Promoting health literacy

Healthcare organizations must support individuals in their efforts to achieve health literacy. For nursing, specifically, this means providing patient education, which Bastable defines as helping those who consume healthcare learn how to incorporate health-related behaviors (knowledge, skills, attitudes) into their daily lives as a means of achieving optimal health.

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 a unique constellation of symptoms. To best care for patients with Long COVID and provide them with the support and resources they need to manage symptoms, nurses must understand what it is and stay aware of the evolving research.

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…

Promoting health literacy

Healthcare organizations must support individuals in their efforts to achieve health literacy. For nursing, specifically, this means providing patient education, which Bastable defines as…

Mental Health access

A culture shift from stigma to support Being a nurse is one of the most meaningful professions. Each day offers the opportunity to heal, comfort, and make a real difference in people’s lives, often when they need it most. Those…

Nursing-led M&M conferences

The implementation of nursing-led morbidity and mortality conferences (NMMCs) in our neonatal intensive care unit emerged after experiencing several adverse patient outcomes and identifying nursing knowledge gaps related to certain diagnoses. With the goal of improving the quality of nursing…

Eat, Sleep, Console

When people experience opioid use disorder in pregnancy, the fetus has prolonged exposure to the opioid. At birth, abrupt cessation of this exposure may lead to infant withdrawal symptoms, traditionally known as neonatal abstinence syndrome. However, neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome…

Female external urinary catheters: A nurse-led intervention

Indwelling urinary catheters (IUCs), although frequently overused according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are necessary for acute and chronic medical care. For example, the CDC notes several indications for their use, including urinary retention or obstruction,…

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From Shortages to Solutions: Supporting Nurses and Strengthening Teams

Who handles the handling?

Gastrointestinal Whole-Patient Care

Collaboration in Patient-Centered Care Planning: Navigating Oncology

Simulation: Preparing for workplace violence

Current Journal

Medication safety

Self-compassion in practice

Ready to lead

Tech trials

Nurses play an essential role in advancing AI tools. Jennifer-Mensik-Kennedy Artificial intelligence (AI) has advanced at breakneck speed—from a buzzword to a…

Mental Health access

A culture shift from stigma to support Being a nurse is one of the most meaningful professions. Each day offers the opportunity…

My patient is a victim of human trafficking

The thought of caring for a patient who’s a victim of human trafficking may seem daunting. Consider it as similar to caring…

Celebrating excellence in leadership and patient care

The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) presented its annual awards during the 2025 Magnet & Pathway Conference™ in Atlanta. ANCC Magnet Prize®,…

Continuing Education

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 a myriad of shapes and sizes, each designed to address different wound characteristics and stages of…

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 liver cirrhosis, liver cancer, and deaths related to viral hepatitis. Nurses have an important role to…

ESCAPE from delirium

Falls in hospitals frequently coincide with delirium, a common yet sometimes unrecognized comorbidity among geriatric patients. Delirium is characterized by sudden, rapid cognitive impairment…

Naloxone education for nursing staff

In 2021, 4 years after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency, the Centers for…

STIs: Antibiotic resistance and treatment challenges

Since the discovery of multidrug-resistant infections, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci, concern has grown regarding antibiotic resistance among sexually transmitted infections…

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…

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…

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…

ESCAPE from delirium

Falls in hospitals frequently coincide with delirium, a common yet sometimes unrecognized comorbidity among geriatric patients. Delirium is characterized by sudden, rapid…

Naloxone education for nursing staff

In 2021, 4 years after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency, the…

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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Rapid Response

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 3 days. Justin doesn’t drink alcohol or use tobacco products. He reports a history of Crohn’s…

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 she manages with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, and recurrent migraines treated with a triptan. Two…

Alpha-gal syndrome

A 67-year-old woman arrives at the ED in distress. She tells the ED triage nurse that about 3 hours after eating beef nachos, she…

