Today cell phones are everywhere. People cannot seem to live without them. When an emergency occurs, if you have a cell phone, help can be notified faster. It is estimated over a million people carry a cell phone.

Cell phones are being used by nurses and patient care techs to ease the load of communication. The overhead pager ...

Expectations are everything. They can surprise, impress and they can even disappoint.

My 11 year old son and I went on a church mission to Rio Bravo, Mexico [population 100,000] a few weeks ago - it was our second Mexico mission. Our assignment was to improve a public park by "moving" 21 yards of dirt and laying brick to build an outdoor stage. Last year, my son and I built a casita (a 12x16 house for a family ...

A nurse advocate's strength is dependent on their drive for knowledge development; very few nurses are taking time to learn.  The increased demands on nurses has resulted in a practice that's focused on resolving crisis events at the workplace with minimal time spent on maintaining professional ...

Day one was an unreal experience. I spent my first day in the NICU assisting in caring for subarachnoid hemorrhage and organ donation patient. Stepping into one patient room, I could not believe all the invasive lines and subsequent vital sign monitoring. The nurse informed me that on this floor nurses look out for even the minute changes in vital sign parameters or neuro checks. Then suddenly we moved one patient ...

After picking up the girl I babysit from camp, I witnessed a very serious car accident. As I ascended up a hill on one of the main roads in the Del Mar/ Carmel Valley area of San Diego, I saw three cars totaled ahead of me. The accident had clearly occurred moments before. There was a Toyota Prius in the middle of the busy intersection totaled from the driver side by a Toyota FJ cruiser (a large SUV). As I stopped, ...

ADVANCE received the following comment from Karen Tweedy, RN, CCRN, in response to an opinion poll asking users if they still planned to vote in the general election after Hillary Clinton dropped out. The question should have been addressed specifically to Clinton supporters. As Tweedy's comments go well beyond this issue, we invited her to be part of the Nurse Perspective blog. Please feel free to add to the conversation. ...

Mitch Woldt, BSN, RN,  is a nurse at the University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis.

I am a male who recently became a registered nurse. Through college and my first few months working, I have noticed and felt many emotions. There are two main and important points I would like to share so others know and understand what it is like being a male nurse. I have talked to other male ...

Working in the ER, I see a lot of life altering events. I frequently realize any one of these could happen to me or my family. I try hard not to bring my work home with me, but sometimes the feelings are hard to leave behind. I can see my family members in the faces of visitors or the eyes of the patient. When I call home just to hear the voices of my children, my husband knows something tragic ...

It can be the irate, highly credentialed surgeon who throws an instrument tray at a questioning nurse; it can be the staff nurse who bullies a new grad; or it could be the lab tech who berates a member of the housekeeping staff.

These types of disruptive and intimidating behaviors affect everyone, at all levels of a healthcare organization, and they could lead to tragic events. A survey on intimidation conducted ...

Here are my thoughts:

The author's creative use of analogies...pg 124 ..."spin in circles like that crazy teacup ride at the amusement park" and insightful descriptions...Hospitals -"a storehouse of wounded strangers" pg 103

Her frustration with the healthcare insurance system...pg 216

Her strengthened intuition and power within...pg 179-180

To get things rolling, here are some questions about my book Don't Leave Me This Way. To discuss this book, scroll down and leave a comment.

• Nursing is achallenging job that requires consistent unfailing care and fulfilling more than one single need. What do you do for yourself to re-energize so that you can cope with the stress ofregularly responding to your patient's distress?
  
• How ...

My summer has been going quite well so far. I have been babysitting from 9am until 4pm Monday through Friday-give or take an hour or two on each end--and I can essentially dictate my own hours. I guess you could say I'm living the ultimate "employed" summer life. It is very thought-provoking to spend a substantial amount of time with a nine-year old girl as a nineteen-year-old college student. Not only does it ...

One of my passions is reading and I'm delighted to announce we have organized an online book club, the ADVANCE Book Club for Nurses.

Here's how it will work. Every other month, we will choose a book from a long list of books suggested by you and other avid readers. Although it won't be a hard and fast rule, we will try to choose books available in paperback to reduce your cost. We'll publicize the title ...

This is my last week of vacation before I start orientation. On Monday my practice permit arrived via the mail and that is the last piece before boards. I'm studying as much as I can with my kids hanging over me. Three years seemed to go slow and, as I stated earlier, I relish every moment. I hope ...

I am thankful ADVANCE for Nurses has political coverage on their home page; I am not sure how well informed I would be about our current Presidential candidates without it. This winter my son and I kept up on the happenings because of his interest in politics. But, alas, it is now summertime. Swimming, camp, and the great outdoors have reclaimed ...

With the summer in full swing, my Mr. Mom duties are coming to a close. Even though I say picking up, dropping off, bed making and separating Thing 1 and Thing 2 (as I lovingly call my children) from their sweating drives me nuts, I know I will miss these duties. This career change has provided me with an opportunity to spend some long quality times with my kids. It also has given me a new appreciation for what my ...

With one year of nursing school under my belt the question of how to spend my summer arose. I am faced with a few challenges in regard to working a job or internship that is nursing related. The first challenge is that I have no clinical experience as of yet because Villanova's nursing program does not begin clinicals until the second part of second semester of sophomore year. As part of Villanova's undergraduate ...

A resolution to be considered during the American Medical Association House of Delegates June 14-18 in Chicago is proposed by the Georgia Delegation, Resolution 214 (A-08). Its purpose is to oppose the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) ...

On Saturday, June 14, the American Medical Association House of Delegates will open its 157th Annual Meeting in Chicago. Among the resolutions being discussed in the HOD is one proposed by the Illinois Delegation, Resolution 303 (A-08), ...

Recently I had the pleasure of meeting the guys from the country music band Emerson Drive. Their song "Moments" has had an impact on me greater than I was able to express to them that night. It is difficult for me to put into words the emotions I have regarding this song. There are many complex pieces to put together, about homelessness and helping a ...

As I study for boards and prepare for July, I began to get fidgety and anxious hoping the days go by faster so July arrives sooner. After this weekend, I will not wish the days away. Following a round golf, I sat with two friends discussing distressing news regarding a fellow golfer. This fellow golfer was diagnosed with a degenerative neurological disease a short time ago. Now this person struggles with daily living ...

Well I finally obtained a nursing position and will start in July. Meanwhile, I will spend my days preparing for boards. This includes a board prep class. I will not give you the name as I am not a paid spokesman. What I can say it has provided some great strategies to answer questions. Thanks for reading; ...

According to new stats, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, obesity rates in children have leveled, stemming a consistent rise in overweight youth.

The study was based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey created by ...