Mind/Body/Spirit Archives

Mind/Body/Spirit

A critical Pathway to Excellence® standard

February 2, 2021

Initiatives promote nurses’ well-being during the pandemic. Ensuring nurses’ well-being isn’t just a concept for healthcare systems and organizations that have—or want to gain—the Pathway to Excellence® designation.…

A multifaceted gem

April 11, 2008

Through poetry, Susan Wilcox Stelton, MSN, APRN-BC, CWOCN, reflects on the many facets of nursing.

A musical approach to coping with psychosocial stress

April 1, 2021

A powerful tool for nurse well-being Editor’s note: This is an early release of a web exclusive article for the May 2021 issue of American Nurse Journal. Takeaways:…

A North Dakota nurse makes photography her second calling

April 11, 2007

Becky Graner’s photographs capture nature in all its facets – fierce, serene, or on the cusp of extinction.

A nurse-poet writes what she knows

November 11, 2009

I started writing poetry in grammar school in Harvey, North Dakota. Our curriculum emphasized writing and poetry—I still have the anthology we used. Throughout college, nursing school, and…

A Nurse’s Guide to Social Media

April 13, 2021

Social media can be a tricky business, especially for a profession struggling with how and when to use our voices and one that is held to such a…

A nurse’s notes on New Year’s resolutions

December 31, 2020

It’s the most promising time of the year. A clean slate ahead and a chance for a fresh start. No doubt nurses are making New Year’s resolutions like…

A Pioneering Spirit: Leaders as Framers in Turbulent Times

March 23, 2021

Will it always be like this? A critical care nurse leader was recently asked this question by one of her novice nurses in the first year of practice.…

A Pioneering Spirit: The SCARF Model

April 27, 2021

Healthcare professionals struggle to get their messages about mask-wearing and social distancing out to a skeptical public and even their own family members. Interestingly, it is often said…

A Pioneering Spirit: What new graduates need from nurse leaders

June 1, 2021

Many nursing students are graduating and will be transitioning into practice. The good news is that jobs for new graduates are more plentiful today, even in specialty areas.…

A troubled life, a difficult death

November 11, 2012

Editor’s note: National Homelessness Awareness Week is November 10-18. Like many of our homeless patients, “Sarah” was a bundle of contradictions. She came from money, got a good…

A word about patients’ psychic experiences: Listen

March 24, 2009

In her dream, a young pediatric nurse answered the phone at the nurses’ station and was told to go to the lobby where a gravely ill patient was…

Accepting a patient care assignment reaffirms nurses’ contract with society

December 8, 2015

At the moment a patient handoff is nearly completed, when the exchange of relevant information has occurred and when the opportunity for final clarification of the patient condition…

Achieving a work-life balance

November 11, 2013

Almost everyone agrees that achieving a work-life balance is a good thing. Without it, we risk long-term negative effects on our physical and mental health, our relationships, and…

Acts of kindness

March 24, 2009

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

Add a dash of spice to your recipe for health

March 11, 2007

10 tasty ways to improve your health.

After the earthquake: Volunteer nursing in Haiti

January 11, 2011

This month marks the 1-year anniversary of the devastating Haiti earthquake. The author describes her volunteer disaster-relief experience in that country, which changed her perspective on life.

Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia: Discerning the differences

January 8, 2021

As the U.S. population ages, the risk for age-related illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia increases. According to Lang and colleagues, about 50% of…

American Nurse, American Talent

April 11, 2009

A Registered Nurse since 1982, Steve Price began his healthcare career in the U.S. Navy in 1971 as a hospital corpsman. He spent 15 years in the dialysis…

An algorithm to help you manage your stress

March 11, 2013

Nurses face tremendous stress in their daily practice. Various environmental and personal factors can exacerbate or mitigate stress. High stress levels impair cognitive and psychomotor functioning, leading to…

An encouraging word

January 11, 2012

Has a compliment ever made your day? Perhaps it was just what you needed to hear to raise your self-confidence a notch or to encourage you in your…

An ounce of prevention

January 29, 2021

Engage in practical training through Project Firstline. A lifetime of working with patients with serious burn injuries truly ingrained in me the importance of infection prevention and control.…

ANA advocates for nurses’ health and safety

January 11, 2021

Collaborating in the new year to address pandemic challenges together As nurses contend with the pandemic and its multi-layered effects into 2021, the American Nurses Association (ANA) continues…

And the music plays on…

September 11, 2008

In the mid-1970s, I was a graduate nurse starting my career at a large, urban hospital. One of my patients, an elderly man named Eddie, had just been…

Animal assistants in healthcare

January 12, 2021

An animal may provide just the benefit patients need. Prepandemic, I had the pleasure of traveling to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for a month-long workshop. I…

Any nurse can do it: Sustaining change when volunteering overseas

April 15, 2015

Arriving back in Ethiopia for the third time after having left only four months earlier, I had many questions. Had the Ethiopian nurses managed to retain the knowledge…

Aromatherapy for you and your patient

September 11, 2007

Use fragrant oils to soothe muscles, relieve tension, and more.

Baby pictures: Preserving precious moments in the NICU

May 11, 2008

For one nurse, taking pictures of preemies develops into an art form.

Balancing the wheels of life

November 10, 2015

Have you ever ridden a bicycle with a wobbly wheel? The ride isn’t smooth, and you notice every bump in the road. As you focus on your discomfort,…

Battlefield nursing at the Boston Marathon

July 11, 2013

Three yellow balloons danced through the air, hovering over the finish line after being released by the bomb blast that brought the 2013 Boston Marathon to a catastrophic…

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BEAM: The behavioral evaluation and addiction management team

July 12, 2021

Workplace violence isn’t part of the nursing job description, but according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, healthcare workers are four times more likely to experience violence…

Beasts, gods and FaceTime: The anguish of visitor limitations during the COVID-19 pandemic

January 7, 2021

For the foreseeable future, efforts to minimize human contact will remain in place as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is an important step in…

Beasts, gods and FaceTime: The anguish of visitor limitations during the COVID-19 pandemic

December 8, 2020

For the foreseeable future, efforts to minimize human contact will remain in place as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is an important step in…

Benefits of feedback for nurse leaders

May 6, 2021

Viewing feedback as a gift enhances career growth. Takeaways: Without feedback, beginning nurse leaders’ careers can be derailed Constructive feedback can lead to significant performance improvements. Individuals with…

Beyond thank you: The powerful reach of meaningful recognition

June 11, 2014

“I recognize that voice, that voice belongs to someone who is such a dream to me. [My nurse] was a shining light and made an unbearable hospital stay…

Bonding over body image

September 21, 2014

For many college students, the ever-present pressure to be thin has trumped the goal of being healthy. Females face body-image issues throughout their lifespan. Our society glorifies thinness.…

Boosting your influence

December 8, 2015

Jessie was excited to be appointed as chair of the professional practice council in her hospital. She envisioned being able to quickly engage staff in the work of…

Break the cycle of stress with PBR3

May 11, 2007

Only you can relieve your stress, but this little tool can be a big help.

Bringing nursing orientation back to life

March 24, 2017

Our hospital systems’ journey to obtain Magnet® recognition led to an excellent opportunity: the chance to revamp and improve our nursing orientation program as part of the effort to…

Building a sense of community on nursing units

March 11, 2013

Jeff Rawson, a new nurse graduate, works on a behavioral health unit. His manager believes his transition is going well—until Jeff asks to transfer to another unit. When…

Building a strong shared governance foundation

November 11, 2013

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the…

Building moral resilience to neutralize moral distress

October 11, 2016

Moral distress occurs when one recognizes one’s moral responsibility in a situation; evaluates the various courses of action; and identifies, in accordance with one’s beliefs, the morally correct…

Building Your Communication Skills Part 3

November 13, 2017

Marjorie Lee North, a consultant for political candidates, physicians, and lawyers, presented these ten tips in her blog on the Harvard University Division of Continuing Education Professional Development…

By your patients you’ll be taught

August 4, 2021

When I was 20, I got my first job as a public health nurse for the Philippine National Cross. For a monthly salary of $41 (in 1987 dollars),…

Career Wellness

July 5, 2018

Burnout, stress, and dissatisfaction at work should prompt an evaluation of your career wellness. Several on-the-job strategies can help you re-evaluate your career, cope with change and stress,…

Carefronting: An innovative approach to managing conflict

October 11, 2012

Nick Chase is an emergency department (ED) charge nurse. He and Michelle Stanley have worked together for the past 3 years. Their relationship has always been what Nick…

Caregiver Resources

September 25, 2017

Nearly 44 million unpaid caregivers form the backbone of the US chronic and long-term care system. These hard working family members provide care to injured veterans, aging adults,…

Caregiving for a family member can be difficult

November 11, 2009

Nursing is my passion. I began to work as a professional caregiver 35 years ago. If I had to make a career choice today, I would still choose…

Caring during COVID-19

February 26, 2021

Editor’s note: This is an early release of a web exclusive article for the April 2021 issue of American Nurse Journal. At the bottom of the article, the…

Caring for a homeless adult with a chronic disease

March 11, 2010

For homeless people, chronic illnesses can be hard to manage. Here’s what you should know about assessing these patients and developing a practical discharge plan.

Caring for my best friend

January 11, 2008

Like many of my colleagues, I became a nurse because of my desire to help people. I wanted to relieve suffering, offer comfort, and restore health. I wanted…

Caring for older lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender adults

January 11, 2013

Current discussions on the unique health issues of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations have prompted the healthcare professions to reexamine their mission and values. The American…

Caring under pressure

September 11, 2011

Compassion is an essential ingredient for great nursing. Without compassion, you might as well come up with another word for nurse. Recently, I visited a local emergency department…

Cartoonist with a cause

June 11, 2008

The cartoons of Theresa Garnero, APRN, BC-ADM, MSN, CED, help patients cope with diabetes.

Change maker

December 16, 2020

Dori Healey is passionate about patient safety, public service, and volunteering. President-elect for American Nurses Association (ANA)-Idaho, Dori Healey, MSN-RN, MBA-HA, CPPS, takes every opportunity to advance the…

Choosing the right conversation

April 11, 2008

Learn how to resolve interpersonal clashes by choosing the right type of conversation at the right time.

Choosing the right conversation

August 11, 2010

It’s 7:10 A.M. Maggie, the night-shift charge nurse, is waiting to give report to Julie, the charge nurse on the next shift. After a long night in the…

Choosing your political battles

February 13, 2017

Mary*, a new manager in the operating room, prides herself on being a strong advocate for her staff, quickly acting on every issue with which she’s presented. So…

Civility starts with you

May 11, 2012

Over the last decade, civility has become a hot topic. I got involved with it in 2000, when more than 700 nurses told the Maryland Commission on the…

Clinical experience, poetic expression

January 11, 2009

A registered nurse since 1982, Terry A. Hess has worked as an Adult Nurse Practitioner at the Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee for 14 years. He is…

Clinical humility: A humbled patient care

March 3, 2017

There’s a story that goes something like this: An elderly man falls down a flight of stairs at home. In the emergency department, he’s found to have four…

Cognitive rehearsal

August 30, 2017

Unprofessional behavior within healthcare organizations, in the form of incivility and bullying, adds more stress to an already stressful environment and also jeopardizes patient safety. Too often, nurses…

Collaboration: The key to healthcare transformation

July 15, 2016

Transforming health care is a complex challenge that can best be met through a coordinated response from academia and clinical practice. Working together, chief nursing officers (CNOs) and academic leaders ensure that clinicians…

Collective genius as a tool for engagement and improvement

December 2, 2014

When bedside caregivers are engaged in their work, patient outcomes are improved, the patient experience is enhanced, and staff satisfaction is high. Most nursing managers and leaders I…

Colorful antidotes for a black-and-white world

February 11, 2007

Janice Spillane, MS, RN, of Ridge, New York, started her career as a critical care nurse, working in an environment she describes as “largely black and white. To…

Combating change fatigue in today’s healthcare environment

November 20, 2015

Those who work in the healthcare industry are well aware of its constantly changing landscape. Healthcare institutions are challenged to balance the provision of safe care with the…

Compassion fatigue risk among skilled nursing facility nurses

June 15, 2021

Self-care combined with organizational support can aid prevention and resilience. Takeaways: Skilled nursing facility (SNF) nurses caring for older adults experience a variety of resident care and organizational…

Compassion fatigue: Are you at risk?

January 13, 2016

For many of us, nursing isn’t just what we do; it’s who we are. Most of us became nurses because we care about people and want to make…

Confronting conflict with higher-ups

January 11, 2014

Conflict in the workplace is a fact of life, and dealing with it is never easy. Sometimes it seems easier to ignore it and hope it will take…

Constructive feedback and disciplinary action

April 11, 2014

The thought of telling someone that he or she is not doing a great job provokes anxiety for many of us. Most of the time, it’s easier to…

COVID-19 vaccine handling: Maximizing doses and public confidence

March 30, 2021

The American Nurses Association (ANA) is proud of the leading role nurses play at all levels of the coronavirus pandemic that has shaken the world and transformed care…

Creating high-performance interprofessional teams

November 10, 2014

Kate Summer, a nurse case manager on a telemetry unit, is leading an initiative to reduce the 30-day readmission rate of older patients with heart failure. She knows…

Creative wellness: A missing link in boosting well-being

August 7, 2018

Expressing yourself through the arts can be one of the more enjoyable components of an overall wellness plan. According to the American Public Health Association, engagement with artistic…

Cultivating personal courage

October 11, 2006

Do you see yourself as a victim? Are you hesitant to speak up, even with your well-being at stake? Learn how to be braver and overcome everyday challenges…

Day in the Life: Live tweets as a professional tool

June 3, 2015

Nurses around the world can connect and communicate with each other in more ways than ever before by using social media. Social media is well suited for nursing…

Dealing with difficult people

July 11, 2013

Jackie Jacobs is a charge nurse in a busy intensive care unit. She prides herself on being able to get along well with almost everyone on her team.…

Defusing lateral violence and abuse

September 11, 2012

If you’ve been on the receiving end of this behavior, you need to express your needs and set boundaries assertively.

