The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association published a double-blind study where beagles were 97% accurate at being able to distinguish between blood serum samples from patients with malignant lung cancer and healthy controls.

Researchers believe this may lead to the development of a safe, effective, and inexpensive means for mass cancer screening. The goal is to create a type of over-the-counter screening product, similar to a pregnancy test, in terms of cost, simplicity and availability.

According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide for both women and men. Thirteen percent of new cancers are a form of lung cancer, and more than 200,000 people in the United States receive a diagnosis of lung cancer annually.

The study says, that early detection provides the best opportunity for lung cancer survival; however, lung cancer is difficult to detect early because symptoms do not often appear until later stages. Current screening methods such as x-ray and computed tomographic imaging lack the sensitivity and specificity needed for effective early diagnosis. Dogs may be able to solve this problem using scent.

According to a Science Daily article, Dogs have smell receptors 10,000 times more accurate than humans', making them highly sensitive to odors we can't perceive. The beagles were chosen for their quality olfactory receptor genes and had 8 weeks of training.

Thomas Quinn, professor at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and lead author on this study is nearing completion of a second form of this study. But this time the dogs are working to identify lung, breast and colorectal cancer using samples of patients’ breath, collected by the patient breathing into a face mask.

The goal from this study would be to create a device that someone can breathe into and see a color change to indicate a positive or negative finding.

The U.S. population is growing increasingly diverse. By 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau projects less than 50% of the children in the U.S. will be non-Hispanic and Caucasian. With demographics shifting, health care professionals trained in cultural competence will meet the needs of community health more effectively.  Nurse practitioners earning their Master of Science in Nursing can gain exposure to cultural competency in nursing practice. Trained NPs can help reduce disparities minorities experience, such as lower quality care, through improved awareness.

Culture’s Influence on Health Beliefs and Perception

Culture includes the knowledge, beliefs, and behavior of different groups of people. Elements of culture influence health knowledge and beliefs, as well as behaviors and measures that are taken to promote health. Understanding and respecting different cultures is a critical aspect of providing holistic, effective care.

Nurse practitioners must be culturally competent to be able to effectively listen to their patients’ health concerns, treat their health conditions in ways that are acceptable to the patient, and communicate in ways that are responsive and respectful of the patient’s culture. Here are a few ways that culture and ethnicity influence the care patients receive:

Body Language

Cultural norms highly influence body language. One example is the degree of eye contact with which individuals are comfortable varies. Some cultures express respect by not making eye contact, which can lead health care providers to view the patient as withdrawn, and suspect depression or anxiety if not informed of this difference. Eye contact may also be viewed in some cultures as flirtatious, or even disrespectful.

Experience of Pain and Illness

Different cultures have different ways of coping with illness and pain. These differences influence how, when, and whether individuals seek care. Cultures with an acceptance of pain as part of life may not report their pain to health care providers, and may not consider it a health problem.

Emotional responses to pain are also influenced by culture. Cultures that value stoicism may warrant less outward expression of pain, leading uninformed providers to believe that the individual isn’t suffering. Other cultures expect individuals in pain to react emotionally. Nurse practitioners must be mindful of differences in how cultures view, express and accept pain.

Decision-Making

Decision-making regarding health is also approached differently among ethnic groups. Some cultures value making health decisions as a family, or the individual receiving care will make the decision themselves, or the patient may appoint another family member to make decisions regarding their care. Nurse practitioners must be mindful that the patient may want to discuss options with their loved ones before accepting or declining a health care treatment plan.

Linguistic Barriers

Identifying linguistic barriers is another important aspect of cultural competence. Individuals may be able to communicate basic health needs to the provider, but have difficulty understanding the terminology used in the practitioner's response. NPs must be mindful of this, and also that some patients are not comfortable indicating that they don’t understand. Linguistic barriers can lead to the provider either missing or misinterpreting some of the nuances of the patient’s symptoms.

One way to help identify a linguistic or learning style barrier is through using the teach-back method. After explaining a health condition or treatment to the patient, the nurse practitioner then asks the patient to return the teaching. If they’re unable to do so or demonstrate some difficulty, interpretation services or a different teaching style, such as the use of audio or visual aids, may be necessary. Interpretation services should always be made available to those who speak English as a second language. Interpreters can also help providers better understand cultural differences.

