If you already have a bachelor’s degree, a year is all you’ll need to become a nurse at the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center School of Nursing. The school is kicking off a program—already filled with 20 aspiring nurses—this fall in Abilene. The program will make use of new technology to expedite the education. Students will learn the basics through an Internet-based curriculum with the help of laptops, PDAs, and a simulation lab. When...  Read More »

The Nintendo Wii, a game system that requires users to act out the game with a motion-sensor controller, has become part of the therapy routine for a growing number of providers around the country. Although its original intent was simply to be a fun way to spend some time, therapists using the system are swearing by its results. “I got interested in it because of my nephew, who played it all the time,” says Lane Blondheim, MSPT, MT, owner and director of...  Read More »

After all the tears last Friday, I have come to the realization that I am not a nursing student anymore. What a weird feeling! This has been my identity for the past four years and, all of a sudden, I am without that title. I wouldn’t want to stay behind for another four years or anything, but I will miss nursing school. What am I going to do for the next four weeks? It’s time for me to really start my job search. Things have not been going exactly...  Read More »

“Good Morning, Mr. Jones. Your breakfast consists of a Beta blocker, a statin, an ACE inhibitor, two different electrolyte replacements, a diuretic, and an NSAID . . . enjoy your meal.” And the winner is . . . (drum roll, please) . . . Kathryn Shea! Congratulations, Kathryn! Thanks to everyone who submitted a caption. They were all hilarious! And, we’ll be back next week with a brand new cartoon! Will YOU be the next winner?   Read More »

Nurses need to determine why patients seem to be unwilling to do what is expected of them. Some people are just plain set against making any changes or adjustments in their lives. But others may be unwilling to cooperate for less obvious reasons. It is very important for you to differentiate between unwillingness and inability. Take a moment and talk with the patient about what is holding him or her back from doing what has been asked. What appears as simple...  Read More »

By Karen L. Madsen, MSN, APRN-BC If you missed last week’s Ezine, check out the first part of "The other side of the bed." Four hours after our initial check-in, we were admitted to the main emergency room and eventually, things got much better. We had a stellar nurse named Kristi, who came to our room with morphine in her hand for our girl. Kristi was kind, she was efficient, and she was incredibly skilled and competent. The doctor on call...  Read More »

The media spotlight found its way to Dennis Quaid late last year after the actor’s newborn twins were victims of an accidental drug overdose. Mistakes such as this are all too common, according to a study released in the April issue of Pediatrics. The study found that drug errors—medicine mix-ups, bad reactions, and accidental overdoses—harm about 1 in 15 or 540,000 hospitalized children annually. The study began in 2002 when charts for 960...  Read More »

Our Preceptor Place columnist, Sarah Jane, has given us some sound advice on how to get to know your preceptor. Today, she shows us the other side of the coin? What if you are the preceptor? How can you make a new nurse feel comfortable? When you are orienting new grads or nurses transferring from another unit, it is important to make them feel like they matter and count. Make them feel like you are glad to have them on your unit and that they will be a valuable...  Read More »

Forty days and counting! Graduation is sneaking right up on me! I can’t believe how fast this semester has gone by, and I am starting to feel a little sad about the end of nursing school (never thought that day would come). Nursing school has been a place where I have found who I am, and who I want to become. It has forced me to make hard decisions and instilled in me the ability to think critically in a variety of instances. I will miss this place, even...  Read More »

Critical thinking is vital because it directs us in providing safe, competent care. Nurses who possess critical thinking skills make a difference in decreasing hospitals stays and producing good patient outcomes. The nurse who uses his or her head versus just his or her hands is of value to any organization. For you to become a critical thinker, you must first answer the following questions. Be honest in your evaluation: What have you learned about how you...  Read More »