perspectives Archives

perspectives

8 lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic

December 8, 2020

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…

Washington, D.C. | U.S.A. - Jun 11th, 2022: March for Our Lives: National Protest Against Gun Violence, for Gun Control

A call to action: How we can reduce school shootings

September 30, 2024

What’s the closest school to you that’s experienced a shooting? Is it the school that your children have attended? Statistically speaking, a school shooting has occurred within only…

AI is transforming healthcare: Nurses need a seat at the table.

July 31, 2024

As an RN with over 29 years of experience, I’m used to working in chaotic clinical environments, and I rely on rigorous routines and battle-tested protocols to ensure…

An epidemic amidst a pandemic: A call for self-care for nurses

August 11, 2021

The World Health Organization recognized 2020 (extended to 2021) as the Year of the Nurse, and nurses have certainly showed up! Amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, nurses are…

Nurse giving medication to patient with obesity

An ethical concern: Frustration with obesity manifesting as frustration with the person

June 25, 2024

Obesity is a major public health concern that frustrates healthcare providers. However, do we allow our frustration with the disease to spill out as frustration with the person…

An integrative approach to healing the overworked, weary, or traumatized nurse

April 11, 2022

If you are among many nurses who feel overworked, weary, traumatized, overwhelmed, anxious, irritable, sad, angry, isolated, lonely, or depressed, this article was written for you. If you…

As a former school nurse, I can tell you how the 119th Congress can help the teen mental health crisis through school-based legislation

March 14, 2025

The 119th Congress can make a difference in our nation’s youth mental health crisis by passing two previously introduced bills that would make an immediate and future impact…

Be your own nurse: Advice from first year RNs

September 21, 2022

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with RNs finishing a year-long nurse residency in oncology. I asked them what advice they had for a group of clinical…

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…

Choosing Genetic Testing: The Science and Patient Experience

September 26, 2022

I’ll never forget the sound of my mom’s voice when she called to tell me she had cancer. She was struggling to get the words out, choking back…

Closing beds to save money: How are some hospitals addressing the nursing shortage?

February 19, 2025

Hospital beds are in high demand due to the public’s growing need for acute care services. However, many hospitals have a shortage of nurses, forcing them to take…

Communication with healthcare providers shapes the journey of expectant mothers

November 21, 2024

Julia Perry*, a 30-year-old woman with a history of three early miscarriages, is 5 weeks pregnant and seeing a fertility specialist for a first transvaginal ultrasound. A nurse…

COVID-19 Survival Tip #1: Time to disconnect

December 14, 2020

We live in a world where many people are attached to their electronic devices. Like a fetus attached to their mother via an umbilical cord, these individuals believe…

Figure No. 1: The Social theory NURSING Acronym

Critical Theory: NURSING acronym

September 24, 2024

In nursing, Critical Theory is used to analyze and challenge the structure of power, politics, and injustice, particularly within health systems. It encourages nurses to investigate and change…

Nursing student grieving after the death of a patient

Dealing with Death as a Nursing Student

September 1, 2023

Death is common in the hospital but nursing students are rarely prepared to deal with it. Although death is a natural part of life, it’s typically not talked…

Did you have a lot of patients? Did you have a lot of patience?

September 13, 2023

Beginning your career as a nurse can present challenges. You may feel anxious and fearful. Can you adapt and progress with the tasks at hand, or do you…

Diversity to include students with disabilities

March 26, 2025

Diversity in the nursing profession begins with the hiring process, but needs to be addressed at the university level and include and support those with disabilities. Bringing awareness…

A view from Ravi Salgia’s house on Jan. 7 before the oncologist and his family fled to safety in less than seven minutes. Salgia doesn’t know whether his home is still standing. (Ravi Salgia)

Doctors, nurses press ahead as wildfires strain Los Angeles’ healthcare

January 13, 2025

A view from Ravi Salgia’s house on Jan. 7 before the oncologist and his family fled to safety in less than seven minutes. Salgia doesn’t know whether his…

Nurse using AI to complete routine tasks

Embracing AI in nursing: A path to enhanced care and professional growth

May 30, 2024

In April, a California hospital was the scene of a protest by nurses concerned about publicly stated plans to integrate AI into patient care. Protesters voiced concern about…