Treatment Tailored to the Patient

Receptivity to cultural differences also influences treatment accepted by the patient. If a provider is not sensitive to or respectful of cultural differences, patients from diverse backgrounds may experience confusion or frustration. This may lead to them initially accepting treatment, but once home they may not follow through because they don’t trust the provider, don’t understand the purpose of the prescribed treatment, or the care plan conflicts with cultural values.

Taking Initiative as a Nurse Practitioner

Improved awareness helps eliminates assumptions made during care and gives voice to patients, so they can adequately express their concerns. Understanding cultural diversity in nursing also helps close the gap in health equity, reducing health disparities affecting minority populations such as higher morbidity rates and lower quality care.

Nurse practitioners are responsible for improving their own cultural competency to ensure that all patients receive effective care. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality offers many ideas to improve cultural awareness-one way is by respectfully asking patients about their beliefs in the context of health and treatment.

Nurse practitioners can also benefit from attending courses on cultural diversity in practice, participate in community organizations, and research the norms of different cultural and ethnic groups. Broadening one’s own understanding of culture and how people interact improves the professional ability to make meaningful connections with patients.

References:

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2015). Consider culture, customs, and beliefs: Tool #10. https://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/quality-patient-safety/quality-resources/tools/literacy-toolkit/healthlittoolkit2-tool10.html

National Institute of Health. (N.d.). NIH fact sheets - Health disparities. https://report.nih.gov/nihfactsheets/viewfactsheet.aspx?csid=124

Peacock, S., Patel, S. (2008). Cultural influences on pain. Reviews in Pain: British Pain Society, 1(2), 6-9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4589930/.

United States Census Bureau. (2018). Older people projected to outnumber children for first time in U.S. history. https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2018/cb18-41-population-projections.html

Holly Rinehart, RN, BSN, is a registered nurse and writer for the Carson-Newman University blog. She specializes in emergency and perioperative nursing and cherishes the opportunity as a nurse to help serve and comfort those in vulnerable positions. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and telling nurse stories to anyone who will listen.

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:

• Ventilation and filtration systems to improve air quality and remove allergens, pathogens and more;
• Ergonomically designed patient rooms, including patient lifts and handrails, as well as beds and Nursing stations designed to reduce patient falls and staff injuries;
• Decentralized unit layouts so as to increase the time Nurses spend at the bedside;
• Better lighting to ward off medical errors;
• More natural sunlight, in part because studies show that it helps blunt the perception of pain, improves the quality of sleep and leads to shorter hospital stays, while allowing Nurses to better assess skin tone;
• Noise reduction features, such as carpet, acoustical tiles, handheld pagers as a substitute for overhead systems, to improve sleep and reduce stress;
• Better way-finding systems, including maps, landmarks, signage, information kiosks, directories and more, to help patients and visitors while allowing staff to focus on their clinical duties instead of giving directions; and
• Access to nature, water features and works of art, all to reduce stress.

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!

There are many specialties available to Nurses and choosing the right one can be a difficult decision. If you can work under pressure in a fast-paced and often-stressful environment while staying calm and collected, Emergency Nursing might be for you. For some people, working in the ER can be intimidating but, for others rewarding.

According to former trauma and transport Nurse Pat Carroll, “The Nursing duties are the same wherever you work, except in the Emergency department, everything is compressed.” She shares that ER Nurses are often evaluating and treating patients almost simultaneously, and they work with a team of specialists, such as radiologists and orthopedic experts, to provide the highest-quality care.

A new study shows the demographics and other findings of the Emergency Nursing workforce.

• There are an estimated 167,375 providers of direct patient care in the Emergency/Trauma/Transport Nursing workforce.
   
• 43% of the workforce is under 40 years old.
   
• 78% of the workforce are women.
   
• Compared to the overall Nursing workforce, Transport Nurses are more likely to be male.
  
  
• 78% of the RNs surveyed hold a BSN or higher.
   
• 58% hold specialty board certification.
  
  
• 65% are satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs and the work they do.
  
  
• $77,500 is the median salary for Emergency/Trauma/Transport Nurses working full-time.

Working as an Emergency Nurse can be nerve-racking and emotionally draining. It also requires working long hours in a dangerous environment due to exposure to different types of pathogens and patients. However, if you’re looking for a fast-paced Nursing career where new challenges await you daily, and you can truly make a difference, Emergency Nursing may be the perfect specialty for you.

