Every time you go to the hospital, you’ve probably noticed that while not everyone is wearing the same pattern, they’re all wearing scrubs. Sometimes, even the non-health care related employees wear them. So why is it that hospitals have policies on what employee’s wear?
How does a Busy Nurse Juggle the Job and Further Education?
March 4, 2013 by 4 Comments
A master’s degree in nursing can open up career options, increase your earning potential, and enhance your professional reputation. Earning an advanced degree while working, however, isn’t easy. Here are some tips on how you can balance work and higher education.
Social Media in Healthcare [Infographic]
August 1, 2012 by 1 Comment
The healthcare industry is slowly starting to realize the value of social media.
If we want to increase compliance and improve access to care, social media and technology are the way to go. The ability to educate consumers through such a cost-effective and highly visible media that is web 2.0.
The following infographic gives a glimpse at how hospitals are using social media. It displays areas of strength as well as areas with opportunity.
MEDITECH Nurse Leader and Home Health Conference
July 11, 2012 by 4 Comments
Recently I had the honor of speaking at the MEDITECH Nurse Leader and Home Health Conference. For those of you who are not already familiar, MEDITECH is a leading provider of hospital based EMRs (Electronic Medical Records). They offer a cost effective solutions to assist healthcare organizations with providing collaborative care across the continuum and meeting the requirements of ARRA and Meaningful Use.
Exergen TemporalScanner Thermometer Review and Giveaway
May 2, 2012 by 9 Comments
Recently I received an Exergen TemporalScanner Thermometer to review and was pleasently surprised with just how simple and efficient it is. It’s so easy to use that even my toddler had it mastered in a matter of seconds and was going around the house attempting to get the temperature of everyone in sight.
In my opinion temporal artery scanning is the most efficient and therefore the best way to take the temperature of your child. In my experiences both as a nurse and a patient, temporal artery scanning caused the least discomfort and inconvenience for both the healthcare provider and the patient as well as providing and accurate temperature.
Foreign Nurses: A Language Barrier to Care
April 28, 2012 by 20 Comments
Recently I was hospitalized for a week in a large university hospital. In those 7 days only one of my nurses spoke English as a first language. The rest of the nurses had thick accents. I couldn’t pinpoint where exactly, but Haitian if I had to guess. Their accents made it difficult for me to understand them. I also noticed they often seemed to have difficulty understanding me. It was no uncommon for me to have to rephrase my questions or requests in order to get a response from them that was appropriate. Even after rephrasing my questions, their most common answer was “I’ll have to ask to doctor.”
Playing Operation: Costs of Common Surgeries [Infographic]
March 26, 2012 by 4 Comments
The following infographic does a great job of illustrating the cost of various surgeries as well as detailing how many of that operations are performed in a year.
IT’s worth noting that cost for these procedures vary by region and also from facility to facility. What would be ideal was if a surgery cost $x.xx amount no matter where you had it or who performed it. But unfortunately that is just not so. Hospitals and insurance companies are constantly renegotiating their agreed upon allowances and changing what they determine is “reasonable and customary.”
Nursing Management Hates a Squeaky Wheel
February 19, 2012 by 7 Comments
It’s clear that being and advocate automatically makes you a target, but does it make you un-hirable? Nurse K at Crass Pollination gives an interesting and valid perspective about the Amanda Trujillo case and advocacy. In her opinion, and likely many others, what Amanda has done by advocating for her patient, herself, and all nurses is tantamount to career suicide. She also discusses what happens when nurses within an organization speak up and the measures administration often go through to oil the squeaky wheel.
Nurse Entrepreneur Spotlight: Avoid Medical Errors, Pat Iyer, MSN, RN, Lncc
January 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment
On Avoid Medical Errors you can find a wealth of material related to staying healthy and becoming an educated consumer of healthcare. Her time spent working on medical malpractice cases can help you become informed of your rights an standards as a patient. She has a variety of patient education materials available to help you avoid the risk that can be associated with receiving medical care.
If you are a nurse and are reading this, lets not forget, we are all patients.
Avoid Medical Errors has much information that is available on the blog free of charge. There are also inner circle modules that are specific educational materials. You can sign up as a member and dive into well researched and vetted materials. There are new materials added to these modules every month and include exclusive interviews with medical professionals, inside tips, and special reports to help you better navigate the medical world.
GIANTmicrobes Gift Box Review and Giveaway
November 21, 2011 by 31 Comments
GIANTmicrobes take microscopic, sometimes scary bacteria and body parts and blow them up into a larger than GIANT versions of thier scientific selves. They’re a fun learning aid and cute way to incorproate a little more scient into your life.
As a nurse I spend a large amount of my time attempting to ward off these nasty little boogers, but when you make the cute and cuddly, they become downright charming. I really like the idea of using these in children’s hospitals to teach immune compromised children about their illnesses. Sick kids have a hard enough road to face without fearing what their bodies are facing. The empowerment that having their very own pet germs (GIANTmicrobes) would surely be motivational to any child or adult battling illness.
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