Safe patient handling and mobility

There’s no such thing as “safe lifting” when nurses use their bodies as the lifting system! When I attended nursing school, we learned about “safe body mechanics,” which today we know can be flawed. Moving a patient without technical assistance and without the proper preventive knowledge can lead to caregiver injuries. Just think about how many millions of dollars have been spent on workers compensation claims for employees who’ve sustained injuries when handling or moving patients.

Lessons learned from across the pond

In 2021, Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, a National Health Services Foundation Trust in the UK, began their partnership and participation in the second cohort of Magnet4Europe research. Both organizations came to appreciate that, regardless of geographical differences, nursing professionals universally confront similar challenges, which underscores the need for collaboration to seek solutions that enhance patient care and advance nursing practice globally.

Lessons learned from across the pond

In 2021, Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, a National Health Services Foundation Trust in the UK, began their partnership…

Safe patient handling and mobility

There’s no such thing as “safe lifting” when nurses use their bodies as the lifting system! When I attended nursing school, we learned about…

Remembering Eloise Richardson

During World War II, countless women answered the call to serve, stepping into roles that reshaped history and helped turn the tide in humanity’s darkest hour. They served as mechanics, nurses, codebreakers, factory workers, and spies. They fulfilled their duties…

Specialized nursing care for times of greatest need

An adolescent patient came to my clinic traumatized after being sexually assaulted by her mother’s boyfriend. I noticed her raspy voice. After further examination, I recommended that we complete a strangulation assessment, during which we recovered the perpetrator’s DNA. The…

Multitasking: Gift or Nursing’s Curse?

A study that examined the cognitive mechanisms involved in task switching, particularly how executive control processes manage multiple tasks (think of the time you checked a text message while programming an I.V. pump), suggests that multitasking reduces efficiency because the…

A view of 5600 Fishers Lane in Rockville, Maryland, which houses the headquarters of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and other health agencies. According to a senior AHRQ official who spoke on condition of anonymity, a climate of deep depression has settled over the agency’s offices. (Antony-22/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 4.0)

What’s Lost: Trump Whacks Tiny Agency That Works To Make the Nation’s Health Care Safer

Sue Sheridan’s baby boy, Cal, suffered brain damage from undetected jaundice in 1995. Helen Haskell’s 15-year-old son, Lewis, died after surgery in 2000 because weekend hospital staffers didn’t realize he was in shock. The episodes turned both women into advocates…

I remember: Reflections of a hospice nurse

As I drive down the road I pass familiar houses. The homes flood me with memories. I remember the faces. I remember…

Syphilis eradication is still a long way off: Doxy-PEP can help

In the late 1990s, public health departments around the globe celebrated the prospect of eradicating syphilis. However, by the early 2000s, this…

COVID-19 patients fared worse on ECMO than non-COVID-19 patients: Study

Pneumonia patients with COVID-19 who required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) fared worse than those without COVID-19, according to a study that looked…

Enhancing rural health through expanded APRN scope of practice

Rural American communities frequently struggle to provide adequate primary care services due to limited healthcare facilities and a shortage of qualified professionals.…

Webinars

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Collaboration in Patient-Centered Care Planning: Navigating Oncology

Simulation: Preparing for workplace violence

Tactical Implementation of an Effective Falls Program

Challenging and Inspiring: Beyond Common Fall Prevention Practices

Travel Nursing – How to ensure a good experience

Continuing Education

Premature ventricular complexes

Your patient has heart failure exacerbation, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, chronic renal failure, and depression. She says that she feels lightheaded…

Sepsis in the hospital setting: A case study

A 42-year-old man arrives in the ED. He reports not feeling like himself. Three days ago he stepped on a nail, which punctured his…

Cancer treatment delays and survival outcomes

Delays in seeking treatment frequently lead to poor health outcomes. Especially with regard to symptoms associated with cancer, early detection and treatment can improve…

Women and HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis

Why are new HIV cases still occurring when we have preventive treatment? One reason could be a lack of knowledge and experience among healthcare…

Coaching and evaluating new graduate nurses

Ongoing research shows a decline in new graduate nurses’ clinical judgment. Effective mentorship plays a crucial role in ensuring patient safety while new nurses…

Navigating Long COVID

Long COVID, a stigmatized and somewhat controversial condition, has begun to gain the public’s attention as some who previously had acute COVID-19 began reporting…

Premature ventricular complexes

Your patient has heart failure exacerbation, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, chronic renal failure, and depression. She says that she…

Sepsis in the hospital setting: A case study

A 42-year-old man arrives in the ED. He reports not feeling like himself. Three days ago he stepped on a nail, which…

Cancer treatment delays and survival outcomes

Delays in seeking treatment frequently lead to poor health outcomes. Especially with regard to symptoms associated with cancer, early detection and treatment…

Women and HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis

Why are new HIV cases still occurring when we have preventive treatment? One reason could be a lack of knowledge and experience…

Education and Career Guide

Education can be the key to professional success. Whether you’re a new or experienced nurse, returning to school to get your BSN or another advanced degree can make the difference between thriving and stagnating in your career. Tap into the articles presented in this year’s education guide for tips and thoughtful advice on nursing education. The American Nurse Education and Career Guide, provides you with facts, figures, other nurses’ experiences, and tons of other resources to help you in your journey.

