When you left nursing school and went out into the nursing world, was there anything you experienced that the professors didn’t tell you about? In any profession, experiencing things firsthand is always different than what you learned about in a classroom. In the nursing world, experience is key. Nursing blogger The Nerdy Nurse isn’t ashamed to admit what she wasn’t taught in nursing school. In her blog post “Things they don’t...  Read More »

A nursing student who was dismissed from nursing school after posting photos of her posing with a placenta on Facebook has won her case against her school and is to rejoin her classes. Doyle Byrnes, the Johnson County Community College, located in Overland Park, KS, nursing student took the photos during a clinical component at an area hospital. After her dismissal, Byrnes filed a lawsuit in which she stated the college violated her rights...  Read More »

Nurses and Facebook were in the news recently when a nurse spotted eye cancer on a child from a Facebook photo. Last month, Facebook photos caused a controversy after four Kansas nursing students were dismissed for posing for photos with a placenta and then posting them on Facebook. Doyle Byrnes is the nursing student at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, KS, who was dismissed from the college nursing program as a result...  Read More »

Despite the struggling job market and economy meaning many new RNs have had difficulty finding jobs this year, a new report says nurses need not worry over the long term. Nursing came in as one of the best careers of 2011 in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Careers 2011. U.S. News reports nursing is a thriving career the need for nurses grows increases each year. The country is expected to add 582,000 registered nursing jobs by 2018. Nursing...  Read More »

Nursing school enrollment increased. A preliminary survey released by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) shows that entry-level baccalaureate nursing programs increased enrollment by 6.1% from 2009 to 2010. The AACN notes this is the tenth straight year that enrollment in BSN programs has increased, but it noted that faculty shortages still prevent further increases. The survey used data from 648 nursing schools, out...  Read More »

A former nursing school professor has just filed a lawsuit after the university fired her when she refused to use a textbook to teach her class because she said it contains racial, ethnic, and other stereotypes. Nancy Rudner Lugo, MD, had her contract terminated in 2008 after she didn’t want to use the textbook “Guide to Culturally Competent Health Care” in her Community Health Nursing class at the University of Central Florida’s...  Read More »

The first time newly registered nurses are on their own in a patient’s room dealing with a tough situation can be a scary learning experience. Truckee Meadows Community College, in Reno, NV, is trying to eliminate as much stress as possible by creating a specially designed nursing wing in its nursing department that helps prepare students for real-life hospital situations upon graduation. The nursing wing is described as an exact replica...  Read More »

I have a couple friends who have graduated with nursing degrees and are on the hunt for a job. They’ve studied for long hours, interned in hospitals and doctors’ offices, and put their knowledge to the test for the NCLEX exam. It never dawned on me that none of these nursing friends are males; they are all female! But according to an article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, more male nurses than ever are coming into the nursing world. Duquesne...  Read More »

Nursing school is tough, and just finding the time for all the classes can be a challenge in itself. Add to that how tough it is to get into nursing school, considering the shortage of nurse faculty, and online nursing programs may seem like a viable solution. Western Governors University in Texas has just enrolled its first dozen or so students, according to the local Fox affiliate in Houston. The theory is taught online, but students must...  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 »