Nuggets for April 13

No, I haven't forgotten these...just been a little busy. Here are a few I found recently while perusing the net in my rapidly disappearing spare time. Enjoy!

Out and about in the health world

DNA test outperforms pap smear (from www.nytimes.com)
I can count the number of female patients I see at Madison on one hand. This article discusses a new test that could eventually replace the infamous Pap. Prevention of this disease is a very good thing.

In cancer, a deeper faith (from www.nytimes.com)
I really enjoy the first-person accounts that appear in this section. This one, geared toward the Passover/Easter season, is quite memorable.

Uncovering the secrets of gray hair (from www.nytimes.com)
I don't cover mine, yet! I really enjoyed this article on how hair turns gray. As usual, they found out much of the information by accident--researching another topic.

A little more nursing-oriented

Are you feeling a little burned out and need some helpful hints to post on the back room bulletin board? Never fear, the folks at the Compassion Fatigue Project have the Eight Laws all ready in nice PDF format. Here's a description of what they're talking about from their web site:

The Eight Laws...

Here at the Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project, we believe you can take control of your own well-being and create steps towards healing in your own life.

The following are 'Eight Laws' to help you create a healthier workplace for yourself, provide healthier care for others, promote healthier change in your life, and practice better self-care.

Just remember...if you don't take care of yourself, no one else will!

I found this tidbit about nurses at Hell on White Clogs: An open letter to every patient and their family. It made me think of a lot of things: patients, regular people and the good, old Press-Ganeys.

If only we had bosses like these

$80,000 for a year off? She'll take it
A law firm in NYC offers a third pay to associates to take off for one year. The not-so-bad catch: you won't be laid off if you choose this when you come back.

Finally

And just when you thought RehabRN gets all of her nuggets from NYC...I found this one via my ANA newsletter: Dean researching off-peak hour hospital death rate. It certainly made me look...since it seems like all of our problems happen in the off-hours.