If you are an ER Nurse we would love to hear about your experiences, please comment below!

Two creative Nurses saw the opportunity to not waste plastic medical materials. They each used them to create beautiful works of art for their patient's to enjoy.

Registered Nurse, Beth Beaty, works at Roper Hospital in SC. According to Nurse.org, she first began experimenting with turning supplies into art when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and recuperating at home.

It took Beaty a year to create her other work of art depicting Rainbow Row in Charleston, South Carolina, using strings from patient belonging bags, a stethoscope, and plastic caps from medications like antibiotics, flu shots, anticoagulants, insulin and morphine.

According to an ABC news article, the painting is dedicated to Dr. Julia Haile, a beloved infectious disease physician who passed away. Dr. Haile seemed to love the idea of the piece and would often ask about it. Beaty said “She was always very encouraging and excited about it. I just thought it was a perfect tribute to her.”

Beth also told the news outlet, “I think part of what makes this cool is for Nurses, we recognize all of these caps. For other people, it’s just a nice piece of art. Everyone has a different appreciation for it. And I like being able to tell patients that their medicine cap will be used in a painting – it lights up their face and makes such a difference.”

Tilda Shalof was an ICU Nurse at Toronto General Hospital for three decades. When she decided she was ready to retire, she wanted to leave something behind for the hospital.

Shalof had saved up bags of medicine caps, lids, IV tubes and other connectors. It took her a year, but with all of her materials, she created a mosaic measuring 9-feet-by 4-feet. The finished piece contains 10,000 pieces!

She said, "I hope young doctors and young nurses see this and hopefully it makes them remember that all these little things we do are huge for the patient. Each thing that we did with each little piece of plastic meant so much to the patient. And that's really what this mural represents."

Tilda ultimately decided not to retire. Instead, she made the decision to leave the fast pace and long hours of the ICU and work at the Toronto Western Hospital in their radiology department. Occasionally she’ll go back to the other hospital to visit her art.

Do you have a creative use for recycled hospital materials? Please share it below. We would love to see what our artistic Nurses have made!

U.S News ranked Nursing schools with the best Nursing Master's programs and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs for 2020.

According to the U.S News site, "Seven ranking indicators are used in both the master's and DNP ranking models. The seven common factors are the four research activity indicators, faculty credentials, the percentage of faculty members with important achievements, and faculty participation in Nursing practice. The other seven indicators in each ranking use measures that are specific to each degree type." To learn more about the ranking system click here.

Best Nursing Schools: Master's

Johns Hopkins University

Duke University

University of Pennsylvania

Emory University

Columbia University

University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill

Yale University

Ohio State University

Rush University

University of Michigan--Ann Arbor

Vanderbilt University

New York University (Meyers)

University of Maryland--Baltimore

University of Pittsburgh

University of Washington

Case Western Reserve University

University of Illinois--Chicago

University of Alabama--Birmingham

University of California--San Francisco

University of California--Los Angeles

For full list click here

Best Nursing Schools: Doctor of Nursing Practice

Johns Hopkins University

Duke University

Rush University

University of Washington

Vanderbilt University

University of Maryland--Baltimore

University of Illinois--Chicago

Yale University

Columbia University

Emory University

University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill

University of Pittsburgh

Case Western Reserve University

Medical University of South Carolina

University of Michigan--Ann Arbor

University of Alabama--Birmingham

University of Iowa

University of Minnesota--Twin Cities

Ohio State University

Rutgers University--Newark

For full list click here

Best Online Master's in Nursing Programs

Johns Hopkins University

Ohio State University

St. Xavier University

Rush University

University of Colorado

Duke University

George Washington University

Medical University of South Carolina

University of South Carolina

The Catholic University of America

University of Cincinnati

University of Alabama

Ball State University

University of North Carolina--Greensboro

Stony Brook University--SUNY

University of Texas Medical Branch--Galveston

Michigan State University

University of Memphis

Oregon Health and Science University

University of Missouri--Kansas City

For full list click here

Terri Matula, Cardiovascular Nurse at the Navicent Health center, is saving many animal lives by recycling used pacemakers.

20 years ago when Matula and her husband were in college, their beloved cocker spaniel, Gator, suffered from an urgent third-degree heart blockage. They couldn't afford the $3,000 device at the time.