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Current Journal

Snapshot of the nursing workforce

Progress and promise

Who handles the handling?

SIADH and lung cancer: A case study

Semaglutide: Shedding pounds, weighing risks

Semaglutide is a member of the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RAs) drug class, which promotes increased insulin secretion. GLP-1 activation…

From outrage to action

This column could be filled many times over with stories of nurses who’ve experienced workplace violence, but I’d like to highlight these…

Harnessing the promise and potential of virtual nursing

Core principles to guide dissemination of this practice model Virtual nursing—a new and steadily growing practice model that enables nurses to connect…

Practice-ready new RNs?

For decades, stakeholders in nursing practice have expressed concerns about the readiness of new graduate nurses to meet the demands of bedside…

Rapid Response

Acute myeloid leukemia

An 80-year-old man received a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia. He’s been hospitalized for a month, including an ICU stay during which he received…

Acute kidney injury: A quick diagnosis aids recovery

A 35-year-old man arrives at the ED with severe weakness, diarrhea, nausea, hypotension, and tachycardia, which began after he finished a 100-mile race the…

Aspiration: Blocking the airway

You’re caring for a 75-year-old man admitted to your unit with a diagnosis of ischemic stroke, left-sided weakness, and dysphagia. He receives continuous feedings…

Acute dystonic reaction

Acute dystonic reactions, movement disturbances, fall under the umbrella of extrapyramidal side effects. They’re associated with medications (including antipsychotics and antiemetics) that mediate dopamine.

Cystic fibrosis

A 48-year-old woman with a history of cystic fibrosis, is admitted to the surgical unit with a small bowel obstruction. At home, the patient…

Eclampsia

A 28-year-old woman who’s 8 months pregnant arrives at the obstetrics ED with right-side upper abdominal pain, a progressively worsening headache for the past…

Acute myeloid leukemia

An 80-year-old man received a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia. He’s been hospitalized for a month, including an ICU stay during which…

Acute kidney injury: A quick diagnosis aids recovery

A 35-year-old man arrives at the ED with severe weakness, diarrhea, nausea, hypotension, and tachycardia, which began after he finished a 100-mile…

Aspiration: Blocking the airway

You’re caring for a 75-year-old man admitted to your unit with a diagnosis of ischemic stroke, left-sided weakness, and dysphagia. He receives…

Acute dystonic reaction

Acute dystonic reactions, movement disturbances, fall under the umbrella of extrapyramidal side effects. They’re associated with medications (including antipsychotics and antiemetics) that…

Practice Matters

Progress and promise

The American Nurses Association (ANA) Innovation Awards recognize nurses who are creating change from the inside out, not only for themselves, but also for healthcare systems and communities. Each year, winners of the individual nurse and nurse-led team awards provide updates on their progress over the past year as they advance their programs, services, research, or technologies

This article is available to American Nurses Association members and ANJ subscribers only.

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Oncology nurses and prognosis-related communication

Nurses’ knowledge and communication skills enhance informed decision-making for patients with cancer. Discussions with patients and families about a cancer diagnosis or recurrence typically…

Caring for veterans

Veterans have distinct determinants of health related to their military service and occupational exposures. With more veterans seeking care in the community, the American…

Advance care planning in the Black faith community

Advance care planning, a routine aspect of healthcare, helps individuals make decisions about future care by reviewing their values, goals, and wishes. However, many…

PTSD: Increase screening and treatment

Many nurse practitioners (NPs) provide care in medically underserved areas, some in one of the more than 1,400 free clinics throughout the United States.…

Support planetary health

Actions to promote and protect the environment Spring marks a time of renewal and reawakening with cleaning, planting, and other fresh starts,…

EBP, QI, and IS

Some use the terms evidence-based practice (EBP), quality improvement (QI), and implementation science (IS) interchangeably. However important differences exist. Clinicians must understand…

Catalysts of change

2025 Innovation Award winners close disparity gaps. Nurses’ insights and experience in developing solutions that matter illustrate The Power of Nurses™ in…

From the Ethics Inbox

Everyday Ethics: Balancing beliefs with care

I’m a nurse in a med–surg unit. A patient I recently cared for who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis decided to voluntarily stop eating and…

Everyday ethics: Responsibility and accountability

A few weeks ago, I was floated to the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), which was seriously short-handed due to surgeries from a multiple-car accident.…

Everyday ethics: Privacy and trust

As a perioperative nurse, I understand I should ensure the privacy and confidentiality of my patients and their information while providing care throughout pre-,…

Everyday ethics: Prioritizing patients

It’s my understanding that a nurse’s primary commitment is to our patients. Recently, while working as a travel nurse, I’ve been concerned about some…

Ethics in everyday care

The pandemic, from its earliest days in March 2020, exposed not only a health and healthcare crisis but also deep inequities in our society.…

