allnurses

allnurses is a Career Support Site for nurses and students. Our members, staff, and writers represent more than 60 professional nursing specialties. They come from all over the world to share, learn, and network. Our mission is to empower, unite, and advance every nurse, student, and educator.

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Which Nursing Visual Study Resource Is Right For You?

You need the best learning resources to suit your needs. You may be overwhelmed with the different options out there, especially when it comes to visual learning platforms. In this two-part article, we’re here to break it down for you and explain what to look for so you can make the most informed decision to which is the best study tool for you; the student who needs an efficient and effective solution to mastering the massive load of information you need to know. Let’s use these two visual resources as our examples: 1) Picmonic Study App, the established leader in visual mnemonic learning for nursing students, and 2) SketchyNursing, the new video library offshoot of SketchyMedical.

Read more: https://allnurses.com/which-nursing-visual-study-resource-t699210/   

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Saving Lives and Changing Laws: The Story of One School Nurse and Glucagon

Have you ever been faced with a situation where you had to make a life or death decision knowing that it could jam up your license or even cause you to lose them? Jennifer Jacobs, a Registered Nurse, working in a public school made a challenging decision last year when a seventh-grade student who had diabetes came to her office during lunch with low blood sugar.

When the student entered the school nurse's office, she was greeted by Heather Wengler, LPNwho jumped to action. Jacobs was at lunch at the time, but returned and began assisting within a few minutes.  The two nurses gave the student food and glucose tabs only for her blood sugar to continue to drop. At one point, the student fell to the floor and went unconscious. Jacobs told the Tri States Public Radio, "[She] wasn't seizing but was tremoring, and her eyes were rolling back in her head….." Jacobs gave a dose of glucose gel. However, because the student was drooling, it ran right out of her mouth.

Read more: https://allnurses.com/saving-lives-changing-laws-the-t700615/

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Humble Nurses Do This

A Time I Lacked Humility

Early in my nursing career, I worked as a home health nurse.  I took much pride in my work performance. My team leader boasted on how we formed the “A-Team” and I worked hard for this label.  Mrs. X was my patient for over a year. Mrs. X had end-stage heart failure and did not wish to visit ED for symptom management. The physician recommended hospice care.  Mrs. X did not want another nurse to visit. Her son was also concerned stating “we love you, what can the hospice nurse do that you can’t?”.

I was confident I could continue to meet the patient’s needs and she remained on home care services.  Several years later, I accepted a hospice position and realized Mrs. X didn’t have the benefit of symptom management at the end of life.  I lacked the knowledge and experience needed to provide the same level of end of life care as a hospice nurse. With all my pride and hard work, I fell short on humility.  Although I had only good intentions, I failed to acknowledge my limitations. The truth? Mrs. X’s end of life goals could have been better met with hospice.

Read more: https://allnurses.com/humble-nurses-do-this-t700144/

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Upside of Changes: Nurses Make the Best of Change

I read my email and felt that sinking sensation—change is coming and fast. The memo stated that in 7 days we would be changing over to the new system. Despite months of preparation, the looming deadline was anxiety-provoking. Would it go well? Would I be able to adapt? Would our patient care suffer? These and many other questions repeated in my mind as I clicked my laptop shut for the day, hoping that I would be ok with the changes.

Nursing is all about change, isn’t it? Just when we feel we have adjusted to the new technology, system, machine, arrangement, we get the memo from administration, “Be aware that we will be converting to xyz next week.” Adapt accordingly.

Read more: https://allnurses.com/upside-changes-nurses-make-best-t700239/

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Ask Me If I'm Safe At Home

My husband and I shared the same PCP.  After my first visit to the practice, no one ever asked me again whether I was safe at home.  I wasn’t.  But no one asked because everyone had met my husband, the handsome, charming life of the party.  The guy that everyone liked.  They all “knew” I was safe at home because he was “such a nice guy.”  They knew him, you see.  A nice guy like him couldn’t possibly be an abuser.

They only met Dr. Jekyll.  I lived with Mr. Hyde.

I’ve written numerous articles on the website about domestic violence, about the ex-husband who strangled me into unconsciousness and left me on the highway with the clothes on my back and my dog.  I’ve written about the elephant in the room, what leaving feels like, about starting over again and about the bravest thing I’ve ever done.  I lived it; I’m resilient.

