Thursday, September 03, 2009

Change of Shift 4.5 ... The Shift Changing Edition

Welcome Nursing Friends, and welcome all other visitors!  Thanks for stopping by!

It's time again for the Nursing Blog Carnival, Change of Shift Version 4, Edition 5 and I can't help but tell you, I'm doing something big folks, annnd I am scared out of my mind.

Our very first stop is to Shrtstormtrooper's (New Nurse Insanity/Fundus Chop) for his insightful post looking over his journey through nursing school and his first 8 months working as an RN.  Next, we'll stop by Kim's Emergiblog to see why her Smile Looks Out of Place.  (And I venture to guess we've all been there!)

Kim also sent in a post by Suzanne Gordon, author, speaker, and general nurse advocate.  It's about the television show, Nurse Jackie that aired this summer, and there's a great discussion forming in the comments.

Our next stop is Reality Rounds to see what Japan's doing to solve its nursing shortage.  It may not be what you think!  

Now for some welcomes, welcome student nurse blogger Stina with her submitted post, My First Inappropriate Patient.  Then say welcome back to Azygos, a nurse practitioner who shares an interesting story of why he had to stop blogging.

If you have a Medscape registration (or want to register for free), you will need it for our next stop. Barb Olson submitted a piece, Beyond 'Be Careful' in OB, in which we are reminded why we don't need to be so judgmental when others make mistakes, and by her discussing a few med errors, she questions the system used in such a high-risk setting.

Alvaro over at Smart Brains sent in a guest post on his blog, Comparing Working Memory Training & Medication Treatment for ADHD.  It's pretty interesting!

Next, let's go visit TherapyDoc with her post Friendship & Professional Boundaries.  You know we've all had those patients we wanted to be friends with... or have you ever had a person you know surface on your floor as a patient?  Been there, too.  This is a good post to check out.

And since Kim is so great to oversee these Change of Shifts time after time after time, I'm sneaking another post from her blog in... It's called Observing the Blogosphere, and even though I've been blogging for a couple years, I really enjoyed it.  Remember, comments are the soul of the blogosphere, as she mentions, so take a spare second to leave some love on all the blogs you visit off of today's Carnival!  :)

And last but definitely not least, as we say goodbye until next time, head over to Beth's PixelRN who asks Nurses: Do You Have an Exit Strategy? 

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Change of Shift - Valentines Edition! 3.17

I hope you all had a beautiful Valentine's Day. I'll just jump straight to the point here - I absolutely hate Valentine's Day. Yes, I'm happily engaged to my soulmate, and no, it's not his fault. I think it has a little something to do with sitting in the hospital on Valentine's Day sixteen years ago... I was a little 5 year old who had spent the previous couple days being poked and prodded and even held down screaming at the top of my lungs as a doctor drilled into my bone to remove some bone marrow for testing. Every year, I try to be excited about Valentine's Day, but those memories are still so loud. I didn't know it then, but it was the end of the only 5 normal years I'd ever have and the beginning of a lifetime of excruciatingly difficult experiences.

What does this have to do with Change of Shift? Well, this is the Nursing Blog Carnival. I'd like to ask all of you nurses - and other wonderful allied health guests - to join me in remembering that little girl scared to death sixteen years ago. Every patient is that little girl. Every patient is full of emotions and questions, even the healthy ones. Every smile you see has a fair chance of being a well-maintained facade that could very well crumble to pieces when you leave the room. Every patient has a voice, but so many are too scared or intimidated to use it. It's so easy to get caught up in the day to day, but I can assure you that whatever field you're in, your words and your smile can make or break a patient's day and truly change their life.

That 5 year old's first hospital experience was with her nurse. The nurse was doing all of the admitting paperwork and the little girl asked if she could please have an apple juice. Of course said the seemingly friendly nurse. But the nurse had two things when she returned - the apple juice and an IV. The little girl was petrified of that nurse for the rest of her stay. The nurse had betrayed her trust, and the little girl was sure if she asked for anything again, she'd get something bad from the nurse, too.

It's the simple things, it really, really is. And let me tell you, it doesn't end in Peds. Those adults are just as scared too. If you slow down enough to sit and see how someone is really doing, you'll be amazed how much they'll open up. You'll be shocked at how human they really are, especially as we are so used to the fast-paced healthcare system that forces us to go in and out of patient rooms with an objective and unattached mindset.