Improving obstetric care for Black patients

As a labor and delivery nurse, I’ve witnessed some of my Black obstetric patients suffer negative outcomes during their birthing experiences from what I…

Everyday Ethics: Balancing beliefs with care

I’m a nurse in a med–surg unit. A patient I recently cared for who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis decided to voluntarily stop…

Everyday ethics: Responsibility and accountability

A few weeks ago, I was floated to the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), which was seriously short-handed due to surgeries from a…

Everyday ethics: Privacy and trust

As a perioperative nurse, I understand I should ensure the privacy and confidentiality of my patients and their information while providing care…

Everyday ethics: Prioritizing patients

It’s my understanding that a nurse’s primary commitment is to our patients. Recently, while working as a travel nurse, I’ve been concerned…

Community

Social Security “reform:” Throwing Grandma under the bus

Cleveland is backwards on health care reform

Nursing profession ranked most honest and ethical profession for 18 times in a row

The results of the Annual Gallup poll were released on January 6, 2020 which, for the 18th consecutive year, revealed that nurses…

Letters to the Editor – September 2007

I am a professional I am appalled by the letter to the editor in the July issue regarding educational requirements for nurses.…

News

What’s Lost: Trump Whacks Tiny Agency That Works To Make the Nation’s Health Care Safer

COVID-19 patients fared worse on ECMO than non-COVID-19 patients: Study

What’s Lost: Trump Whacks Tiny Agency That Works To Make the Nation’s Health Care Safer

Sue Sheridan’s baby boy, Cal, suffered brain damage from undetected jaundice in 1995. Helen Haskell’s 15-year-old son, Lewis, died after surgery in…

COVID-19 patients fared worse on ECMO than non-COVID-19 patients: Study

Pneumonia patients with COVID-19 who required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) fared worse than those without COVID-19, according to a study that looked…

My Nurse Influencer

Publication extenders include infographics

Publication extenders—A powerful tool for extending your article’s reach

Do you want your work to resonate with as large a readership as possible? If so, consider publication extenders (also called publication enhancers)—tools that…

Why human flourishing matters in nursing

In January, the American Nurses Association (ANA) unveiled the revised Code of Ethics for Nurses, widely regarded as the gold standard for the future…

In sickness and in health: The parallels of weddings and nursing graduations

May and June mark the season of graduations and weddings—milestones that celebrate commitment, transformation, and new beginnings. There’s something vaguely matrimonial about a nursing…

The future of innovation in nursing is you!

Over the years, my definition of innovation has changed — I care less about the end product and more about the human-centered process used to create…

The case of the vanishing stethoscope

A 2001 study assessed the cardiac auscultation skills of 314 internal medicine residents from Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The results…

The symbiotic relationship between nursing and design

Like nurses—who can use their degrees in a range of areas from clinical bedside care to research, education, entrepreneurship, history and more—professional designers also…

Publication extenders—A powerful tool for extending your article’s reach

Do you want your work to resonate with as large a readership as possible? If so, consider publication extenders (also called publication…

Why human flourishing matters in nursing

In January, the American Nurses Association (ANA) unveiled the revised Code of Ethics for Nurses, widely regarded as the gold standard for…

In sickness and in health: The parallels of weddings and nursing graduations

May and June mark the season of graduations and weddings—milestones that celebrate commitment, transformation, and new beginnings. There’s something vaguely matrimonial about…

The future of innovation in nursing is you!

Over the years, my definition of innovation has changed — I care less about the end product and more about the human-centered process used…

Mental Health

Acts of kindness

Many of us have lasting memories of a few special patients. For me, Joe is one of those patients. The day he…

Nurse Helps Families Who Lost Homes in Santa Rosa Wildfire

In October, thousands of homes in Santa Rosa, California were lost to wild fires. Payton Walton, a nurse who lives in Marin…

Critical Care

Stroke: Act FAST

The FAST acronym (Face, Arm, Speech, Time to call 911) are critical to recognizing signs of stroke and ensuring quick treatment. The…

Acute traumatic coagulopathy: The latest intervention strategies

Our evolving understanding of how blood loss causes shock is changing trauma resuscitation methods.

Pediatrics

You are witnessing the death of expertise

Planning for school reopening seems insurmountable, yet, those who are involved in the details continue efforts to keep our students and staff…

Bringing credible COVID-19 messages to the community because all health care is local

The messaging about COVID-19 was not reaching my school community and I was growing more and more concerned. There were first-hand reports…

Cardiology

Discovering and stopping hyperkalemia

Fast, focused assessment and action can stop this dangerous imbalance.

Recognizing aortic dissection: A race against time

Four in 10 victims die immediately. For those who make it to the ED alive, survival hinges on the healthcare team’s ability…

American Nurse TV

HealthCom Media, the publishers of American Nurse Journal, the American Nurses Association and Al Roker Productions collaborated to bring a few shining examples of the exemplary work being done by nurses in today’s very challenging healthcare environment to the American public.

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