Nurses across the country care for their patients at all types of facilities. But would they want to be cared for at their own? According to a recent study conducted by the American Nurses Association (ANA), more than half of the nurses surveyed said they wouldn’t feel comfortable having someone they are close to receive care at their place of work. That was just one of many eye-catching results garnered from a study, which drew responses from more than...  Read More »

On Friday, we shared the first part of our conversation with our Last Semester columnist, Chelsea. Her first interview after graduating from nursing school was off to a good start. Now, let’s get to the conclusion. SO: What was the worst part? C: I think the worst part was that I really didn’t like the floor. I liked the place, I liked the nurses, but I’m not sure if I liked the floor. It was a very laid back unit. I want to be on an intensive...  Read More »

You cannot do everything for all of your patients yourself. Working with the ancillary staff and knowing what an appropriate assignment is for them will help you with your workload. Just remember the five rights of delegation before you delegate a task. 1. Is this the right task to delegate? The task should be one that is frequently repeated in the daily care of patients. It should not require your nursing assessment or judgment. 2. Are the circumstances right?...  Read More »

By defensive charting, we mean protective. Who are you protecting? With proper documentation, you protect your patient and yourself. Chart only what you see, hear, feel, measure, count, and experience; not what you suppose, infer, or assume. Chart as if the words you write reflect the actual and complete record of the care rendered, because they must. Chart as if every word could one day be scrutinized in a court of law, because it can. Be familiar with institutional...  Read More »

Overworked. Overstretched. Exhausted. However you say it, it’s leading to a worrying number of medication errors in Canada. A new study released by Statistics Canada found that nearly a fifth of the country’s nurses made mistakes in medicating patients "occasionally" or "frequently." More specifically 22% of those who usually worked overtime reported making errors, while 14% who did not work overtime admitted to the miscues. The...  Read More »

“Well it appears our pet therapy program has just backfired . . .” And the winner is . . . (drum roll, please) . . . Deirdre DiBrienza! Congratulations, Deirdre! 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 »

Our Last Semester columnist Chelsea is done with her last semester. She walked across the stage last weekend and can now call herself a college graduate. That doesn’t mean she’s done with us, though. Chelsea’s nursing career is just beginning and she’ll be taking us along on the ride for a while. Just two days after she said sayonara to school, she was headed south on a plane from Boston for a job interview at a hospital in Maryland....  Read More »

By defensive charting, we mean protective. Who are you protecting? With proper documentation, you protect your patient and yourself. Chart only what you see, hear, feel, measure, count, and experience; not what you suppose, infer, or assume. Chart as if the words you write reflect the actual and complete record of the care rendered, because they must. Chart as if every word could one day be scrutinized in a court of law, because it can. Be familiar with institutional...  Read More »

“Bullies scan groups for the weakest. Maybe it is an evolutionary remnant of our place in the animal kingdom. All predatory species select and attack the weakest pray.” - The Bully at Work Whether a new hire, a transfer from another department, or a new resident nurse, any member introduced into a powerless group is at high risk for experiencing horizontal hostility. Horizontal hostility is used to break nurses into the group or, in terms of opposition...  Read More »

Depression is an illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts. It affects the way a person eats and sleeps, the way one feels about oneself, and the way one thinks about things. Those of us who work with the young need to be aware that not all moodiness is a temporary "phase" of development: A depressed child may pretend to be sick, refuse to go to school, cling to a parent, or worry that the parent may die Older children may sulk, get into...  Read More »