Nurse Mentor

This week seemed to produce a flurry of stories* from former students about management absurdities they have experienced in their first year on the job, from managers with associates degrees through masters. Here are the best gems of the bunch.  When reading the stories, think about how much these management decisions could cost a healthcare system. __________________________________________ "I was written up for calling a doctor by his first name." Last I checked, doctors have called nurses by their first names --without the "Nurse" prefix-- for at least the last thirty years.  As long as the other person is OK with that kind of informality, does this really merit disciplinary action on the part of management?  How far behind twenty-first social norms does healthcare have to be?  We are not practicing in a 1970s soap opera any more. Managers who use these petty power plays, get over yourselves and focus on something that actually improves patient outcomes. ...

Melanie* is a former student who took a job in a rural hospital, deciding she would rather have a job sooner than later so her career could begin moving forward after graduation.  In a recent letter, she reflected on her first year's experiences. "The hospital has its pluses and minuses - I always, quite often, remember what you said to me about how accepting this job would be wise in my long-term plan, because it would give me an understanding of how different systems work in different areas. It really has done so. It has been an eye-opening journey into the difficulties rural health systems face. Rural hospitals have unique challenges that come from both their revenue sources and the locally available talent pool.  They can be great places to get experience with a wide range of patients.       "The good: The step down unit is 24 beds, with a ratio of 4:1. Because of the hospital's small size and inability to specialize, it's a kitchen sink as to wh...

A former student shares her story of trial and triumph as she fought her way through a nursing school program that doubted her nursing skills because she had only one arm. She's a wonderful example of perseverance and how nurse managers can really make a difference with developing and retaining young nurses.

It strikes me that many students and nurses do not seem to know about the "other" masters degree options for nurses.  Everyone seems to want to be a nurse practitioner these days.  Now, that's great news for the primary care provider shortage, but we need nurses with masters degrees who can work in other positions and have other skill sets. Let's review the other masters degrees in nursing.  Nearest and dearest to my own heart is Nursing Education.  Remember that really cool clinical instructor you had in your entry-level nursing program --that could be you!  Do you like precepting new hires?  Are you the person on your unit who unofficially keeps everyone up-to-date on the latest evidence?  Do you really enjoy patient teaching, whether in the hospital or community setting?  Do you just like to teach?  Nursing education is the right masters for you.  Skills learned in a nursing education masters cannot be learned on the job.  Cur...

Nurses, regardless of your views about gun ownership, by the very nature of your career choice you are now on the National Rifle Association's enemies list .  Not to worry, you are in good company with our physician colleagues.  That's right, the American Medical Association made the list too along with the Pediatricians.  The complete list also has teachers, cops, and religious groups on there.  Yes, your religious affiliation could make you an NRA enemy, even if you own a gun. Suffice it to say, it's pretty easy to understand why health professions associations made those lists.  When you keep seeing teenagers and young adults hospitalized due to gun violence in their communities, take care of a critically ill child that was shot by a gun in their own home because they were playing with it, or when an angry human being walks into the emergency room where you work with a loaded rifle threatening everyone, that kind of waste of human potential is a gross inju...

When people live longer, societies have to figure out how to ensure they do not end up in poverty and that they can remain active citizens.  Elders in poverty mean higher health system costs because poor people have more health problems.  Nonetheless, health issues with aging are inevitable regardless of income level. The Washington Post highlights the graph from the US Department of Health and Human Services below. What the graph shows is not a surprise: More people growing older means increased Medicare costs.  See the graph below (courtesy of Flowing Data ) illustrating the average age of members of congress. When you wonder why policy choices are made about Medicare, look at those in Congress who are close to receiving it.

The New York Times published a wonderful piece about a nurse who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and offered herself as a teaching case study.  You can read the story in the Times here . Photo review here . From the article: "Spending time with the dying is not fundamental to nurse training, partly because there are not enough clinical settings to provide the experience. The End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium , a project of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, has provided training in palliative care to some 15,000 nurses and nursing instructors around the nation since 2000, focusing not just on pain management but also on how to help terminally ill patients and their families prepare for death.  In addition, some students do rotations with hospice nurses, said Pam Malloy, the project’s director. But Ms. Malloy said that nursing schools still do not focus on end-of-life care nearly as much as they should. “We live in a death-denying societ...