The first OTC birth control pill

Opill, the first over-the-counter oral contraceptive approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has the potential to address challenges related to access and affordability. Nurses have a critical role to play in providing counseling, education, and facilitating access. According to Wong and colleagues, nurse-led contraceptive counseling programs can increase consistent and correct use of birth control and improve reproductive health outcomes among adolescents.

2025-2026 Trends Survey

This year’s survey indicated continuing struggles to find and retain nurses. When managers and clinicians were asked to name the most important issues affecting nursing, many cited burnout, retention, recruitment, the loss of experienced nurses, and the resulting concern for adequate staffing levels.

The first OTC birth control pill

Opill, the first over-the-counter oral contraceptive approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has the potential to address challenges related to access and…

2025-2026 Trends Survey

This year’s survey indicated continuing struggles to find and retain nurses. When managers and clinicians were asked to name the most important issues affecting…

Communicating with patients about firearm safety

Nurses frequently need to ask personal and sensitive questions, even in the absence of an established therapeutic relationship. Through typical healthcare interactions, disclosures about violence, risk, and firearm ownership may arise. However, nurses receive little or no education, training, or…

The Five Rs

Studies have demonstrated significant associations between higher psychological safety and objective patient safety outcomes, reinforcing the idea that the same conditions that enable learners to grow also contribute to safer care. At the same time, measuring patient safety solely as…

Virtual reality simulation in the nursing skills lab

Nursing programs should prepare students for real-life clinical experiences, but several factors influence the amount of orientation time a novice nurse receives, including cost, time constraints, familiarity with electronic health records, and the ability to provide patient-centered care and perform…

Bereaved parents and perceptions of hope

Bereaved parental perspectives on hope during their child’s cancer journey can prove complex and subjective. Hope, which can alleviate distress, is difficult to define. In the face of good outcomes or a favorable prognosis, families direct hope toward a cure…

Current Journal

Workforce wisdom

Spinal cord compression and cauda equina syndrome

Elevating the transition-to-practice experience

Respectful care for gender-diverse patients

Workforce wisdom

Summit attendees collaborate to strengthen nursing and provide optimal care. Audience engagement was a feature of all sessions. Participants asked insightful questions…

Communicating with patients about firearm safety

Nurses frequently need to ask personal and sensitive questions, even in the absence of an established therapeutic relationship. Through typical healthcare interactions,…

Prime advocacy

Every June, leaders from the American Nurses Association’s (ANA) constituent and state nurses associations (C/SNA) and organizational affiliates (OA) gather in Washington,…

Elevating the transition-to-practice experience

In 2022, The merger of two regional health systems gave rise to a healthcare enterprise covering six states and employing nearly 3,000…

Rapid Response

Spinal cord compression and cauda equina syndrome

Teaching patients about CES and SCC red flag symptoms (respiratory distress, loss of sensation, severe pain, sexual dysfunction, loss of bowel or bladder control) and when to go to the ED helps promote better outcomes. Use the teach-back method to…

Organophosphate poisoning

A 32-year-old man with no significant past medical history experiences acute shortness of breath, watery eyes, and twitching while working in a soybean field. The triage nurse recognizes that the symptoms might indicate organophosphate poisoning and activates the rapid response…

COPD exacerbation

A 75-year-old man with a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hypertension, and a 20-pack-year smoking history, is transferred from the ED to…

Spontaneous pneumothorax

A 19-year-old man with no significant medical history develops sudden, sharp, left-sided chest pain while playing basketball. After 8 hours, his pain doesn’t improve…

Crohn’s disease and GI perforation

JUSTIN REYNOLDS*, a 22-year-old man, arrives at the medical–surgical unit for a diagnostic workup after reporting abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and weight loss for…

Serotonin syndrome

A 54-year-old woman arrives at the ED with flu-like symptoms, including fatigue, muscle aches, and a mild fever. Her medical history includes depression, which…

Spinal cord compression and cauda equina syndrome

Teaching patients about CES and SCC red flag symptoms (respiratory distress, loss of sensation, severe pain, sexual dysfunction, loss of bowel or…

Organophosphate poisoning

A 32-year-old man with no significant past medical history experiences acute shortness of breath, watery eyes, and twitching while working in a…

COPD exacerbation

A 75-year-old man with a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hypertension, and a 20-pack-year smoking history, is transferred from the…

Spontaneous pneumothorax

A 19-year-old man with no significant medical history develops sudden, sharp, left-sided chest pain while playing basketball. After 8 hours, his pain…

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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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Continuing Education

Elevating the transition-to-practice experience

In 2022, The merger of two regional health systems gave rise to a healthcare enterprise covering six states and employing nearly 3,000 prospective newly licensed nurses (NLNs) who graduated from an accredited program and had less than 6 months of…

Farmworker healthcare challenges

In addition to the health problems that everyone encounters, farmworkers also may experience pesticide exposure, long hours with few breaks, heat exposure and related illnesses, lack of water and sanitary bathroom facilities, injury, prolonged exposure to noisy equipment, and overexposure…

