Sandra Mattingly, RN, has been given a second chance to put her nursing skills to use. This time around, she is bringing an additional skill to the bedside: song. "We have all of the clinical skills and the modern technology. Nurses need to see eye to eye with their patients and relate the heart, not just the procedure," says Mattingly. "That’s what’s missing in nursing today." Known as the "singing nurse" at Prattville...  Read More »

Red, green, yellow, purple, and pink—these are the colors of one wristband color system improving patient safety in hospitals across the nation. But the key to success isn’t just the colors; it’s the fact that one particular color-coding system is catching on. It’s common for hospitals to use an array of colors for patient wristbands as reminders for certain conditions, such as allergies or fall risks, but Bonnie Haluska, RN, CRRN, assistant...  Read More »

Many nurses enter the field because they want to make a difference and they know the care they provide can make significant changes in their patients’ lives. But many nurses are learning the differences they make can extend beyond healthcare facilities, and across state lines, countries, and continents. These differences can be eye opening—like the ones made by nurses volunteering with the global, nonprofit organization, Unite For Sight. "The...  Read More »

When looking to develop a critical-thinking process in a facility, it’s best to start with the basics. "Critical thinking has been around for a couple of decades, but applying it in healthcare is something we’ve been looking at pretty closely for the last 10 years," says Carole R. Eldridge, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, dean at St. John’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences of Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, MO. Critical thinking...  Read More »

As a nursing student in the United States, it’s sometimes hard to imagine a world where bandages, stethoscopes, and up-to-date books are rare commodities. Students and professors at Mount Carmel College of Nursing (MCCN) in Columbus, OH, took action to bring information and some of those supplies to fellow nursing students in Gambia, Africa. When MCCN graduate Kellie Seelig was finishing up her two-year peace corps duty in Gambia earlier this year, she...  Read More »

Editor’s note: This excerpt is adapted from HCPro’s new book "Nurse Retention Toolkit: Everyday Ways to Recognize and Reward Nurses," by Lydia Ostermeier, MSN, RN, CHCR and Bonnie Clair, BSN, RN. Leaving nursing school to enter the workforce can be a difficult transitional period for many new nurse graduates. And literature reveals that 57% of new nurse graduates will leave their first position within two years of hire. So, why are they...  Read More »

Sarah Whitlock has three words to describe her reaction to seeing a hand in a ditch while driving late one August night: "I was petrified." The 21-year-old nursing student who attends Presentation College in Aberdeen, S.D., was driving along South Fork Road in Cody, WY—her hometown—around 11:30 p.m. on August 12. Despite the darkness, she saw a hand sticking out of a roadside ditch. "It scared me half to death," says Whitlock....  Read More »

By Richard Freedberg, RN, MSN, MPA I’m not sure I still want to be a nurse. Has this thought ever crossed your mind? Whether you have heard fellow students or new graduates openly disclose it, it’s fairly safe to assume many share the same doubts and apprehensions. Here’s what we all need to agree on: It is never wrong to have doubts since they are an important part of the human experience. They sometimes prevent us from blindly racing down...  Read More »

After performing pop rock country tunes on a bright stage surrounded by tens of thousands of screaming fans, Jason Marks should be able to perform clinical rotations with a steady hand. "It was very exciting and more fun than I’ve had in a long time," says Marks with a slight Southern drawl. Marks, who attends Cape Fear Community College (CFCC) in Wilmington, N.C., has been a practicing musician for several years and has been playing with his...  Read More »

Imagine having the opportunity to stand in front of a television camera and declare your love for nursing. That’s just what happened to three individuals at tiny Lakeview College of Nursing in Danville, IL. Student Katie Marlatt, recent grad Erica Dixon, RN, and Sarah Rich Wheeler, DNS, RN, PMH, BC, LCPC, the school’s dean of nursing, all shined under the bright lights. "It was neat to think that such a small school would have such a large...  Read More »