Eating better to help manage chronic stress

September 11, 2013

Like many nurses, you may experience stress frequently, both on and off the job. Chronic stress can alter your equilibrium (homeostasis), activating physiologic reactive pathways that cause your…

Emotional wellness

February 26, 2018

A little stress is good for the body and mind to grow and build resilience, but without good stress management techniques and regularly acknowledge emotions, normal stress can…

Empowering nurses to transform health care globally: A United States-Haiti nursing partnership

February 13, 2017

Since the Magnet® Vision was published in 2008, it has inspired actions by nurses at Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH), a Magnet-recognized academic community hospital located in southeastern Pennsylvania.…

End workplace violence

July 10, 2021

Charting a path to zero tolerance April 16, 2021, marked a key milestone in the journey to end workplace violence in healthcare, when the Workplace Violence Prevention for…

Enhance your self-awareness to be an authentic leader

August 6, 2015

In 2013 alone, U.S. organizations spent more than $15 billion on leadership development activities. Although much of these expenses focus on external programming, including face-to-face workshops, webinars, and…

Environmental wellness

September 17, 2018

YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO FAR to experience nature—it can be in your own backyard, a community park, or walking trail. You also can venture miles from home for…

Examining nurse comfort eating

February 11, 2010

Many years ago I found myself standing in the frozen food section flirting with the prospect of buying a mouth-watering strawberry cheesecake. I rationalized buying it by convincing…

Exercise your right to be fit!

January 13, 2015

Nearly all of us—especially nurses—know exercise is good for our physical and mental health. But incorporating it into our busy lives can be a challenge. The only types…

Exploring intimacy and mystery in egg tempera

March 11, 2007

Years of nursing experience provide wellsprings of artistic ideas for Lora Abrador.

Eye of the beholder: Grand rounds at the museum

July 11, 2012

“What do you see in his eyes?” asks Dr. Rothenberg. After a brief pause, someone replies, “He looks sad.” Another states, “He’s kind of emaciated.” After directing us…

Face your fears and forge ahead

May 11, 2021

Cathleen Wheatley steps up to a challenge. Cathleen Wheatley, DNP, RN, CENP, is president of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston Salem, North Carolina, a position she…

Facing off against identity theft

November 11, 2007

Follow this expert’s advice on how to prevent and cope with identity theft.

Faculty role in promoting nursing student health

July 27, 2017

Nurses have a primary responsibility to promote health in the United States. In this capacity, they serve as role models, educators, and care providers. In 2017, the American…

Far from home, bringing smiles to children’s faces

December 11, 2008

During my three decades as a nurse, volunteering on a medical mission has always been on my “to do” list. In 2005, having finished my nursing education and…

Fighting the effects of nurse fatigue

May 19, 2017

Have you ever gotten home from a shift and forgotten the journey from the hospital to your house? Are you ever irritable and cranky, but can’t figure out why?…

Finding meaning after a patient’s death

September 26, 2017

A common source of stress for nurses in oncology is the death of a patient they’ve cared for over a long time. Relationships develop between the clinical staff…

Five credit card traps that can sink you

June 11, 2007

Anyone who uses credit cards (and who doesn’t) should read this article to learn about universal default and other credit pitfalls that can endager your financial future.

Florence Nightingale: Moments of interface between past and present

May 11, 2014

During a recent clinical orientation with a group of about 170 nursing students, I projected a slide bearing a well-known photo of Florence Nightingale, and asked “Who knows…

Fostering soft skills is a must for nurse leaders

February 4, 2015

It’s uncommon for nurse leaders to have to coach employees on clinical skills, but quite common for nurse leaders to coach and even use disciplinary action for employees…

From dream to device: a nurse inventor’s story

August 23, 2021

As a teenager, Man-Yee (“Karen”) Tsang, BS, RN, CPN, wrote a paper for school that described her desire to be an inventor one day. About a decade later,…

From our readers: Do we really know who our patients are?

August 14, 2014

Both nurse leaders and educators need to teach and model not only day-to-day nursing skills but the importance of connecting with their patients. In today’s often-chaotic healthcare environment…

From our readers: Harp song — A journey to remember and embrace the heart of nursing

April 11, 2014

“The aim of all spiritual paths, no matter their origin or the rigors of their practice, is to help us live more fully in the lives we are…

From our readers: How a ‘45-year-old STEMI’ showed me the human side of nursing

December 2, 2014

I worked as an emergency medical technician-paramedic for almost 8 years in a rural area before I became a registered nurse. Just before I completed nursing school, a…

From our readers: How mentorship affects retention rates of new nurses

April 11, 2013

You likely vividly remember the day you learned you were officially a licensed professional registered nurse. You were excited to be able to apply all the knowledge and…

From our readers: My first code—A retrospective report of a premature promotion and a crisis situation

December 11, 2013

The elevator’s walls were covered in bronze and silver raised metal squares that gave the appearance of a magic eye puzzle and smelled of the stainless steel cleaner…

From our readers: Nurses leading from the middle

February 11, 2013

Nurse leaders are needed at all levels of the organization, especially in “the middle,” which is commonly used to describe mid-level management positions. Middle managers are essential to…

From our readers: On being an oncology nurse, or humble pie by the slice

April 11, 2013

I came to oncology nursing in 1984 through what I perceived as bad luck; my goal was to get out of the field ASAP. A new RN, I…

From our readers: One nurse’s journey into patienthood

February 11, 2014

As I lay on the table staring up at the ceiling tiles and waited for my biopsy to begin, I suddenly became keenly aware of the fact that…

From our readers: One patient’s story

September 30, 2015

Eric’s* storytelling made a difference in my nursing practice. Eric was a 27-year-old African American patient with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), who was admitted to the nursing home…

From our readers: Power of forgiveness

August 11, 2013

The author describes the value of forgiveness.

From our readers: Resolving the forces of bias and duty in caring for incarcerated patients

August 11, 2013

In the nurses’ station of the 39-bed med-surg unit I double-checked my patient’s 2:00 PM medications against the pharmacy sheet and then started down the hall to his…

From our readers: The art of self-disclosure

October 11, 2012

One aspect of the “art” of nursing is appropriate self-disclosure. Nurses and other healthcare providers often have an opportunity to share information about their own health to help…

From our readers: The guilt suicide leaves behind

June 11, 2013

Dedicated to John, who was loved by so many

From our readers: Two years after the Sandy Hook tragedy, PTSD remains

February 4, 2015

As my family got through the second anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, I have felt the need to share what is happening in the community…

From our readers: What it means to be a nurse

December 11, 2013

A nurse shares her meaning of nursing.

From our readers: When your parent is the patient

August 6, 2015

It’s not easy when your parent is the patient. In my 10 years of being a registered nurse, I have learned a lot, seen a lot, and considered…

From our readers. . . Is disaster relief nursing for you?

August 11, 2011

Recently I had the opportunity to provide nursing services after an earthquake disaster in the Caribbean. In this article, I share my insights gained from that trip, service…

From our readers…’Twas the night before…

December 11, 2010

‘Twas the middle of the semester, halfway through the course I was writing a paper and citing a source. The washer was loaded and the dryer was on,…

From our readers…A cycle of caring

December 11, 2011

It began a long time ago A woman walks through the dark room, with just a candle to light her way The soldiers can sense her presence She…

From our readers…A staff nurse perspective on the IOM Future of Nursing Report

April 11, 2011

A staff nurse gives his perspective on this important report.

From our readers…At the Bedside

August 11, 2010

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

From our readers…Balancing the power in favor of patients

August 11, 2011

Ms. Sims, a bedside nurse featured by Leah Curtin earlier this year inspired me to write this article. At the behest of others, Ms. Sims challenged administration regarding…

From our readers…Caring for the world by recycling supplies

August 11, 2010

I became aware of the acute lack of essential medical supplies when I participated in medical missions work in the Philippines and Honduras. Basic supplies like gloves were…

From our readers…Creative staffing solutions for floating and low census

February 11, 2011

Many hospitals have fluctuations in patient volumes that require staffing adjustments. Mercy Hospital in Portland, Maine, is no exception — we were struggling with challenges such as decreased…

From our readers…Do veteran nurses really eat their young? Observations of an ‘older’ new nurse

June 11, 2011

After working successfully for more than 20 years as a graphic artist and structural designer, I decided to enter nursing school at the age of 43. After graduation,…

From our readers…How focusing on spiritual needs benefits the nurse

April 11, 2011

There is no question that in the complex and fast-paced world of healthcare, high levels of stress and tension are just part of the territory. Medical and technological…

From our readers…How my bad experiences with call lights formed my nursing practice

October 11, 2011

I have been a critical care nurse since 2008. In our unit, patients have call lights, and of course, patients and families want them answered immediately. My practice…

From our readers…How my students kept me teaching

June 11, 2011

I went to high school in a small New England town at a time when career opportunities for women were just beginning to branch out into a variety…

From our readers…How to volunteer as a nurse abroad

December 11, 2011

Azure Window, Gozo, Maltese Islands. When I took the ferry to Gozo, Malta’s sister island, the Azure Window was a nice place to visit. When I was in nursing…

From our readers…Hunger advocacy for nurses

December 11, 2012

Since the mid-1990s, the number of hungry people worldwide has been steadily increasing. Currently about 925 million people worldwide are hungry—about 1 in 7 of the global population.…

From our readers…I remain in nursing because of you

June 11, 2010

I remain in nursing because of you. We have yet to meet but, if you are my patient someday, this is what I will do for you. Because…

From our readers…Know your A, B, C, and D’s for patients with progressive disease

February 11, 2012

“Something’s wrong. We have to fix it quickly!” All of our training and experiences as nurses, such as my almost 30 years as a hospital-based RN, lead us…

From our readers…Lights, camera, action—and don’t giggle!

December 11, 2012

The author shares the rewards of creating a video about what telephone triage nurses do.

From our readers…Nonadherent or compassion challenged?

December 11, 2011

Over the years nurses have labeled patients who choose (knowingly or unknowingly) to disregard instructions that could potentially alter their health condition toward a “better outcome” as noncompliant,…

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

February 11, 2010

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

From our readers…Searching for life with man’s best friend

October 11, 2010

At the end of another crazy day in our Level 1 Trauma Center the call went out. Our volunteer Search and Rescue (SAR) team had been deployed by…

From our readers…Strengthening nursing networks

April 11, 2011

Have you ever wondered what happened to the student who studied with you for that beginning med-surg test or the instructor who helped you understand pediatrics? They may…

From our readers…Sustaining evidence-based practice initiatives

February 11, 2011

Successful implementation and diffusion of any practice change requires careful strategic planning. Considerations are involving appropriate persons throughout the effort, planning for diffusion after a small test of…

From our readers…Talking to patients about a “weighty” issue: Are you ready?

October 11, 2010

As the prevalence of obesity in the United States continues to rise, no doubt more of your patients are having weight issues that complicate their medical conditions and…

From our readers…The Companion

October 11, 2010

Parkinson’s had taken away almost everything she loved. She, the artist, had spent her younger days in the upper rooms of McGuffey painting watercolors of Piedmont’s rolling hills…

From our readers…The Dance

February 11, 2010

Linda Harrington, RNC, works in Labor and Delivery at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, Mission Hills, CA. Below she comments on her experience with writing this poem: When…

From our readers…The nature of grief

June 11, 2011

A wise person once said, “Grief is not a disease or pathology to be cured. Grief is the tangible evidence that we’ve cared and loved someone.” The author…

From our readers…The secrets of self-nurturing

June 11, 2010

The foremost Secret to nurturing yourself is to practice caring for yourself. This article focuses on self-nurturing techniques for the body and mind. The more you practice these…

From our readers…Three elephants for safety

December 11, 2010

A familiar safety protocol in hospitals is the time-out. Mandated for many invasive procedures, this “work stop” ensures the right site, right procedure, and right patient are verified…

From our readers…Two Poems

April 11, 2011

Nursing’s Future & Hospital Corridor by Kristina Ibitayo is clinical assistant professor at University of Texas at Arlington College of Nursing. Nursing’s Future The future of nursing Lies…

From our readers…Value all your skills

February 11, 2013

Anyone who’s been a nurse for more than 10 years will agree with me: you can make big leaps from specialty to specialty and sometimes leave a skill…

From our readers…What bedside nurses can teach nursing leaders

June 11, 2012

Five years ago, while working in leadership I had a pivotal conversation with my superior regarding the need to “stop thinking like a bedside nurse”. My instincts told…

Frontline nurses and transformational leadership

October 1, 2021

A key to quality and safety In 2011, the Institute of Medicine called for nurses in all settings and levels of care to be prepared as leaders. In…

Gaining confidence in public speaking

April 7, 2016

EVA, a professional practice coordinator, and her team of clinical educators are thrilled to learn that their abstract on an iLead in Nursing initiative (Innovation in LEadership and ADministration in Nursing and…

Getting financially fit

March 23, 2018

Nursing may have ranked ninth in a study of the 50 highest-paying college majors, but many of us worry about money every day. If you’re feeling stressed about…

Give yourself the gift of self-affirmation

January 18, 2017

We’ve all had days that push us toward the edge. The chaos likely starts around mid-shift and may go something like this: Radiology calls for bed 3, bed 6…

Harold & Bill: An enduring portrait of another era

May 11, 2009

In 1971, I was attending nursing school and working as an emergency department (ED) orderly. One day, two elderly men came to the ED. One was brought from…

Have we lost our ability (and our sensitivity) to communicate in healthcare?

October 11, 2012

Read Donna Cardillo’s October blog here.

Heavy Reading: Inside Nursing

May 5, 2021

Diversity, equity, and inclusion can’t be authentically incorporated into curricula when faculty assign textbooks that harm those whose health they seek to protect. For instance, nursing textbooks can…

Helping caregivers cope with death

November 11, 2006

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

Helping homeless pregnant women: A lesson in hope

December 11, 2007

For some pregnant women, being home for the holidays means staying at a homeless shelter.

Helping patients adhere to a gluten-free diet

September 11, 2010

Avoiding gluten isn’t easy. Here’s what you need to know to keep patients compliant with a gluten-free diet.

