As most everyone knows by now, nurses have for several years been ranked the ''Most Trusted Profession'' in an annual Gallup survey of Americans. But now a new study reveals nurses are also very good at assessing the quality of care delivered in the hospital units in which they work.  In short, it turns out nurses are not only trustworthy ...

Exploring the Web for inspirational quotations pertinent to nurses, I tripped across Medi-Smart which listed, instead, ''funny quotes from medical records.'' The site states, ''The following quotes were taken from actual medical records dictated by physicians.'' Wow! Do Leno or Letterman know about these guys? This material is killer. Ah, the ...

It's been all over the news for a week now. Veterans of war no longer have to prove a specific event led to their post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In his announcement of the change in Veterans Administration policy, President Barack Obama said, ''I don't think our troops on the battlefield should have to take notes to keep for a claims ...

I recently edited a compelling article on physician-assisted suicide (PAS) written by Lisa Siminski, BSN, RN, CHPN, staff nurse, St. Luke's Hospice House, Bethlehem, PA.   In her report on PAS, Siminski points out straight away that the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Nurses ''clearly specifies that nurses ...

My husband says we can't remember everything about a book or a movie or a vacation, so our minds fixate on the most vivid impression and that's what we remember. I just finished reading Nursing in the Storm: Voices from Hurricane Katrina by Denise Danna, DNS, RN, and Sandra E. Cordray, MA, MJ. I set the book down with strong impressions of ...

If you indulge in the naughty habit of ''Nurse Jackie,'' you already know: ''Her boyfriend's back and there's gonna be trouble.... Hey la, hey la, her boyfriend's back...'' Musical references aside, Eddie's due back in the pharmacy (as of this week's Showtime episode), after the Pill-O-Matix ceased functioning. Mrs. Akalitus decided it was just ...

I just finished reading Finding Frances, a book by Janice M. Van Dyck. Frances is Frances Baldwin, a lifetime heavy smoker who is dying of COPD. After suffering with the condition for some time, she learns there are treatment options for her; she can have several surgeries that will prolong her life, but quality of life will not be optimal. ...

The other day, while tidying up, I picked up a book, Inspired Nurse by Rich Bluni, RN, and leafed through it. My first reaction: How did I miss this book? My second: Wow, what a great book to tell nurses about, especially in this stressful time and especially because it's almost Nurses Week (May 6-12). And you know how it works, once you hear or ...

Have you ever known a Nurse Jackie in your own life? You know the kind -- full of swagger and bravado, oozing with street smarts and clever comebacks, never one to turn away from conflict. Showtime, which aired the latest episode last night, recently asked that question to its viewers. Online respondents revealed: ''Jackie reminds me ...

When I was a kid, I used to walk my great grandmother (''Gramma'' to me) around and around the yard, then up and down the front path. Nearly blind, she couldn't see where she was going; she only knew it was quite a distance. ''You're a very nice girl, and I'm glad you're taking me home to my Anna,'' Gramma would say, referring to my grandmother ...