DiversityNursing Blog

Drinks

Have Murse-y Margarita
1 oz. creme de banana
1 oz. gold tequila
1/2 oz. triple sec
3/4 oz. lemon juice
1/4 mashed banana
Apply lemon juice to the rim of a frosted double-cocktail glass and dip into caster sugar. Fill the glass with crushed ice, add the ingredients and blend briefly. Serve with a lemon juice-dipped slice of banana.

Nightingale Old Fashioned
mix 2 oz bourbon
1 1/2 teaspoons simple syrup
2-3 dashes of Angostura bitters
one orange slice, ice, and one maraschino cherry.  

The Night Shifter
1 oz. After Shock Fizzy Orange
1 oz. Sambuca liquor over ice.
Then, top off your glass with chilled Red Bull. 

Gin and Colonic 
6 mint leaves
1/4 lime, sliced
1 1/2 oz gin
and one tablespoon sugar to a shaker and muddle.
Then, add 4 or 5 cucumber slices to the shaker and shake vigorously. Finally, pour the mixture over a glass containing 4 ounces of tonic water and a few ice cubes. Stir, let sit for a few minutes.

Code Brown
1/2 oz. Butterscotch Schnapps
1/2 oz. Whiskey

Hematoma
2 oz. vodka
4 oz. tomato juice
Juice of 1/2 limes
1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
6 dashes Tabasco sauce
salt and pepper
1 lime wedge
Add vodka, juices and sauces to a shaker with ice, adding salt and pepper to taste. Shake vigorously. Strain over ice cubes into a highball glass and garnish with lime wedge.

The End-of-Shift Report (aka Irish Coffee)
1½ oz. Irish whiskey
1 tsp. brown sugar
6 oz. hot coffee
Heavy cream
Combine whiskey, sugar and coffee in a mug and stir to dissolve. Float cold cream gently on top. Do not mix.

Desserts

Frosted and sprinkle cookies. Idea from www.iheartsprinklescookies.com

Pretzel sticks dipped in white chocolate with frosting details. Idea from Pinterest

Brain cupcakes! Idea from blog.wantsandwishesdesign.com

Jello shot syringes. Idea from Pinterest

Cookie bandaids! Idea from partysupplies.art-spring.net

If you have any recipes you would like to share, please comment below!

Unique challenges encompass the delivery of quality healthcare in the entire world as a whole. People of all ages are terminally ill -- with approximately half the American population fighting hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, arthritis and mental related illness.

As a Nurse, you are required by the healthcare profession to be sensitive, demonstrate cultural awareness and behavioral competence necessary to ensuring healthcare issues are handled effectively. 

Medical professionals worldwide have voiced sentiments on the importance to further diversify the healthcare workforce. This is mainly because the entire healthcare profession is focused on transitioning to a patient-centered healthcare system in which patients demand more personalized care, high level rapport and open communication. 

Discrimination, stereotyping, prejudice and racism are the most common barriers toward achieving diversity in healthcare for patients and Nurses. There are multiple scenarios when you may show lack of sensitivity without even noticing it, unintentionally offending patients. You should for instance:

• Ask the patient how he or she may wish to be addressed or simply addressing him or her by their last name as a show of respect.
• Inquire of the patient’s knowledge on treatments and health problems.
• Forge the patient’s trust so as to establish a formidable nurse-patient relationship.

Diversity awareness in healthcare is however an active, continuous conscious process through which Nurses recognize the differences and similarities within various cultural groupings. As Nurses, we can only achieve diversity in healthcare by carefully evaluating and appreciating cultural group(s) differences.

It’s Nurses Week and we always want to show our thanks for everything you do. This School Nurse wanted to show her thanks, especially to other School Nurses, for taking care of our kids. 

She created this comedy sketch based on Adele’s song, Hello. We thought it was hilarious and we hope you do too!

Hello, it's me—and you should pay attention because school nurse has something to say. 

To celebrate "School Nurse Day," Kelli Petersen, who works at an elementary school, penned a beautiful rendition of Adele's "Hello," only this time it's all about the life and times of a school nurse. "Happy School Nurse day to all my fellow school nurses! May you know how truly valued you are! And to nurses everywhere, you're amazing!," Petersen wrote on YouTube.

It's a creative celebration of countless bandaids, hurt tummies and gross bathrooms that Adele would most definitely be proud of. 

Smiling is contagious and really the only thing Nurses are okay spreading around. Being happier during your shift usually results in it going by a little faster. I wanted to know how Nurses made their shifts a little more enjoyable. I did some research and here’s what I discovered.

Besides the small birthday get togethers in the break room, there are other easy things you can try that can really boost morale. 

Free Food
"If it's free, it's for me" my father-in-law always says. I agree, and what makes everyone happy? Free food. How do you get free food at work? One word… potluck. Each person brings in a food dish. 
When people bring in their old family recipes or their favorite comfort food, you'll end up with a bunch of dishes from different cultures that you've never tried before. Trying new things can be fun! 

