You don't have to break the law to fail a pre-employment drug test. In fact, you could lose your job just by using countless products hanging on the wall of your local gas station. That's because at my hospital, when an employee's urine drops into that little plastic device during a pre-employment drug screen, it is checked for ...

If I could give any future medical student advice about the ER, my three most important words would be: Vicks Vapor Rub. When I first entered the ER, I was prepared to be jaded, but I was not prepared for the smells: abscesses, STDs, rotten teeth, body odor, mildewed t-shirts, alcoholics, chain smokers, drug-addicts, and diarrhea diapers, to ...

Last week, NP & PA Student blogger Terry Clarke shared his concerns over the status of nursing. ''I am currently in a class called ‘Societal Forces' as a precursor to my first semester of advanced assessment in the Adult/Gero Primary Care Nurse Practitioner track. The teachers are passionate and well informed. The speakers are excellent, but ...

I am currently in a  class called ''Societal Forces'' as a precursor to my first semester of advanced assessment in the Adult/Gero Primary Care Nurse Practitioner track. The teachers are passionate and well informed. The speakers are excellent, but the subject matter...The subject matter is frankly depressing. The class theme seems to ...

Over the past month I have had some very challenging patients. I will often question, why and how did someone end up here at the correctional facility? I believe it is better I do not know. Actually, it is none of my business; it keeps the care unbiased and pure and it does not impact how I treat them. If one of the inmates upsets the ...

We hear it every four years, or maybe even every two, ''This is the most important election of our lifetimes,'' and I truly believe it every time I hear it. I've only voted three times so far, plus primaries, in '08, '10, and '12, and it's been pivotal each time. Viewing elections as urgent is a very medical mindset, ''It's now or never.'' ...

I was going to write a blog about neuro-syphilis because I just recently treated a 29-year-old patient for this condition, however, on reflection it seems more apt to discuss the enormous financial costs associated with her care. That being said, neuro-syphilis is a tricky diagnosis; I advise clinicians to read up on it. Syphilis is commonly ...

Last week, NP and PA readers submitted questions to our communities asking for advice from fellow clinicians. Below are a sample - if you have any advice for these NPs and PAs, comment on the respective article or share with us here and we'll make sure to pass along the wisdom. Have something you'd like a clearer answer on? Let us know on our ...

My contact with pain patients was extensive during my residency in Aurora, North Carolina, a coastal town of about 400, with a patient population compromising of retirees, commercial fisherman and above-ground miners from a phosphate mine. I knew from that experience that even if I never found a job as an NP, I would not choose to do pain ...

Last week, we followed the landmark Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act, which allowed one of the most debated pieces of recent legislature to stand. It is expected that the new ruling will allow an additional 17 million people to qualify for Medicaid. On Facebook, we asked our NP and PA followers to share their opinions of the passed ...