Female external urinary catheters: A nurse-led intervention

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

Nitrous oxide: Myths and misconceptions

Nitrous oxide (N2O) has been used as an analgesic during childbirth since the late 1800s, almost exclusively outside of the United States, until it resurfaced around 2011. A resurgence in use, coupled with widespread lack of knowledge about the modality,…

Intellectual and developmental disabilities: Nurse advocacy

Healthy People 2030 calls for the improved health and well-being of those with disabilities. The World Health Organization notes that 25% of the U.S. population lives with a disability; globally, the number is close to 1.3 billion (16% of the…

Who handles the handling?

Healthcare organizations that have implemented effective safe patient handling and mobility programs report a reduction in healthcare worker injury rates related to manual patient handling. In addition, organizations with early mobility programs report a decrease in harm associated with immobility…

Webinars

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Current Journal

Assembly matters

Discussion and decisions that guide the profession Jennifer-Mensik-Kennedy An important part of serving as president of the American Nurses Association (ANA)—and one…

Implementation of a discharge lounge

Patient throughput from the emergency department (ED) to time of discharge remains a national priority across healthcare systems. Efficient patient flow helps…

Continuing Education

ESCAPE from delirium

Falls in hospitals frequently coincide with delirium, a common yet sometimes unrecognized comorbidity among geriatric patients. Delirium is characterized by sudden, rapid cognitive impairment (distinct from the gradual onset of disorders like dementia) and fluctuating levels of attention and awareness.…

Naloxone education for nursing staff

In 2021, 4 years after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that over 75% of overdose deaths in the United States involved…

STIs: Antibiotic resistance and treatment challenges

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

Premature ventricular complexes

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

ESCAPE from delirium

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

STIs: Antibiotic resistance and treatment challenges

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

Premature ventricular complexes

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

Education and Career Guide

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

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Rapid Response

Alpha-gal syndrome

Lydia Ryan*, a 67-year-old woman, arrives at the ED in distress. She tells Jason, the ED triage nurse, that about 3 hours after eating beef nachos, she began experiencing stomach discomfort, headache, an extremely itchy raised rash “all over,” and…

Pericarditis

Pericarditis, an inflammation of the pericardial sac, typically occurs as a result of a viral infection. It’s most common in men between 20 and 50 years of age and affects 5% of patients who arrive in the ED for non-ischemic…

Malignancy-induced hypercalcemia

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

Acute myeloid leukemia

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

Aspiration: Blocking the airway

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

Alpha-gal syndrome

Lydia Ryan*, a 67-year-old woman, arrives at the ED in distress. She tells Jason, the ED triage nurse, that about 3 hours…

Pericarditis

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

Malignancy-induced hypercalcemia

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

Acute myeloid leukemia

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

Nursing science and shrinking support

Before she reaches the room, the nurse hears Olivia’s* wheezing. It’s spring tilling season in the rural community, and dust and agricultural debris fill the ED with patients struggling to breathe. The nurse steadies the nebulizer against 7-year-old Olivia’s face.

Ending microaggressions

Guidance for recognition and response to subtle yet damaging harms. Microaggressions in nursing and patient care remain under-identified and under-addressed yet have ethical significance…

Hair For You

Performing scalp and hair assessment is an integral part of patient-centered nursing practice. While frequently overlooked, missing this care may result in physical harm…

Reducing orthostatic hypotension

Significant challenges to early mobilization after joint replacement include postoperative orthostatic hypotension, which can adversely affect patient experience, participation in physical therapy,…

Progress and promise

The American Nurses Association (ANA) Innovation Awards recognize nurses who are creating change from the inside out, not only for themselves, but…
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From the Ethics Inbox

Everyday Ethics: Supporting cultural values and health equity

I work in the obstetrics department of a community hospital. Our patients include immigrants and refugees who don’t speak English and have cultural practices and beliefs that impact how we provide healthcare. Recently, a patient’s cultural beliefs allowed for only…

Everyday ethics: Hear something, say something

Recently, I witnessed something that made me uncomfortable. I was surprised when one of my more senior nurse colleagues referred to a newly graduated nurse on the unit using a derogatory and offensive term. What should I do in a…

Everyday ethics: Informed consent

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

Everyday ethics: Privacy and trust

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

Everyday ethics: Informed consent

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

Perspectives

Nurse working on manuscript

Share your wisdom through publication

Clinical nurses are expert practitioners with deep content knowledge derived from their clinical experiences. They excel at problem-solving, innovation, and effective approaches…
Nurse with family member in hospital

Dear Future Nurse,

First, let me welcome you—not just into a profession, but into a lifelong calling. Nursing is more than a career. It is…

My Nurse Influencer

Students with bananas

Why I bring bananas to class

I’m a nursing faculty member teaching undergraduates. Each week, during our long lecture, I bring a few dozen bananas to class for students to help themselves during the break. The first time I did this, the students looked at each…
Students with bananas

Why I bring bananas to class

I’m a nursing faculty member teaching undergraduates. Each week, during our long lecture, I bring a few dozen bananas to class for…

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…

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…
Implementing trauma-informed care

Implementing trauma-informed care 

Childhood trauma can result in severe mental and physical consequences that reverberate throughout a person’s life. Despite the widespread occurrence of childhood…

Touch of kindness

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

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

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