Pericarditis

Pericarditis, an inflammation of the pericardial sac, typically occurs as a result of a viral infection. It’s most common in men between 20 and…

Malignancy-induced hypercalcemia

A 69-year-old man arrives in the ED with reports of persistent fatigue, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, excessive thirst, increased urination, and back pain for 3…

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…

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…

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…

Alpha-gal syndrome

A 67-year-old woman arrives at the ED in distress. She tells the ED triage nurse that about 3 hours after eating beef…

Pericarditis

Pericarditis, an inflammation of the pericardial sac, typically occurs as a result of a viral infection. It’s most common in men between…

Practice Matters

Mental Health access

Have you ever served?

Although change is inevitable, experiencing several changes simultaneously can lead to significant stress. Each year, according to the Government Accountability Office, approximately 200,000 U.S.…

Breast cancer: Personalized prevention for women

Through evidence-based education and shared decision-making, nurses play a vital role in closing knowledge gaps and empowering all patients at risk for breast cancer.…

We want you! Professional writing in nursing

Professional writing plays a vital role in nursing. By sharing clinical expertise, innovative strategies, and critical perspectives, nurse authors make meaningful contributions to both…

Geriatric urosepsis: Prevention and detection

Despite extensive research and updates to practice guidelines, urinary tract infections (UTIs) remain a common occurrence within long-term care (LTC) facilities. The Centers for…

Vital conversations

Nurses’ key role in engaging patients about vaccine safety, effectiveness VACCINATION is one of the most impactful public health interventions worldwide. The…

Ethics of disclosure in pediatric end-of-life care

A 17-year-old girl with a terminal diagnosis has an estimated 3 weeks to live. Both parents, who understand the situation, are religious…

Nursing science and shrinking support

Before she reaches the room, the nurse hears Olivia’s* wheezing. It’s spring tilling season in the rural community, and dust and agricultural…

From the Ethics Inbox

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 healthcare facilities and into the wider world. Why do we need an additional provision to the…

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 cases, organ procurement organizations (OPOs) proceed before a deceased patient’s family arrives. How do I balance…

Everyday ethics: Addressing gun violence

As an RN working in the labor, delivery, and post-partum unit, I’ve witnessed the impact of gun violence on patients and families, both through…

Everyday Ethics: Supporting cultural values and health equity

I work in the obstetrics department of a community hospital. Our patients include immigrants and refugees who don’t speak English and have cultural practices…

Everyday ethics: Hear something, say something

Recently, I witnessed something that made me uncomfortable. I was surprised when one of my more senior nurse colleagues referred to a newly graduated…

Everyday ethics: Informed consent

As a study coordinator, I recruit participants to a randomized clinical trial that’s evaluating experimental drugs for renal cancer. One of the individuals who…

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…

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.…

Everyday ethics: Addressing gun violence

As an RN working in the labor, delivery, and post-partum unit, I’ve witnessed the impact of gun violence on patients and families,…

Everyday Ethics: Supporting cultural values and health equity

I work in the obstetrics department of a community hospital. Our patients include immigrants and refugees who don’t speak English and have…

Perspectives

Limiting access to graduate nursing education: A policy shift that threatens workforce stability and public health

Nurse offering ancillary support to child

We cannot carry this alone: The case for ancillary support in nursing

School nurse access can make a difference in zip code health disparities

Strategies to assist entry-level nursing students as they transition into practice

Limiting access to graduate nursing education: A policy shift that threatens workforce stability and public health

The pathway into nursing is rarely straightforward. I grew up in a working-class family, and college felt out of reach, but with…

We cannot carry this alone: The case for ancillary support in nursing

Burnout in high-acuity care is well documented. Emotional suppression, compassion fatigue, and moral distress can fracture even the most resilient clinicians. But…

School nurse access can make a difference in zip code health disparities

It’s high time school nurses take their rightful place, alongside teachers and counselors, within every American school. It isn’t just about student…