They're real people, just like you. Just like me. As cliche as it this statement is, treat each patient how you would like to be treated. You'll be amazed how the nurse-patient dynamic will drastically change. You'll be able to better help the patient with their increased openness and honesty. Can you remember to come back in an hour to check on them if that's what you promised? If not, set your watch alarm for 60 minutes. You might be the only familiar face that patient will see all day. He may be sitting there watching the clock just waiting for your smile. :)

And now, without further ado, here are our fabulous submissions:
First off Dean Moyer sent in a post about new research and the downside of physical therapy - Herniated Discs and the Catch-22 of Rehabilitation. Research is so interesting sometimes, but as many of us know, you really have to stand back and file it in with the big picture. But as he says, knowledge is power! Recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia, I definitely back him up on that one. And I agree with him when he says the more you know, the better you can handle the set backs.

Next, Jennifer Rotman marvels at the maintenance of the nursing field while the economy is crashing everywhere else. Check out her post, How Nurses Kept Their Jobs While Millions Lost It. It's a great post that answers a question many have wondered. Make sure you read through to the end. Isn't it humbling being in a field where we make such amazing differences sometimes?

Victoria Powell will also touch your heart with her post, I Am A Nurse. She details her journey into nursing and what she learned along the way. She talks about realizing how the simple things can make the difference in care and later states, "Find what makes your heart sing and do it." Perfectly said.

On a different note, check out Adrianne O'Brien's post on the woman who just had octuplets - Eight is (More Than) Enough. Join in the dozens of comments if you dare - what do you think about the issue? Ethical? Who's at blame? Should it even be called "blame"? The post is 2 weeks old and new information has surfaced, but still... she presents a lot of interesting ideas and questions to ponder.

Once again, NurseConnect bloggers stepped up to the plate and sent in some great posts! Nurse Laura posted Breathing Life into our Practice and reminds us to take the advice we so frequently give our patients - Take a deep breath! Nurse Kathy posted Job Shadow which will definitely make you laugh. I'm in the final run of my nursing degree so I had to chuckle... it was job shadowing day and she agreed to show two girls around and tell them about the career. They had a great day, but not for reasons you would expect!!

On a more serious note, Mark, a paramedic, submitted an endearing post on a patient dying on the back of his ambulance - ECG (part 1). Such a human story of life and what matters when we realize we may be at the end. And bonus - a chance to review your EKG skills! :)

PRN Penguin shared Found in Translation, a moving post on trying to bridge the language-gap. Actions speak louder than words, and genuine care and concern can translate over an cultural difference. Such a beautiful story.

A big YAY to Shrtstormtrooper for posting Magnet Ball Vitals, a little tale of her first clinical. Moral of the story? Be nice to student nurses!! :) I love those stories of our first days with patients... I sure do remember mine!

We have two posts this time from SharpBrains - one by Alvaro Fernandez, Brain Training: It Works, and It Doesn't Work, tells what to look for before buying into one of the new brain training programs and even shares a handy checklist. Secondly, Scott Barry Kaufman submitted the very fascinating Learning About Learning: An Interview with Joshua Waitzkin. The title says it all! Lots of fun info here.

Now Macho Nurse posted Keep Your Eye on the Prize, a very motivational post. I loved it. His "prize" is being a pediatric nurse, and his story was great to read. But in another respect, I want to commend him right now for "getting it." The intro to his story brought tears to my eyes at how descriptively and truly he described being a p ediatric or adolescent patient with a chronic illness. You nailed it, Macho Nurse. That little five year old me would have been honored to be such a student nurse's patient. Thank you for what you brought - and will continue to bring - to those children.

Last but not least, Kim, coordinator of the fabulous Change of Shift, has a last minute post that's definitely worth it - Absolutely Nuts or Totally Unique? We are in a unique profession, and there is so much flexibility in degrees, licenses, fields... whatever. But PhD or AA or critical care or CEO... we are ALL at the core, one thing: a nurse. A fabulous, wonderful, honorable thing.

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On a final note, PLEASE PLEASE keep submitting. Our posts numbers have been down lately, and we've been inundated with spammers hanging out on the BlogCarnival site. There are so many amazing nursing voices out there - stand up for your profession and let yours be heard! Invite us over to your blog. We can't wait to hear from YOU! :)

And...

