Thoughtful career transitions

As nurses, endless job and career possibilities exist for us—in clinical practice, leadership, entrepreneurial pursuits, and even in non-healthcare industries. The unfortunate reality is that many of those opportunities won’t make us any happier or more fulfilled than our current jobs. The goal is to find the jobs that will, and you have more control over that than you might think.

Foot care nursing

The foot, a complex structure, has 26 bones and 33 joints, which all have to work properly to allow each person an average of 115,000 miles in their lifetime. Our feet carry us through this world, and their ability to acclimate to changes in terrain protect us from falls, the number one cause of injuries and death from injury in older Americans.

Foot care nursing

The foot, a complex structure, has 26 bones and 33 joints, which all have to work properly to allow each person an average of…

Thoughtful career transitions

As nurses, endless job and career possibilities exist for us—in clinical practice, leadership, entrepreneurial pursuits, and even in non-healthcare industries. The unfortunate reality is…

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…

Semaglutide: Shedding pounds, weighing risks

Semaglutide is a member of the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RAs) drug class, which promotes increased insulin secretion. GLP-1 activation also slows gastric emptying, which promotes weight loss and offers benefits for obesity in patients with type 2…

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Who handles the handling?

Gastrointestinal Whole-Patient Care

Collaboration in Patient-Centered Care Planning: Navigating Oncology

Simulation: Preparing for workplace violence

Tactical Implementation of an Effective Falls Program

Current Journal

Create the environment for nursing excellence

Pericarditis

Exercising excellence

Certified nurses on the go

Therapy animals in the Ukraine military conflict

A lifeline in a time of war Alex Sargsyan In the fall of 2024, I presented my research on animal-assisted therapies (AAT)…

The real value of nursing certification

Building competence and confidence in your specialty Marianne Horahan Whether you’re already a certified nurse or exploring this possibility, it’s helpful to…

Engage with patients eye to eye

Commit to Sit has proven successful at enhancing patient satisfaction. After two months of implementing the Commit to Sit initiative on a…

Community anchors: Spotlight on nurses in rural America

American Nurses Foundation empowers health systems to offer well-being solutions Far from the bustle of major cities and tertiary medical centers, nurses…

Continuing Education

Naloxone education for nursing staff

Advanced practice providers take the lead. Takeaways: Advanced practice provider-led educational interventions are effective in increasing nursing knowledge. Increasing nursing knowledge of naloxone, opioid use disorder, and how to obtain naloxone kits offers a crucial step in improving patient access…

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…

Sepsis in the hospital setting: A case study

A 42-year-old man arrives in the ED. He reports not feeling like himself. Three days ago he stepped on a nail, which punctured his…

Cancer treatment delays and survival outcomes

Delays in seeking treatment frequently lead to poor health outcomes. Especially with regard to symptoms associated with cancer, early detection and treatment can improve…

Women and HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis

Why are new HIV cases still occurring when we have preventive treatment? One reason could be a lack of knowledge and experience among healthcare…

Naloxone education for nursing staff

Advanced practice providers take the lead. Takeaways: Advanced practice provider-led educational interventions are effective in increasing nursing knowledge. Increasing nursing knowledge of…

STIs: Antibiotic resistance and treatment challenges

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…

Sepsis in the hospital setting: A case study

A 42-year-old man arrives in the ED. He reports not feeling like himself. Three days ago he stepped on a nail, which…

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

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 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…

Acute kidney injury: A quick diagnosis aids recovery

A 35-year-old man arrives at the ED with severe weakness, diarrhea, nausea, hypotension, and tachycardia, which began after he finished a 100-mile race the…

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.

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…

Acute kidney injury: A quick diagnosis aids recovery

A 35-year-old man arrives at the ED with severe weakness, diarrhea, nausea, hypotension, and tachycardia, which began after he finished a 100-mile…

Practice Matters

Therapy animals in the Ukraine military conflict

A lifeline in a time of war Alex Sargsyan In the fall of 2024, I presented my research on animal-assisted therapies (AAT) with farm animals at the International Association of Human–Animal Interaction Organizations conference in…

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…

CLABSI prevention in hospitalized patients receiving hemodialysis

Many individuals receiving hemodialysis require a central venous catheter (CVC), which places them at risk for central-line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs). The Centers for…

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, patient safety,…

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…

Oncology nurses and prognosis-related communication

Nurses’ knowledge and communication skills enhance informed decision-making for patients with cancer. Discussions with patients and families about a cancer diagnosis or…

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…

From the Ethics Inbox

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 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…

Everyday ethics: Responsibility and accountability

A few weeks ago, I was floated to the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), which was seriously short-handed due to surgeries from a multiple-car accident.…

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…

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…

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: 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…

Everyday ethics: Responsibility and accountability

A few weeks ago, I was floated to the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), which was seriously short-handed due to surgeries from a…