Read more: https://allnurses.com/ask-me-if-im-safe-t699973/

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One Nursing Journey: Educating and Training Nurses

My journey through nursing began over a couple decades ago. After graduating with my Associates Degree, I started my hospital career in the Med Surg Unit. It gave the experience that was needed to go on to a variety of nursing fields. The day came when I needed to change shifts for family necessity, at which time I joined the float pool I totally enjoyed floating, as I gained experience in different areas such as post-partum, peds, and nursery as well as TCU. I spent most of my 17 years working in these various units, enjoying every minute of it. During this time, I had opportunities to mentor newer nurses and to be a resource to others on the floor as my varied experience became useful, especially for the float nurses or for students coming through. Even some of the regular floor nurses appreciated the experience that I brought with me.

Read More: https://allnurses.com/one-nursing-journey-educating-training-t700121/

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When Nurses Strike: Ohio Hospital Fails to Come to Agreement with Union

Shortly after 4pm on Monday, May 6th, nurses, physical therapists, and paramedics at Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo, Ohio went on strike. The group of workers, represented by the United Auto Workers Union was unable to reach an agreement with hospital management concerning health care costs, on-call regulations, and overtime policies.

WCPO in Cincinnati reported that president of the health center, Jeff Dempsey, declined to discuss the plan to replace those on strike. He did, however, report that the facility was prepared to handle the walkout. The hospital said last week that they felt the contract they presented to the workers was generous and included increases to staff’s wages.

Read more: https://allnurses.com/when-nurses-strike-ohio-hospital-t699690/

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Nurses Make a Difference: Memories of a Lifetime in Nursing

I liked to take care of my younger brother and he cooperated with my schemes in make-believe which meant he sometimes had to drink whatever “medicine” I came up with and submit to a variety of bandages made from scarves or my mother’s sewing scraps.

Over time, I became an avid reader and enjoyed adolescent fiction about nurses as well as biographies of Florence Nightingale and Clara Barton. In high school I started reading nursing journals that a nurse friend shared with me and took all the science classes my tiny high school could offer, begging our teacher for independent study so I could learn more about biology.

Read more: https://allnurses.com/nurses-make-difference-memories-lifetime-t699601/

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What do patients REALLY want from their health care professionals?

According to research studies conducted at the University of Washington Medical School, there are four primary questions that all clients or patients want answered by the person they see for their health care or for health related consultations. There are variations on these questions in different circumstances and practices, however, they are all derived from the most basic need we as human beings have in our relationships and particularly with our health care professionals.

Read more: https://allnurses.com/what-patients-really-want-health-t698914/

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Staffing and Unions: Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak

It seems talks about staffing ratios are taking the nation by storm. One group of nurses at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan is taking matters into their own hands. BeaumontNurses.org is a 100 nurse-strong group which has launched a drive to unionize the hospital with the Michigan Nurses Association. The push to unionize is to achieve safer nurse-to-patient ratios, but the question remains if the group fully represents all nursing staff.  

The hospital employs about 3,000 nurses. This is the fourth union drive at the facility in the last 24 years. Susan Grant, RN, executive vice president, and CNO was interviewed in a recent article and reports that she doesn’t believe the group advocating for a union represents the majority of nurses at the facility. Grant cited a recent satisfaction survey in which 80 percent of the nursing staff reported feeling “engaged” with their work. However, the question at hand is this, “Can you feel engaged but also feel that having a union to represent the majority of the nurses across the hospital is a good thing?”

Read more: https://allnurses.com/staffing-unions-beaumont-hospital-royal-t699276/

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Oxygen Use During STEMI: Beneficial or Detrimental?

Imagine being woken up from your sleep with a sensation that an elephant is sitting on your chest.  You get up to take something to try to relieve the pain, but the pain persists and starts to radiate down your left arm.  You get yourself to a phone, call 9-1-1 and are promptly transported to the hospital.  An ER nurse would be notified of this incoming patient, and properly prepare the room for their arrival. Following MONA, we would have morphine, oxygen, nitroglycerin, and aspirin ready for any orders that the physician might enter.  The patient arrives and is placed on oxygen while the physician is putting in his orders since the patient is truly having an ST-elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI).  During this event, the physician comes in and takes the oxygen off the patient due to no evidence of hypoxia on arrival.  What if using oxygen is not the best treatment?  Of course, nitroglycerin will help dilate the vessels, morphine will reduce pain, and aspirin will help reduce clotting, but what if oxygen use during a STEMI is actually detrimental to the patient?  Nurses want to provide the best care that is evidence-based.  The nurse has many roles during this event, and they certainly do not want to cause more harm to the patient.