Trauma and its impact on health

Trauma changes us. This powerful emotional experience of terror or stress affects biology and immune function, reminding us of the connection between the mind…

Oral care and hospital-acquired pneumonia

Many consider oral care an element of grooming, not an infection control measure. However, an association exists between poor oral care and systemic disease.…

Dress for success: Wound dressing basics

Some nurses find wound dressing selection intimidating and frustrating. Businesswire estimates that more than 5,000 wound care products exist in the United States, in…

Comprehensive nursing approach to hepatitis B and C

HBV and HCV pose significant health risks. In their chronic form, years after initial infection, both viruses can result in severe health issues, including…

Elevating the transition-to-practice experience

In 2022, The merger of two regional health systems gave rise to a healthcare enterprise covering six states and employing nearly 3,000…

Farmworker healthcare challenges

In addition to the health problems that everyone encounters, farmworkers also may experience pesticide exposure, long hours with few breaks, heat exposure…

Trauma and its impact on health

Trauma changes us. This powerful emotional experience of terror or stress affects biology and immune function, reminding us of the connection between…

Oral care and hospital-acquired pneumonia

Many consider oral care an element of grooming, not an infection control measure. However, an association exists between poor oral care and…

Practice Matters

Oxytocin and well-being

Nursing is fundamentally relational. Beyond technical skills, nurses provide presence, touch, and emotional containment elements increasingly recognized as biologically powerful. A growing body of research suggests that oxytocin, a neuropeptide synthesized in the hypothalamus, plays a central role in linking care, safety, and human well-being.

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The team therapist model

Nurses experience significantly more shared suffering and loss than those in other caring disciplines. If not mitigated, this can lead to disproportionate levels of…

A case study: CHF and depression

According to Jha and colleagues, a lack of consistent depression screening in patients with congestive heart failure can lead to poor prognosis and outcomes.…

Fostering a culture of innovation and quality

Study identifies actions to guide healthcare organizations. THE AMERICAN NURSES ENTERPRISE (ANE) has prioritized innovation and quality practices as necessary components of workplace culture.…

Stigma and liver transplantation

Bias associated with liver transplants reflects underlying practices within healthcare that shape how it emerges and persists. Since 2014, as noted by Pimienta and…

Mental health trailblazers

The mental health trailblazers podcast features the groundbreaking journeys of psychiatric mental health nurses in their quest to meet the urgent needs…

Teens and cyber victimization

Cyber victimization (CV) among teens is characterized by targeted aggression in an electronic context. This phenomenon, including cyberbullying, cyber fraud, and cyberstalking,…

Alleviating nurse fatigue

Today's nursing workforce spans multiple generations, each with distinct needs, strengths, and challenges. Addressing generational differences as healthcare evolves remains essential for…

From the Ethics Inbox

Respectful care for gender-diverse patients

During a change-of-shift handoff, I informed the oncoming nurse that a transgender patient uses she/her pronouns. The nurse responded, “I don’t subscribe to this trend of declaring pronouns. I’ll call the patient what I feel is right.” Does the Code…

Gift giving and receiving in nursing practice

I'm a new nurse on a pediatric oncology unit. Many of my colleagues bring in gifts for their patients. Is this something that I should be doing? On the flip side, am I allowed to receive gifts from families? This…

Loyalty vs integrity when making a professional endorsement

I'm in a social media group for nurse practitioners (NPs), and a recent discussion made me uncomfortable. One individual offered to write a positive…

Fostering a workplace where nurses can flourish

I’m the Nurse Manager for a 34-bed medical–surgical unit and pursuing my DNP in nursing leadership. My school has a strong focus on ethics,…

Everyday ethics: Interconnected care in a changing world

It seems like the revised Code of Ethics for Nurses, with the addition of Provision 10, is taking us beyond the bedside and our…

Balancing life and death transitions

I’m an ICU Nurse at a hospital that frequently procures organs from patients who’ve given consent to donate on their driver’s licenses. In some…

Respectful care for gender-diverse patients

During a change-of-shift handoff, I informed the oncoming nurse that a transgender patient uses she/her pronouns. The nurse responded, “I don’t subscribe…

Gift giving and receiving in nursing practice

I'm a new nurse on a pediatric oncology unit. Many of my colleagues bring in gifts for their patients. Is this something…

Loyalty vs integrity when making a professional endorsement

I'm in a social media group for nurse practitioners (NPs), and a recent discussion made me uncomfortable. One individual offered to write…

Fostering a workplace where nurses can flourish

I’m the Nurse Manager for a 34-bed medical–surgical unit and pursuing my DNP in nursing leadership. My school has a strong focus…

Perspectives

Health implications of child marriage in the United States

The best career advice I was ever given

Prepared enough? A new FNP’s honest look at training, quality, and patient safety