Nurse scheduling a shift using her phone using an on-demand nursing platform

Enhancing hospital workforce stability through innovative practices

September 10, 2024

Attracting and retaining skilled nursing staff are a crucial focus for healthcare organizations across the country, demanding substantial operational effort and financial resources. The national hospital turnover rate,…

Enhancing rural health through expanded APRN scope of practice

February 13, 2025

Rural American communities frequently struggle to provide adequate primary care services due to limited healthcare facilities and a shortage of qualified professionals. Advanced practice RNs (APRNs) are highly…

nurse talking to patient about obesity management

Focus on obesity treatment for lasting lifestyle change

April 1, 2024

Change is difficult. Many individuals made New Year’s resolutions surrounding diet and physical activity, but 4 months into 2024, some have begun to falter. Anyone who’s tried to…

Food for thought: Heal well

July 27, 2021

As nurses, we often say to our patients, “Good luck at home” or “Take care and good luck.” Luck—it’s a funny word. If our patients had luck, would…

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 Retirement to Preferment: Crafting Your Next Chapter

August 5, 2024

Is it time for your next chapter? If you’re like me, you’re looking for good news that includes fulfillment and flexibility in our later years. Enter preferment, a…

Laura Swoboda at the European Gaza Hospital

From the Midwest to the Middle East

June 14, 2024

In the light from the hospital courtyard where refugees were cooking and doing laundry, I read the dedication in War Surgery, a book by the International Red Cross…

From three 12s to the 9-to-5: How to go from surviving to thriving in the corporate world

April 1, 2025

For almost a decade, my professional life centered around 12-hour shifts, the non-stop beeping of monitors, and programming I.V. pumps. I worked in critical care, where you move…

How can nurses partner with environmental engineers to scale-up caring in the Anthropocene? Through Nursing Is STEM, as V-shaped professionals, or more?

May 16, 2024

One way nurses can scale-up care is through convergence to form V-shaped professionals. Convergence is defined as transdisciplinary collaboration to solve vexing challenges. In a V-shaped profession, two…

How Curiosity About HIV/AIDS Led to Writing and Serving

September 3, 2024

Think outside of your own perceived box of what it means to be a professional nurse and consider how to impart improved healthcare through the written or spoken…

How to write a teaching philosophy

July 31, 2024

Have you ever applied for a position in academic nursing education, only to find that in addition to your curriculum vitae (CV) and cover letter you also need…

Hurricane Ian’s Impact: Working the Frontline Before and After a Natural Disaster

December 21, 2022

Wednesday morning, Sept. 28, 2022, we had emptied the emergency department out in anticipation of hurricane Ian. The slow trickle of patients seeking care seemed to come to…

I failed—now what? Seven steps to getting past failure

October 28, 2020

You’re a go-getter when it comes to your licensure or certification, spending hours each day preparing for a test vital for your career. You’re determined to place new…

I remember: Reflections of a hospice nurse

March 14, 2025

As I drive down the road I pass familiar houses. The homes flood me with memories. I remember the faces. I remember the look in your eyes. The…

Improve the patient experience: STAT

January 23, 2023

As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, the damage it has left in its path will take years to clean up. Just like with any other catastrophic disaster,…

In a manner of speaking: Overheard bedside conversations

October 27, 2020

English is not my first language. And anyone who adopted a second language as an adult can probably relate when I say that certain words and turns of…

Is it really “just a peripheral I.V.”?

January 29, 2025

Vascular access devices are essential to the administration of I.V. solutions and medications. Peripheral I.V. catheters (PIVCs) are the most frequently placed vascular access devices and the most…

It’s never too late: Tales from a second-career nurse

November 29, 2021

As a second career nurse, I have life experiences to thank for nudging me in the direction of caring for others in their most vulnerable time of need.…

Learning from the frontline: A qualitative descriptive design of direct care nurses description of engagement

January 30, 2025

As a nursing leader, there are times when we become frustrated with engaging direct care nurses. As healthcare continues to evolve, organizations consistently re-evaluate operations, and the direct…

Listening: A nurse’s superpower

January 3, 2025

Recently, I was on a call with a young mom of five kids who has chronic kidney disease (CKD). Her husband also happened had CKD and in the…

