Wed, Apr 21, 2021 @ 03:15 PM
Since Nurses spend so much time on their feet, they need durable shoes that can provide ultimate comfort and support. From sneakers to slip ons, here is a list of the best shoes for Nurses this year!
Topics: nurse, nurses, shoes for nurses, top nurse shoes, nurse shoes, best shoes for nurses, nursing shoes
Fri, Jul 31, 2020 @ 03:06 PM
Healthcare workers across the country are fighting tirelessly against COVID-19. They're wearing head to toe PPE around the clock. They're hot and frustrated while wearing it, and… they also lose their identity. Patients just see masks, suits, gloves, and goggles. Hospital staff wants this to change.
"Share Your Smile" and the "Button Project" are just 2 examples of a small, but positive movement. To look less intimidating to patients, healthcare heroes are attaching large photos and buttons of their faces, to their PPE.
The goal of these projects is to eliminate or reduce a level of fear and anxiety for patients, especially children, who find comfort in seeing the smiling faces of healthcare team 
members.
San Diego respiratory therapist Robertino Rodriguez started the "Share Your Smile" idea. Rodriguez said, “Yesterday I felt bad for my patients in ER when I would come in the room with my face covered in PPE. A reassuring smile makes a big difference to a scared patient. So today I made a giant laminated badge for my PPE so my patients can see a reassuring and comforting smile.”
The movement is catching on amongst health care workers. Peggy Ji, an ER Doctor in Los Angeles, wrote on Instagram, "I was inspired by Robertino Rodriguez who works as a respiratory therapist in this COVID pandemic. I didn’t have a preprinted photo or a color printer so my polaroid will have to do. I wanted to bring a personal touch to caring for patients through my PPE. My hope is that our patients will know there’s a reassuring smile under this mask, and that we’re here for them."
Nurse Derek also posted a photo of himself and fellow coworkers on Instagram saying, "thought it was a beautiful way to bring ease to our patients during this stressful time. Thank you to all the healthcare workers out there for battling on the frontlines."
The Button project holds the same meaning and started at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
Adelaide Vienneau, Director of the Children’s Hospital Family Resource Center (FRC) said, “When we were asked to take the lead on this project, I immediately said, ‘yes.' The FRC team likes finding solutions for staff and providing resources to assist patients and families in having the best possible experience during their health care visit. We are delighted with the anecdotal comments on how the photo buttons have been well-received.”
Any time in the hospital as a patient is a scary time for the patient. The personal connection is so important, but difficult to achieve with all of the PPE. What a simple, yet creative way to put patients at ease to feel a more personal connection with the healthcare team.
What is your place of employment doing about this? Please share with our community. Thank you!
Topics: nurses, hospitals, hospital staff, COVID-19, PPE, healthcare workers, personal protective equipment, share your smile, healthcare team
Fri, Jun 05, 2020 @ 10:59 AM
Black Lives Matter protests are happening all across America and as people take to the streets to protest, medical workers are doing their part in supporting protesters.
After working tirelessly for long hours and risking their own lives on the front lines caring for coronavirus (COVID-19) patients, Nurses are leaving their shifts and going straight to protests to help those who've been injured.
Martha Dawson, DNP, RN, a professor and the president of the National Black Nurses Association, said Nurses and frontline healthcare workers of color were deeply saddened after the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at 46 after a white policeman pushed his knee into Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes.
Dawson told Refinery29, “For Nurses of color working on the frontlines, it’s disheartening to still realize that you’re living in a country where you’re under-appreciated and judged, first, on the color of your skin, rather than the content of your character. And you have to recognize that the concern with the death in Minnesota is just now emerging as one stressor on top of the many stressors of the pandemic.”
Nurses want their voices heard at rallies but they also want to help protesters who have been shot with rubber bullets, sprayed with tear gas, or have been otherwise physically injured.
