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5 benefits of digital care management

A typical encounter within the healthcare system can be overwhelming and complicated, depending on the patient’s health condition. For example, imagine a patient with a cancer diagnosis, declining…

8 lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic

Clinical nurse specialists share experiences on how the pandemic and social distancing are highlighting the CNS role. The “new normal” resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the…

A little humor please

Laughter is a way of dealing with life’s stressors. Learning how to use humor to enrich our personal and professional lives can benefit us in our roles as…
active engagement

Active nursing professional engagement

Find your voice and trust your instincts.  Takeaways: Actively engaged nurses experience less burnout and contribute to better patient care. Active engagement requires champions with nursing and administration.…

Be a coach for novice nurses

The transition from the educational setting to the practice setting can be intimidating. Make it easier by guiding novice nurses.

Being the nurse in the family

Define your role when a family member is ill, and then apply that experience in your practice. Takeaways: Most nurses experience being the “nurse in the family” when…
thank you gift patient giving

Beyond a box of chocolates

Often, patients and families express their gratitude for a special nurse’s outstanding care with spoken thanks or heartfelt commendations written to a nursing supervisor. Some even offer a…
gift patient gratitude thanks acceptance

Beyond a box of chocolates

Often, patients and families express their gratitude for a special nurse’s outstanding care with spoken thanks or heartfelt commendations written to a nursing supervisor. Some even offer a…

Beyond customer service

Many nurses don’t like to hear their patients called “customers” or be told to provide “customer service.” This expert explains how to lose the lingo and adapt the…

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 to another unit. When…

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 Continuing Education Professional Development…

Care, not chaos

A new document created by ANA and other groups delineates emergency care principles for psychiatric patients.

Carrots and sticks

The Stick—penalties for excess readmissions Is your hospital on the list? Starting this month, over 2,200 hospitals are forfeiting up to 1% of their base Medicare payments as…
confrontation talking conversation

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 long night in the…
What is civility

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 Maryland Commission on the…

Communication for coordination

Key takeways – Communication across the continuum of care is more than “just read my notes.” – Consistent communication is key to safe, effective patient care. – Interdisciplinary…

Compassion holds everything together

Despite our physical separation from each other, we’re still all connected and react to what happens to each other. Compassion is the unifying force that holds it all…
compassionate connections

Compassionate Connections

Improve outcomes, promote trust, and keep patients safe. Takeaways: Creating meaningful, compassionate connections with patients can improve outcomes, promote trust, and help patients feel safe while their hospitalized.…

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 hope it will take…
consistent quality communication

Consistent, quality communication

Nurses help lead efforts on safe patient handoffs and transfers Note: This is the first of two articles in a series looking at nurses’ contributions in addressing patient…

Create better communications

Communicating assertively is a learned skill. Use the “look, think, and act” model to evaluate and improve your communication skills.

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 everyone on her team.…
support nurse

Do you remember when?

It’s time for new nursing graduates to join your work environment. Will you be a supportive colleague of their entry into the profession? Will you go out of…
Documenting Dilemmas

Documenting dilemmas via email

Use this simple acronym to get results.  Takeaways: When faced with a workplace dilemma, communication is key to achieving resolution. Clear communication requires emotional intelligence. Documenting communication should…

Does your workplace culture need CPR?

If you suspect your workplace culture is “ill,” assessment is a crucial first step. Using an established assessment tool can help ensure more thorough data collection.
effective-peer-review

Effective peer reviews in 3 easy steps

Most well-respected journals are peer reviewed, although controversy exists as to its true value. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), which publishes “ICMJE Recommendations for the…

Environement, health, and safety

Bullying is an abusive behavior that threatens the safety of healthcare workers. Nurses should examine their own interactions to see if they are exhibiting this undesirable behavior.

Fighting the war on dogma

Want do away with outdated dogma in your workplace? Learn how to present an effective case for changing the current thinking.