According to an Atlanta News article, Matula said, "Eventually Gator died from complications due to congestive heart failure." Years later Matula's husband had heart problems and needed a pacemaker. But as his condition changed he needed a new device. Typically pacemakers are thrown away.

Matula remembered what happened to Gator and asked the Cardiologist if she could keep his old device. Then she called the University of Georgia to find out if she could donate the device to the College of Veterinary Medicine.

"They don't actually develop pacemakers specifically for dogs and cats so we have to use human equipment," said veterinary Cardiologist Kate Meurs.

In February 2018, Matula formed the Pacemaker Donation Program between the University of Georgia and Navicent Health.

“When a patient’s pacemaker is exchanged, upgraded or replaced, the patient is offered the option of donating their used device to the Pacemaker Donation Program,” said Beth Mann, Vice President for cardiovascular services and Nursing strategy at Navicent. “Everyone – our staff and our patients – has been excited to save the lives of animals with reusable devices.”

Since the inception of the Pacemaker Donation Program in 2018, 41 pacemakers have been donated for patients at UGA. Once the pacemakers are explanted at The Medical Center, Navicent Health (MCNH), they are sterilized and shipped to UGA. Only the pacemakers of living donors are used for the program. Many of the pacemakers have at least 5.5 years of battery life remaining. The pacemakers with less battery life are useful as teaching tools in the classroom for UGA’s veterinary students.

What a creative and simple solution to a problem born out of heartbreak. We love this story and appreciate Matula’s great mind and determination to make things better for our 4-legged friends! To learn more about the program visit https://ugaresearch.uga.edu

A contact hour is 50 or 60 minutes of instruction in a board-approved Nursing continuing education class or activity. One Continuing Education Unit (CEU) equals ten contact hours. Many Nurses continuing education courses are measured by CEUs to fulfill the Nursing program continuing education requirements.

See Nursing Continuing Education Requirements by State here.

And enjoy this list of FREE CEU's!

Organ and Tissue Donation and Recovery

Bladder Management after Spinal Cord Injury: A Practical Approach

Continuous Glucose Monitoring: Implications for Primary Care in Management of Type 2 Diabetes

Hepatitis C Among Homeless Individuals

Miracle Moments: How Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses Save Lives

Using Emotional Intelligence to Create the Work Environment You Desire

Show Your Stuff and Watch Your Tone: Nurse Caring Behaviors

Autoimmune Complications from Cancer Chemotherapy: An Emerging Field

Emergency Medicine and Immuno-Oncology Intersect: Recognizing and Managing Cancer Immunotherapy–Related Adverse Effects in the Emergency Department

Families' sense of abandonment when patients were referred to a hospice

Applying Evidence from the PCORI PROSPER Studies in Stroke Prevention & Care

Empowering Oncology Teams to Improve Care Quality for Women with Advanced or Metastatic HR+/HER2- Breast Cancer

Hematologic Malignancies & Precision Medicine: Expert Q&A with Highlights from the 2nd Annual Federal Seminar Series

Hereditary Breast Cancer Susceptibility: Understanding Gene Associated Risks

Improving Patient Outcomes With Cancer Immunotherapies Throughout the Lung Cancer Continuum: State of the Science and Implications for Practice

Managing Toxicities of Novel Therapies and Coordinating Care for CLL/SLL and FL Patients

 Do you know of other Free CEU's? Feel free to share in our comments section below!

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) defines innovation as “a new way of doing things to improve healthcare delivery”. Innovation can happen in your processes, systems, business models, as well as other “new” products or services.

“Nurses are the backbone of the American healthcare system,” says Sarah Colamarino, Vice President, Corporate Equity, Johnson & Johnson. “We know they are compassionate caregivers, but they’re so much more—they’re also driving innovation and pushing healthcare forward."

The reason Nurses are natural innovators is because “Nurses sit at the juncture between the patient and the system. They understand the pain points,’’ says Boston Children's Hospital Nursing Director, Jayne Rogers. “We want to encourage them to identify those issues and bring them forward for solutions.’’

Here are a few terrific Nurses Innovators whose ideas made life better for many.

Jonelle Krier, an OB Nurse in Duluth, MN, noticed parents struggle with air-drying their infant’s umbilical cord. She came up with an idea for an infant body suit with an opening that provides umbilical exposure. The one-piece garments are now used in some hospital nurseries. Krier won a Huggies® Mom Inspired™ grant, which has helped her expand the line to offer additional colors and designs.