Mitigating the Nursing Shortage Crisis: A Nurse’s Perspective

September 25, 2023

It’s clear that the state of the nursing shortage is at a crisis level. As an experienced bedside nurse, a recent nursing psychiatric/mental health graduate student, and a…

Multidisciplinary rounds reduce length of stay in community hospital

October 27, 2021

Before becoming a nurse manager, I was a nurse case manager at a community hospital where multi-disciplinary rounds (MDRs) were a staple of the day for nurses and…

Navigating loss induced by COVID-19

November 7, 2020

The COVID-19 global pandemic has disrupted virtually every facet of society, infecting millions of people and instilling lingering fear about what is yet to come. Lockdown procedures and…

Figure 1: Health Care Climate Council’s Playbook for Hospitals

Nurse leaders as stewards for responsible environmental healthcare practices

February 19, 2025

The healthcare industry must own its contribution to the problem of escalating climate-related health effects, and nurses must leverage their trusted voice to influence positive change. Nurses embody…

Nurse practitioners: Past, present, and future

November 15, 2024

Nurse Practitioner Week is celebrated annually in the second week of November. This is the perfect time to recognize the role of the nurse practitioner (NP) in shaping…

covid-19, nursing, nursing journal, healthcare

Nurses and doctors as diplomats in the COVID culture wars

April 5, 2022

Gallup polls report that nurses and physicians are the two most trusted professions in the nation. This trust, along with knowledge, clinical skills, and empathy with patients and…

Nurses need to take the lead on medication titration

September 8, 2021

For decades, critical care nurses have practiced and shared their knowledge related to titration of continuous I.V. medications. These lifesaving medications primarily affect cardiac function and blood pressure,…

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, please don’t withdraw care

October 26, 2020

When I started practicing as a nurse in an intensive care unit (ICU), everything I saw and heard seemed so unfamiliar. Like on a long immersion in a…

Nursing care plan for outpatients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 disease

January 29, 2021

COVID-19 is associated with a plethora of complications for those who suffer from both mild and severe forms of the disease. Although research is ongoing, it’s known that…

how healthcare reform could affect costs

One nurse’s perspective: How to resolve the high cost of healthcare in the United States

December 7, 2023

American citizens pay for their health insurance through premiums and co-pays, but they remain at risk for substantial out-of-pocket medical bills after receiving treatment for just one illness…

Osteoporosis awareness: Be the patient’s advocate

December 16, 2021

As a nurse practitioner working in orthopedic surgery, I’ve noticed a disturbing trend: Many people I see who have fractures and are over the age of 50 have…

Out of the comfort zone: A baby delivery in a retirement community ED

June 11, 2021

Baby deliveries in the emergency department (ED) always create quite a stir. But what if the ED stands in the middle of Florida’s largest retirement community, where those…

Palliative Care May Reduce Pain Disparities in Sickle Cell Disease

November 3, 2022

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited hemoglobinopathy characterized by sickle-shaped red blood cells that lead to blood vessel occlusion, infarction, organ damage, and inflammation. According to the…

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…

Proud to be chosen

November 8, 2020

What do you want to be when you grow up? How many times have you heard this question? How many times have you asked this question? As much…

Reflection on competencies in healthcare systems

March 24, 2025

In 2017, when I completed my doctoral studies in healthcare administration at Capella University, my dissertation’s focus was on determining if there were any specific competencies that affected…

Reflections on my nursing journey: From A-Z

November 14, 2024

When I entered nursing, I had no idea of the opportunities that awaited me. From the bedside to the halls of Congress, I’ve enjoyed every phase of my…

Reverse mentoring: Our journey towards intergenerational collaboration

January 27, 2025

As we’ve navigated our careers in healthcare, we’ve witnessed the evolution of the traditional mentoring model where senior nurses guide junior nurses. Recently, we encountered a transformative concept…

Risky business: Home sweet home or nursing home?