Forgive us our trespasses

When Archbishop Desmond Tutu, chairman of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Committee, speaks of Nelson Mandela, he insists Mandela has always been a free man because he was…
The art of self-disclosure

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 own health to help…

How to deliver bad news

Healthcare providers often must give bad news to patients and families. Doing this in a direct, concise, compassionate way is a skill that equired practice.
job new fast goodwill prepared

How to fit in fast at your new job

If you’re looking for a new position in nursing, you have lots of company. According to a CareerBuilder.com survey, 32% of nurses plan to change jobs within a…

Improved surgical communication reduces communication breakdowns

An intervention to improve surgical communication led to “significant reductions in potentially harmful communication breakdowns” according to May’s Annals of Surgery. Ready more at http://journals.lww.com/annalsofsurgery/Abstract/2011/05000/A_Policy_based_Intervention_for_the_Reduction_of.1.aspx

Improving clinician-patient communication

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recently released a discussion paper that offers principles on effective communication to guide nurses, physicians, social workers, and others working to provide the…

Interacting with individuals on the autism spectrum

Successful care depends on communication with patients, families, and caregivers. Takeaways: Optimizing health encounters for patients on the autism spectrum (ASD) requires an individualized approach. Understanding similarities among…

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 with her new role…

Issues up close

Family nurse practitioner (FNP) and nurse-midwife Karen Holder, FNP-BC, CNM, MHS, sees patients at a large primary care clinic in Flagstaff, Arizona, as well as at small satellite…

Linguistics in healthcare: Why it matters

MK Hedrick is a former colleague of mine who works in healthcare market research. When we worked together, we were tasked with trying to understand the ins and…

Mindful speaking

As nurses we deliver crucial care to patients. We help to support families in times of distress, welcome new life into the world, and help provide care at…
organizational politics political listen selfaware relationships help promote

Navigating organizational politics

Editor’s note: At American Nurse Today, we believe every nurse can be a leader. This article is the first in a series by Rose Sherman, founder of the…

Nurses’ essential role in supporting professionalism

Key takeaways – Most nurses behave professionally and ethically. – A tiered approach to intervention when unprofessional behavior occurs offers the opportunity for self-directed, nonpunitive change that prevents…
Gelinas_Future-nurse-in-2021

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 to celebrate The Year…
Presenting yourself professionally as a nurse

Presenting yourself professionally

What do your first 12 words, your first 12 steps, and your top and bottom 12″ say about you? Find out how the “rule of 12” can help…
professional networking social media network

Professional social networking for nurses

WHEN MY GRANDPARENTS were children, they communicated in person or by letter. In my parents’ generation, the telephone became popular. Today, much of our communication takes place through…

Professionals, pyramids, and Peter Pan

If only it were this simple: Nurses get 8 hours of sleep every night, perfect work schedules are in place with all shifts filled by competent staff, and there’s…
Protecting yourself from malpractice claims

Protecting yourself from malpractice claims

As nursing practice becomes more autonomous, nurses are becoming more vulnerable to lawsuits. Learn how to avoid being sued for malpractice and what to do if you are…

Research consent forms still too complex

A study of 124 consent forms used in HIV network trials sponsored by the National Institutes of Health found that the average readability was 9.2 grade level, with…

Self-mutilation: The cutting truth

People who mutilate themselves excel at hiding their injuries. Find out how to identify self-mutilators and nurture their trust.
seven-steps-conversations

Seven steps for having difficult conversations

This simple guide can facilitate interactions. Takeaways: Be open minded when having a difficult conversation. Practice self-reflection to prepare for difficult conversations. Seek to understand and collaborate; keep…

Snakes at the nursing station

It’s not easy, but confrontation is your best response to a backstabbing coworker who specializes in sabotage or an overbearing bully with an itch for intimidation.

Soul habits

Use your mind and body to support your soul. Takeaways: Your outer circumstances don’t need to control your happiness, even when they may not be the most desirable.…
communication disconnect triangle norms drama conflict avoid unclear clear

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: Emotions and unintended messages…

Strategies for effective patient communication

Communication is an exchange of information between two persons—a sender and a receiver. But it doesn’t end there. Feedback is an essential component because it closes the loop…
unreasonable reasonable important nice standup

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 honest. So why don’t…
mentor protege relationship career job

The many merits of mentoring

Have you ever felt unsure about your next career step or just needed advice from a more seasoned professional? Natalie Murphy, co-author of this article, felt that way…
mentor mentoring mentee merits

The many merits of mentoring

Have you ever felt unsure about your next career step or just needed advice from a more seasoned professional? Natalie Murphy, co-author of this article, felt that way…

Touch of kindness

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

Transport teams and patient handoff reports

Patient safety requires complete communication. Takeaways: To protect patients, referring organizations, and transport professionals, a patient care report suitable to the scope of practice of the transport professional…

Trusting the process

By Nurse Nacole I’ve trained many new nurses, ranging in age and nursing experience, and I’ve seen some individuals have issues with trusting the learning process. As people,…

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 important one, because if…
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Your journey to authentic leadership

Our trajectory as nurse leaders frequently begins when someone notices our clinical acumen and informal leadership skills. We’re handed a set of keys to an office and asked to…

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