Some ideas are simple changes, but make a huge impact in patient care.

Nurses Teri Barton-Salina and her sister Gail Barton-Hay had the idea to color-code IV lines so you'd be able to identify lines in seconds. In hospitals those seconds are valuable.

Neomi Bennett, RN, wanted to help Nurses and patients dealing with deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which occurs when blood clots form in the deep veins, often the legs. Many Doctors require patients to wear compression stockings, which can be difficult to put on because they are very tight. Bennett invented the Neo-Slip, a simple foot covering that allows compression stockings to be slipped on with ease.

OR Nurse, Jill Byrne of the Cleveland Clinic, created a vest to keep surgical staff cool under hot operating room lights. The lightweight vest contains pockets to hold ice packs and is designed to fit under surgical gowns to fight heat stress.

Innovation doesn't mean you have to create something completely new.

A Lippincott article says, "You can use an existing tool or device for a new purpose. An example of this is how older drugs are approved for new indications. Similarly, Nurses may find a secondary benefit of an existing device that we can use to support Nursing care like using a patient’s mobile phone to record patient teaching. There also may be great ideas that Nurses can repurpose from another industry to solve a problem in healthcare. An example of this is how Nursing professional development practitioners borrowed from the entertainment and gaming industry to foster learning in a more engaging format. Having received poor feedback about boring lectures in a Nurse residency program, the organizers of the program implemented escape rooms to reinforce learning and to test problem-solving skills among Nurse residents."

It is imperative to create a culture of innovation where Nurses feel confident in sharing their ideas and receive resources to help further their concepts into actual solutions.

An ANA article said, " In Nursing education, we should be teaching our Nurse leaders how to be change agents and innovators. We should be developing ways to train new Nurses and ensure that they are “innovation competent” when they graduate. As Nurses, we need to be calculated risk takers while keeping patient safety paramount. That way, we raise Nurses who don’t accept the status quo and are always questioning and seeing what’s next."

Healthcare is continually evolving. To become better, we need Nurse innovators to create new ideas, solutions and improvements to existing processes, systems and materials. Please share new innovations that made a difference to you and your patients.

Patient numbers are growing and so is the pressure for health care organizations to operate efficiently. Educated and experienced Nurse leaders are needed to manage teams, patient care, and promote organizational goals. In order to accomplish these goals, a successful Nurse leader must possess certain qualities that include...

Critical-Thinking and Decision-Making Skills

A Mississippi College article said, "Whether developing technology, advocating for patients, or running hospitals, Nurses need decision-making skills. For example, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) says Nurse leaders must identify problems and areas of waste, devise and implement plans for improvement, and make necessary adjustments to achieve goals. These responsibilities require an ability to analyze problems, look at the bigger picture, and devise solutions."

Relationship Management

According to Lippincott Solutions, Nurse leaders must be able to manage relationships with a wide variety of individuals because collaboration and team work are required to deliver high-quality patient care. Effective communication skills are keys to managing any relationship, but they’re especially important to Nurse leaders who must engage in a variety of relationships. These skills are also important for resolving conflicts and moving toward common goals.

Mentoring and Creating Future Leaders

In an ANA article, the quote “If your unit or department can run without you, you have done your job.” is very true. A successful leader will mentor and invest in experienced Nurses as a succession strategy to help guarantee the team's mission and values remain intact well into the future.

If you believe you posses these qualities and are interested in becoming a Nurse leader, there are different roles you can aspire to become. Some leadership roles include Head Nurse, Patient Care Director, Middle Level Management, Chief Nursing Officer, and CEO.

There are steps you can take in achieving a new leadership position.

Hospitals often need Nurses to serve on volunteer committees or advisory boards. Becoming a volunteer is an additional way to demonstrate leadership initiative. By offering your time, you’re proving to upper management that you truly care about helping your healthcare facility be the best it can be.

Earning your Master’s of Science in Nursing (MSN) could be the key to opening up a world of leadership opportunities in your Nursing career, according to Nurse Journal. Not only will your MSN courses help you sharpen your leadership skills and acquire qualifications for more advanced positions, MSN degrees often offer areas of specialization you can pursue.

Are you a Nurse leader and have helpful tips you'd like to share? Is there a Nurse leader you look up to and want to share what characteristics inspire you? Please comment below – we would love to hear from you!