Editor's note: This blog was written by Elizabeth Rosto Sitko, managing editor of ADVANCE for Long-Term Care Management. Last week, Newsweek published its final print issue. As a magazine enthusiast (I subscribe to many, I've studied them, and I work for one), I was saddened to hear the news. I remember a time when finding one ...

Guest blogger Dennis H. Smith is director of the VA Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore Nurses are the ones who prepare patients for procedures. They comfort nervous patients, reassuring them everything is going to be alright. They work long hours on their feet, often performing an array of functions that people don't realize, don't ...

By Diane M. Goodman, MSN-C, APRN, CCRN, CNRN There is no quicker method to increase anxiety among a group of nurses than to inform them they are scheduled for mandatory meetings related to improving customer service. Mumbling, side conversations and uneasy looks rapidly replace the typical caffeine-driven eagerness to ''get on with their day'' ...

By Diane M. Goodman, MSN-C, APRN, CCRN, CNRN The story began with only two of us; friends who needed to stay in touch through a challenging time when both of us had been diagnosed with a taxing illness. We needed a way to keep one another informed, updated and uplifted during good times and bad; infusion days, diagnostic excursions and ...

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 ...

Wall Street failures. The housing market and mortgage industry collapse. The epic, disastrous BP oil spill. Huge mistakes with dire consequences for a large chunk of the global population. How can ''these people'' sleep at night after pulling the wool over our eyes? The answer, according to a newly released book, is the wool most likely covers the ...

I have been scolded for oversimplifying the bedside nurse's role during a JCAHO visit. I don't agree. The poor bedside nurse is so overwhelmed with just trying to give decent basic patient care these days, that JCAHO should not even remotely be his or her responsibility. In fact, I will give you the most helpful of all hints regarding a JCAHO ...

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 ...

I'm anxious to see what nurses think of the May/June ADVANCE Online Book Club selection Josie's Story: A Mother's Inspiring Crusade to Make Medical Care Safe by Sorrel King. While the book is about the strength of human resolve - detailing how one family survived the death of their 18-month-old daughter due to a medical error - it is also about ...

In the latest episode of Nurse Jackie (played by Edie Falco in this Showtime series), Jackie is quintessential Jackie. In past shows, we saw Jackie acting as a medical Robin Hood, never hesitating to rob from the rich (those who bestow health insurance) to help the poor (those who don't have it or aren't served well by their health insurance). ...