International Nurses Association

Have you ever thought of continuing your education? Perhaps moving into the role of a nurse practitioner? Or maybe earn the title of Advanced Practice Registered Nurse? An Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, often referred to as APRN, has 3-4 years of education beyond that of a registered nurse.  Roles of APRNs Most APRNs pursue an area of specialty- -           Clinical specialist- in this field, the APRN generally works in a medical clinic.  They see patients just as doctors do, and can diagnose and prescribe medications. As health care laws are undergoing major changes, many insurance companies now encourage patients to see APRNs rather than a physician, to help keep cost down. APRNs are allowed to work in a clinic without a physician on site, provided they still operate under the guidance of said physician. Many health departments now employ APRNs to oversee the needs of the public and supervise registered nurses within the department.  -           APRNs can specia

The best advice for any nurse just starting out checks, check and re-check.  Until you have become comfortable in your position, take your time and double check the things you do. Some facilities offer new nurses a buddy system that enables nurses to check one another’s work. If you are unsure of something, take a moment and consult with your supervisor. If you have not been told to hide your emotions, you will at some point. This can be pretty hard to do at times. Y ou become fond of your patients, and of course, you are sympathetic toward family members. There is one trick that may help you to avoid shedding tears, holding your head straight, aim your eyes upward toward the ceiling. This should close tear ducts and prevent unwanted crying for the moment. You can excuse yourself and take a short break if needed. Boundaries are a huge issue with most medical facilities. Patients can develop at the attachment to a nurse or care provider, it is not that uncommon.  In s

Actually, it's probably impossible to hide the fact that you are upset, but you can conceal it somewhat. Patients look at the faces of their nurse and doctor more than you realize. In fact they observe your expression. If you are upset over another patient or situation entirely, but walk in their room, your look may alarm this patient for no reason.  A patient shared a story with his nurse, that while he was waiting for pathology reports on a tumor he had removed, he was in mental torment. He suffered anxiety attacks and he could not control the excessive fear he was going through. It was getting late and still no doctor, so he resigned himself that it would be the morning before he found out. Then, in came his nurse.  His nurse had just been yelled at by a family member of another patient, and she was visibly upset. Her coworker advised her to take a break, but she continued working, and it was just too soon after being upset.This very observant, patient asked if she knew th

Missing medications from a hospital can be an accident, a mistake, or theft.  When medications are missing, there will be an investigation to determine the appropriate action to take. A Case of Missing Medications A 6-month long investigation took place in one medical, facility.Medications were being ordered in large quantities and then ending up missing. Initially, it could not be determined where the medications were going, so a more complete investigation was conducted. As it turned out multiple hospitals were involved, and it was an organized group that had several hospital staff working with them.  People lost jobs and went to prison over their very poor c hoices. Related:  Having a Bad Day? A pharmacist that owned a pharmacy was fortunately caught, as he was diluting cancer medications and selling the remainder for huge profits. This was especially difficult as several paints had passed away while taking prescribed chemo drugs that came from this pharmacy. The pha

Currently, the diet industry is a 6 billion dollar a year combination of programs, products, and services. There are more obese people than ever before, so, despite all of the services, programs and products, it is still not working. It may be time to look behind the fast food establishments, and ordering food online, and then face the facts. There are obviously a lot of people that cannot control their food intake. More people have eating disorders today than ever before and yet help is not always available.There are substance abuse clinics, and gambling addiction support groups in great supply, and they are free for the most part. On the flip side, try to find a free or low-cost eating disorder clinic, and you would be searching for quite some time. Obesity is ignored, and often viewed as the lack of self-control by the overweight person. Many people consider an eating disorder that involves obesity as the addiction that is completely ignored and not recognized by most.However, if

Would you rather be beautiful/handsome, or have respect? That is a question Steve Jobs would ask perspective employees early in his career. The fact is, you do have to earn respect. It is not simply a natural attribute, so how do you earn it? Steps to Earning Coworkers’ Respect 1.     be honest. People will respect someone that is honest and does         not come across as untrusting.  2.     Defend yourself when necessary. No, you do not need to meet the world with an attitude ready to argue your case with everyone.  You should, however, stand up for yourself when necessary. If someone points a finger at you, and you know it is unjustified, speak up. If possible, make it one on one, and let them know that not only are they blaming the wrong person, but also that you do not appreciate the accusation. Then of course, move past it. 3.     Your opinion matters more than you know. This is a big one, and will earn you respect quickly. When asked your thoughts and opinion, giv