Helping Sandwich Generation nurses find a work-life balance

August 8, 2014

If you have at least one parent age 65 or older and are raising children or financially supporting a child age 18 or older, you’re part of the…

How innovation and design thinking can improve care

June 4, 2021

Empathy and collaboration create opportunities to help vulnerable populations. Takeaways: Design thinking is a problem-solving tool driven by the needs of the targeted population. The authors used designing…

How shall we mourn our dead?

October 28, 2021

Take your time and follow the path that’s right for you. Since May 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have required nursing homes to provide data…

How to avoid biased thinking

March 12, 2015

Jessica, a Millennial (Generation Y) nurse working on a medical-surgical unit, recently completed her first year of practice. Ralph, her manager, is pleased with her transition and believes…

How to create “sticky” messages to influence others

April 11, 2013

Nursing has been ranked as the most trustworthy of all professions for the past decade, except for firefighters after 9/11. Being perceived as trustworthy may make us feel…

How to ease conflict and experience greater harmony at work

March 17, 2017

Jeanette manages to beat traffic, clock-in on time, and begin her day. Everything is running smoothly. Then she and another nurse argue over who should take the next admission.…

How to get off the anger-go-round

May 11, 2015

One of the most complex emotions, anger is a normal response to certain situational triggers. It’s associated with physiologic changes, including increases in heart rate, blood pressure, and…

How to give so you also receive

March 11, 2008

Contribute to your favorite charity and reduce your federal income tax in the process.

How to love and care for yourself unconditionally

January 11, 2013

Are you able to relax, have fun, and enjoy the simple pleasures of life? Or do you: have trouble falling or staying asleep? smoke, drink, or eat to…

How to maintain weight loss successfully

July 5, 2017

Suggestions based on a 20-year national study. Body weight is a key factor to protect us from chronic disease. Although obese people can lose weight through healthy diet, exercise…

How to make (and keep) a New Year’s resolution

December 18, 2017

More than half of all resolutions fail, but this year The New York Times offers some tips to help you identify the right resolution, create a plan on…

How to practice mindful nursing

May 9, 2018

Do you ever feel panic at the end of a long weekend or vacation, wondering where the time went? Do your days, weeks, and months blend into one…

How to Rebuild America’s Trust During COVID-19

February 25, 2021

Start with Nursing The COVID-19 pandemic has sent shock waves across the nation. With devastation all around us, people’s lives and livelihoods have been on the line. They…

How to start your personal exercise program

February 11, 2007

Getting fitter gets easier when you design your exercise program to suit your needs. A fitness expert tells how to develop a safe and effective program.

How to succeed at floating

April 6, 2016

If you’ve ever floated, you know the experience can be challenging at times. Wherever you work, you may sometimes feel you don’t have enough hours in the day to complete all your…

How transformational leaders address fear amid COVID-19

February 9, 2021

You can provide the guidance nurses need. Editor’s note: This is an early release of an article that will appear in the March 2021 issue of American Nurse…

How working nights can work in your favor

November 11, 2011

Shortly after I completed my master’s degree in nursing, I spoke with my nurse mentor about my career decisions. At the time, I was working as a night-shift…

Implementing purposeful daily leadership rounding: A broader approach to measuring quality

October 11, 2016

Patient satisfaction has long been one way that hospitals measured quality, albeit indirectly. The surgical services division of Rush University Medical Center, an academic medical center in Chicago,…

Imposter syndrome: When you feel like you’re faking it

May 11, 2013

Colleen Jackson recently was promoted to a clinical manager position on her unit. At first, she was thrilled with the opportunity to advance her leadership skills, but now…

In good company: Perspectives on sitting with patients

January 5, 2021

A quick Google search for “patient sitter jobs” yields 47 million results. A similar search for “registered nurse jobs” produces 454 million results. These numbers tell us that…

Informal leaders and cultural change

August 11, 2013

Informal leaders are crucial to the success of a change involving the nursing team, yet they are often overlooked. A literature search of nursing publications over the past…

Intellectual wellbeing

May 9, 2018

As a nurse, you probably already do many things that boost your intellectual wellness. You might work with new patients every day, learn about new procedures and protocols,…

Interdisciplinary rounds in the acute care setting: A powerful tool for student nurses

October 2, 2014

My colleague shook his head skeptically as he said, “I’m not sure the students know what nurses actually do.” The fall semester was coming to a close, which…

Interwoven art of understanding

September 11, 2007

Communicating with crochet.

Introverts can be nurse leaders, too

September 11, 2013

Natalie Sanchez recently was promoted to a nurse manager position. So far, she thinks, things are going well. She is starting to feel comfortable with her new role…

Joint Commission releases Sentinel Event Alert in response to COVID-19 pandemic

February 5, 2021

Healthcare workers struggling, expressing fears Earlier this week, The Joint Commission released a Sentinel Event Alert addressing the fears of healthcare workers and outlining five strategies for supporting…

Journaling: A valuable tool for registered nurses

November 30, 2018

Journaling allows you to script feelings and thoughts to better understand yourself and events, as well as cultivate self-compassion and self-awareness.

Keeping your compassion

March 11, 2012

Have you ever found yourself in the middle of your shift when you make a mistake in the care you’re providing—and you wonder, “Am I losing my compassion?”…

Kick the cigarette habit!

April 11, 2007

A smoking cessation instructor helps you ditch cigarettes forever. Find out which cessation method suits you best, ways to cope with cigarette cravings, and how to get back…

Laugh, nurse, laugh!

April 19, 2017

Victor Borge, the famous Danish comedian, pianist, and conductor once said, “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.” Infusing laughter and humor into your work life is a…

Lead to succeed through generational differences

October 2, 2014

Chelsea enters the unit chewing gum and texting on her new smart phone. Deb stands there, waiting to get report. Minutes pass as Chelsea chuckles and continues to…

Leading at the bedside and beyond

December 11, 2013

A typical definition for a leader is one who has the ability to influence. Florence Nightingale, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King readily come to mind for their…

Leading the journey: Engaging staff in process improvement through visual management

April 13, 2015

The pressure is always on in busy clinical settings to improve efficiency, capacity, and patient flow. Strategic process improvement that engages the entire staff is essential to keeping…

Leading through failure

February 3, 2016

I have served as a nurse corps officer in the United States Air Force for 27 years. One of my most useful leadership lessons came from understanding the…

Leading through loss: Lessons for healthcare leaders

June 7, 2016

One of the most painful experiences for any parent is the death of a child. The family is deeply affected by the loss, and the extended “family” of…

Learning from mistakes

March 24, 2017

Today’s healthcare organizations need to improve patient safety, which includes effectively communicating information to nurses about safety incidents and how to address them. After all, frontline nurses are…

Living a healthy lifestyle

March 11, 2014

As nurses, we know how to check blood pressure, administer medications, and counsel patients about healthy living. But let’s face it—some of us don’t practice what we preach.…

Long-term night shift work increases the risks of common cancers in women

January 11, 2018

The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) conducted a meta-analysis to identify whether long-term night shift work increased the risks of common cancers in women. See the results of…

Look for inspiration in your fellow nurses

August 5, 2016

In a perfect world, we nurses would be inspired daily by our patient experiences. They would come in such abundance that overtime, computer crashes, and 10-minute meal breaks…

Maintain weight loss successfully – based on a 20 year national study

July 12, 2017

Body weight is a key factor to protect us from chronic disease. Although obese people can lose weight through healthy diet, exercise programs, medicine, and surgery, more than…

Make fitness fit into your daily routine

January 11, 2009

You know exercise should be part of your daily routine. But who has the time or the energy? After all, you can hardly find time for the demands…

Making New Year’s resolutions? Try these tips from Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation™

January 11, 2021

Many people are eager to turn the page and begin the new year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And, given the added stress on nurses, paying attention to…

Making the workplace healthier, one self-aware nurse at a time

July 11, 2012

From the disruptive physician throwing instruments or treating nurses with contempt to coworkers or nurse managers “eating their young,” some people and behaviors in healthcare organizations threaten not…

Managing chronic pain in the elderly

September 11, 2010

Chronic pain has widespread effects on older adults. This article describes how to help patients manage it.

Managing stress in health care with meditation: Got a minute?

October 25, 2017

Providing bedside care is stressful, and finding ways to reduce that stress can be difficult in a sometimes chaotic and unpredictable environment. Research shows that meditation can be…

Mantram repetition: A portable, mindful, contemplative practice for the workplace

April 11, 2014

Have you ever been at work and wanted to be on vacation, instead? Have you ever wished that you could “beam me up, Scotty” and be transported instantly…

Meeting your patients spiritual needs

October 11, 2007

When a patient says, “I’m afraid I’m going to die,” do you offer empty reassurances? Find an excuse to leave the room? Read this article to learn about…

Memory pegging

October 11, 2006

Forgetting is frustrating. To make memorizing fun, “peg” each item on your to-do list.

Mindful Appreciation

August 7, 2017

Tip 6 of 6 Mindfulness Exercises You Can Try Today In this last exercise, all you have to do is notice 5 things in your day that usually…

Mindful Awareness

August 7, 2017

Tip 3 of 6 Mindfulness Exercises You Can Try Today This exercise is designed to cultivate a heightened awareness and appreciation of simple daily tasks and the results…

Mindful Breathing

August 7, 2017

Tip 1 of 6 Mindfulness Exercises You Can Try Today This exercise can be done standing up or sitting down, and pretty much anywhere at any time. If…

Mindful Immersion

August 7, 2017

Tip 5 of 6 Mindfulness Exercises You Can Try Today The intention of this exercise is to cultivate contentment in the moment and escape the persistent striving we…

Mindful Listening

August 7, 2017

Tip 4 of 6 Mindfulness Exercises You Can Try Today This exercise is designed to open your ears to sound in a non-judgmental way, and indeed to train…

Mindful Observation

August 7, 2017

Tip 2 of 6 Mindfulness Exercises You Can Try Today This exercise is simple but incredibly powerful because it helps you notice and appreciate seemingly simple elements of…

Motivational interviewing: A collaborative path to change

March 11, 2011

Michael had diabetes and a history of elevated blood glucose levels. A long-time drinker, he seemed to have no interest in giving up the habit. I met him…

My First Day in the ED

April 11, 2010

Note: This article was written before Kenneth graduated from nursing school. My first experience in an emergency department (ED) setting happened last week at Frankfort Regional Medical Center…

My Son has Tourette syndrome

January 11, 2007

Read this nurse’s remarkable story of devotion and acceptance.

My Story: Supporting compassionate connections

December 31, 2018

Honoring and recognizing patient preferences is an essential component of healthcare delivery. Leverage technology to learn what’s important to your patient across all venues of care. This article…

Navigating the loss and grief of a nurse suicide

March 5, 2021

Nurses are drawn together through shared patient experiences, staffing challenges, stressful situations, and positive patient outcomes. Working long hours together, nurses learn about the lives of their coworkers…

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New nursing school graduates: Let the real learning begin

June 2, 2021

Education continues on the job. Welcome to the 2021 class of nursing school graduates joining our most remarkable profession. You enter the workforce at an unusual time. During…

Nine principles of successful nursing leadership

August 11, 2012

There is an extraordinary quality of spirit that prompts one to aspire to lead. These nine principles will help you tap into that spirit and improve your effectiveness…

Not just “eating our young”: Workplace bullying strikes experienced nurses, too

February 3, 2016

Even though nursing is a profession of caring and compassion, bullying exists in many forms in it. Bullying threatens teamwork, morale, communication, and, most important, patient safety. The…

Nurse fatigue: The silent epidemic

December 21, 2020

Are you getting the recommended 7 to 9 hours of sleep in a 24-hour period? According to ANA Enterprise’s new Healthy Nurse Healthy Nation® survey results, 40% of…

Nurse Helps Families Who Lost Homes in Santa Rosa Wildfire

December 1, 2017

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

Nurse heroes of the Pandemic

March 8, 2021

Nurses share a common theme: Hope. Be prepared, be strong, and don’t panic Crystal Davis Campbell, BSN, RN Staff nurse, medical ICU, Vidant Medical Center Greenville, North Carolina…

Nurse Keith’s Corner: Overcoming 21st Century Angst

June 8, 2021

When the 21st century dawned several decades ago, the next one hundred years — and the new millennium — were seen as a new beginning, a time of great possibility…

Nurse suicide attempt survivors

August 9, 2021

Easing back safely to the work environment Frequently, suicide ideation is a manifestation of mental illness, such as depression or anxiety disorder. However, even without a history or…

Nurse suicide prevention starts with crisis intervention

January 29, 2021

We know that suicide rates are higher in nurses than the general population, but we don’t yet know the exact reasons why. However, the nature of the work…

Nurses in a children’s classroom: Showcasing nursing as a career choice

March 25, 2021

We would like to share our experiences as yearly participants in our local Hillsborough County Great American Teach-In (GATI). GATI, an annual November event in the Tampa, Florida…

Nurses Really are Superheroes! Nurse Alice Introduces “The Vitals”

January 20, 2021

We did it Joe… NURSES! Voted the most trusted profession (again). Actually, nurses have been voted the most ethical and trustworthy profession per the Gallup Polls for the…

Nurses rising

April 9, 2021

Recognizing, elevating, and caring for RNs during a pandemic As we celebrated the inauguration of President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the first woman and person of…

Nurses struggling on the frontline of COVID-19

December 28, 2020

Innovation is important in maintaining an open-minded perspective on the frontline of healthcare, particularly in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a practicing ICU nurse, I know…

Nurses with disabilities: Know their rights

December 6, 2016

Registered nurses (RNs) with physical disabilities experience discrimination in the workplace. Researchers have found that nurses with disabilities often leave the nursing profession because they feel discriminated against…

Nurses’ essential role in supporting professionalism

July 7, 2017

What does it mean to be a professional? Providing care of the highest technical quality, of course. But professionalism also includes communicating clearly, being selfreflective, and consistently modeling responsibility, respect,…

Nursing Apps—For Work and Home

November 30, 2017

The season of gift-giving is upon us, and don’t you think you should start with a few gifts for yourself? The folks at MAS Medical Staffing have put…

Nursing Story Slams: Creating a Space for Nurses To Tell Their Stories

February 4, 2021

Storytelling is essential to increasing health literacy, empathy, curiosity, and engagement — and who has better stories than nurses? That is why three years ago, we started the Penn Nursing…

Nurturing the tree of life

November 11, 2009

In the United States, more than 15,000 families a year make the difficult decision to donate their loved ones’ organs. One day in August 2005, two of these…

Nutrition for night-shift nurses

March 11, 2014

Pam has worked the night shift for more than 30 years. Over the last 3 years, she has lost 100 lb—and kept it off. She describes the challenging…

On breaking a bone for the first time…at age 59

September 11, 2008

Look, I’m a nurse, and I’ve probably seen a thousand broken bones in the last 35 years. Well, not actually seen them, but seen them wired, immobilized, splinted,…

One-on-one meetings: The stitch in time that saves nine

March 11, 2014

Remember the last time you had a loose button? Maybe you thought about stopping to sew it on, but never did. Then the button fell off and you…

Online health information and self-diagnosis

January 12, 2021

To: Ethics Advisory Board From: Concerned RN Subject: Self-diagnosis During the COVID-19 pandemic, patients are asking me about symptoms they’re experiencing and my opinion about information…

Our future through my review mirror

January 8, 2021

Turn the troubling events of 2020 into opportunities in 2021. 2020 is finally over! It was a meaningful year because we had the opportunity to celebrate The Year…

Physical wellness: A must for sustained energy

January 26, 2018

Nurses are tireless advocates when promoting physical health and well-being for our patients. Yet, in a recent study of 1,790 nurses across the United States published in the…

Poetic expression: Verse 2

November 11, 2007

In her second appearance on this page, nurse and poet Kristina Ibitayo presents three more poems.