Not all protests have become violent. But when they have, healthcare workers have also found themselves in the line of fire while treating injured protesters.
According to an article from Shape.com, a Minneapolis Nurse said police stormed a medical tent and opened fire with rubber bullets while she was working to treat a man bleeding badly from a rubber bullet wound.
"I was trying to look at the wound and they were shooting at us." The wounded man tried to protect her, she said, but eventually, she decided to leave. "I told him I wouldn't leave him, but I did. I feel so bad. They were shooting. I was scared," she recounted through tears.
Nurses are using social media to share tips on how to stay safe from coronavirus while protesting and where to find free medical help for those injured during protests.
One Nurse tweeted, "I am a licensed Nurse with an organized group of frontline medics. We are all healthcare workers (doctors, nurses, EMTs) and we provide safe spaces of first aid care for anyone who might have minor injuries related to police protest. We prioritize care for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) folks."
Another person tweeted health safety tips for protesting during a pandemic.
Topics: nurses, NBNA, black lives matter, black lives matter protests, BLM
Mon, Dec 02, 2019 @ 02:08 PM
For the first time in history, the world will unite in celebrating the benefits that Nurses and Midwives bring to the health of the global population. The World Health Organization (WHO), has declared 2020 as The Year of the Nurse and the Midwife (YONM).
It is celebrated in honor of the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth. President of the International Council of Nurses (ICN), Annette Kennedy, said "The 20 million Nurses around the world will be thrilled to see their profession recognized in this way. Florence Nightingale used her lamp to illuminate the places where Nurses worked, and I hope the designation of 2020 as the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife will provide us with a new, 20-20 vision of what Nursing is in the modern era, and how Nurses can light the way to universal health coverage and healthcare for all.”
WHO is working with partners such as, the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), International Council of Nurses (ICN), Nursing Now and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Their goal for this year-long global focus on Nurses and Midwives is to:
Lord Nigel Crisp, co-Chair of the Nursing Now campaign said, “The WHO has provided a unique opportunity both for countries to demonstrate how much they appreciate their Nurses and Midwives and to showcase what more Nurses and Midwives can achieve if given the support to do so."
Check out the World Health Organization's video, Nurses and Midwives: Key To Universal Health Coverage
We at DiversityNursing.com are thrilled Nurses and Midwives are receiving recognition for their commitment to the profession and selfless dedication to their patients, families and students.
Topics: World Health Organization, nurses, midwives, The Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, 2020 year of the Nurse, International Council of Nurses, International Confederation of Midwives, Nursing Now
Thu, Jun 13, 2019 @ 02:08 PM
Nurses see firsthand how facilities are being used every day. They observe what furniture is being used or not used by visiting families and friends. They see how patients move about the hallways, patient rooms, stairs, elevators, cafeterias, bathrooms, etc. Nurses see the pros and cons of the infrastructure of the building(s) and should have a say in how they're built in order to provide the best care possible.
"Input from Nurses and other healthcare professionals are mirroring the health professions' renewed focus on quality and safety in their designs. Nurses might not know how to read architectural drawings or use computer-assisted drafting tools, but they have a very important role to play in helping plan and design physical spaces that support the delivery of safe, effective patient care.", said Matt Freeman a spokesman for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation briefing, some design choices being used across the country as a result of input from Nurses include:
With a new work space, a new work flow should follow. The Nursing team at Stamford Health in Stamford, CT, helped design their new hospital. Ellen Komar, MPA, BSN, RN, NEA-BC, Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer said “Old, inefficient habits are not allowed to invade our new workspace. Given such a different layout, the way we work will have to change. A few members of our Nursing team are retooling every workflow process."
It takes time and resources, but this kind of collaboration between Nurses and architects provides the opportunity to give patients the best possible care.
Are you a Nurse who has been involved in the design of your new facility? Do you have some great design ideas you’d like to share? Please comment below, we would love to hear them!
