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 ...

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 ...

This week, readers of ADVANCE for NPs & PAs let us know their opinions on many posts, comments and articles. On Facebook, our readers liked career development tips, the newest practices in skincare, NP certification information and the latest posts from our various bloggers. We also posted an article discussing the growing ...

If you're not following us on Facebook, ''like'' us and start sharing in the conversations! If you are, keep following and spread the word! This week, we posted the article ''Organizing and Investing to Expand Primary Care Availability with Nurse Practitioners'' by Peter J. Levin and Rick Bateman from Journal of Community Health to our ...

Most employers will ask you to submit to a background check. No news there. Criminal backgrounds checks prior to employment are expected and come as no surprise to clinicians. What may surprise you is the increasing addition of ''Internet'' or ''social media'' background checks. What does that mean? It means that a potential employer could be ...

Here at the DNP Answers blog we take your questions about the DNP and answer them as best we can. This post is written by blogger Scott Governo, NP, who earned his DNP degree in 2011.  Q: Will DNPs who went straight through school from BSN be ready for practice? A: This is a thought-provoking question and makes me think back to ...

In a previous post I wrote about my nervousness about precepting a graduate nurse. Even though I am adjunct faculty for a local college, and enjoy the experience immensely, I questioned whether I could offer her a satisfying experience. Could I provide a one-on-one personal relationship where she had my undivided attention? Could I fill the ...