Thanks for stopping by. :)

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PS - Big news! An aggregated feed of credible, rotating health and medicine blog carnivals is now available here. Get all the latest carnival information right in your inbox or feed reader! So easy!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

A Halloween Change of Shift :: Volume 3, Issue 9

 

We have some fabulous reads today... a few quite creepy to satisfy the occasion and others to make you smile and touch your heart.

First of all, my friend TherapyDoc at Everyone Needs Therapy shared some tips and an entertaining yet “frankly” alarming story for us on About Those 8 Ways to Spot a Dishonest Date. (How’s that for scary?) “I’m not gonna lie,” but her post is totally interesting. “Honestly”... you may giggle, but it will leave you thinking!

Disappearing John, an ER nurse, writes about A Strange Outbreak in his area. What kind of outbreak, you ask? Well, it seems that in Arizona, people are coming down with pseudocyesis. Don’t know what that is? In a few words, it’s a false pregnancy. Yep, all the symptoms but no fetus. (Halloween appropriate? You can decide...) Ignoring all of the thoughts running around my head on mental illnesses and the multifaceted, overwhelming emotion behind some women’s desire for children... we’ll move right along. (But still... how would this rare syndrome be occurring repeatedly in one area?)

Braden snuck in two posts! How trick-or-treat-y of him! An ER nurse who is threatening us with morphine (I’m serious - check out his profile!) has two very great posts on “Never Events.” The first: It Isn’t a Never Event if it Isn’t Called a Never Event will probably make you laugh out loud. I did. Jump in and add your ideas for creative charting! His second post, Serious Never Events will make you stop and think. In our healthcare society, how dare a patient be held responsible for their own actions!! Right? Uhh... wait a minute... It’s our job to solve all of their problems and keep the inevitable from happening? Now that’s scary.

On another scary note, Karin proposed an interesting thought on her blog: It’s Over: The Nursing Shortage. As a nursing student, you may think that I am alarmed, but I’m not. I’ve actually wondered the same thing myself. The “shortage” the associations and media tell us about.... The one that makes naive high school seniors go to nursing school with big dreams of money and mansions and a fabulous schedule and cute scrubs? Yep, that one. Join in on the discussion in the post’s comments. [Disclaimer: Many people go into our field for the right reasons, but there are those who jump right in because they hear someone exaggerate the job security, benefits, hours, salary... I mean no disrespect to either. :)]

Perhaps a spooky coincidence, Nurse Laura at NurseConnect posted Are Nurses Feeling the Pinch?, proposing questions about our profession and the current state of the United States economy. How is it affecting us? Our jobs? Our job security? New nursing prospects? Nursing education? Join in the discussion. There’s truly a lot to think about.

All this Halloween craziness and overall critical thinking sending your head for a spin? Neuro guru Alvaro submitted a post he wrote interviewing a University of Oregon neuroscience professor, Dr. Posner, about his research on the idea of Training: Attentional and Emotional Self-Regulation. It’s a very interesting read. Just watch out though - there’s a little scare hidden in there. Just click the link to the Stroop Test when you get there. Dr. Posner’s little teaser might just make you feel umm... not that smart! (Or it might just make you remember that you really needed to get a few more hours of sleep last night!)

And speaking of your head, I bet you’re wrong on something. Male nurses. Did you really know that they’ve been in our the care-taking role longer than women? Kathy at NurseConnect has all the details in A History Lesson on the Male Nurse. It’s quite interesting, and if you know much about feminism and its history, it’s even more interesting... perhaps upsetting. Nursing and related activities - whatever it was called at the time - has always gone through cycles being esteemed to being lowly and primitive. You’ll learn from Kathy that a long time ago (BC, not 1800!), it was a distinguished honor only for men. Funny how during a few of nursing’s “better” times, it was during the men’s role in the profession. Go check out this little history lesson and don’t forget to love the male nurses! I think they bring an entirely different mindset to the table and have many strengths and weaknesses that complement ours in the healthcare setting.

Next, let’s take a little break from the “scary” and go visit Running Wildly.... She sent in two posts, and they are both fabulous. Post-survival is near and dear to my heart since it’s her thoughts on wrapping up nursing school and getting ready to rejoin the world! (We all know that nursing students have no time to eat or sleep or breathe, let alone be a human being with an actual life...) In her post, she reminisces on what nursing school is and isn’t and how it has changed her. Next, you have to check out Jigsaw Puzzle - a moving story unfolds in the ER’s trauma room. There’s rushing and yelling and CPR and chaos. There’s no time for anything but fighting for a life. Sadly though, this time, medicine and the resilience of the human body aren’t enough. Running Wildly gently compares nursing with he lping patients put together the jigsaw puzzle of life. Unfortunately, sometimes the pieces don’t go together like the picture on the box. Her story and analogy are beautiful.

