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compassion
The first time I heard “It’s not in my job description” invoked was during an interaction with a colleague in my very early days as an RN. Although…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Your most powerful message has nothing to do with words.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Strengthening compassion may help you avoid burnout. Nurses, we’re told, are fundamentally compassionate people. In fact, nurse burnout could be defined as the loss of compassion. So, it…
Adam* was 63 years old and suffering with emphysema. As I followed the trail of his oxygen tubing into the kitchen, he and his wife Betty greeted me…
If you’ve been on the receiving end of this behavior, you need to express your needs and set boundaries assertively.
Our editor-in-chief turns a spotlight on faith and community partnerships.
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…
“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…
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…
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…
My patient is terminally ill. There may be a treatment, but it isn’t FDA approved. Do patients have a right to try investigational treatments, and what are the…
December turns our hearts and minds to the holiday season. We juggle work time and family demands to prepare for holiday celebrations. We reflect on the diversity of…
Nursing is a rewarding profession based on caring, giving, helping, and educating. It involves caring for others, from beautiful newborns to pain-wracked hospice patients. It involves giving of…
In the Army I learned what it meant to never give up as well as what it meant to succeed. I quickly mastered my mind and body to…
For some pregnant women, being home for the holidays means staying at a homeless shelter.
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.
Hospitals seeking to raise their HCAHPS score should focus on old-fashioned values—courtesy, kindness,respect, discipline, and commitment.
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…
Ari Mahler, a Jewish nurse who treated suspected Pittsburgh synagogue shooter Robert Bowers when he was brought to Allegheny General Hospital with multiple wounds, is sharing his side of…
As this nurse leader explains, communicating with compassion is always the best option. Interview by Apryl Motley “Be kind whenever possible, and it is always possible.” For Rose Constantino,…
A special holiday message from our editor-in-chief.
Cultural awareness can lead to better outcomes.
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…
From the U.S. to Uganda, in sleek American hospitals and makeshift Afghan clinics, nurses give of themselves to transform lives. Compelled by a deep passion to aid people…
Our time in this life is perhaps the most important gift we enjoy.
Commitment and compassion can do more to transform health care than any competitive business model can.
Nurses have a legal duty. Communication is the bedrock of patient care. If a patient can’t comprehend the care being provided or the clinician can’t understand what the…
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…
Schwartz Rounds® provide a structured forum for members of the interprofessional healthcare team (clinical and nonclinical) to share their vulnerability and openly discuss their feelings about working in…
“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…
Jeannine Rivet’s legacy developed one leap of faith at a time. This article is available to American Nurses Association members and ANJ subscribers only. Already a member? Log…
The author explores ethical questions about caring for a baby with profound birth defects and offers a nursing answer.
An ethical will serves as a vehicle for distilling a lifetime of wisdom and relaying messages of hope and love.
Discovery of the “God particle” reinforces both the standard model of particle physics and the quantum model.
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,…
In the late 1960s, psychologist Abraham Maslow was moved by the kindness of the nurses and nursing students he encountered when hospitalized for heart disease. Curious about why…
Quantum physics suggests that if you hang around happy people, you’ll be happier.
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…
Helping a little victim of sexual assault brings a profound realization.
Takeaways: Correctional nursing is a growing specialty that’s evolving to meet the needs of incarcerated populations in a variety of settings. People who are incarcerated need compassionate nurses…
Is it incivility, horizontal violence, bullying, ageism, policy failure or racism? It’s difficult to comprehend the lack of compassion and humanness from one nurse to another. It happened…
A ROADMAP involves patients and families in the plan of care
This electronic tool keeps patients and families informed on key aspects of care.
Above and beyond bed bath
The first time I heard “It’s not in my job description” invoked was during an interaction with a colleague in my very early days…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 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…
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…
Compassion: A nurse’s primary virtue
Strengthening compassion may help you avoid burnout. Nurses, we’re told, are fundamentally compassionate people. In fact, nurse burnout could be defined as the loss…
Contemplation, connection, collaboration: Keys to compassionate spiritual care
Adam* was 63 years old and suffering with emphysema. As I followed the trail of his oxygen tubing into the kitchen, he and his…
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.
Faith, community, and health: Partnerships with good neighbors
Our editor-in-chief turns a spotlight on faith and community partnerships.
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…
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…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 the Ethics Box: Right to Try
My patient is terminally ill. There may be a treatment, but it isn’t FDA approved. Do patients have a right to try investigational treatments,…
Gifts that keep on giving
December turns our hearts and minds to the holiday season. We juggle work time and family demands to prepare for holiday celebrations. We reflect…
Health, safety, & wellness
Nursing is a rewarding profession based on caring, giving, helping, and educating. It involves caring for others, from beautiful newborns to pain-wracked hospice patients.…
Helping hands of nurses
In the Army I learned what it meant to never give up as well as what it meant to succeed. I quickly mastered my…
Helping homeless pregnant women: A lesson in hope
For some pregnant women, being home for the holidays means staying at a homeless shelter.
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…
Improving HCAHPS scores the old fashioned way
Hospitals seeking to raise their HCAHPS score should focus on old-fashioned values—courtesy, kindness,respect, discipline, and commitment.
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…
Jewish nurse who treated Pittsburgh synagogue shooting suspect ‘didn’t see evil’
Ari Mahler, a Jewish nurse who treated suspected Pittsburgh synagogue shooter Robert Bowers when he was brought to Allegheny General Hospital with multiple wounds, is…
Leading with kindness
As this nurse leader explains, communicating with compassion is always the best option. Interview by Apryl Motley “Be kind whenever possible, and it is always…
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,…
Nurses caring and sharing
From the U.S. to Uganda, in sleek American hospitals and makeshift Afghan clinics, nurses give of themselves to transform lives. Compelled by a deep…
Pooling the power of goodness to create change
Commitment and compassion can do more to transform health care than any competitive business model can.
Providing effective communication to patients who are deaf or hard of hearing
Nurses have a legal duty. Communication is the bedrock of patient care. If a patient can’t comprehend the care being provided or the clinician…
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…
Schwartz Rounds: Self-care at its finest
Schwartz Rounds® provide a structured forum for members of the interprofessional healthcare team (clinical and nonclinical) to share their vulnerability and openly discuss their…
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…
Take the chance
Jeannine Rivet’s legacy developed one leap of faith at a time. This article is available to American Nurses Association members and ANJ subscribers only.…
The Babies Doe: Finding middle ground
The author explores ethical questions about caring for a baby with profound birth defects and offers a nursing answer.
The ethical will: A loving legacy
An ethical will serves as a vehicle for distilling a lifetime of wisdom and relaying messages of hope and love.
The Higgs boson particle glues it together, but we give it meaning
Discovery of the “God particle” reinforces both the standard model of particle physics and the quantum model.
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 Maslow effect: A humanist legacy for nursing
In the late 1960s, psychologist Abraham Maslow was moved by the kindness of the nurses and nursing students he encountered when hospitalized for heart…
The quantum edge: Emotional contagion
Quantum physics suggests that if you hang around happy people, you’ll be happier.
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…
What to expect from correctional nursing
Takeaways: Correctional nursing is a growing specialty that’s evolving to meet the needs of incarcerated populations in a variety of settings. People who are…
When the culture of compassion fails in nursing
Is it incivility, horizontal violence, bullying, ageism, policy failure or racism? It’s difficult to comprehend the lack of compassion and humanness from one nurse…
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