Happy Nurses’ Week! In any given year, nurses will have their share of bad days. This stress can affect their attitudes, their performance, and your ability to retain them. Take a look at some of these creative ideas below used in Nurses’ Week past. Incorporate them as last-minute ideas this year or stash them away for the future. Hot off the press Jennifer Clarke, director of education at Madison County Hospital in London, OH, says her former facility...  Read More »

Often medication errors are directly tied to errors in reading, writing, or interpreting charted information. Complications related to medication-related incidents and errors are costly, at best. At worst, drug-related mishaps increase the incidence of hospitalization and death. Medication errors adversely affect quality of life. Medication-related incidents affecting patient safety fall into six general categories: Medication administration errors A medication...  Read More »

Patients will pick up on your fears or prejudices faster than you are even aware of them. Your body does not lie. Your patients are a mirror. Their intuition immediately interprets your subtly raised eyebrow or the few extra inches you create between you and them. No less compassion is required of a nurse than if he or she were a rabbi or minister. So what can you do? As soon as you read a diagnosis, or hear something about a patient that produces an "ugh"...  Read More »

Time is winding down (doesn’t it just fly?) before graduation for our Last Semester columnist, Chelsea. In her last few installments, she has taken us through her search for a job and her thoughts after attending the National Student Nurses’ Association convention in Grapevine, TX. Today, she dives into her own personal nursing philosophy. How does it compare to yours? This past semester, we were given the task of defining our own nursing philosophy....  Read More »

We know how important it is for you to work in an environment where you feel appreciated and are recognized for your hard work and accomplishments. That’s why HCPro will soon be publishing a book on practical, real-life solutions for celebrating and rewarding staff nurses for their excellence and featuring easy-to-implement techniques that will boost retention.   And here’s a way for you and your organization to be recognized in the book and...  Read More »