Tag Archives: #MINchat

Nurse Leaders: Step Up

Posted on May 19, 2012

Congratulations to the graduating nursing classes of 2012! I wondered what the job market would be like for my new colleagues, so I started looking at the openings for registered nurses on the west coast. Three metropolitan areas: Seattle, Portland … Continue reading →

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Time for Your Nursing Degree?

Posted on April 24, 2012

Wow. Sixteen semester units, a full-time job as an RN on a med-surg floor, three kids under ten, and planning to take another 16 units next semester. It wasn’t unusual to see this description among my classmates in my online … Continue reading →

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Patient Education: Two Great Online Resources

Posted on April 21, 2012

Patient education. It’s a huge factor in nursing care and the emergency department is no exception. Standardized discharge instructions are usually enough for the most common diagnoses, but when a patient has a diagnosis that isn’t covered, or needs more … Continue reading →

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Graduation, the Beginning of Education

Posted on April 20, 2012

Congratulations! You did it! Classes, caffeine-riddled nights of cramming for exams, and clinical rotations are a thing of the past. That BSN is firmly in your grasp. As you stand on the threshold of your nursing career, the NCLEX before … Continue reading →

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Talked to a Therapist, Lately?

Posted on March 31, 2012

The push toward doctoral degrees for practitioners is expanding, and not just for nurses. Audiologists and physical therapists will soon be joining advanced practice nurses, according to the recent U.S. News.com article, Doctoral Degrees Gain Steam in Healthcare Industry. In … Continue reading →

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Nursing in a Nutshell

Posted on March 1, 2012

I’m sitting here, smacking my head. I just read a perfect example of what is wrong with my profession. Nursing suffers from “not in my backyard syndrome”, or “NIMBYS.” NIMBYS is manifested by the verbal agreement of the need for … Continue reading →

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Why Wait?

Posted on February 29, 2012

A trip to the emergency department means you will wait.  Oh, if you are extremely lucky, and the ER has a Fast Track, and they aren’t very busy, and your problem truly isn’t serious, you might be in-and-out quickly.  But … Continue reading →

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5 Tips for Communicating With Doctors

Posted on February 27, 2012

Communication is the cornerstone of patient care. We communicate continually with patients, nursing colleagues, other healthcare providers. We communicate verbally, through body language, on paper, by computer, or through text messages and email. Of all nursing communications, those with physicians … Continue reading →

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Boards of Nursing – The Basics

Posted on February 27, 2012

This July I will perform a ritual I have performed every other year for 34 years. I will open a folder and double check that I have at least 30 continuing education hours. I will then write a check to … Continue reading →

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How To Stay Cool in the Heat of Social Media

Posted on February 16, 2012

Staying cool. Easy to do in the dead of winter, but not always so easy to do when interacting in the world of social media. Like interactions in real life, social media interactions are spontaneous and off-the-cuff.  And, like in-person … Continue reading →

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