Category: Employment

  Years ago, when I was practicing nursing, I had a young patient who said she “didn’t feel quite right.”  Her vital signs were good, and her assessment was normal, but I couldn’t put my finger on what exactly was going on.  I knew in my gut something was wrong.  Then she started screaming, “God, I’m coming!” as we rushed […]

  I have wanted to write an article on this for a while.  I was surprised to learn that the government has chosen to include patient satisfaction into the mix of hospital reimbursements! Let’s realize that we are dealing with a population (patients) comprised of individuals who are ill to begin with.  When one is ailing, they are distracted by […]

On May 13, 2017, an inmate at the Kane County Jail in Illinois was taken to Delnor Hospital after he ate a jail-issued plastic sandal and drank a liquid cleaner.  He had surgery to remove the plastic and liquid from his stomach and was recovering when the guard left him unshackled after the inmate had used the restroom. After being […]

For the 16th consecutive year, the Gallup Poll found that the most trusted professionals are … nurses!!!  Nurses surpassed military officers by 11% and doctors by 17%. I love seeing these statistics because they are true.  Nurses are amazing in that they take care of people’s health, well-being, psycho/social needs and even their property. Interestingly, pharmacists have declined some this […]

In 1964, the American Nurses Association supported the position that all nurses should have a B.S.N.  However, nothing really became of it until the State of New York made the bold move last week by passing legislation requiring all New York State nurses to have a B.S.N. within 10 years. New York encompasses 8% of all R.N.’s in the United […]

It’s nurse license renewal season and in Indiana, on the application, nurses must answer if they have been reprimanded, terminated or disciplined in their capacity as a health care provider. The Nursing Board even requires nurses to disclose if they’ve had attendance issues because, even though I would argue that’s not in the capacity of a health care provider, anyone […]

The nursing shortage is hitting hard and it’s hitting fast.  According to Reuters, hospitals are offering various incentives, including sign-on bonuses, to recruit new nurses.  They also are offering low cost housing and career mentoring. Next, hospitals are investing more in travel nurses.  A hospital in Charleston, West Virginia, doubled the amount they spend on travel nurses to $12,000,000 compared […]

If you’re old enough, you might recall that TV series back in the ‘60s hosted by Allen Funt where people were filmed in contrived situations and didn’t even know it.  It was kind of precursor to similar shows today like “Cheaters” in which people don’t know they’re being recorded. Did you know that in certain states, permission is not needed […]

Frequently, nurses tell me that they are having trouble finding a job and think it is because either their previous job is talking negatively “black ball” about them or there is a Board matter in their past.  I stumbled across this article that I want to share it with you.  You can find it at: http://scrubsmag.com/confessions-from-hospital-hr-heres-why-we-didnt-hire-you/view-all/ and it is a […]

Katie Duke, who was on the reality TV show “NY Med,” was fired after posting a picture of the mess in a trauma room without the patient present.  The problem was that by watching the program, people knew where she worked and who knows if this was one of the scenes from the show.  Her employer fired Katie after they […]