A Day in the Life: Measuring Magic

I am an intern at a pediatric cardiologist’s office. On clinical days I get to run ECGs (electrocardiogram) on tiny patients.

Running ECGs is relatively simple. I stick eight electrodes onto little bodies and hook them up to a machine. I type in birthdays, names, ages, and genders. I push a button. I wait. Children are told to be still, to not be nervous. Parents hold their breath as the pink sheet of paper slides out the machine. Zig zaggy lines travel up and down sheet in imposing black ink.

Is the treatment working? Is their baby’s heart getting stronger? Is the medicine that leaves their child bruised and tired doing its job? Read More

Shutdown

Located deep in Any State, USA, at the MEDDAC on Fort Somewhere: A rare look inside the experience of an active duty Army nurse during the government shutdown and the far-reaching consequences for a military and civilian workforce at war. Read More

[Toon] Do you remember your interview?

Interviews are different for everyone - some are long, short, funny, and/or unforgettable. Do you remember your interview? How long was it? What do you remember the most about your interview? Please share... Read More

Study Resources for Certification and/or NICU Newbies

I was browsing the NCC website, looking for basic study guides for the certification exam. On one of the .pdf files, they had the following list of recommended study material. Any others you guys would recommend? I figured these would be good not only for preparing for the certification, but also for the new folks that are always in search of preparatory material for starting in the NICU. Read More

How did you get into NICU nursing?

I am a current med-surg float nurse that has been doing med-surg for over 4 years now. I have recently made the decision that NICU nursing is where I would like to go from here. Although I have a strong med-surg base, like they told me to get when I graduated, it seems that it is not helping me get into the field of neonatal care. My current hospital has a level 3 NICU, but every time a position opens they require recent NICU experience and a current NRCP card. So my question is how did you break into the field? What is an NRCP card and is there any classes or any action you could recommend me doing to increase my chances of getting into the NICU? Read More

Will taking time off harm my career?

I'm an L&D nurse with 2 years' experience. My husband and I want to move out of the area we're in, and are interested in taking 9-12 months off to travel around the country before we settle back down somewhere. Will this negatively affect my career? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, but I want to feel confident about doing it. Read More

Nurses in trouble get second chances - Minnesota

Elda Bothun lay unconscious on her bed inside a Bloomington nursing home. She had stopped breathing, but the two nurses assigned to care for her had left the room.

At 5:05 a.m., Jan. 19, 2009, Bothun was pronounced dead. They charged the nurses with criminal neglect, a rare step in Minnesota.

The Minnesota Board of Nursing could have taken away the licenses of Mokandu and Abayneh. Instead, it directed them to take training classes and consult with other nurses about how to respond to emergency situations. Read More

If you could have one nursing superpower, what would it be?

I had a rough day at work today. There was a patient that started to go bad on me and I ended up calling a rapid response on her and sending her to ICU at another hospital. I found myself wishing I could literally predict the future, particularly my patients' futures, so I can stop things like this from happening. Here's my totally off-the-wall discussion topic: If you could have one super power, one that you could only use while you're at work, which would it be and why? Read More

Young Nurses!

I'm 22 and I just want to see how many young nurses in their 20's are really out there! (Not to offend anyone in their 30's or older!) they say there are less young nurses emerging into the field these days I'm not sure if I believe that! Show of hands!? Read More!

Top 10 List of Patient Survey Ideas

Can we change a culture on an Achilles heel? Can we change patient perception if nurses are not "bought in" to the idea of "customer" care? Can we make some culture changes to reflect a more individualized approach to nursing care while still maintaining a positive patient oriented environment? Can we do all this whilst including families, and information and sharing time sensitive information? The following just scratches the surface of some patient satisfaction thoughts. Read More

[Poll] If you could be instantly multilingual...

Which languages would make your job easier? At the moment, I really wish I knew Farsi. Spanish is perpetually on my wish list but I could never keep the motivation to really learn it. What about you guys? Also, how do you like your interpreter services? Read More

Another burnt out nurse - questioning everything...

I am questioning why I am a nurse. The 12 hr shifts are just killing me - before I was a single mom, it was no problem but now I come home after 13 exhausting hours and get my toddler from my mom and bath him and put him to bed and it is so late and I am so tired and then I have to either spend the night at my mom's or drive to my apt for just a few hours of sleep before doing it all again. Read More