Eloise Richardson

Remembering Eloise Richardson

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

Specialized nursing care for times of greatest need

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

Multitasking: Gift or Nursing’s Curse?

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

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 (STIs). This concern is especially significant for gonorrheal infections because antibiotic resistance already exists. Understanding antibiotic…

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 and anxious. She also describes her heart as “fluttering” at times. After placing leads and electrodes…

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 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.

Reducing orthostatic hypotension

Significant challenges to early mobilization after joint replacement include postoperative orthostatic hypotension (OH), a sustained reduction in the systolic blood pressure of…

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…

Investing in innovation

When nurses get support for their ideas, creativity thrives It all starts with a problem to solve. Nurses design workarounds, rethink processes,…

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 days. His medications include oral hydrochlorothiazide, oral cholecalciferol, oral atorvastatin, and subcutaneous teriparatide. The ED nurse…

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 mechanical ventilation due to acute hypoxic respiratory failure. He also developed an acute kidney injury secondary…

Aspiration: Blocking the airway

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

Acute dystonic reaction

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

Cystic fibrosis

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

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…

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…

Progress and promise

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

Caring for veterans

Strategies to understand and support health goals Veterans have distinct determinants of health related to their military service and occupational exposures. With more veterans…

Support planetary health

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

EBP, QI, and IS

Some use the terms evidence-based practice (EBP), quality improvement (QI), and implementation science (IS) interchangeably. However important differences exist. Clinicians must understand…
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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 met the trial’s eligibility criteria told me that he was enrolling regardless of what the informed…

Everyday ethics: Balancing beliefs with care

I’m a nurse in a med–surg unit. A patient I recently cared for who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis decided to voluntarily stop eating and drinking (VSED) because she wanted to avoid death from disease progression. I consider this suicide and…

Everyday ethics: Privacy and trust

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

Everyday ethics: Prioritizing patients

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

Ethics in everyday care

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

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…

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…

Why human flourishing matters in nursing

I had the honor of serving on the expert panel entrusted with the 2025 revision of the Code of Ethics for Nurses. Amid a vast constellation of concerns, one concept stood out for its quiet gravity and elusive power: human…

The case of the vanishing stethoscope

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

Managing end-of-life symptoms

For patients nearing death, palliative care can enhance quality of life by easing pain and other symptoms, improving sleep, and reducing fatigue.…

Pediatric malignant hyperthermia

Daniel Sanchez*, an 8-year-old boy, arrives in the pediatric recovery unit after an appendectomy. You note that his electronic health record (EHR)…

Stopping a downward spiral

For a patient with chronic heart failure, failure to take prescribed diuretics triggers a perilous chain of events
alzheimer disease brain testing

Take Note – March 2007

Previous hospital-room occupants may spread MRSA and VRE The risk of acquiring methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) infections increases…

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.