Topics: nurses, hospital designs, building hospitals
Mon, Mar 18, 2019 @ 10:54 AM
As you know, Nursing is a demanding profession that requires a lot of dedication and commitment. The field has challenges that you must constantly work to overcome.
Professional Responsibility
You hold legal responsibility for all patients under your care. If a physician gives an incorrect
order, you won’t be absolved of the blame if you carry it out. This requires you to be fully aware of the risk of each order, prescription, and treatment you provide.
Workplace Safety
Nurses face a number of workplace safety issues. According to an AJC article, depending on the setting in which you work, Nurses can also be subject to substantially higher rates of workplace violence injuries than many other professions. They're more likely to experience incidents of hitting, kicking and beating in inpatient facilities such as hospitals, but these injuries often go unreported.
Short Staffing
Beckers Hospital Review discusses short-staffing in hospitals as a top concern for Nurses. The article says, "A 2017 survey conducted by AMN Healthcare showed 72 percent of CNOs acknowledged moderate, significant or severe nursing shortage at their healthcare organizations, and most believe the shortages would worsen over the next five years. Overall, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates more than 1 million registered nurses will be needed by 2022 due to occupational growth and replacement hiring. It’s worth noting, other research shows variation among the nation's major metropolitan areas, with some facing nursing shortages and others facing surpluses."
Changing Technology
Technology is always changing. The challenge is to stay ahead of it. CNO’s, nurse managers, and floor nurses must stay up to date with technology and adopt the systems that improve patient care. Nurses must be trained in the new technology, whether it is enhanced EMR/EHR, patient glucose monitors, patient scheduling systems, or software platforms that enhance patient/family/provider communication.
Long Working Hours
Nurses are often required to work long shifts. Many are working back-to-back or extended shifts, risking fatigue that could result in medical mistakes.
Healthcare is constantly changing. As you know, it’s your duty to navigate through the workload and responsibility the best you can. If you have some tips to share on how you handle these changes, please comment below.
Topics: nurses, nursing careeer
Mon, Sep 12, 2016 @ 04:15 PM
Pediatric Nurse, Meghan Nesom is an inspiration and a true example of strength. She has received heart breaking news that won't stop her from continuing her passion of healing others. Meghan reminds all of us how amazing Nurses are and no matter what they are going through in their personal lives, they will always try their hardest to stay positive and moving forward. Staying positive is something Meghan has clearly passed on to her son and once you see his response to his mother's diagnosis, you'll completely agree.
Nesom is a wife and mother who has been working as a pediatric nurse. She’s helped heal children with cancer, and has also been there to comfort children in the moments they succumb to the disease.
“There is never a ‘woe is me,’ with kids,” she says, “They just are fighters. They’re wonderful.”
And the same could be said of this brave woman, who, in a cruel twist of fate, has also been diagnosed with cancer.
But rather than feeling sorry for herself, her response is one of utter selflessness: she describes the relief of knowing it’s she, and not her child, that’s been diagnosed.
She underwent surgery and radiation three years ago to kill the cancer; now, however, it has returned in the shape of clear cell sarcoma, for which there is no cure. That also means she’s recently been tasked with telling husband Philip and 4-year-old son Colin about the traumatic procedures she’s about to undergo.
So, Meghan told her son that she was going to have to have her leg cut off — and his response truly proves that some children have a wisdom far beyond their years.
“He told me that all of his friends are going to be jealous because his mommy’s going to have a robot leg,” she proudly recounts.
And, despite already beginning oral chemo, she still continues to work as a nurse and help others. Like the retired nurse who spends her days driving cancer patients to their chemo appointments, Meghan has been tireless in her quest to help others.
Her coworkers have been by her side through it all, even raising a whopping $10,000 to help cover medical costs.
To help this fantastic woman who has devoted her life to helping others, visit her GoFundMe page.
Please SHARE this story with friends and family!