Asking “What’s the point?”: A pivotal moment in a nursing career

Health implications of child marriage in the United States

The United Nations Population Fund and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNPFA-UNICEF) Global Program to End Child Marriage cites ending child…

The best career advice I was ever given

The best career advice I was ever given did not arrive in a hospital corridor, a simulation lab, or a leadership institute.…

Prepared enough? A new FNP’s honest look at training, quality, and patient safety

As the healthcare system confronts a growing shortage of primary care physicians, nurse practitioners (NPs) have become increasingly essential to meeting the…

Asking “What’s the point?”: A pivotal moment in a nursing career

At some point in their careers, many nurses quietly ask themselves a difficult question: What’s the point? Asking this doesn’t signal disengagement,…

Community

Video abstracts: A powerful dissemination tool

Transitions as literary signposts: Powerful guides for the reader’s journey

Classifying AI use in writing for publication

As with nearly all fields, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in writing is controversial and evolving. Part of the challenge is…

Strengthen health systems worldwide: Invest in nursing professional development

Healthcare workers are the bedrock of an effective healthcare system and nurses comprise nearly 60% of the global healthcare workforce. Despite this…

News

Nursing and patients with bladder cancer

Millions of CT scans are done every year – most leave important data behind

New Orleans Brings Back the House Call, Sending Nurses To Visit Newborns and Moms

Lisa Bonfield cradles her newborn daughter, Adele, at home in New Orleans on Dec. 12, a few days after their first home…

ANA “deeply disturbed” by Minnesota shooting death of ICU nurse Alex Pretti

The American Nurses Association has issued a statement saying it is “deeply disturbed and saddened” about Saturday’s shooting death of Alex Pretti,…

My Nurse Influencer

AI is making nurses second-guess their expertise —That’s dangerous

Silicon Valley has discovered healthcare—again. This time, the promise is artificial intelligence (AI) that can predict when patients will deteriorate, before stressed-out nurses notice the warning signs. Venture capital is pouring billions into health tech startups, major tech companies are…

Building the evidence base to integrate ‘Food Is Medicine’ principles into cardiovascular care: Q&A with Dr. Bunmi Ogungbe

The Food Is Medicine movement has been gaining momentum as a commonsense approach to cardiovascular care for some time. The goal is to complement, not replace, pharmacological interventions. With regard to heart disease, health systems and policymakers are finally recognizing…

Maximize dissemination of your published article

Once an article is published, it’s tempting to pat yourself on the back, accept colleagues’ accolades, and move on to the next project. But…

What honors code taught me about teaching

Until recently at my institution, each student signs a paper honor code at the start of an exam. The back of that sheet doubles…

The Gifts We Do Not See

The holidays may be behind us, but this blog by Fidelindo Lim, DNP, CCRN, FAAN, offers some critical insights into the enduring humanism of…

Gratitude and meaning can keep nurses going

Research continues to affirm what many of us intuitively know: gratitude is good and good for our health. A study has shown that people…

AI is making nurses second-guess their expertise —That’s dangerous

Silicon Valley has discovered healthcare—again. This time, the promise is artificial intelligence (AI) that can predict when patients will deteriorate, before stressed-out…

Building the evidence base to integrate ‘Food Is Medicine’ principles into cardiovascular care: Q&A with Dr. Bunmi Ogungbe

The Food Is Medicine movement has been gaining momentum as a commonsense approach to cardiovascular care for some time. The goal is…

Maximize dissemination of your published article

Once an article is published, it’s tempting to pat yourself on the back, accept colleagues’ accolades, and move on to the next…

What honors code taught me about teaching

Until recently at my institution, each student signs a paper honor code at the start of an exam. The back of that…

Mental Health

american steve price nurse hospice CD music

American Nurse, American Talent

A Registered Nurse since 1982, Steve Price began his healthcare career in the U.S. Navy in 1971 as a hospital corpsman. He…

From our readers…One nurse’s journey through grief: Loss of a Fort Hood family member

Special reports were on practically every news station during the afternoon of November 5th 2009; a shooting had taken place at the…

Critical Care

When nurses speak up, they pay a price

Leah Curtin discusses the effects of whistleblowing on nurses’ lives

Quiz time

Which of the following does not help address issues related to post-intensive care syndrome? a. Diaries kept jointly by family, ICU staff,…

Pediatrics

It has taken a pandemic to understand the importance of school nurses

After learning about The Woodhull Study Revisited, which revealed the alarming lack of nurses voices as primary sources for health related news stories, I…

Helping caregivers cope with death

A one-day retreat called Mindfulness, Meditaion, and Coping with Death helps healthcare professionals deal with patients’ deaths.

Cardiology

Study: Flu shots reduce risk of MI in middle-aged people with narrowed arteries

A study in Heart has found another benefit of influenza vaccination: It may reduce the risk of myocardial infarction in middle-aged (50…

Quiz Time

A goal of the induction phase of therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest is to: a. quickly warm the patient to target body…

American Nurse TV

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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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