While we're on the more serious side, let’s not forget that today wraps up Breast Cancer Awareness month. Is breast cancer screening always a good thing, or does it sometimes do more harm than good? Even we as healthcare providers receive mixed information, so what is a patient to do? Are we accurately informing them or shying away from the topic because we don’t know ourselves? Thankfully, Sandy at Junkfood Science sorts out both arguments for us in Brest Cancer Screening - What's Right for You? It’s a long read, but every bit of it is packed with info. Sandy definitely did her research! Take your time to peruse her post and understand both sides. Knowledge is power, and we need to be well-versed both for ourselves and for the ability to equip our patients with the fair options they deserve.

And on that note, let’s wrap things up by talking more on informed decisions and being knowledgeable on both sides of an issue. Dr. Jessen from Highlight HEALTH showed me his fabulous post that is just full of information and links on both candidates' perspectives on healthcare topics. He was very clear in telling me that he sent this to Grand Rounds, too, but due to the election being less than a week and my belief that everyone is entitled to fair, unbiased knowledge, I’m recommending that you read his post, the 2008 Presidential Candidates on the Issues of Biomedical Research and Healthcare.

And that's all for this time! See, that wasn’t so bad, was it? We got a little freaked out in the beginning but by the end, it was more treats than tricks, right?

Thank you so much to everyone who submitted - all of the posts were wonderful, and it was a pleasure to read each one of them. Also, thank you to everyone who is reading this and supporting the nursing blogosphere. Take your time to explore these great posts, comment, learn, and make new friends.

Want some more good nursing stories? Check out my sidebar for info on a fabulous brand new compilation of hope-related musings by nurses called Meditations on Hope. (And sorry, shameless and way-excited plug here... one of the contributing writers was none other than yours truly!)

Oh and don’t forget to be thinking of your posts to submit for the next Change of Shift over at Flight Nurse's blog!

 

Thursday, October 16, 2008

It’s COMING….  {Change of Shift}

Today at Nurse Ratched's, Change of Shift V3.8 went up. You know what that means, don't you? Time to go read the rants and raves, stories and sharings of some of the best nurse bloggers* on the 'net. Oh yes, and time to start thinking about the next Change of Shift which is going to be HERE!

 

 

*Whether or not you're a nurse, you can submit. All stories should have at least something to do with nursing though. Are you a patient? Someone who dreams of being a nurse? Are you a new nurse, an old "experienced" nurse ;-) or somewhere in between? Anything goes, just keep it along the lines of NURSING.

For those who may not know, here's the very simple rules (stole this from Kim's site, Emergiblog!)

• All submissions will be posted, including rants and criticism. We’re nurses, we can take it.
• If you post to Grand Rounds [the medical blog carnival] that week, the submission to Change of Shift must be a different post.
• Change of Shift is not competing with Grand Rounds, it is meant to be a specific niche for and about nurses that welcomes any and all contributors with a story or experience as or with nurses.
• All known HIPAA privacy rules apply.
• If you are blogging about your own experience as a patient, make sure your story does not reveal any information about other patients you came into contact with during your stay/visit/experience.
• If you are blogging about a relative, be sure to get their permission to do so, if possible.
• All submissions must be in by 5:00 pm on the Wednesday before the “carnival” is posted. [Which means I need your submissions by 5pm EST on Wednesday, October 29th]
• Be sure to put “Change of Shift” in the subject line so the host doesn’t miss it or if it accidentally gets puts it in the “bulk” folder, the host will find it.
• Posts containing rude or foul language or inappropriate material for general consumption (you know what I mean) will be purged.
• The “carnival” will be posted on Thursdays so as not to interfere with Grand Rounds.

And that's really all there is to it!! So spread the word and get those posts in!

There are TWO ways to submit:
1. Email me: agmcgaha {at} g mail {dot} com , and remember, "Change of Shift" goes in the subject line!
- or -
2. Go to our page on the Blog Carnival site, and click the submission button on the top. (Or just click HERE.)