Mon, Jul 13, 2015 @ 11:47 AM
Amy Rushlow
We all know and love Nurses, but isn’t it wonderful when a research study validates something you already know? We think you’ll enjoy this article.
If you’ve ever had a loved one in the hospital, you know how important nurses are. Studies show that the amount of time that nurses spend with patients is related to fewer errors. And according to a new study, investing in nursing is key to patient outcomes, including the risk of dying while in the hospital.
The study’s researchers, a team from the University of Pennsylvania, wanted to understand why certain hospitals have better outcomes than others. Specifically, the UPenn team was trying to explain why hospitals in the Kaiser Permanente health care system — an integrated health network in eight states that includes hospitals, insurance, and doctors’ offices all in one system — have such efficient and high-quality care.
Other organizations have tried to mimic Kaiser Permanente’s organizational structure in order to improve care, but with mixed results. The researchers thought there might be a different X factor that could explain Kaiser’s success: nurses.
In order to find out, the study looked at more than 550 hospitals in California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Florida, including 25 California-based Kaiser Permanente hospitals and 56 Magnet hospitals. Magnet hospitals are recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center for being good workplaces for nurses.
Nurses in each hospital answered surveys about their work environment, level of education, job satisfaction, and the number of patients visited during a typical shift. The researchers also pulled data on patient mortality.
“It turns out that, by and large, nursing differences accounted for much of the mortality difference that we saw in Kaiser Permanente hospitals,” says study author Matthew McHugh, PhD, RN, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.
The results were clear: The odds of dying were about 20 percent lower in Kaiser Permanente and Magnet hospitals, and differences in nursing accounted for “a sizeable portion of the advantage,” according to the study. The analysis adjusted for factors such as hospital size and the severity of patients’ conditions.
“It turns out that these differences we see in nursing, in terms of work environment, staffing levels, investment in nursing around a highly educated workforce, those things translate into better outcomes,” McHugh tells Yahoo Health.
There were a few specific factors that made Kaiser and Magnet hospitals stand out from the rest, McHugh explains:
1. Better work environments
Happier nurses mean healthier patients, research shows. “We find that places where nurses have a good experience working are places where nurses are better able to do their jobs. They’re more autonomous, they’re supported by management, and they’re integrated into hospital decision-making,” McHugh says.
Empowered nurses have better relationships with physicians, “so when they say ‘something isn’t right,’ they’ll be taken seriously,” McHugh adds. And patients can receive faster and more efficient care when nurses are authorized to make decisions such as when to remove a catheter, for example.
In fact, a study published last year in the Journal of Nursing Administration found that empowered nursing units are more effective and report better patient care compared to units with less authority.
Tangible changes matter, too. In response to the nurse shortage in the early 2000s, Kaiser Permanente made a deliberate, research-based effort to invest in nursing, says Marilyn Chow, PhD, RN, Vice President of National Patient Care Services and Innovation for Kaiser Permanente.
A study of Kaiser hospitals conducted in 2005 and 2006 found that nurses spent more than 35 percent of their time on documentation. Starting in 2005, the system switched to electronic medical records, which helped streamline paperwork. They also observed that nurses spent a lot of time hunting and gathering equipment and information — checking to see if a medication was ready, for instance. In response, Kaiser Permanente rearranged the work environment to make things more convenient. (Nurses now receive a notification when meds are ready for pickup.)
“We wanted to make sure that we were a place that nurses wanted to work,” Chow tells Yahoo Health. “If you have nurses who are happy and joyful at their work, they will definitely pass that on and be caring and compassionate.”
2. More nurses with Bachelor’s degrees
The role of the nurse is much more complex than it used to be, Chow explains. “The role is not only surveillance, but facilitating and coordinating the care, and not just for one patient, but for four to five patients … there are so many things to take care of,” she says. Patients also arrive sicker and leave the hospital earlier, Chow and McHugh say, which puts an extra demand on nurses to coordinate care and teach patients and family members what to do when they arrive home.
