Since high school, I have been fascinated with learning about child and human development. It confirms for me how all humans are alike and so very different at the same time.  I love that there are patterns and rules, but ultimately variation is the norm. We are all born with a blank road map, and where we go in life is up to us. And when ...

I wish I could say I had a 'EUREKA' moment that saved me from the throes of burnout.  I'd love also to report an A-ha moment of realization when figured out exactly what I needed to do to fix it. But like I said in my previous post, my burnout experience was insidious. It crept up and consumed me without my knowledge or consent. The truth: ...

If anyone knows the importance of research and clinical trials, it's nurses. In the 1976 and again in 1989, more than 250,000 LPNs and RNs ages 20-46 were asked to participate in one of the largest clinical investigation - the Nurses' Health Studies - that would help researchers find important insights on women's health, including cancer ...

Twelve-hour shifts have gotten some bad press. They've been linked to medical errors, nurse burnout and, now, higher rates of obesity in nurses. Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Nursing, Baltimore, surveyed 2,103 female nurses and revealed nurses with long work hours were significantly more likely to be obese compared with ...

It's official. Nursing, the Internet and wireless technology are now inextricably intertwined - even when it comes to de-stressing, as evidenced by the new mobile app from the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing's Future called the ''Happy Nurse'' Game. Nurses, nursing students or anyone interested in the profession can play the game ...

That old contradictory adage, ''Do as I say, not as I do,'' doesn't cut it when it comes to helping people stop smoking. In 2009 President Barack Obama signed into law anti-smoking legislation aimed at keeping young Americans from the grip of nicotine. Yet the young president was himself lighting up. Tsk, tsk. However, it turns out ...

A hole in the forces of Magnetism? (Gulp.) Is it possible? Yes and yes, answers a study by the University of Maryland School of Nursing, Baltimore. Led by Alison Trinkoff, ScD, RN, FAAN, and Meg Johantgen PhD, RN, research revealed that Magnet hospitals do not necessarily provide better working conditions for nurses than non-Magnet ...

Most of us probably know by now that no less than three primetime shows are featuring nurses in primary roles.  After decades of St. Elsewhere, Quincy, House Calls and most recently ER and Grey's Anatomy; it's about time a healthcare drama was put forward with a nurse's point to view.  That should be reason enough for nurses to stand ...