You Win Some and You Lose Some
Some hospitals have sign up sheets for sports. Teams could play every sport from volleyball to basketball. We know playing sports inside a hospital is frowned upon. Even though the games are played outside of work, you can always talk some FRIENDLY team rivalry trash talk leading up to the big day. Some other game ideas that aren’t physical are card games and bingo. 

Play Dress Up
Working holidays gives Nurses a reason to dress up, and if appropriate, act a little goofy around their patients. Nurses have dressed up in everything from elves to clowns. There is a hospital that celebrates “Tutu Tuesdays” where everyone wears a tutu over their scrubs.  

Guess Who
Guessing games can be very interesting and an easy way to have a little fun. You can bring in pictures from when you were a kid, hang them on the cork board, and guess who's who. Another idea is bringing in pictures of your pets and guess who’s the owner. There is a lab department who hangs employee’s pet pictures in their blood bank area where other departments can see them. They create categories people can vote on. One category was, “Most likely to star in a Steven King movie”.

Be Thankful
I know when I'm thankful for things, it makes me feel good inside. Hospitals are putting up thank you boards or boards of recognition. One place has cardboard hands that you write on and pin to the board if you want to pat someone on the back for something good or helpful they did. It boosts people's morale and spirits. It also shows they’re all one big team and are there to help each other out. 

Nursing is not all fun and games. There are those hard shifts, the sad moments, and trying times. Try to stay positive and lean on each other to get through those times. Cherish the good times and celebrations! 

Jokester, Trini Moad Snow, was a Nurse for over 40 years. She's now retired at age 91 but, talks about her happy days at work and the path to her passion. Moad Snow recalls picking vegetables after high school so she could save up enough money for Nurse training and that one time when she cut off an executive's tie! If you're interested in more of Trini's stories continue reading below. 

Two men discuss their career paths in a female dominated work environment, Nursing. Brian Medley and Zain Rehman talk Nursing shortages, specialty options, salary, and more. Read below to find out more about the interview. 

Brian Medley, a nurse at Lurie Children's Hospital, and Zain Rehman, a nurse at Advocate Christ Medical Center Intensive Care Unit, talked about their career path.

Nursing has historically been a female-dominated field, but men are increasingly pursuing the career. The percentage of men in nursing is still small, only about 9 percent to 10 percent.

A nursing career holds many advantages for men, such as highly diverse patient care environments, career stability, and a competitive salary.

Resurrection University will host a "Thinking Out Loud" speaker series for men, by men.

"Men in Nursing" is a free event that brings together a panel of male nursing professionals to talk about what it's like to be a nurse in today's healthcare environment

EVENT DETAILS
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Resurrection University, 1431 N. Claremont, Chicago

For more information, visit: www.resu.edu/meninnursing

IT'S A GOOD TIME TO BE A NURSE
Nurses are in high demand because of a current nursing shortage. Statistics from the World Health Organization show that the total number of nurses actively working in the U.S. health care field has decreased dramatically since 2000, therefore causing the demand for nurses to increase. Another reason for the shortage is that our country's aging population is generating a growing demand for services such as end-of-life and long-term care. The shortage of nurses crosses all specialties including faculty for nursing education program. That means graduating students can enter a job marketplace that is stacked in their favor. The job opportunities for nurses are expected to grow by 16 percent by 2025.

MANY TYPES OF NURSING SPECIALTY OPTIONS
The nursing field offers many different patient care environments, some of which may be particularly appealing to men, such as anesthesia, flight, emergency, or trauma nursing. Other nursing specialties in the field that male nurses may want to explore include middle management, nursing education, nurse practitioner, oncology, psychiatry, pediatrics, and administration. Nursing is not a one-size-fits-all profession; for both male and female nurses, the wide array of specialties makes it possible to pursue one's specific areas of interest in the field.

SALARIES FOR MALE NURSES IS HIGHLY COMPETITIVE

Nurses earn a good living. Nurses in Illinois earn an average salary of $60,000. That goes up for nurse practitioners and those with specialties such as anesthesiology. It's a relatively quick transition to make a comfortable salary. Opportunities for advancement happen more quickly in nursing than in some other fields.
Even in the female-dominated field of nursing, male nurses typically out-earn female nurses, as is the case across almost all occupations. Also the retirement benefits are often very appealing. It is also not uncommon for new nurses to be offered signing bonuses.

MALE NURSES IN DEMAND
Many hospitals desire a mix of genders and many men offer the physical strength needed for tasks such as moving patients and heavy equipment. Also, some male patients prefer male nurses when dealing with sensitive medical issues, such as prostate exams, catheters etc.

NURSES HAVE JOB STABILITY
Nursing will never go out of style, and they can't be replaced by machines. People will always need medical care no matter what happens in the economy. Nursing requires empathy, resilience, and a capacity for caring... and there's no gender restriction on that.