Perspectives

Finding Inner Peace While Managing an ICU

The owl and the fox: A nurse leader’s fable

Why I am Building a National Voice in Nursing

Nightingale: Exemplar for the power of nursing

Sexuality and gender identity: Know the basics for equitable patient care

In 2008, my partner gave birth to our son 6 weeks early. Both made it through, but what followed in the postpartum…

Strengthen health systems worldwide: Invest in nursing professional development

Healthcare workers are the bedrock of an effective healthcare system and nurses comprise nearly 60% of the global healthcare workforce. Despite this…

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…

Study abroad programs and nurse cultural competence

There is an increased need for health professions students, including nurses, to learn how to work effectively with people of other cultures.…

Community

Letters to the Editor – September 2007

Diversity Matters

group of nurses working on a collaborative writing project

Tips for successful interprofessional collaborative writing: Part 1

Interprofessional collaboration is a cornerstone of quality healthcare delivery, so it makes sense that writing produced by interprofessional teams can have a…

Post-pandemic clinical nursing education: The value of academic-practice partnerships

On March 26, 2020, a group of major nursing organizations in the United States endorsed a policy brief to encourage academic-practice partnerships…

News

A view of 5600 Fishers Lane in Rockville, Maryland, which houses the headquarters of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and other health agencies. According to a senior AHRQ official who spoke on condition of anonymity, a climate of deep depression has settled over the agency’s offices. (Antony-22/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 4.0)

What’s Lost: Trump Whacks Tiny Agency That Works To Make the Nation’s Health Care Safer

COVID-19 patients fared worse on ECMO than non-COVID-19 patients: Study

What’s Lost: Trump Whacks Tiny Agency That Works To Make the Nation’s Health Care Safer

Sue Sheridan’s baby boy, Cal, suffered brain damage from undetected jaundice in 1995. Helen Haskell’s 15-year-old son, Lewis, died after surgery in…

COVID-19 patients fared worse on ECMO than non-COVID-19 patients: Study

Pneumonia patients with COVID-19 who required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) fared worse than those without COVID-19, according to a study that looked…

My Nurse Influencer

What will you do with the time you saved?

Necessity is the mother of invention, so the proverb goes. Inventiveness is probably encoded in the human genome and has allowed our survival. Creating something to solve a specific problem or to fill a need is likely what drove our…

Publication extenders include infographics

Publication extenders—A powerful tool for extending your article’s reach

You’ve worked hard to get your article published, so why should you put in more time? Because extenders can boost the uptake of your article—and your key messages—by your target audience, whether they’re clinicians, managers, researchers, patients, or consumers. For…

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…

In sickness and in health: The parallels of weddings and nursing graduations

May and June mark the season of graduations and weddings—milestones that celebrate commitment, transformation, and new beginnings. There’s something vaguely matrimonial about a nursing…

The future of innovation in nursing is you!

Over the years, my definition of innovation has changed — I care less about the end product and more about the human-centered process used to create…

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…

What will you do with the time you saved?

Necessity is the mother of invention, so the proverb goes. Inventiveness is probably encoded in the human genome and has allowed our…

Publication extenders—A powerful tool for extending your article’s reach

You’ve worked hard to get your article published, so why should you put in more time? Because extenders can boost the uptake…

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.…

In sickness and in health: The parallels of weddings and nursing graduations

May and June mark the season of graduations and weddings—milestones that celebrate commitment, transformation, and new beginnings. There’s something vaguely matrimonial about…

Mental Health

Improving the health of mothers living in poverty

When mothers living in homelessness participate in evidence-based, trauma-informed, healthy lifestyle classes with a nurse, their depression, distress, and anxiety levels may…

Health, safety, & wellness

Putting knowledge into practice on the path to healthy aging

Critical Care

Improving nurses’ attitudes toward patients with substance use disorders

People with substance use disorders suffer not just from the disorder itself but also from discrimination. In a 2014 survey, more than half…

CAUTI prevention and urinary catheter maintenance

The indwelling urinary catheter (IUC) isn’t a harmless device. In fact, in 1982, Warren and colleagues reported that the risk of catheter-associated…

Pediatrics

Recognizing depression in children

All kids can be moody and unpredictable. But for roughly 5% of children, behavioral changes reflect depression. Learn why depression holds added dangers…

Do you know which vaccines are recommended for special populations?

Pregnant and postpartum women, immunocompromised children, and persons at high risk for flu-related complications have special immunization needs. Part of ANA’s Bringing…

Cardiology

Raise your heart disease awareness: your life may depend on it

During American Heart Month, let’s heed our own health promotion advice.

Get Savvy to syncope

Syncope is a common occurrence and is commonly benign. But sometimes a swoon signals a serious underlying condition. Learn what causes syncope…

American Nurse TV

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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