In our acute care setting, we deal with death and dying on a daily basis. It truly amazes me, the differences in between patients' reactions when facing a ''death sentence.'' I'm sure this can be noted in all walks of the healthcare system, as well, but it's by far been most noticeable to me in the hospital. Take Mr. G, for example. He's ...

It's ironic that I wrote my last post on October 15, 2012, the 1-year anniversary of my one and only job as an NP. What a year! Or, rather, what a year and a half! The worst of times, yes (the end of a 30-year marriage in June 2011), but also the very best of times (Duke MSN/FNP in May 2011, certification in September 2011, dream job in ...

Lately it seems a rash (no pun intended) of patients have asked me how it was that they contracted their Staph infections. Some had MRSA, others MSSA. Some suffered from bacteremia, others osteomyelitis, and others still were challenged by skin/soft tissue infections in the form of painful and unsightly abscesses. Some had recently undergone ...

''America has spoken'' says Nick Cannon from America's Got Talent and the winner is: The American People! This is the feeling of many when the Supreme Court ruled that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is constitutional. Are the American people really winners? Absolutely! As the healthcare reform unfolds, nurse ...

I don't know how many of my fellow NPs and PAs have seen and or heard about HBO's four-part documentary on obesity in America, The Weight of the Nation, but I can't recommend it enough: it is an awesome and totally relevant examination of health in the States. So many of the individuals profiled in this series were reminiscent of ...

Seven months out of school and four months into my job, life simply could not be better! The resiliency of the human spirit is amazing, and I never could have guessed that I can feel this level of happiness and contentment after...now I can finally confess it...being dumped last June, in the midst of residency, by my husband of 30 years for ...

In a previous post I compared the behaviors of the clients in the correctional facility to those of someone who did not learn behaviors taught in kindergarten. From one reader, I had a disappointing comment, but that is to be expected. My comment may have been perceived as demeaning, but I didn't intend it that way. My experiences with ...

This blog is brought to you by ADVANCE and DNA. Editor's note: This blog post was written by Victoria Lazareth, MA, MSN, NP-C, DCNP, national chairwoman of the Dermatology Nurse Practitioner Society.She practices in the Division of Dermatology at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Mass. She is also ...

As a novice NP I am indebted to my formative nursing training; it has served me in good stead. As the flu season haunts the horizon, I reach back into my arsenal of nursing acquired infection control prevention tactics and disseminate these pearls accordingly. For starters: hand washing. This tried-and-true method is cheap and effective. While ...

Where does the time go? Like an uninvited houseguest, Fall has arrived. As the month creeps forward, the upcoming school year looms larger on the horizon and thousands of 17- and 18-year-olds prepare to depart for college. Many of the young women I have seen in clinic this past month are actively culling together their vaccination ...