Category: Employment

I guess I’m a little bit of a techie and just got a Fitbit which monitors my steps and activities. I enjoy watching my number of steps throughout the day. When I was a nurse, I would spend my time walking down large halls to see my patients and back to the nurse’s station to chart. Once I became an […]

It is really sad to listen to the stories I hear from some of my clients about communications in nursing. Nurses talk behind each other’s back, complain about each other and, sometimes, have no hesitation in putting down others, right in front of each other. It’s sort of like middle school. I know I used to be quiet and keep […]

As a registered nurse, do you know the scope of practice? Have you reviewed the Nurse Practice Act of your State? Even with the Nurse Practice act, what does failure to keep abreast of current theory and practice mean? The policies and procedures of the facility at which you work are your guiding source. If your policies and procedures covers […]

It’s that time of year in Indiana, license renewal of the State’s nurses. If you’re not in Indiana, I am sure that you have a similar renewal process so check these out; I think these tips will be very helpful! The Board asks 6 questions in the renewal process because they want to know that you are safe to practice. […]

A recent publication reported the story of a nurse who was still working in an emergency department after 23 years of dedicated service. During that time, she frequently experienced being spat upon, bitten, punched, slapped, cursed and even splashed in the face with bodily fluids. One of her latest encounters was the worst. Her patient was a man who had […]

Recently I read an article about a nurse who was the beneficiary of a deceased couple’s estate. I may not be recalling the facts exactly but the lesson of my message is what’s important. The nurse provided for an elderly husband and wife for years up to the point where the home care could no longer provide for their needs. […]

Have you ever headed somewhere and took a shortcut only to wind up taking more time than had you taken the original route? Well, the same is true in nursing. Some nurses take shortcuts to expedite their work load. Shortcuts can include pre-documenting, medication administration, setting up medications early or even ordering items well before the physician arrives because you […]

The National Practitioner Databank is a repository for the names of certain individuals who have had an adverse action against their license or medical malpractice verdict or settlement. Congress enacted legislation to create the Databank because of increasing occurrences of medical malpractice litigation and the need to improve quality medical care. One of the factors that pushed for the need […]

As I begin to write this article, some of things that I will say in it are tongue in cheek but, in all seriousness, everything here is true. FAILING TO KEEP BOARD APPRISED OF YOUR CURRENT ADDRESS: I am surprised how many nurses forget to give the Licensing Board their current address, especially if the address is for licenses in […]

I am constantly amazed at the number of nurses I meet who do not know their facilities policies and procedures. The policies and procedures are your “bible” in the nursing profession. You are required to know and follow these policies and procedures. Just because people always do things a certain way does not necessarily mean that it’s proper. The policies […]