Practicing emotional intelligence may help reduce lateral violence

June 6, 2016

It’s been a stressful day at work — nothing new. Your patient fell, an I.V. line became occluded right when you were ready to hang a blood infusion,…

Principled leadership and the imperative for workplace civility

November 9, 2016

Civility is not situational. What a leader must manifest all day, every day, is civility, because civility is—or at least should be—an expectation and imperative for all of…

Promoting nurse mental health

January 8, 2021

Nurses are experiencing an unprecedented amount of burnout, depression, and anxiety. Stressful work environments, workplace bullying, and workplace cultures unsupportive of personal well-being play a role in the…

Promoting self-caring and healing in your work environment

December 11, 2006

Make your work environment more soothing and improve your peace of mind by creating an oasis of calm.

Promoting staff interaction to encourage inclusion

August 4, 2021

Years ago, when I was working at a community hospital, we decided to host a job fair because we were struggling with high vacancy rates. As I walked…

Providing ethics consultation in the middle of a pandemic

February 16, 2021

As a new graduate RN, I was confronted with the case of allowing a natural death for a 6-month old baby girl who survived an anoxic brain injury…

Providing workplace renewal opportunities for nurses

October 11, 2013

Stress among nurses is caused not only by the demands of clinical care, but also the continual outlay of compassion required to meet the emotional needs of patients…

Raising awareness about health disparities: A call to action

March 26, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised consciousness about health disparities, institutional racism, and diversity, inclusion, and equity (DEI) in the nation. Nurses know these conditions exist, but typically conversations…

Recovery lessons from the Sandy Hook trauma

February 11, 2014

Children are people with small hearts and big emotions that often come from the people around them, particularly family members. As a pediatric nurse and mother of two…

Reducing holiday stress

December 11, 2017

Limiting the stress that comes with the holidays requires a bit of planning. The Cleveland Clinic offers some suggestions built around the activities that can be the most…

Reflection

April 11, 2010

Hair, she mused looking at her reflection, What is it really? Just dead cells growing out of one’s head. Yet, she had spent countless hours caring for it,…

Reflections on nursing in Vietnam

November 11, 2006

Mary Jo Rice-Mahoney, RN, MSN, Colonel U.S. Army, Retired, knows what it’s like to practice nursing in a war zone. She began her military career during her junior…

Reflections on the heart of nursing

November 11, 2008

In 1995, I toured the Florence Nightingale Museum in London. On the walls were letters that chronicled a lifetime of dedication, spent caring for others—letters that were preserved…

Reiki: Ancent healing art for today’s new healthcare vision

March 11, 2010

Perhaps you’ve heard of a complementary therapy called Reiki, or maybe you’ve experienced it yourself. Reiki is one of the fastest-growing energy healing practices, used by millions of…

Relax with lavender

June 14, 2017

We all experience a certain amount of stress and anxiety, and in small doses it may even enhance school or job performance. But chronic stress and anxiety can put…

Releasing our attachments to the past

September 10, 2015

Jake, a critical care nursing director, works for a large healthcare system that has invested heavily in testing the use of robots to support operational tasks and provide…

Resting not regretting

February 3, 2015

“We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.” — William Shakespeare As informal mentors, coaches, and preceptors to…

RNs offer creative solutions to healthcare challenges

December 16, 2020

Creativity reigned at the second annual NursePitch™, a collaboration between the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, Inc. (HIMSS) and sponsored by…

Room with a view: Clutter included?

March 12, 2015

Your “new” room is now ready—hospital room, that is. Architects are finally designing and redesigning hospital rooms that could match the suites at your local Marriott, with the…

Safeguarding patients: The courageous communication solution

May 17, 2016

So how do you get a colleague’s attention when you have a safety concern? The Department of Defense partnered with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)…

Safety huddles: A safety net for nurses amid the COVID-19 pandemic

December 16, 2020

In March 2020, our 31-bed geriatric medical unit was designated the first COVID-19 unit in a teaching hospital located in a New York City COVID-19 hot zone. At…

Scope and standards-of-practice documents: Guiding you to leadership success

January 11, 2014

Starting a new job in a new specialty can be a daunting experience. I recently transitioned to a new role as a nurse administrator. On my first day,…

Scrapbooks capture nurses career milestones

May 11, 2010

For nurse graduates, starting their first staff position is an exciting time, but it can also be a time of apprehension. Many have heard stories about how some…

Self-management = a balanced life

May 20, 2021

Follow this formula for success. Takeaways: • Self-management coupled with a wellness approach can mitigate the stress associated with nursing and improve individual nurse health. • Procrastination is…

Shaving as a metaphor for nursing

June 11, 2014

Over the course of history, people have used metaphors to explain, contrive, reflect, and refute human phenomena. Health care (and all its challenges) has stimulated prolific metaphors to…

Silence and Solace

August 11, 2008

“We think she’s gone,” he said. It was 6:20 p.m. I was walking down the hall on the med-surg unit, and turned to face a middle-aged man with…

Simple steps to improve your retirement readiness

July 11, 2011

PERHAPS, like many nurses, you’ve become quite business savvy over the past few years. Increasing numbers of nurses are responsible for creating unit budgets, forecasting expenses, and calculating cost effectiveness. Yet…

Situational awareness and the Nursing Code of Ethics

November 8, 2017

In 2015, the American Nurses Association (ANA) revised the Code of Ethics for Nurses (The Code) to better reflect “the complexities of modern nursing, to simplify and more…

Smart pumps, smart management, safe patients

May 6, 2021

When organizations and clinicians team up, patients are protected. Takeaways: Medication administration errors continue to occur due to mistakes in smart electronic infusion pump setup, programming, and clinical…

Social wellness: Nurture your relationships

July 24, 2018

Social well-being can be defined as our ability to effectively interact with people around us and to create a support system that includes family and friends. Social isolation,…

Soul habits

November 1, 2017

Your outer circumstances don’t need to control your happiness, even when they may not be the most desirable. Being conscious about your thoughts gives one the choice to…

Spiritual wellness: A journey toward wholeness

October 16, 2018

Have you ever felt like a “human doing” instead of a “human being”? As we fling ourselves from one activity to another, we sometimes find that getting beyond…

Springing into action: How one procedural area kept working during COVID-19

December 7, 2020

As COVID-19 hit Georgia in early March 2020, Emory University System made the difficult decision to stop all surgeries and procedures unless they were deemed life-threatening or emergent.…

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Squashing the communication triangle

August 8, 2014

In the infamous and deadly Bermuda Triangle, things seem to disappear, never to be seen again. In the communication triangle, the opposite is true: Emotions and unintended messages…

Staying healthy: Advice for telehealth nurses

November 10, 2014

Telehealth, telemedicine, and home-based telehealth work have grown dramatically in recent years. These programs enable nurses to provide patient care remotely from a medical office or their own home.…

Stopping the pain: The role of nurse leaders in providing organizational resources to reduce disruptive behavior

October 11, 2013

As articles ranging from those in American Nurse Today (“Civility starts with you”) to The New York Times (“When the Nurse is a Bully”) illustrate, disruptive behavior and…

Storytelling: Resilience and influence in minutes

January 8, 2021

During the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses too often are the last and only person in the room when a patient dies. (more…)

Stress busters and sanity savers

February 11, 2008

How to survive your shift unscathed – with less stress

Stress-Reducing Creativity

September 18, 2017

While art therapy is its own field, you can use the benefits of art to express your creative side and drawing skills to reduce stress and get in…

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Take time to appreciate the importance of what you do

April 13, 2021

Lessons learned from 1918 d In 1918, the “Spanish flu” killed most people who were infected. Thanks to the efforts of thousands of researchers across the globe, we…

Taking the first steps to serving on a board

November 11, 2012

Nurses have a singular perspective on patient care and community health. With our training and experience, we can inform and improve healthcare decisions in ways that complement those…

Tap your way to fast relief

January 11, 2008

Want to reduce physical and psychological stress? Emotional Freedom Techniques may be able to help.

Tap your way to fast relief

June 11, 2010

Can symptomatic relief from fear, stress, anxiety, and a laundry list of other ailments really be at your fingertips? The many people who use Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)…

Telling nursing’s stories: Reality or fiction?

March 11, 2008

“You’re going to do what?” my colleagues asked when I told them I planned to quit my job to write mysteries. I had a good job as dean…

Ten tips for transitioning from home care nurse to nurse manager

January 13, 2016

Sarah made the transition from inpatient hospital nurse to home care (HC) nurse 6 years ago. She enjoys her practice and likes helping the patients and families whose…

The Bedpan and its Significance

February 17, 2021

During the holiday doldrums I came across a 2015 Smithsonian magazine article entitled “The strange saga of George Washington’s bedpan.” The article was a sort of a biography…

The caring-quilting connection

December 11, 2006

Even if you’re not a quilt connoisseur, you’re sure to appreciate the beauty and handiwork of this nurse’s quilt. Its creator sees profound parallels between quilting and nursing.

The Difference Between Being Thankful and Being Grateful

November 20, 2017

In her article on the Odyssey website (a collection of writing from young people), Tessa Masula contemplates what it means to be thankful versus what it means to…

The freeing force of laughter

August 11, 2007

By reciting wacky dialogue from a scene in a Monty Python movie, Mary Delisle, RN, interrupted the negative thought patterns of a patient mired in dread and dispair.

The importance of being unreasonable

September 11, 2007

Nurses, on the whole, are a darn nice group of people. After all, nurses have a reputation for being caring, self-sacrificing, nurturing, hardworking, and honest. So why don’t…

The joys of journaling and poetic expression

June 11, 2007

A journalist before becoming a nurse, Kristina Ibitayo has never abandoned her love for writing. Her poems celebrate true friendship and probe life’s possibilities.

The little things we do

June 11, 2009

In December 2001, the graduating class of New York University’s College of Nursing asked me to give a speech during their pinning ceremony. As part of nursing education,…

The mindful nurse

September 10, 2015

Mindfulness is an increasingly common topic in both popular and professional literature. In clinical populations, evidence suggests mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) can reduce symptoms linked to various conditions, including…

The Most Important Leadership Competencies, According to Leaders Around the World

November 27, 2017

In a March 2016 article published in Harvard Business Review, certified executive coach Dr. Sunnie Giles explores the top 10 leadership competencies identified by 195 global leaders. She…

The pandemic and early career nurses

June 3, 2021

Find support, shape the profession via input, action. During the peaks and valleys of the now 15-month COVID-19 pandemic, nurses remain the bedrock of competent care, enlightened public…

The Power of Introverts

December 4, 2017

Are you an introvert? If so, you may think you don’t have the right personality to be a nurse leader. Susan Cain, the author of Quiet: The Power…

The power of Lean Six Sigma

August 5, 2016

Lean and Six Sigma are well-established quality improvement tools. Combining the two creates a synergistic effect, boosting effectiveness. In the hospital where I work, we used Lean Six…

The power of the positive

July 7, 2015

Being positive in a negative situation is not naïve. It’s leadership. — Ralph S. Marston, Jr., author and publisher of The Daily Motivator website Nurses may encounter many challenges and stressors…

The Relentless School Nurse: #NursesAreNotOK

December 14, 2020

The pandemic has disrupted life as we know it, with no specific end in sight, outside of glimmers of hope with vaccines on the horizon. It also has…

The Relentless School Nurse: Feeling simultaneously empowered and disempowered

April 20, 2021

When I power up the Zoom room for my bi-weekly school nurse support groups, I am never sure who will join me and what we will discuss. The…

The Relentless School Nurse: Please SAVE OUR SCHOOLS!

February 2, 2021

This week my school district announced that four more schools will be closed at the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year. This devastating news prompted me to write…

The ring

July 11, 2007

A lesson in loss and love.

The selflessness and dedication of military nurses

November 9, 2016

Thirty years ago, Brigadier General Sarah Wells began the tradition of gathering nurses together to place flowers on the graves of nurses who served in the U.S. military and…

The Stories That Never Get Told – Compassion

March 10, 2021

Compassion and caring at the heart of nursing. It was too late. I could never speak to him again. By the time I was notified that my ex-husband…

The times—and the nursing job market—they are a changin’

August 11, 2012

Donna Cardillo, MA, RN writes about the nursing job market.

The will to live – and living well

July 15, 2016

Groucho Marx said, “Marriage is the chief cause of divorce.” When we mentioned this to a friend of ours, he retorted, “Yes—and life is the chief cause of death!” In writing…

The wisdom of renewal

July 11, 2008

We all know people who have become discontent with their careers. And we know people who remain energized, excited, and fully engaged in their profession. So what makes the…

Therapeutic storytelling in nursing practice

August 11, 2007

Storytelling is a useful way to promote holistic care. The next time your patient shows poor coping ability, you might want to ask him to tell a story…

Thinking it through: The path to reflective leadership

February 11, 2013

Reflective leadership is a way of approaching the work of being a leader by leading one’s life with presence and personal mastery. Learning to be present, to be…

This nurse writes exceptional verse

October 11, 2006

Nurse Cortney Davis creates deeply moving poems from the pain and pathos that caregivers encounter every day.

