I've worked at three different hospitals over the past five years. Each one has had a different process of dealing with Medication Reconciliation, but I believe my current facility has created the best idea of all: A Medication Reconciliation Technician role.  Her primary responsibility is to interview patients to obtain the most ...

My mother was barely 15 years old when she began her first real job working the ticket window of a theater in downtown Kansas City, MO. One day, a group of soldiers came to the window and requested four adult tickets to see the latest hit movie. Newly trained and eager to please, mom did what she was told to do and passed four tickets ...

Our unit is currently in a state of ''in between.'' Every week we receive more medical oncology patients, but somehow still manage to fill beds with the classic thoracic surgery or other complicated surgical patients. On any given day one can find one third of our beds with patients admitted for nausea and vomiting or electrolyte imbalance, ...

Did you know March is National Women’s History Month?  Designated by joint resolutions of the House and Senate and proclamations by five American presidents, it is an opportunity to honor and celebrate women's achievements throughout history. Nursing is certainly filled with its share of historical female figures, beginning perhaps most ...

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 ...

By Adrianne O'Brien California RN May (just May) has a blog, aboutanurse.com, where she writes about finding humor on a med/surg telemetry unit. Earlier this week, she had a very, shall we say, challenging patient encounter. Here it is (courtesy aboutanurse.com):  I never thought I'd say it, but last night, I did. As always, I'm sort of ...