What would you do if you were in a restaurant and saw someone choking? Or in the airport and noticed someone fall to the floor clinching their chest?  Odds are you said what every nurse did, you would jump right in and aid. ­­It is not only within your instincts, it is in the ethics code of nursing to help when necessary. Nurses in the News -           A nurse had taken her children to the local community pool. They were enjoying the day, and eating lunch at a picnic table when her daughter pointed out some kids trying to push a young man into the 12-foot area of the pool. It was obvious this boy, around 10 did not want to jump in, however the group around him were determined not to let him leave. The nurse yelled out for the life guard, however with the background noise he never heard her. Within seconds the boy was pushed into the water.The nursing instinct kicked in, she stood up to make sure he was ok; however, he was not coming up. The pool was very crowded; however, she was

A mistake can be critical for a nurse, and they do happen.  It can end a career; however, this is rare. The fact is as long as nurses remain human, errors will occasionally occur. We must face them, and they get over them to continue on in their career.  Common Errors As one might suspect, the most common nursing error involves dispensing the wrong medication. One way this can happen is by administering it to the wrong patient. Nurses are often pressed for time, and may have multiple patients they are caring for.  It’s not terribly surprising that on occasion a medication is given to the wrong patient.  A nurse at a large hospital had an impeccable reputation.  She had been a nurse for 20 years, and was named nurse of the year on more than one occasion.  She worked in ICU one night when it was very busy and understaffed. The nurse had two patients in room’s right next to one another. One was a 55-year-old with pneumonia, while the other was a 58-year-old with a heart condition

Have you ever thought that you might like to share your experience or expertise?  If so, inquire with your human resource department about being a mentor. If they don’t offer programs for mentoring, inquire at a local school for nurses. You can offer real life experiences, and answer questions for someone about to enter the profession.  Mentoring 101 The number one rule in mentoring is to be realistic. Don’t make the job sound like a piece of cake; you will only be setting them up. There are good days and bad, so be honest and say that. Things are not always easy, and mistakes will happen. Always advise that anyone making a mistake should own up to it.  Nurses are not perfect, and accidents happen, we are just human.  Talk about the good things in a nursing profession. Nurses are in general more dedicated to their coworkers than any other profession. This is great because when you need help, advice, or guidance, a coworker will be right there to assist you. There is truly a uniq

A patient that is admitted and suffers from a form of mental illness may have an extra hard time adjusting to a hospital stay. When a patient is delusional they may have irrational thoughts, and they may have reactions based on those irrational thoughts. In order to properly handle and treat a patient in this condition, it's important to understand some about their thought process and condition. What is a Delusional Disorder? This is a form of mental illness, although it can be brought on by a number of factors.  Certain drugs can cause delusions, while in some cases the person suffers from the condition with no known cause. Some may refer to this as paranoid thinking, however delusions are a different form of psychosis, similar but not the same. A patient that is delusional may think that a multitude of thoughts, which can include paranoia thoughts such as someone is trying to harm them. They may also see things that are not present, or hear things that are not omitting sound

When a patient enters the hospital for observation after a concussion diagnosis, it is important to explain to the patient and family exactly what you are dealing with. A concussion is a form of a brain injury, and can involve interruption of a normal brain. If a head is hit hard, causing a shaking motion, it can cause the brain to twist or bounce. In most cases, it does not cause permanent injury to the brain, however it is possible that it could, brain cells could be lost.  Concussions are common in many sports, although many new regulations have helped to prevent some. There is danger for someone that has a concussion to continue to participate in sports. If the brain already has trauma, playing sports and risking another injury could potentially cause permanent damage. Although sports are a common means of getting a concussion, it's not the only way.  Falls, auto accidents, and significant bumps to the head can cause a concussion as well.  Related:  The Happy Side of