nursing Image Awards, which honor nurses whose leadership, teamwork, or clinical expertise embodies an image of nursing excellence and contributes to improving patient care, quality outcomes, nurse satisfaction, and the healthcare environment. HCPro is searching for nurse leaders and staff who have helped elevate the image of nursing. Awards will be presented to an individual or team of nurses and...  Read More »

For years, nurses have been battling how the nursing profession and nurses are portrayed in the media. Having to go against the nursing stereotypes on display in programs such as “Grey’s Anatomy” and “House, M.D.” makes the job that much harder, as patients and families are familiar with the popular television shows. Now, nurses will have to add another television show to the list that puts their image in jeopardy....  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 »

North Carolina nursing students from Duke University, Western Carolina University, and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte entered a competition earlier this year to produce informative patient education videos. “Get the Picture Patient Video Competition”—conducted by the Innovative Nursing Education Technologies (iNet) organization—required nursing students to create a 10-minute or less and upload the film to YouTube. Each...  Read More »

In a continuing effort to recognize nurses, the Center to Champion Nursing in America (CCNA) is requesting high quality photos that depict nurses’ work and the relationships they form with patients and families. The winning photograph will be featured in an AARP print and/or web publication. CCNA hopes to gather images of nurses across all healthcare settings in professional practice and leadership roles, as well as in recruitment...  Read More »

Q: As a caregiver, do you have an opinion about doctor-assisted suicide? A: This isn’t something I have to deal with at all at work, but it is definitely something I have found myself wondering about. As caregivers, I’m sure we all have an opinion on the topic. I find myself conflicted on the issue: When talking with someone who is for it, I feel like they come up with good evidence and arguments. But then when I talk to someone...  Read More »

Here’s a refreshing take on hospital education: A Denver company is customizing the outer skin of its vending machines for customers. You could combine a hand-washing reminder with a delicious soft drink for only $2,695. Can you picture one in your facility? Click here to see the full article.   Read More »

Along with sorting through the emotions and memories from her medical mission trip to Haiti, Bonnie Clair, MSN, RN, had another tall task: She had to sort through the pictures. “I took about 400,” she says. “I took pictures of Haiti and the Haitian people as well as the people I went with. I didn’t want to forget anyone.” Clair, the retention project manager at Cox Health in Springfield, MO, went on a medical...  Read More »

Environmentally friendly people around the globe have gone green to protect the planet. Is it time your facility went green to protect you? A recent study published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine conducted among 3,650 Texas healthcare professionals, including 941 nurses, found that recurrent exposure to hospital cleaning products and disinfectants significantly raises nurses’ risk of asthma. According to the...  Read More »