Thoughtful feedback loop: A nurse’s approach to personal and organizational improvement

June 11, 2013

As a nurse, your partnership with another in the Thoughtful Feedback Loop gives you the power to exponentially increase the rate at which you professionally and personally improve.…

Tips for long-term exercise success

October 13, 2017

Walking, swimming, cycling, jogging, skiing, aerobic dancing, or any of dozens of other activities can help your heart. They all cause you to feel warm, perspire and breathe…

Tired of being tired? Try Pilates!

January 11, 2007

These basic Pilates exercises will not only make you stronger and more flexible – they will enregize you.

Tired of caring? You may have compassion fatigue

July 11, 2013

Do you have trouble remembering what drew you to nursing? Do you take alternative paths through the unit to avoid running into a patient’s family members? Do your…

Too young to be a nurse leader?

January 11, 2013

Marla Johnson began her career on an oncology unit after graduating from a BSN program 4 years ago. She achieved certification and regularly takes charge on the night…

Touch of kindness

May 11, 2007

Helping a little victim of sexual assault brings a profound realization.

Unpacking the pounds that weigh you down

June 11, 2012

How long have you dreamed of losing weight and keeping it off—of what it would feel like to be healthier and have more energy for your nursing job…

Uplifting nurses

February 1, 2021

Associations respond to member needs in a pandemic. In 2020, what kept me up at night was nurses’ well-being and how they’ve been dealing with the impact of…

Use it or lose it: Physical fitness for nurses

July 11, 2010

Chronic lifestyle-related diseases account for most deaths today, with cardiovascular disease the leading cause of all deaths. As you know, a sedentary lifestyle contributes to development of cardiovascular…

Using power skills for personal wellness

November 11, 2006

Here’s expert advice on how to manage your own self-care.

Viewpoint: Adding respect to freedom of speech

June 3, 2015

The right to freedom of speech is a common topic in the news, but the reporting often doesn’t include a full discussion of the issue. We need to…

Viewpoint: Caring Science meets Heart Science: A guide to authentic caring practice

August 11, 2012

Discipline-specific, theory-guided practice models, motivated in part by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s national Magnet program, have led to improved patient care and system outcomes. These new initiatives…

Viewpoint: Lessons learned from nurses in rural Uganda

April 7, 2016

It’s still dark outside our tiny pup tent, and the air feels humid after the sudden torrential downpour the evening before. The melodies of unusual songbirds welcome the…

Violence should not be part of the job

March 9, 2021

Workplace violence can surprise and overwhelm nurses, leaving them unable to safely provide patient care. A multi-component intervention is needed to effectively prevent and mitigate workplace violence and…

Visitor restrictions during COVID-19: ethical considerations

April 6, 2021

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals across the nation established strict visitor restrictions for all inpatient units, which particularly impacted the pediatric inpatient units. Some hospitals…

Volunteering resources

October 9, 2017

More than 1.3 billion people across the world lack access to basic healthcare services – mostly because the number of healthcare workers is not rising fast enough to…

Walking the labyrinth: An exercise in self-healing

April 11, 2010

Does your job have you running around in circles? Are you super-stressed out, but too jittery to ease your tension with a sitting meditation? Then maybe it’s time…

Wellness 101: 9 dimensions of wellness

January 10, 2018

My mom sneezed and had a hemorrhagic stroke right in front of me when I was home alone with her at age 15. She had a history of…

What do nurses want?

June 2, 2021

Twenty-two percent: That’s how many frontline RNs in the United States said, in a response to a recent McKinsey survey, that they may leave direct patient care within…

What every nurse needs to know about the clinical aspects of child abuse

July 11, 2010

Child-abuse cases can be the most difficult ones for nurses to cope with. But with the right knowledge and tools, you can care for abused children more effectively.

What followers want in their nurse leaders

September 11, 2012

Why would anyone want you to lead them? That’s a question nurses rarely ask themselves before they take on leadership positions. But it’s an important one, because if…

What have you done for you lately?

March 11, 2007

For your own good, take time for yourself.

What the mirror doesn’t tell you

September 8, 2016

“I hate my body.” “I’m such a fat, worthless cow.” “Where did all these gray hairs and wrinkles come from?” “I have total thunder thighs.” “How could anyone find me attractive when I look like this?”…

What to do when someone pushes your buttons

May 8, 2014

Really is it that some things don’t bother us, while other things catapult us from an emotional 0 to 60 mph in a heartbeat? We all know what…

What you can learn from failure

July 11, 2012

Editor’s note: At American Nurse Today, we believe every nurse can be a leader. Rose Sherman, founder of the Emerging RN Leader blog (www.emergingrnleader.com), contributes articles on a…

When caregiving ignites burnout – New ways to douse the flames

April 11, 2012

Most nurses enjoy taking care of others — it’s what drew them into their profession and provides satisfaction throughout their careers, to varying degrees. Caregiving at its best…

Who are you?

November 11, 2010

You probably have many labels—nurse, wife, mother, sister, aunt (or husband, son, father, brother, uncle), neighbor, or volunteer, for instance. But who are you—really? When the day is…

Why disruption can be a good thing

May 11, 2013

Seventy-two seconds into liftoff, a defective mechanical part set off a string of events that caused the Challenger space shuttle to tear apart as millions watched it vanish…

Why quitting is hard

January 13, 2015

Kate Sheldon is the director of acute care services in a medical center that’s part of a larger system. She recently completed her doctorate and is ready to…

Why timing is crucial in leadership

September 22, 2014

For the last 2 years, Karen, the manager of a critical care unit, has been laying the groundwork for her unit to apply for the Beacon Award for…

Writing for good health

July 28, 2014

If you asked nurses how they reduce job stress, you probably wouldn’t expect them to reply, “By writing.” In fact, a recent research study of nurses’ preferences for…

You can help stop the cycle of teen bullying

March 11, 2013

Bullying refers to repeated negative activity or aggression intended to harm or bother someone that the aggressor perceives as less powerful. In many cases, bullying victims are harassed…

You deserve a healthy lifestyle

July 11, 2007

Practical advice on weight management for nurses.

You make a difference

May 7, 2021

Honoring nurses and our profession in May This Nurses Month, we honor RNs for their skillful, creative, and compassionate care during the most significant public health crisis in…

A critical Pathway to Excellence® standard

Initiatives promote nurses’ well-being during the pandemic. Ensuring nurses’ well-being isn’t just a concept for healthcare systems and organizations that have—or want to gain—the…

A multifaceted gem

Through poetry, Susan Wilcox Stelton, MSN, APRN-BC, CWOCN, reflects on the many facets of nursing.

A musical approach to coping with psychosocial stress

A powerful tool for nurse well-being Editor’s note: This is an early release of a web exclusive article for the May 2021 issue of…

A North Dakota nurse makes photography her second calling

Becky Graner’s photographs capture nature in all its facets – fierce, serene, or on the cusp of extinction.

A nurse-poet writes what she knows

I started writing poetry in grammar school in Harvey, North Dakota. Our curriculum emphasized writing and poetry—I still have the anthology we used. Throughout…

A Nurse’s Guide to Social Media

Social media can be a tricky business, especially for a profession struggling with how and when to use our voices and one that is…

A nurse’s notes on New Year’s resolutions

It’s the most promising time of the year. A clean slate ahead and a chance for a fresh start. No doubt nurses are making…

A Pioneering Spirit: Leaders as Framers in Turbulent Times

Will it always be like this? A critical care nurse leader was recently asked this question by one of her novice nurses in the…

A Pioneering Spirit: The SCARF Model

Healthcare professionals struggle to get their messages about mask-wearing and social distancing out to a skeptical public and even their own family members. Interestingly,…

A Pioneering Spirit: What new graduates need from nurse leaders

Many nursing students are graduating and will be transitioning into practice. The good news is that jobs for new graduates are more plentiful today,…

A troubled life, a difficult death

Editor’s note: National Homelessness Awareness Week is November 10-18. Like many of our homeless patients, “Sarah” was a bundle of contradictions. She came from…

A word about patients’ psychic experiences: Listen

In her dream, a young pediatric nurse answered the phone at the nurses’ station and was told to go to the lobby where a…

Accepting a patient care assignment reaffirms nurses’ contract with society

At the moment a patient handoff is nearly completed, when the exchange of relevant information has occurred and when the opportunity for final clarification…

Achieving a work-life balance

Almost everyone agrees that achieving a work-life balance is a good thing. Without it, we risk long-term negative effects on our physical and mental…

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 was admitted,…

Add a dash of spice to your recipe for health

10 tasty ways to improve your health.

After the earthquake: Volunteer nursing in Haiti

This month marks the 1-year anniversary of the devastating Haiti earthquake. The author describes her volunteer disaster-relief experience in that country, which changed her…

Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia: Discerning the differences

As the U.S. population ages, the risk for age-related illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia increases. According to Lang and…

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 spent 15…

An algorithm to help you manage your stress

Nurses face tremendous stress in their daily practice. Various environmental and personal factors can exacerbate or mitigate stress. High stress levels impair cognitive and…

An encouraging word

Has a compliment ever made your day? Perhaps it was just what you needed to hear to raise your self-confidence a notch or to…

An ounce of prevention

Engage in practical training through Project Firstline. A lifetime of working with patients with serious burn injuries truly ingrained in me the importance of…

ANA advocates for nurses’ health and safety

Collaborating in the new year to address pandemic challenges together As nurses contend with the pandemic and its multi-layered effects into 2021, the American…

And the music plays on…

In the mid-1970s, I was a graduate nurse starting my career at a large, urban hospital. One of my patients, an elderly man named…

Animal assistants in healthcare

An animal may provide just the benefit patients need. Prepandemic, I had the pleasure of traveling to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for…

Any nurse can do it: Sustaining change when volunteering overseas

Arriving back in Ethiopia for the third time after having left only four months earlier, I had many questions. Had the Ethiopian nurses managed…

Aromatherapy for you and your patient

Use fragrant oils to soothe muscles, relieve tension, and more.

Baby pictures: Preserving precious moments in the NICU

For one nurse, taking pictures of preemies develops into an art form.

Balancing the wheels of life

Have you ever ridden a bicycle with a wobbly wheel? The ride isn’t smooth, and you notice every bump in the road. As you…

Battlefield nursing at the Boston Marathon

Three yellow balloons danced through the air, hovering over the finish line after being released by the bomb blast that brought the 2013 Boston…

BEAM: The behavioral evaluation and addiction management team

Workplace violence isn’t part of the nursing job description, but according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, healthcare workers are four times more…

Beasts, gods and FaceTime: The anguish of visitor limitations during the COVID-19 pandemic

For the foreseeable future, efforts to minimize human contact will remain in place as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is…

Beasts, gods and FaceTime: The anguish of visitor limitations during the COVID-19 pandemic

For the foreseeable future, efforts to minimize human contact will remain in place as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is…

Benefits of feedback for nurse leaders

Viewing feedback as a gift enhances career growth. Takeaways: Without feedback, beginning nurse leaders’ careers can be derailed Constructive feedback can lead to significant…

Beyond thank you: The powerful reach of meaningful recognition

“I recognize that voice, that voice belongs to someone who is such a dream to me. [My nurse] was a shining light and made…

Bonding over body image

For many college students, the ever-present pressure to be thin has trumped the goal of being healthy. Females face body-image issues throughout their lifespan.…

Boosting your influence

Jessie was excited to be appointed as chair of the professional practice council in her hospital. She envisioned being able to quickly engage staff…

Break the cycle of stress with PBR3

Only you can relieve your stress, but this little tool can be a big help.

Bringing nursing orientation back to life

Our hospital systems’ journey to obtain Magnet® recognition led to an excellent opportunity: the chance to revamp and improve our nursing orientation program as part…

Building a sense of community on nursing units

Jeff Rawson, a new nurse graduate, works on a behavioral health unit. His manager believes his transition is going well—until Jeff asks to transfer…

Building a strong shared governance foundation

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them…

Building moral resilience to neutralize moral distress

Moral distress occurs when one recognizes one’s moral responsibility in a situation; evaluates the various courses of action; and identifies, in accordance with one’s…

Building Your Communication Skills Part 3

Marjorie Lee North, a consultant for political candidates, physicians, and lawyers, presented these ten tips in her blog on the Harvard University Division of…

By your patients you’ll be taught

When I was 20, I got my first job as a public health nurse for the Philippine National Cross. For a monthly salary of…

Career Wellness

Burnout, stress, and dissatisfaction at work should prompt an evaluation of your career wellness. Several on-the-job strategies can help you re-evaluate your career, cope…

Carefronting: An innovative approach to managing conflict

Nick Chase is an emergency department (ED) charge nurse. He and Michelle Stanley have worked together for the past 3 years. Their relationship has…

Caregiver Resources

Nearly 44 million unpaid caregivers form the backbone of the US chronic and long-term care system. These hard working family members provide care to…

Caregiving for a family member can be difficult

Nursing is my passion. I began to work as a professional caregiver 35 years ago. If I had to make a career choice today,…

Caring during COVID-19

Editor’s note: This is an early release of a web exclusive article for the April 2021 issue of American Nurse Journal. At the bottom…

Caring for a homeless adult with a chronic disease

For homeless people, chronic illnesses can be hard to manage. Here’s what you should know about assessing these patients and developing a practical discharge…

Caring for my best friend

Like many of my colleagues, I became a nurse because of my desire to help people. I wanted to relieve suffering, offer comfort, and…

Caring for older lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender adults

Current discussions on the unique health issues of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations have prompted the healthcare professions to reexamine their mission…

Caring under pressure

Compassion is an essential ingredient for great nursing. Without compassion, you might as well come up with another word for nurse. Recently, I visited…

Cartoonist with a cause

The cartoons of Theresa Garnero, APRN, BC-ADM, MSN, CED, help patients cope with diabetes.

