International Nurses Association

When should you alert child protective services?  Essentially, if you have a question on whether you should, always err on the side of caution and contact them. Better to have a fit parent investigated, then to have a child continue to suffer abuse or neglect.  A Saved Child A mid-size hospital had a 7-year-old female admitted to the emergency room on a Friday night. The girl had a very concerned mom and step dad with her, in addition to her 3-year-old brother. The nurse asks how the little girl got the huge gash on her forehead, and the step dad quickly answered that her brother hit her with a metal toy truck. The nurse turned to the little girl, and she answered that he didn’t mean to do it. The nurse had an odd feeling, and stepped out of the room to alert her supervisor.The supervisor visited the room, interacted with the child and the parents, and returned to say everything appeared to be fine to her. The doctor did a complete examination, and also said she felt the family w

Do you ever wonder what your patients actually think of you or the other nurses? A survey was done to ask that very question of patients in various hospitals around the country. Answers are by patients. Do you think most nurses enjoy doing what they are doing? -           I think about 80 percent do. I think a few are burnt out and should consider retiring.   -           I think about 60 percent do. I think some nurses have a desire to be a doctor instead, but needed to cut the education time down. -           I believe 95 percent of all nurses love their jobs. Would you rather have a male or female nurse? -           Being female, I always preferred a female nurse.  As I’ve gotten older it does not matter. -           No difference to me at all -           I think because I’m male, a male nurse would be more in touch with my issues. When hospitalized, how would you rate your treatment by the nurses on a scale of 1-10, 10 being highest? -           9- The nur

Some hospitals require the occasional ride along with paramedics, depending on what area of nursing you work in.  For emergency room nurses, the ride along can be very beneficial. It provides insight into the world that paramedics and EMT’s work in. You can see and experience first hand what it is like to treat the patient prior to arriving at the hospital.  A typical Ride Along I’m not sure there is such a thing in medicine as typical, however the description is one ride along, from 7 pm until 3 am. Jamie never gave much thought about the people that delivered her patients to the emergency room.  They were doing their job and she was doing hers. However, all of that changed after her ride along, she learned just how valuable everyone is in the role of medicine. The Friday night ride along went at a very pace, the first call coming in 15 minutes after the shift began. The call was an emergency for a private residence where a baby was burned. A 3-year-o ld pulled a pan of hot greas

Certified Nursing Assistants are individuals that have an interest in the health care profession, however have not earned their nursing degree. Many CNAs are in the process of attending school and earning their degree, however some simply prefer the job of assisting nurses and working with the patients.  CNA’s Duties -           CNAs can take the temperature of a patient and record the information. They will also take blood pressure readings and record the patients pulse. -           CNAs often tend to the hospitalized patient’s hygiene needs. Helping them to and from the shower, or providing bed baths to patients that are unable to shower. -           They will check on the patient, and report back to the nurse any needs or concerns the patient may have.   When a patient calls for assistance, it is most often the CNA that responds, and calls for the attending nurse if necessary. CNAs also perform the less that desirable jobs, such as changing bed pans and cleaning up af

It is always a sad moment when a family gets confirmation that their loved one is suffering from dementia.  As this disease progresses, it can actually be more difficult on the family than on the patient themselves. In the Beginning When a patient is diagnosed with dementia, in most cases they are still fully aware of their medical issues and will most likely comprehend their newly diagnosed condition. At this point, the patient may want to express their wishes with loved ones, which can be very difficult. When a person is aware they are facing a terminal situation, it’s natural that they want to provide their family with information.  This can be of great benefit for the patient, to share their wishes, and to ensure their family is aware of what needs to take place in the future.  Many family members resist this, insisting they don’t want to hear anything about their love one passing.  If you can offer a solution, it may help all parties involved to accept the situation.  

Have you heard the expression that you catch more flies with honey? Well, if you go in with a positive attitude and are respectful and polite, the odds are you will win the patient over with your charm.  Nurse 1 John was not a happy guy at all. He was tired of being in pain, and tired of being hospitalized.  He was transferred from another medical facility, and he nothing short of a grumpy old man, which he informed the staff of upon his arrival. Nurse 1 went in to gather some information from him, and it did not go well. She asked if he was in pain, to which he explained he would not be there if he wasn’t. She went on to ask very routine admittance questions, to most he had very short answers that could easily be considered offensive to most people. After all questions needed for intake procedures were complete, nurse 1 walked out of the room and gave a big sigh of relief. Two hours later it was medication time for John, so nurse 1 walked into his room with his medications.  She

Cholesterol is a fatty substance that is in the blood that can build up in the arteries. High levels of cholesterol can be an early indicator of heart disease.  As a general rule, young people, starting at age 20 should get a cholesterol test every 5 years. Women after menopause should get a test annually, cholesterol levels rise after menopause due to the reduction in estrogen levels. High cholesterol can cause heart attacks, it’s very important to be tested as recommended by the physician. A simple blood test is all that is involved, and this little test could save a life.  Blood pressure is known as the silent killer, and for a good reason. A person can have very high blood pressure with no symptoms, which can create a dangerous situation. A blood pressure reading over 140/90 can put a stress on the heart, and make it more likely to fail. Blood pressure should be checked annually age 20-40, provided the numbers are consistently good. After age 40 twice a year providing the read