“Hospitals are very complex, and integrating all of that information requires a certain set of skills and requires you have a pool of knowledge within the overall nursing staff,” McHugh explains. He adds that the study observed a wide variation in nurse education from hospital to hospital, and that variation was associated with adverse events.
3. More nurses, period
Kaiser Permanente hospitals have a 4-to-1 patient-to-nurse ratio, on average, compared to 5-to-1 in non-Magnet hospitals, the UPenn study found.
Having more nurses ensures that there are enough eyes in rooms monitoring patients. It also means that nurses have sufficient time to follow up with patients and communicate effectively. “Nurses are at the bedside and are working with all the other providers. They’re the essential person for monitoring patient condition, and if something bad does happen, intervening and mobilizing the intervention response,” McHugh says.
We all know and love Nurses, but isn’t it wonderful when a research study validates something you already know? We think you’ll enjoy this articleThu, Jul 09, 2015 @ 10:47 AM
Recently, a nurse made headlines for dropping a newborn, fracturing the baby's skull. The parents, understandably upset, claim the nurse should have known better than to hold the baby if she was sleepy. As a labor and delivery nurse, here is what I wish I could say to every mother out there, what I'm sure many of us would want to say to the families we care for:
Accidentally hurting your baby is one of our biggest fears. No nurse goes to work thinking they want to hurt someone. None of us leave our house thinking, "I really want to make someone suffer." There are a million and one ways a nurse can accidentally do something wrong. And every day, all day, we are very conscious of this fact and we work hard to provide the best care we possibly can... even if we're short-staffed, even if our assignments are difficult, even if every room on our unit is full. Even though we literally have 20 things to do at any given moment with a handful of different, complicated patients, we strive to provide compassionate care in a timely manner while struggling to chart every single action we take. We know we're going to make mistakes... our only hope is that the mistakes we make do not cause harm.
That nurse made a lot of right decisions. I'm just keeping it real -- but seriously, that nurse could have made a lot of other really bad decisions. She could have dropped the baby and not told anyone. Even though she was probably frightened and distraught that her action caused a baby harm, she chose to do the right thing and immediately get the baby evaluated.
A nurse's mistake can have many consequences. No one is asking why the nurse had the baby in the first place. I would bet any amount of money that she was trying to allow an exhausted mother to get a few minutes of uninterrupted sleep. And although I do not agree with this practice, I'm sure her intentions were pure. What people who are not nurses do not understand is that our mistakes can have many consequences. If we make a mistake, we can be peer-reviewed, which means our actions are brought before a committee to determine our nursing fate. We could lose our nursing license, leaving us unable to work or financially support ourselves or our family. If it's deemed we were neglectful, criminal charges could be filed against us, and we could face hefty fines or even jail time. And our actions at work and at home are all up for examination and scrutiny.
That nurse is suffering right now. I don't say this to diminish any anguish the family must feel that their baby was hurt while in the care of a healthcare provider. But wherever that nurse is right now, I promise you that she has been suffering. As I said before, no nurse goes to work wanting to hurt someone. She has had to endure being judged by her peers, questioning whether or not her facility would support her, and knowing that she caused a family distress. This is an incident that she will never forget, an incident that will probably taint her 30-year memory of nursing.
If you would have dropped your baby while in the hospital, the nurse would also be blamed. I don't believe healthy mothers and healthy babies should be separated while in the hospital. I don't believe a nurse should take a baby from a mother, even at her request, so that the mother can get uninterrupted sleep. This may not be a popular opinion, but as nurses, we need to see how these mothers interact with their babies even when they're exhausted and sleep-deprived. But this leads to another issue... even if this mother would have dropped her own baby, the nurse and hospital would still be blamed. It would have been all about rounding and if it was documented that the nurse educated the patient not to sleep with the baby in the bed or if the room was free of clutter. As nurses, we have to be everything to everyone.
