As I entered the patient's room, I introduced myself and asked if her name was ''Sarah.'' She said ''yes,'' nodding in my direction with a welcoming smile. Prior to entering the patient's room, I had diligently reviewed the chart. She was 93 and had been hospitalized after slipping and falling in her home, where she lived alone. Her husband had ...

Terry Clarke, student nurse here. I am in an accelerated nurse practitioner program at UMASS Worcester. We just finished our year-long RN BSN equivalency. I've been feeling like a hand-stamped 18-year-old at a bar, able to join the conversations but not order a beer. As my NCLEX draws nigh, I finally feel competent to write about this experience. ...

Last week, New Grad NP blogger Samantha Damren posted the struggle she encounters working with multiple physicians: memorizing the preferences and practices of each. On Facebook, reader Amber said, ''20 in my emergency physician group ... can get frustrating!'' On our blog, more readers weighed in. Here are some of their ...

I know, I know. You're all probably thinking that if you see another blog about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, you are going to need an emesis basin. Since the healthcare reform package was upheld by the Supreme Court, healthcare is back in the news and on the minds, lips and keyboards of just about everyone. I will attempt to ...

So now that the basic tenets of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are moving forward, who is going to provide all that primary care? A lot of people are counting on you to do it. But recent studies and surveys show that NPs and PAs are shifting to specialties and subspecialties at a fast clip. In response, thought leaders and family ...

''I should give her some vodka. That would make her feel much better. Ha ha!'' You would think that a statement like this would be made at a bar or a party. Unfortunately, it was made by the emergency room doctor, as he chuckled with the nursing staff about my grandmother's pain. Maybe I'm lacking a sense of humor here, but I did not find the ...

On Facebook this week, we shared some photos from the AAPA IMPACT 2012 conference in Toronto. Our fans loved to ''meet'' NP &PA Student Blog blogger Caroline Pilgrim, a first-time AAPA conference attendee. Caroline wrote about her experience at the conference and shared some of her own great photos in her blog post this week. Did you ...

The first full week of June has been an exciting one for NPs and PAs! Across our Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn pages, readers weighed in on the top issues. On Facebook this week, we discussed the recent DNP Answers blog post ''Time Management for a DNP Degree.'' Blogger Lisa Chism, NP, explained the difficulties of balancing DNP ...

Finding a preceptor was one of the most difficult things I have had to do thus far on my journey to becoming a family nurse practitioner. I believe what made this so difficult is dealing with the rejection - and sometimes rudeness - that I encountered. I also felt helpless, since this is the only part of my education that is out of my control. I ...

We sat in silence for what seemed an eternity. Her face was still, and she was holding back tears. She was uncomfortable. I was, too. Awkward silence engulfed us like dense, heavy fog. You could cut the atmosphere with a knife. I tried filling the air with chatter: ''Nice shoes,'' I said. What's the meaning of silence? Is it just an empty space ...