Change maker

Dori Healey is passionate about patient safety, public service, and volunteering. President-elect for American Nurses Association (ANA)-Idaho, Dori Healey, MSN-RN, MBA-HA, CPPS, takes every…

Choosing the right conversation

Learn how to resolve interpersonal clashes by choosing the right type of conversation at the right time.

Choosing the right conversation

It’s 7:10 A.M. Maggie, the night-shift charge nurse, is waiting to give report to Julie, the charge nurse on the next shift. After a…

Choosing your political battles

Mary*, a new manager in the operating room, prides herself on being a strong advocate for her staff, quickly acting on every issue with…

Civility starts with you

Over the last decade, civility has become a hot topic. I got involved with it in 2000, when more than 700 nurses told the…

Clinical experience, poetic expression

A registered nurse since 1982, Terry A. Hess has worked as an Adult Nurse Practitioner at the Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee for…

Clinical humility: A humbled patient care

There’s a story that goes something like this: An elderly man falls down a flight of stairs at home. In the emergency department, he’s…

Cognitive rehearsal

Unprofessional behavior within healthcare organizations, in the form of incivility and bullying, adds more stress to an already stressful environment and also jeopardizes patient…

Collaboration: The key to healthcare transformation

Transforming health care is a complex challenge that can best be met through a coordinated response from academia and clinical practice. Working together, chief nursing officers (CNOs) and…

Collective genius as a tool for engagement and improvement

When bedside caregivers are engaged in their work, patient outcomes are improved, the patient experience is enhanced, and staff satisfaction is high. Most nursing…

Colorful antidotes for a black-and-white world

Janice Spillane, MS, RN, of Ridge, New York, started her career as a critical care nurse, working in an environment she describes as “largely…

Combating change fatigue in today’s healthcare environment

Those who work in the healthcare industry are well aware of its constantly changing landscape. Healthcare institutions are challenged to balance the provision of…

Compassion fatigue risk among skilled nursing facility nurses

Self-care combined with organizational support can aid prevention and resilience. Takeaways: Skilled nursing facility (SNF) nurses caring for older adults experience a variety of…

Compassion fatigue: Are you at risk?

For many of us, nursing isn’t just what we do; it’s who we are. Most of us became nurses because we care about people…

Confronting conflict with higher-ups

Conflict in the workplace is a fact of life, and dealing with it is never easy. Sometimes it seems easier to ignore it and…

Constructive feedback and disciplinary action

The thought of telling someone that he or she is not doing a great job provokes anxiety for many of us. Most of the…

COVID-19 vaccine handling: Maximizing doses and public confidence

The American Nurses Association (ANA) is proud of the leading role nurses play at all levels of the coronavirus pandemic that has shaken the…

Creating high-performance interprofessional teams

Kate Summer, a nurse case manager on a telemetry unit, is leading an initiative to reduce the 30-day readmission rate of older patients with…

Creative wellness: A missing link in boosting well-being

Expressing yourself through the arts can be one of the more enjoyable components of an overall wellness plan. According to the American Public Health…

Cultivating personal courage

Do you see yourself as a victim? Are you hesitant to speak up, even with your well-being at stake? Learn how to be braver…

Day in the Life: Live tweets as a professional tool

Nurses around the world can connect and communicate with each other in more ways than ever before by using social media. Social media is…

Dealing with difficult people

Jackie Jacobs is a charge nurse in a busy intensive care unit. She prides herself on being able to get along well with almost…

Defusing lateral violence and abuse

If you’ve been on the receiving end of this behavior, you need to express your needs and set boundaries assertively.

Eating better to help manage chronic stress

Like many nurses, you may experience stress frequently, both on and off the job. Chronic stress can alter your equilibrium (homeostasis), activating physiologic reactive…

Emotional wellness

A little stress is good for the body and mind to grow and build resilience, but without good stress management techniques and regularly acknowledge…

Empowering nurses to transform health care globally: A United States-Haiti nursing partnership

Since the Magnet® Vision was published in 2008, it has inspired actions by nurses at Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH), a Magnet-recognized academic community hospital…

End workplace violence

Charting a path to zero tolerance April 16, 2021, marked a key milestone in the journey to end workplace violence in healthcare, when the…

Enhance your self-awareness to be an authentic leader

In 2013 alone, U.S. organizations spent more than $15 billion on leadership development activities. Although much of these expenses focus on external programming, including…

Environmental wellness

YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO FAR to experience nature—it can be in your own backyard, a community park, or walking trail. You also can…

Examining nurse comfort eating

Many years ago I found myself standing in the frozen food section flirting with the prospect of buying a mouth-watering strawberry cheesecake. I rationalized…

Exercise your right to be fit!

Nearly all of us—especially nurses—know exercise is good for our physical and mental health. But incorporating it into our busy lives can be a…

Exploring intimacy and mystery in egg tempera

Years of nursing experience provide wellsprings of artistic ideas for Lora Abrador.

Eye of the beholder: Grand rounds at the museum

“What do you see in his eyes?” asks Dr. Rothenberg. After a brief pause, someone replies, “He looks sad.” Another states, “He’s kind of…

Face your fears and forge ahead

Cathleen Wheatley steps up to a challenge. Cathleen Wheatley, DNP, RN, CENP, is president of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston Salem, North…

Facing off against identity theft

Follow this expert’s advice on how to prevent and cope with identity theft.

Faculty role in promoting nursing student health

Nurses have a primary responsibility to promote health in the United States. In this capacity, they serve as role models, educators, and care providers.…

Far from home, bringing smiles to children’s faces

During my three decades as a nurse, volunteering on a medical mission has always been on my “to do” list. In 2005, having finished…

Fighting the effects of nurse fatigue

Have you ever gotten home from a shift and forgotten the journey from the hospital to your house? Are you ever irritable and cranky, but…

Finding meaning after a patient’s death

A common source of stress for nurses in oncology is the death of a patient they’ve cared for over a long time. Relationships develop…

Five credit card traps that can sink you

Anyone who uses credit cards (and who doesn’t) should read this article to learn about universal default and other credit pitfalls that can endager…

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 Florence Nightingale,…

Fostering soft skills is a must for nurse leaders

It’s uncommon for nurse leaders to have to coach employees on clinical skills, but quite common for nurse leaders to coach and even use…

From dream to device: a nurse inventor’s story

As a teenager, Man-Yee (“Karen”) Tsang, BS, RN, CPN, wrote a paper for school that described her desire to be an inventor one day.…

From our readers: Do we really know who our patients are?

Both nurse leaders and educators need to teach and model not only day-to-day nursing skills but the importance of connecting with their patients. In…

From our readers: Harp song — A journey to remember and embrace the heart of nursing

“The aim of all spiritual paths, no matter their origin or the rigors of their practice, is to help us live more fully in…

From our readers: How a ‘45-year-old STEMI’ showed me the human side of nursing

I worked as an emergency medical technician-paramedic for almost 8 years in a rural area before I became a registered nurse. Just before I…

From our readers: How mentorship affects retention rates of new nurses

You likely vividly remember the day you learned you were officially a licensed professional registered nurse. You were excited to be able to apply…

From our readers: My first code—A retrospective report of a premature promotion and a crisis situation

The elevator’s walls were covered in bronze and silver raised metal squares that gave the appearance of a magic eye puzzle and smelled of…

From our readers: Nurses leading from the middle

Nurse leaders are needed at all levels of the organization, especially in “the middle,” which is commonly used to describe mid-level management positions. Middle…

From our readers: On being an oncology nurse, or humble pie by the slice

I came to oncology nursing in 1984 through what I perceived as bad luck; my goal was to get out of the field ASAP.…

From our readers: One nurse’s journey into patienthood

As I lay on the table staring up at the ceiling tiles and waited for my biopsy to begin, I suddenly became keenly aware…

From our readers: One patient’s story

Eric’s* storytelling made a difference in my nursing practice. Eric was a 27-year-old African American patient with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), who was admitted…

From our readers: Power of forgiveness

The author describes the value of forgiveness.

From our readers: Resolving the forces of bias and duty in caring for incarcerated patients

In the nurses’ station of the 39-bed med-surg unit I double-checked my patient’s 2:00 PM medications against the pharmacy sheet and then started down…

From our readers: The art of self-disclosure

One aspect of the “art” of nursing is appropriate self-disclosure. Nurses and other healthcare providers often have an opportunity to share information about their…

From our readers: The guilt suicide leaves behind

Dedicated to John, who was loved by so many

From our readers: Two years after the Sandy Hook tragedy, PTSD remains

As my family got through the second anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, I have felt the need to share what is…

From our readers: What it means to be a nurse

A nurse shares her meaning of nursing.

From our readers: When your parent is the patient

It’s not easy when your parent is the patient. In my 10 years of being a registered nurse, I have learned a lot, seen…

From our readers. . . Is disaster relief nursing for you?

Recently I had the opportunity to provide nursing services after an earthquake disaster in the Caribbean. In this article, I share my insights gained…

From our readers…’Twas the night before…

‘Twas the middle of the semester, halfway through the course I was writing a paper and citing a source. The washer was loaded and…

From our readers…A cycle of caring

It began a long time ago A woman walks through the dark room, with just a candle to light her way The soldiers can…

From our readers…A staff nurse perspective on the IOM Future of Nursing Report

A staff nurse gives his perspective on this important report.

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 was the…

From our readers…Balancing the power in favor of patients

Ms. Sims, a bedside nurse featured by Leah Curtin earlier this year inspired me to write this article. At the behest of others, Ms.…

From our readers…Caring for the world by recycling supplies

I became aware of the acute lack of essential medical supplies when I participated in medical missions work in the Philippines and Honduras. Basic…

From our readers…Creative staffing solutions for floating and low census

Many hospitals have fluctuations in patient volumes that require staffing adjustments. Mercy Hospital in Portland, Maine, is no exception — we were struggling with…

From our readers…Do veteran nurses really eat their young? Observations of an ‘older’ new nurse

After working successfully for more than 20 years as a graphic artist and structural designer, I decided to enter nursing school at the age…

From our readers…How focusing on spiritual needs benefits the nurse

There is no question that in the complex and fast-paced world of healthcare, high levels of stress and tension are just part of the…

From our readers…How my bad experiences with call lights formed my nursing practice

I have been a critical care nurse since 2008. In our unit, patients have call lights, and of course, patients and families want them…

From our readers…How my students kept me teaching

I went to high school in a small New England town at a time when career opportunities for women were just beginning to branch…

From our readers…How to volunteer as a nurse abroad

Azure Window, Gozo, Maltese Islands. When I took the ferry to Gozo, Malta’s sister island, the Azure Window was a nice place to visit. When…

From our readers…Hunger advocacy for nurses

Since the mid-1990s, the number of hungry people worldwide has been steadily increasing. Currently about 925 million people worldwide are hungry—about 1 in 7…

From our readers…I remain in nursing because of you

I remain in nursing because of you. We have yet to meet but, if you are my patient someday, this is what I will…

From our readers…Know your A, B, C, and D’s for patients with progressive disease

“Something’s wrong. We have to fix it quickly!” All of our training and experiences as nurses, such as my almost 30 years as a…

From our readers…Lights, camera, action—and don’t giggle!

The author shares the rewards of creating a video about what telephone triage nurses do.

From our readers…Nonadherent or compassion challenged?

Over the years nurses have labeled patients who choose (knowingly or unknowingly) to disregard instructions that could potentially alter their health condition toward a…

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 Fort Hood…

From our readers…Searching for life with man’s best friend

At the end of another crazy day in our Level 1 Trauma Center the call went out. Our volunteer Search and Rescue (SAR) team…

From our readers…Strengthening nursing networks

Have you ever wondered what happened to the student who studied with you for that beginning med-surg test or the instructor who helped you…

From our readers…Sustaining evidence-based practice initiatives

From our readers…Talking to patients about a “weighty” issue: Are you ready?

As the prevalence of obesity in the United States continues to rise, no doubt more of your patients are having weight issues that complicate…

From our readers…The Companion

Parkinson’s had taken away almost everything she loved. She, the artist, had spent her younger days in the upper rooms of McGuffey painting watercolors…

From our readers…The Dance

Linda Harrington, RNC, works in Labor and Delivery at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, Mission Hills, CA. Below she comments on her experience with…

From our readers…The nature of grief

A wise person once said, “Grief is not a disease or pathology to be cured. Grief is the tangible evidence that we’ve cared and…

From our readers…The secrets of self-nurturing

The foremost Secret to nurturing yourself is to practice caring for yourself. This article focuses on self-nurturing techniques for the body and mind. The…

From our readers…Three elephants for safety

A familiar safety protocol in hospitals is the time-out. Mandated for many invasive procedures, this “work stop” ensures the right site, right procedure, and…

From our readers…Two Poems

Nursing’s Future & Hospital Corridor by Kristina Ibitayo is clinical assistant professor at University of Texas at Arlington College of Nursing. Nursing’s Future The…

From our readers…Value all your skills

Anyone who’s been a nurse for more than 10 years will agree with me: you can make big leaps from specialty to specialty and…

From our readers…What bedside nurses can teach nursing leaders

Five years ago, while working in leadership I had a pivotal conversation with my superior regarding the need to “stop thinking like a bedside…

Frontline nurses and transformational leadership

A key to quality and safety In 2011, the Institute of Medicine called for nurses in all settings and levels of care to be…

Gaining confidence in public speaking

EVA, a professional practice coordinator, and her team of clinical educators are thrilled to learn that their abstract on an iLead in Nursing initiative (Innovation in LEadership…

Getting financially fit

Nursing may have ranked ninth in a study of the 50 highest-paying college majors, but many of us worry about money every day. If…

Give yourself the gift of self-affirmation

We’ve all had days that push us toward the edge. The chaos likely starts around mid-shift and may go something like this: Radiology calls for…

Harold & Bill: An enduring portrait of another era

In 1971, I was attending nursing school and working as an emergency department (ED) orderly. One day, two elderly men came to the ED.…

Have we lost our ability (and our sensitivity) to communicate in healthcare?

Read Donna Cardillo’s October blog here.