Strategies to assist entry-level nursing students as they transition into practice

We’re facing more of a challenge than ever with our new graduate nurses as they transition into practice. We’re experiencing a nursing…

Community

Classifying AI use in writing for publication

Strengthen health systems worldwide: Invest in nursing professional development

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…

Still new, still standing: A novice adjunct nurse educator in Texas

I entered nursing education with two feet in and my heart wide open. After years of bedside patient care, nurse preceptor experience,…

News

Excluding nursing from professions list limits graduate loan eligibility

Once a Patient’s in Custody, ICE Can Be at Hospital Bedsides — But Detainees Have Rights

May 1, 2025: Gov. Jared Polis prepares to sign a bill at the Colorado Capitol in Denver.

Wary of RFK Jr., Colorado Started Revamping Its Vaccine Policies in the Spring

As Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s dismantling of federal vaccine policy continues to roil the Centers for Disease…

Why Are More Older People Dying After Falls?

For a while, walking the dog felt hazardous. Earl Vickers was accustomed to taking Molly, his shepherd-boxer-something-else mix, for strolls on the…

My Nurse Influencer

You’re wearing that to work?

Few undergraduate programs pay as much attention to attire as nursing. At every clinical orientation, dress code policies are reiterated with the familiar warning: failure to comply may result in being sent home from the unit or the simulation lab.…

What’s new in the 2025 hypertension guideline?

The American Heart Association released its latest hypertension guideline in August 2025, establishing best practices for diagnosing and managing a disease that remains the leading preventable cause of death worldwide and a major contributor to mortality in the United States.…

What a résumé can’t tell you about a nurse

Composing a résumé may have become the great American performance art. Many are bloated with adjectives and carefully engineered to impress rather than reveal.…

What will you do with the time you saved?

Necessity is the mother of invention, so the proverb goes. Inventiveness is probably encoded in the human genome and has allowed our survival. Creating…

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

You’ve worked hard to get your article published, so why should you put in more time? Because extenders can boost the uptake of your…

Why human flourishing matters in nursing

I had the honor of serving on the expert panel entrusted with the 2025 revision of the Code of Ethics for Nurses. Amid a…

You’re wearing that to work?

Few undergraduate programs pay as much attention to attire as nursing. At every clinical orientation, dress code policies are reiterated with the…

What’s new in the 2025 hypertension guideline?

The American Heart Association released its latest hypertension guideline in August 2025, establishing best practices for diagnosing and managing a disease that…

What a résumé can’t tell you about a nurse

Composing a résumé may have become the great American performance art. Many are bloated with adjectives and carefully engineered to impress rather…

What will you do with the time you saved?

Necessity is the mother of invention, so the proverb goes. Inventiveness is probably encoded in the human genome and has allowed our…

Mental Health

Florence Nightingale: Moments of interface between past and present

During a recent clinical orientation with a group of about 170 nursing students, I projected a slide bearing a well-known photo of…

From our readers…At the Bedside

As my parents were approaching the age of downsizing their earthly possessions, I became the recipient of the generational family crib. It…

Critical Care

Vancomycin flushing syndrome

Shantae Demano*, a 62-year-old woman with a history of recent total left knee surgery, is admitted to the ICU with sepsis and…

Act fast against anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis can kill within minutes unless the victim receives immediate treatment. Calling a rapid response team to the scene can avert disaster.

Pediatrics

The Relentless School Nurse shares thoughts on COVID-19 with Johnson & Johnson

My goal when I started The Relentless School Nurse blog was to contribute to amplifying the voice of school nursing. With that…

Learning the language of pediatric heart sounds

Use these tips and techniques to identify heart sounds and murmurs in children.

Cardiology

Turning the tide in a hypertensive emergency

When a patient’s blood pressure goes stratospheric, the first priority is to check for signs of organ damage.

Advances in blood transfusion

Ongoing research, development, and vigilance initiatives are designed to make blood components safer and more easily available.

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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