July 18, 2024

Cheri described witnessing employees turn off the emergency buttons when residents were “too bothersome,” patients being medicated “so that they wouldn’t have to deal with them,” an aide…

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…

School nurse checking student's temperature

School Health Nursing comes to Baltimore

September 9, 2024

Nationwide, a third of schools don’t have a nurse. At the end of 2023, about 50 RNs covered more than 150 schools in the Baltimore school system. Nurses…

nurses-under-pressure, healthcare, registered nurse, nursing, nursing journal

Sense of Duty

February 28, 2022

Immanuel Kant believed that no action was moral unless performed out of a sense of duty or obligation. Even the word duty suggests that one must follow a…

Septic relationships

February 26, 2021

In the emergency department, we’re well trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of serious infections—infections that start from an infinitesimally small and undetectable microorganism and grow into…

She Went to Work

October 25, 2022

“As a Psych Mental Health RN and leader, the loss of life to workplace violence has taken my breath away yet again,” said Dr. Karen Adams DNP, RN, Nurse Manager…

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.…

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 Case for Soft Skills in Nursing Education

June 7, 2024

Clinical proficiency is essential for providing safe and prudent care, but soft skills (communication, empathy, teamwork, leadership, critical thinking, cultural humility) are equally as vital. They allow us…

The Conversation Project

July 28, 2021

Have you ever needed to have a difficult conversation with someone about something very important but avoided it because of the delicate nature of the subject? An example…

The health professional’s imperative to correct misinformation on social media

November 4, 2020

Scrolling through Facebook during the interminable COVID-19 pandemic can be a herculean task for the healthcare professional confronted with posts spouting medical jargon and perceived healthcare knowledge not…

The opioid epidemic—a crisis within a crisis

August 16, 2021

Opioid overdose deaths are skyrocketing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Author Jennie Burke movingly wrote of her brother’s death from a heroin overdose in May 2020, noting that he…

Patient- and family-centered care (PFCC) is often mentioned when discussing quality outcomes for care recipients.

The power of patient- and family-centered care

September 26, 2024

Patient- and family-centered care (PFCC) is often mentioned when discussing quality outcomes for care recipients. The theoretical framework of PFCC proposes that family influence and presence impacts each…

The rewards of teamwork and productive leadership in healthcare today

October 23, 2020

Is the combination of teamwork and leadership important in nursing and healthcare? The answer to that question is “Yes!” (more…)

The soul of a nurse

November 5, 2020

In the beginning What is that first spark of desire in the mind of an ordinary person to become a nurse and where does it come from? Could…

To COVID-19 War Nurses

September 21, 2021

From this Iraq war nurse to all of you COVID-19 war nurses: I see you. I see your utter exhaustion from long days and extra shifts. I see…

To err is human: A personal perspective on preventing falls

October 21, 2020

To err is human. These words keep dancing around in my mind as I sit here as a family member rather than a nurse. I am in a…

To my colleague: Self-care, finding our voice, and mental health

October 12, 2021

The world plunged into a global pandemic while I was midway through my MSN program. While preparing for graduation in December 2020, I reflected on my almost three…

Want to publish? Study the craft of writing

September 23, 2024

Do you want to write professionally? As a former nurse peer reviewer, I found that not all nurses with advanced degrees write well. Are they smart and focused…

Weight bias in healthcare: Clinical implications and practical solutions

December 16, 2020

According to the CDC, over 42% of American adults suffer with clinical obesity. Many seek treatment for obesity-related comorbidities only to find themselves on the receiving end of…

What Did I Get Myself Into?

February 15, 2022

Nurse reflections on a hectic start to a career. Hello friends, New grad RN here to chime in and say, what did I get myself into? Allow me…

What’s your nursing area of focus?

March 24, 2025

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, specialty is a special or distinctive quality, mark, state, or condition, a special subject of study, line of work area of interest, or…

When empty seats speak: Challenges and solutions for nursing student absenteeism

March 31, 2025

School absenteeism remains a longstanding issue; however, its significant surge, particularly in districts serving lower socioeconomic populations, became increasingly evident as the world emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic.…

Why can’t nursing jobs look like other jobs?

June 11, 2024

When I compare my sister’s accounting job to my role as a nurse, it’s clear that a significant disparity exists in the social and professional benefits offered. As…

Why infant mental health is even more critical now

November 13, 2020

No matter what role we play in caring for patients and families, as nurses, we know that the relationship children have with their caregivers is critical for their…