Heavy Reading: Inside Nursing

Diversity, equity, and inclusion can’t be authentically incorporated into curricula when faculty assign textbooks that harm those whose health they seek to protect. For…

Helping caregivers cope with death

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

Helping homeless pregnant women: A lesson in hope

For some pregnant women, being home for the holidays means staying at a homeless shelter.

Helping patients adhere to a gluten-free diet

Avoiding gluten isn’t easy. Here’s what you need to know to keep patients compliant with a gluten-free diet.

Helping Sandwich Generation nurses find a work-life balance

If you have at least one parent age 65 or older and are raising children or financially supporting a child age 18 or older,…

How innovation and design thinking can improve care

Empathy and collaboration create opportunities to help vulnerable populations. Takeaways: Design thinking is a problem-solving tool driven by the needs of the targeted population.…

How shall we mourn our dead?

Take your time and follow the path that’s right for you. Since May 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have required nursing…

How to avoid biased thinking

Jessica, a Millennial (Generation Y) nurse working on a medical-surgical unit, recently completed her first year of practice. Ralph, her manager, is pleased with…

How to create “sticky” messages to influence others

Nursing has been ranked as the most trustworthy of all professions for the past decade, except for firefighters after 9/11. Being perceived as trustworthy…

How to ease conflict and experience greater harmony at work

Jeanette manages to beat traffic, clock-in on time, and begin her day. Everything is running smoothly. Then she and another nurse argue over who should…

How to get off the anger-go-round

One of the most complex emotions, anger is a normal response to certain situational triggers. It’s associated with physiologic changes, including increases in heart…

How to give so you also receive

Contribute to your favorite charity and reduce your federal income tax in the process.

How to love and care for yourself unconditionally

Are you able to relax, have fun, and enjoy the simple pleasures of life? Or do you: have trouble falling or staying asleep? smoke,…

How to maintain weight loss successfully

Suggestions based on a 20-year national study. Body weight is a key factor to protect us from chronic disease. Although obese people can lose weight…

How to make (and keep) a New Year’s resolution

More than half of all resolutions fail, but this year The New York Times offers some tips to help you identify the right resolution,…

How to practice mindful nursing

Do you ever feel panic at the end of a long weekend or vacation, wondering where the time went? Do your days, weeks, and…

How to Rebuild America’s Trust During COVID-19

Start with Nursing The COVID-19 pandemic has sent shock waves across the nation. With devastation all around us, people’s lives and livelihoods have been…

How to start your personal exercise program

Getting fitter gets easier when you design your exercise program to suit your needs. A fitness expert tells how to develop a safe and…

How to succeed at floating

If you’ve ever floated, you know the experience can be challenging at times. Wherever you work, you may sometimes feel you don’t have enough hours in the…

How transformational leaders address fear amid COVID-19

You can provide the guidance nurses need. Editor’s note: This is an early release of an article that will appear in the March 2021…

How working nights can work in your favor

Shortly after I completed my master’s degree in nursing, I spoke with my nurse mentor about my career decisions. At the time, I was…

Implementing purposeful daily leadership rounding: A broader approach to measuring quality

Patient satisfaction has long been one way that hospitals measured quality, albeit indirectly. The surgical services division of Rush University Medical Center, an academic…

Imposter syndrome: When you feel like you’re faking it

Colleen Jackson recently was promoted to a clinical manager position on her unit. At first, she was thrilled with the opportunity to advance her…

In good company: Perspectives on sitting with patients

A quick Google search for “patient sitter jobs” yields 47 million results. A similar search for “registered nurse jobs” produces 454 million results. These…

Informal leaders and cultural change

Informal leaders are crucial to the success of a change involving the nursing team, yet they are often overlooked. A literature search of nursing…

Intellectual wellbeing

As a nurse, you probably already do many things that boost your intellectual wellness. You might work with new patients every day, learn about…

Interdisciplinary rounds in the acute care setting: A powerful tool for student nurses

My colleague shook his head skeptically as he said, “I’m not sure the students know what nurses actually do.” The fall semester was coming…

Interwoven art of understanding

Communicating with crochet.

Introverts can be nurse leaders, too

Natalie Sanchez recently was promoted to a nurse manager position. So far, she thinks, things are going well. She is starting to feel comfortable…

Joint Commission releases Sentinel Event Alert in response to COVID-19 pandemic

Healthcare workers struggling, expressing fears Earlier this week, The Joint Commission released a Sentinel Event Alert addressing the fears of healthcare workers and outlining…

Journaling: A valuable tool for registered nurses

Journaling allows you to script feelings and thoughts to better understand yourself and events, as well as cultivate self-compassion and self-awareness.

Keeping your compassion

Have you ever found yourself in the middle of your shift when you make a mistake in the care you’re providing—and you wonder, “Am…

Kick the cigarette habit!

A smoking cessation instructor helps you ditch cigarettes forever. Find out which cessation method suits you best, ways to cope with cigarette cravings, and…

Laugh, nurse, laugh!

Victor Borge, the famous Danish comedian, pianist, and conductor once said, “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.” Infusing laughter and humor into your…

Lead to succeed through generational differences

Chelsea enters the unit chewing gum and texting on her new smart phone. Deb stands there, waiting to get report. Minutes pass as Chelsea…

Leading at the bedside and beyond

A typical definition for a leader is one who has the ability to influence. Florence Nightingale, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King readily come…

Leading the journey: Engaging staff in process improvement through visual management

The pressure is always on in busy clinical settings to improve efficiency, capacity, and patient flow. Strategic process improvement that engages the entire staff…

Leading through failure

I have served as a nurse corps officer in the United States Air Force for 27 years. One of my most useful leadership lessons…

Leading through loss: Lessons for healthcare leaders

One of the most painful experiences for any parent is the death of a child. The family is deeply affected by the loss, and…

Learning from mistakes

Today’s healthcare organizations need to improve patient safety, which includes effectively communicating information to nurses about safety incidents and how to address them. After…

Living a healthy lifestyle

As nurses, we know how to check blood pressure, administer medications, and counsel patients about healthy living. But let’s face it—some of us don’t…

Long-term night shift work increases the risks of common cancers in women

The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) conducted a meta-analysis to identify whether long-term night shift work increased the risks of common cancers in women.…

Look for inspiration in your fellow nurses

In a perfect world, we nurses would be inspired daily by our patient experiences. They would come in such abundance that overtime, computer crashes,…

Maintain weight loss successfully – based on a 20 year national study

Body weight is a key factor to protect us from chronic disease. Although obese people can lose weight through healthy diet, exercise programs, medicine,…

Make fitness fit into your daily routine

You know exercise should be part of your daily routine. But who has the time or the energy? After all, you can hardly find…

Making New Year’s resolutions? Try these tips from Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation™

Many people are eager to turn the page and begin the new year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And, given the added stress on…

Making the workplace healthier, one self-aware nurse at a time

From the disruptive physician throwing instruments or treating nurses with contempt to coworkers or nurse managers “eating their young,” some people and behaviors in…

Managing chronic pain in the elderly

Chronic pain has widespread effects on older adults. This article describes how to help patients manage it.

Managing stress in health care with meditation: Got a minute?

Providing bedside care is stressful, and finding ways to reduce that stress can be difficult in a sometimes chaotic and unpredictable environment. Research shows…

Mantram repetition: A portable, mindful, contemplative practice for the workplace

Have you ever been at work and wanted to be on vacation, instead? Have you ever wished that you could “beam me up, Scotty”…

Meeting your patients spiritual needs

When a patient says, “I’m afraid I’m going to die,” do you offer empty reassurances? Find an excuse to leave the room? Read this…

Memory pegging

Forgetting is frustrating. To make memorizing fun, “peg” each item on your to-do list.

Mindful Appreciation

Tip 6 of 6 Mindfulness Exercises You Can Try Today In this last exercise, all you have to do is notice 5 things in…

Mindful Awareness

Tip 3 of 6 Mindfulness Exercises You Can Try Today This exercise is designed to cultivate a heightened awareness and appreciation of simple daily…

Mindful Breathing

Tip 1 of 6 Mindfulness Exercises You Can Try Today This exercise can be done standing up or sitting down, and pretty much anywhere…

Mindful Immersion

Tip 5 of 6 Mindfulness Exercises You Can Try Today The intention of this exercise is to cultivate contentment in the moment and escape…

Mindful Listening

Tip 4 of 6 Mindfulness Exercises You Can Try Today This exercise is designed to open your ears to sound in a non-judgmental way,…

Mindful Observation

Tip 2 of 6 Mindfulness Exercises You Can Try Today This exercise is simple but incredibly powerful because it helps you notice and appreciate…

Motivational interviewing: A collaborative path to change

Michael had diabetes and a history of elevated blood glucose levels. A long-time drinker, he seemed to have no interest in giving up the…

My First Day in the ED

Note: This article was written before Kenneth graduated from nursing school. My first experience in an emergency department (ED) setting happened last week at…

My Son has Tourette syndrome

Read this nurse’s remarkable story of devotion and acceptance.

My Story: Supporting compassionate connections

Honoring and recognizing patient preferences is an essential component of healthcare delivery. Leverage technology to learn what’s important to your patient across all venues…

Navigating the loss and grief of a nurse suicide

Nurses are drawn together through shared patient experiences, staffing challenges, stressful situations, and positive patient outcomes. Working long hours together, nurses learn about the…

New nursing school graduates: Let the real learning begin

Education continues on the job. Welcome to the 2021 class of nursing school graduates joining our most remarkable profession. You enter the workforce at…

Nine principles of successful nursing leadership

There is an extraordinary quality of spirit that prompts one to aspire to lead. These nine principles will help you tap into that spirit…

Not just “eating our young”: Workplace bullying strikes experienced nurses, too

Even though nursing is a profession of caring and compassion, bullying exists in many forms in it. Bullying threatens teamwork, morale, communication, and, most…

Nurse fatigue: The silent epidemic

Are you getting the recommended 7 to 9 hours of sleep in a 24-hour period? According to ANA Enterprise’s new Healthy Nurse Healthy Nation®…

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 and works…

Nurse heroes of the Pandemic

Nurses share a common theme: Hope. Be prepared, be strong, and don’t panic Crystal Davis Campbell, BSN, RN Staff nurse, medical ICU, Vidant Medical…

Nurse Keith’s Corner: Overcoming 21st Century Angst

When the 21st century dawned several decades ago, the next one hundred years — and the new millennium — were seen as a new beginning, a…

Nurse suicide attempt survivors

Easing back safely to the work environment Frequently, suicide ideation is a manifestation of mental illness, such as depression or anxiety disorder. However, even…

Nurse suicide prevention starts with crisis intervention

We know that suicide rates are higher in nurses than the general population, but we don’t yet know the exact reasons why. However, the…

Nurses in a children’s classroom: Showcasing nursing as a career choice

We would like to share our experiences as yearly participants in our local Hillsborough County Great American Teach-In (GATI). GATI, an annual November event…

Nurses Really are Superheroes! Nurse Alice Introduces “The Vitals”

We did it Joe… NURSES! Voted the most trusted profession (again). Actually, nurses have been voted the most ethical and trustworthy profession per the…

Nurses rising

Recognizing, elevating, and caring for RNs during a pandemic As we celebrated the inauguration of President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the first…

Nurses struggling on the frontline of COVID-19

Innovation is important in maintaining an open-minded perspective on the frontline of healthcare, particularly in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a practicing…

Nurses with disabilities: Know their rights

Registered nurses (RNs) with physical disabilities experience discrimination in the workplace. Researchers have found that nurses with disabilities often leave the nursing profession because…

Nurses’ essential role in supporting professionalism

What does it mean to be a professional? Providing care of the highest technical quality, of course. But professionalism also includes communicating clearly, being selfreflective, and…

Nursing Apps—For Work and Home

The season of gift-giving is upon us, and don’t you think you should start with a few gifts for yourself? The folks at MAS…

Nursing Story Slams: Creating a Space for Nurses To Tell Their Stories

Storytelling is essential to increasing health literacy, empathy, curiosity, and engagement — and who has better stories than nurses? That is why three years ago, we…

Nurturing the tree of life

In the United States, more than 15,000 families a year make the difficult decision to donate their loved ones’ organs. One day in August…

Nutrition for night-shift nurses

Pam has worked the night shift for more than 30 years. Over the last 3 years, she has lost 100 lb—and kept it off.…

On breaking a bone for the first time…at age 59

Look, I’m a nurse, and I’ve probably seen a thousand broken bones in the last 35 years. Well, not actually seen them, but seen…

One-on-one meetings: The stitch in time that saves nine

Remember the last time you had a loose button? Maybe you thought about stopping to sew it on, but never did. Then the button…

Online health information and self-diagnosis

To: Ethics Advisory Board From: Concerned RN Subject: Self-diagnosis During the COVID-19 pandemic, patients are asking me about symptoms they’re experiencing and…

Our future through my review mirror

Turn the troubling events of 2020 into opportunities in 2021. 2020 is finally over! It was a meaningful year because we had the opportunity…

Physical wellness: A must for sustained energy

Nurses are tireless advocates when promoting physical health and well-being for our patients. Yet, in a recent study of 1,790 nurses across the United…

Poetic expression: Verse 2

In her second appearance on this page, nurse and poet Kristina Ibitayo presents three more poems.

Practicing emotional intelligence may help reduce lateral violence

It’s been a stressful day at work — nothing new. Your patient fell, an I.V. line became occluded right when you were ready to…

Principled leadership and the imperative for workplace civility

Civility is not situational. What a leader must manifest all day, every day, is civility, because civility is—or at least should be—an expectation and…

Promoting nurse mental health

Promoting self-caring and healing in your work environment

Make your work environment more soothing and improve your peace of mind by creating an oasis of calm.