We are all human. As I drive to work tomorrow, I will think of the patients I will meet and care for. And as I walk through the doors of my hospital, I will think the same thing I have thought every single day since I graduated from nursing school: Just don't hurt anyone. I know I will make mistakes. I'm human. But I hope I never make a mistake that hurts or kills someone. And that is a fear that lives inside of every nurse everywhere. My thoughts are with this family, and my thoughts are also with this nurse. To every nurse out there -- May the mistakes we make tomorrow bring no harm to the patients we try to give so much to.
Until my next delivery ♥
Topics: nursing, nurses, patients, hospital, labor nurses
Mon, Jul 06, 2015 @ 02:03 PM
Nursing schools have major funding gaps. Foundations and charity groups can't make those ends meet. Another source of income may come from Nurse entrepeneurs. Some nursing schools and business communities are teaming up to develop healthcare technology, which in turn will help fill the funding gaps needed to acquire more nurses for our future.
Americans are applying to nursing school in record numbers. Unfortunately, the only thing many of the applicants end up nursing is a bruised ego.
In 2012, U.S. nursing schools rejected more than 80,000 qualified applicants. It's not as if the schools didn't want to admit them. Rather, they don't have enough faculty -- especially nurses with doctorates -- to teach more students.
That's a problem, as the United States will need 1 million new nurses by 2020.
At many nursing schools, tuition and grants are insufficient to cover the costs of hiring additional nurses with doctorates. To generate the cash they need to solve that problem -- and narrow the looming shortage of nurses -- schools should consider expanding beyond teaching and into entrepreneurship.
Nurses with doctorates are possibly the most versatile cogs in the U.S. health care system. They conduct research, do clinical work, and teach aspiring nurses. As researchers, these nurses examine the science and practice of nursing. Their work often combines the scientific elements of health care research with the more practical side of patient care.
This research can lead to new methods of pain management or medical devices such as the StethoClean, a self-cleaning stethoscope that prevents germs from being transferred among patients. It was invented by a nurse.
Because they understand the science and the practice of the profession, nurses with doctorates are invaluable resources for students. That's why the American Association of Colleges of Nursing recommends that all teaching faculty at nursing schools hold doctoral degrees.
Unfortunately, only about 1 percent of nurses in the United States have a doctorate, and that's not enough. More often, though, it's because of the significantly higher salaries they stand to earn outside academia.
Philanthropic groups are trying to help fill this funding gap. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, for example, has invested $20 million to help pay for nurses seeking doctorates across the country. But charitable gifts alone won't cut it. Nursing schools need another source of income. They just might find it by deputizing their faculty as health care entrepreneurs.
Nurses with doctorates are uniquely positioned to develop new health care technology. Whether they're administering medicines, utilizing medical devices or inputting data into the latest computer program adopted by hospitals, they have more hands-on experience with health care technology than anyone else in the system. To turn that technological aptitude into revenue, though, nursing schools have to partner with the business community.
Some schools are doing so. At the University of Utah, for instance, our Center for Medical Innovation provides seed funding for faculty members developing health care technology. It then links the innovators with business experts who can help them produce and market their technology.
In exchange, the university receives a share of the profits from intellectual property that is developed. It can then use the revenues to hire more nurses.
Other schools have adopted similar strategies. In March, the Midwest University HealthTech Showcase brought investors and industry professionals together to check out 50 early-stage health care start-ups at nine Midwestern colleges.
The young tech firms showed inventions ranging from gesture recognition software for smartphones to small-molecule drugs for post-traumatic stress disorder.
That's the sort of platform where inventions from nurses with doctorates can shine.
To solve our nation's impending shortage of nurses, universities will need to get creative. Empowering nursing faculty members to become entrepreneurs can give schools the funding they need to educate the next generation of nurses.
Contributor: Patricia Morton
Topics: nursing schools, nursing students, nurses, doctorates