Read more: https://allnurses.com/oxygen-use-during-stemi-beneficial-t698720/

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Energy Medicine: Is this real?

Hey, did you see the episode on Grey’s Anatomy about energy work??  In this episode Dr. Owen Hunt reluctantly makes an appointment with a therapist based on the recommendation of his sister.  His sister, also a physician, had excellent results with overcoming all the trauma endured being in a war zone for 10 years.  Dr. Hunt is in the office, ready for his appointment and begins to start the resistance already thinking things like, “This is weird, voo doo, and I just don’t get it”.  But again, trusting his sister and knowing she is very happy in her life…. He takes the plunge.

Read more: https://allnurses.com/energy-medicine-is-real-t698783/

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Difficult Doctors:  Tips for Students and New Nurses

I can vividly recall how stressful it was as a nursing student and new nurse graduate to communicate with physicians.  I was already intimidated by doctors and it seemed my mind drew a predictable blank when I had to interact with them. As a novice, I had to learn how to organize my thoughts and provide the appropriate information to communicate the patient issue clearly.  This is a learning process most students and new nurses will experience and build confidence. There are tips for communicating with doctors and an interdisciplinary team that may make this process a little easier.

Read more: https://allnurses.com/difficult-doctors-tips-students-new-t698468/

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What is One of the Most Memorable Moments in Your Nursing Career?

I need your help. As we are preparing the next issue of the allnurses magazine which will be published in a few short days, I would love to get input from nurses of all ages, specialties, and levels of experience as soon as possible. Just before the last magazine was published, I sought your help and you responded quickly with some fantastic comments. I know I can count on our allnurses readers to contribute again.  

Whether you are just starting out or you have years of experience, all nurses have those moments, good and bad, they will never forget. These moments have an impact on us as they are etched into our memory bank and woven into the colorful tapestry that defines our nursing career.

Read more: https://allnurses.com/what-one-most-memorable-moments-t698353/

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CEO Says More Nurses Won't Improve Care

The fight for safe patient staffing is being waged right now in Illinois. The Safe Patient Limits Act, HB 2604, which calls for safe nurse-patient ratios, will be voted on this week in Springfield, Illinois in the House of Representatives.

The bill requires:

One nurse for every four patients in Med Surg

One nurse for every three patients in Stepdown, ED, or intermediate care units

One nurse for every two patients in ICU

If it passes, Illinois will be on its way to joining California as the only state with mandated safe staffing (nurse-patient ratios).

Read more: https://allnurses.com/ceo-says-more-nurses-wont-t698049/

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How I made $93,000 my first year of nursing

So a lot of you are wondering what your compensation will be following nursing school. I can't speak for each state but in Texas, nurses are paid very well, combine that with an unrelenting passion and proficient skills set, it's money in the bank. (BTW I didn't go to school for grammar and I'm notorious for extra commas)

So, where I started working right out of school in July 2017 nurses are paid 24.25 an hour, I started in an ICU. I don't count the full year of 2017 since I was a tech making 11.70 an hour for more than half a year and by the end of the year without OT I made 45000.

In 2018 however, my first two checks were >5000 after taxes. How?

Read more: https://allnurses.com/how-i-made-first-year-t698056/

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Safe Staffing Levels for In-hospital Nursing Units

Everyone Deserves the Best Care Possible

Nurses are often put in impossible situations pushed to care for more patients than is safe. It is fair to say everyone deserves the best care possible. In order to ensure this, safe staffing for nurses and patients should be established. Just think of it, you are a registered nurse tending to a patient with a heart rate sustained above 160 when your other patients’ blood pressure suddenly becomes dangerously low. Soon after, another patients’ arterial line malfunctions making blood pressure readings inaccurate. No, this is not an exam question on prioritization; this is the less detailed version of an understaffed stressful 12-hour shift I had in the intensive care unit. These types of situations can lead to health risks for both patients and nurses. In addition, these situations can drive nurses from their profession. Safe staffing ratios cultivate a healthcare environment that increases optimal health outcomes, nurse retention, improves quality of care and lowers healthcare costs.

Read more: https://allnurses.com/safe-staffing-levels-in-hospital-nursing-t697675/