Promoting staff interaction to encourage inclusion

Years ago, when I was working at a community hospital, we decided to host a job fair because we were struggling with high vacancy…

Providing ethics consultation in the middle of a pandemic

As a new graduate RN, I was confronted with the case of allowing a natural death for a 6-month old baby girl who survived…

Providing workplace renewal opportunities for nurses

Stress among nurses is caused not only by the demands of clinical care, but also the continual outlay of compassion required to meet the…

Raising awareness about health disparities: A call to action

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised consciousness about health disparities, institutional racism, and diversity, inclusion, and equity (DEI) in the nation. Nurses know these conditions…

Recovery lessons from the Sandy Hook trauma

Children are people with small hearts and big emotions that often come from the people around them, particularly family members. As a pediatric nurse…

Reducing holiday stress

Limiting the stress that comes with the holidays requires a bit of planning. The Cleveland Clinic offers some suggestions built around the activities that…

Reflection

Hair, she mused looking at her reflection, What is it really? Just dead cells growing out of one’s head. Yet, she had spent countless…

Reflections on nursing in Vietnam

Mary Jo Rice-Mahoney, RN, MSN, Colonel U.S. Army, Retired, knows what it’s like to practice nursing in a war zone. She began her military…

Reflections on the heart of nursing

In 1995, I toured the Florence Nightingale Museum in London. On the walls were letters that chronicled a lifetime of dedication, spent caring for…

Reiki: Ancent healing art for today’s new healthcare vision

Perhaps you’ve heard of a complementary therapy called Reiki, or maybe you’ve experienced it yourself. Reiki is one of the fastest-growing energy healing practices,…

Relax with lavender

We all experience a certain amount of stress and anxiety, and in small doses it may even enhance school or job performance. But chronic stress…

Releasing our attachments to the past

Jake, a critical care nursing director, works for a large healthcare system that has invested heavily in testing the use of robots to support…

Resting not regretting

“We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.” — William Shakespeare As informal mentors,…

RNs offer creative solutions to healthcare challenges

Creativity reigned at the second annual NursePitch™, a collaboration between the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, Inc.…

Room with a view: Clutter included?

Your “new” room is now ready—hospital room, that is. Architects are finally designing and redesigning hospital rooms that could match the suites at your…

Safeguarding patients: The courageous communication solution

So how do you get a colleague’s attention when you have a safety concern? The Department of Defense partnered with the Agency for Healthcare…

Safety huddles: A safety net for nurses amid the COVID-19 pandemic

In March 2020, our 31-bed geriatric medical unit was designated the first COVID-19 unit in a teaching hospital located in a New York City…

Scope and standards-of-practice documents: Guiding you to leadership success

Starting a new job in a new specialty can be a daunting experience. I recently transitioned to a new role as a nurse administrator.…

Scrapbooks capture nurses career milestones

For nurse graduates, starting their first staff position is an exciting time, but it can also be a time of apprehension. Many have heard…

Self-management = a balanced life

Follow this formula for success. Takeaways: • Self-management coupled with a wellness approach can mitigate the stress associated with nursing and improve individual nurse…

Shaving as a metaphor for nursing

Over the course of history, people have used metaphors to explain, contrive, reflect, and refute human phenomena. Health care (and all its challenges) has…

Silence and Solace

“We think she’s gone,” he said. It was 6:20 p.m. I was walking down the hall on the med-surg unit, and turned to face…

Simple steps to improve your retirement readiness

PERHAPS, like many nurses, you’ve become quite business savvy over the past few years. Increasing numbers of nurses are responsible for creating unit budgets, forecasting expenses,…

Situational awareness and the Nursing Code of Ethics

In 2015, the American Nurses Association (ANA) revised the Code of Ethics for Nurses (The Code) to better reflect “the complexities of modern nursing,…

Smart pumps, smart management, safe patients

When organizations and clinicians team up, patients are protected. Takeaways: Medication administration errors continue to occur due to mistakes in smart electronic infusion pump…

Social wellness: Nurture your relationships

Social well-being can be defined as our ability to effectively interact with people around us and to create a support system that includes family…

Soul habits

Your outer circumstances don’t need to control your happiness, even when they may not be the most desirable. Being conscious about your thoughts gives…

Spiritual wellness: A journey toward wholeness

Have you ever felt like a “human doing” instead of a “human being”? As we fling ourselves from one activity to another, we sometimes…

Springing into action: How one procedural area kept working during COVID-19

As COVID-19 hit Georgia in early March 2020, Emory University System made the difficult decision to stop all surgeries and procedures unless they were…

Squashing the communication triangle

In the infamous and deadly Bermuda Triangle, things seem to disappear, never to be seen again. In the communication triangle, the opposite is true:…

Staying healthy: Advice for telehealth nurses

Telehealth, telemedicine, and home-based telehealth work have grown dramatically in recent years. These programs enable nurses to provide patient care remotely from a medical office…

Stopping the pain: The role of nurse leaders in providing organizational resources to reduce disruptive behavior

As articles ranging from those in American Nurse Today (“Civility starts with you”) to The New York Times (“When the Nurse is a Bully”)…

Storytelling: Resilience and influence in minutes

During the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses too often are the last and only person in the room when a patient dies. (more…)

Stress busters and sanity savers

How to survive your shift unscathed – with less stress

Stress-Reducing Creativity

While art therapy is its own field, you can use the benefits of art to express your creative side and drawing skills to reduce…

Take time to appreciate the importance of what you do

Lessons learned from 1918 d In 1918, the “Spanish flu” killed most people who were infected. Thanks to the efforts of thousands of researchers…

Taking the first steps to serving on a board

Nurses have a singular perspective on patient care and community health. With our training and experience, we can inform and improve healthcare decisions in…

Tap your way to fast relief

Want to reduce physical and psychological stress? Emotional Freedom Techniques may be able to help.

Tap your way to fast relief

Can symptomatic relief from fear, stress, anxiety, and a laundry list of other ailments really be at your fingertips? The many people who use…

Telling nursing’s stories: Reality or fiction?

“You’re going to do what?” my colleagues asked when I told them I planned to quit my job to write mysteries. I had a…

Ten tips for transitioning from home care nurse to nurse manager

Sarah made the transition from inpatient hospital nurse to home care (HC) nurse 6 years ago. She enjoys her practice and likes helping the…

The Bedpan and its Significance

During the holiday doldrums I came across a 2015 Smithsonian magazine article entitled “The strange saga of George Washington’s bedpan.” The article was a…

The caring-quilting connection

Even if you’re not a quilt connoisseur, you’re sure to appreciate the beauty and handiwork of this nurse’s quilt. Its creator sees profound parallels…

The Difference Between Being Thankful and Being Grateful

In her article on the Odyssey website (a collection of writing from young people), Tessa Masula contemplates what it means to be thankful versus…

The freeing force of laughter

By reciting wacky dialogue from a scene in a Monty Python movie, Mary Delisle, RN, interrupted the negative thought patterns of a patient mired…

The importance of being unreasonable

Nurses, on the whole, are a darn nice group of people. After all, nurses have a reputation for being caring, self-sacrificing, nurturing, hardworking, and…

The joys of journaling and poetic expression

A journalist before becoming a nurse, Kristina Ibitayo has never abandoned her love for writing. Her poems celebrate true friendship and probe life’s possibilities.

The little things we do

In December 2001, the graduating class of New York University’s College of Nursing asked me to give a speech during their pinning ceremony. As…

The mindful nurse

The Most Important Leadership Competencies, According to Leaders Around the World

In a March 2016 article published in Harvard Business Review, certified executive coach Dr. Sunnie Giles explores the top 10 leadership competencies identified by…

The pandemic and early career nurses

Find support, shape the profession via input, action. During the peaks and valleys of the now 15-month COVID-19 pandemic, nurses remain the bedrock of…

The Power of Introverts

Are you an introvert? If so, you may think you don’t have the right personality to be a nurse leader. Susan Cain, the author…

The power of Lean Six Sigma

Lean and Six Sigma are well-established quality improvement tools. Combining the two creates a synergistic effect, boosting effectiveness. In the hospital where I work,…

The power of the positive

Being positive in a negative situation is not naïve. It’s leadership. — Ralph S. Marston, Jr., author and publisher of The Daily Motivator website Nurses may…

The Relentless School Nurse: #NursesAreNotOK

The pandemic has disrupted life as we know it, with no specific end in sight, outside of glimmers of hope with vaccines on the…

The Relentless School Nurse: Feeling simultaneously empowered and disempowered

When I power up the Zoom room for my bi-weekly school nurse support groups, I am never sure who will join me and what…

The Relentless School Nurse: Please SAVE OUR SCHOOLS!

This week my school district announced that four more schools will be closed at the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year. This devastating news…

The ring

A lesson in loss and love.

The selflessness and dedication of military nurses

Thirty years ago, Brigadier General Sarah Wells began the tradition of gathering nurses together to place flowers on the graves of nurses who served in…

The Stories That Never Get Told – Compassion

Compassion and caring at the heart of nursing. It was too late. I could never speak to him again. By the time I was…

The times—and the nursing job market—they are a changin’

Donna Cardillo, MA, RN writes about the nursing job market.

The will to live – and living well

Groucho Marx said, “Marriage is the chief cause of divorce.” When we mentioned this to a friend of ours, he retorted, “Yes—and life is the chief cause…

The wisdom of renewal

We all know people who have become discontent with their careers. And we know people who remain energized, excited, and fully engaged in their…

Therapeutic storytelling in nursing practice

Storytelling is a useful way to promote holistic care. The next time your patient shows poor coping ability, you might want to ask him…

Thinking it through: The path to reflective leadership

Reflective leadership is a way of approaching the work of being a leader by leading one’s life with presence and personal mastery. Learning to…

This nurse writes exceptional verse

Nurse Cortney Davis creates deeply moving poems from the pain and pathos that caregivers encounter every day.

Thoughtful feedback loop: A nurse’s approach to personal and organizational improvement

As a nurse, your partnership with another in the Thoughtful Feedback Loop gives you the power to exponentially increase the rate at which you…

Tips for long-term exercise success

Walking, swimming, cycling, jogging, skiing, aerobic dancing, or any of dozens of other activities can help your heart. They all cause you to feel…

Tired of being tired? Try Pilates!

These basic Pilates exercises will not only make you stronger and more flexible – they will enregize you.

Tired of caring? You may have compassion fatigue

Do you have trouble remembering what drew you to nursing? Do you take alternative paths through the unit to avoid running into a patient’s…

Too young to be a nurse leader?

Marla Johnson began her career on an oncology unit after graduating from a BSN program 4 years ago. She achieved certification and regularly takes…

Touch of kindness

Helping a little victim of sexual assault brings a profound realization.

Unpacking the pounds that weigh you down

How long have you dreamed of losing weight and keeping it off—of what it would feel like to be healthier and have more energy…

Uplifting nurses

Associations respond to member needs in a pandemic. In 2020, what kept me up at night was nurses’ well-being and how they’ve been dealing…

Use it or lose it: Physical fitness for nurses

Chronic lifestyle-related diseases account for most deaths today, with cardiovascular disease the leading cause of all deaths. As you know, a sedentary lifestyle contributes…

Using power skills for personal wellness

Here’s expert advice on how to manage your own self-care.

Viewpoint: Adding respect to freedom of speech

The right to freedom of speech is a common topic in the news, but the reporting often doesn’t include a full discussion of the…

Viewpoint: Caring Science meets Heart Science: A guide to authentic caring practice

Discipline-specific, theory-guided practice models, motivated in part by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s national Magnet program, have led to improved patient care and system…

Viewpoint: Lessons learned from nurses in rural Uganda

It’s still dark outside our tiny pup tent, and the air feels humid after the sudden torrential downpour the evening before. The melodies of…

Violence should not be part of the job

Workplace violence can surprise and overwhelm nurses, leaving them unable to safely provide patient care. A multi-component intervention is needed to effectively prevent and…

Visitor restrictions during COVID-19: ethical considerations

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals across the nation established strict visitor restrictions for all inpatient units, which particularly impacted the pediatric…

Volunteering resources

More than 1.3 billion people across the world lack access to basic healthcare services – mostly because the number of healthcare workers is not…

Walking the labyrinth: An exercise in self-healing

Does your job have you running around in circles? Are you super-stressed out, but too jittery to ease your tension with a sitting meditation?…

Wellness 101: 9 dimensions of wellness

My mom sneezed and had a hemorrhagic stroke right in front of me when I was home alone with her at age 15. She…

What do nurses want?

Twenty-two percent: That’s how many frontline RNs in the United States said, in a response to a recent McKinsey survey, that they may leave…

What every nurse needs to know about the clinical aspects of child abuse

Child-abuse cases can be the most difficult ones for nurses to cope with. But with the right knowledge and tools, you can care for…

What followers want in their nurse leaders

Why would anyone want you to lead them? That’s a question nurses rarely ask themselves before they take on leadership positions. But it’s an…

What have you done for you lately?

For your own good, take time for yourself.

What the mirror doesn’t tell you

“I hate my body.” “I’m such a fat, worthless cow.” “Where did all these gray hairs and wrinkles come from?” “I have total thunder thighs.” “How could anyone find me attractive when…

What to do when someone pushes your buttons

Really is it that some things don’t bother us, while other things catapult us from an emotional 0 to 60 mph in a heartbeat?…

What you can learn from failure

Editor’s note: At American Nurse Today, we believe every nurse can be a leader. Rose Sherman, founder of the Emerging RN Leader blog (www.emergingrnleader.com),…

When caregiving ignites burnout – New ways to douse the flames

Most nurses enjoy taking care of others — it’s what drew them into their profession and provides satisfaction throughout their careers, to varying degrees.…

Who are you?

You probably have many labels—nurse, wife, mother, sister, aunt (or husband, son, father, brother, uncle), neighbor, or volunteer, for instance. But who are you—really?…

Why disruption can be a good thing

Seventy-two seconds into liftoff, a defective mechanical part set off a string of events that caused the Challenger space shuttle to tear apart as…

Why quitting is hard

Kate Sheldon is the director of acute care services in a medical center that’s part of a larger system. She recently completed her doctorate…

Why timing is crucial in leadership

For the last 2 years, Karen, the manager of a critical care unit, has been laying the groundwork for her unit to apply for…

Writing for good health

If you asked nurses how they reduce job stress, you probably wouldn’t expect them to reply, “By writing.” In fact, a recent research study…

You can help stop the cycle of teen bullying

Bullying refers to repeated negative activity or aggression intended to harm or bother someone that the aggressor perceives as less powerful. In many cases,…

You deserve a healthy lifestyle

Practical advice on weight management for nurses.

You make a difference

Honoring nurses and our profession in May This Nurses Month, we honor RNs for their skillful, creative, and compassionate care during the most significant…

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