Nuggets for June 23

Today's installment features a few important (and sometimes funny) aspects of nursing.

First of all, there's a nursing shortage. Surprise, surprise. I know a few of you are rolling your eyes as you're looking at the latest newbie RN on your floor. Nurse.com has a great article about the Versant RN residency program which is being used in various hospitals throughout the US. According to the article, RN residency programs are keeping new RN turnover levels lower than the national average.

Residency program prepares new Texas RNs (from http://www.nurse.com/)

Next, it's not the newest post she has out there, but PixelRN has a great one about nursing and the Maternal Suckling Thing. The moral of the story: Don't worry, some people just don't get nursing in today's modern hospitals. Hopefully, Flo's not spinning over this one!

After that biology lesson, head on over to Podunk Memorial for an Ode to a Node. I don't read many ECGs, but it makes me want to get the book referenced in this post.

Finally, let's look at an oldie but goodie that bears repeating. I really enjoy reading Taralynn Mackay's blogs, Information for nurses and A Nurse Attorney's Thoughts. Both blogs spotlight legal interest stories that are appropriate for nurses. Just because someone tells you, "Oh, you're a nurse, don't worry." you should. As grown-ups and nurses, our job is to know what is going on in the world and what's going on with our patients.

This post, appropriately called Why you don't want a stupid nurse really made me think. I was flabbergasted in May when I attended a symposium for new grads in an accelerated program when one of my younger, louder classmates, commented that I was stupid because I thought it was important to recognize failure to rescue. "We don't do that every day. You don't need to worry about that." Well, yes, we do Ms. Jen, yes, we do.

And that is all for today, so enjoy your goodies, folks. More later!

Nuggets for February 3rd

Since I've had some free time in between loads of laundry, here are a few choice nuggets I've read lately. Enjoy!

If you are a nurse
You'll always find a gem at Podunk Memorial. Some are oldies, but still goodies.

Die-hard sports fans face heart risks
From the NY Times, this article discusses cardiac risks for getting too charged up about your favorite team....just in time for Super Bowl. At least, they didn't do an expose on the appetizers and beverages you may eat!

Six Killers
This is a section the NY Times did in 2007 on the top six causes of death in the US. While it's not a leading health publication, there are some really good articles on these health issues, particularly the link between diabetes and heart disease.