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I love Nurses’ Week. It is only fitting that every year since 1954, the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingales’ mission to the Crimean War, the nursing community is celebrated. Nurses’ WEEK begins on May 6th (since 1982) and runs the full week, ending on May 12th, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. I love Nurses’ Week and . . . → Read More: Happy Nurses’ Week! When I heard that the 19 y/o suspect had been apprehended and, because of his injuries, had been taken to the hospital, I thought, “Oh brother, God bless the hospital staff that will be treating and caring for him.” Amidst all the public sentiment surrounding the terrible tragedy at the Boston Marathon, and the ensuing . . . → Read More: Boston Bomber #2 Taken to Beth Israel/Deaconess Medical Center Recently, it seems like we’ve had a flurry of facilities whose staff has been unwilling, for one reason or another, to speak with our nurse advocates over the phone. Last week, I was asked to intervene in a case where our nurse advocate was having difficulty getting information DESPITE a signed authorization and consent on . . . → Read More: “Our nurses don’t give medical information.” Through the years of healthcare innovation and reform, even going as far back as the 1990′s, one of the favorite rallying cries of administrators is delivering and offering “patient centered care.” When I first heard the phrase, as a manager in an acute care hospital, I thought, “Um, isn’t that what we WERE delivering?” I . . . → Read More: “Patient Centered Care? Absolutely! I’ll Get to That Right After My Meeting.” There I sat, amidst close to 6,000 women attendees at the Pennsylvania Conference for Women, listening to Arianna Huffington give her keynote presentation during lunch. What a pleasant surprise it was to hear her remarks! At times serious, then humorous, and back to serious again, I was impressed with her articulate, insightful comments about women . . . → Read More: Great Day at the PA Conference for Women! Many thanks to the planning committee and volunteers who made the 2012 RN-AIM (Registered Nurse Association in Michigan) Annual Conference a smashing success! This year’s theme for the conference, on September 20th and 21st, was “Nurse As Advocate” and I was honored to be invited to give the keynote presentation to kick off the meeting. . . . → Read More: Six Lessons for Nurse Advocates We recently had a case in California which required us to frequently communicate telephonically with the nursing staff. We had the required signed HIPAA release on the chart (multiple times, in fact, as it continued to get ‘lost’) as well as the family’s verbal authorization to speak on their behalf with the clinical team. . . . → Read More: Nurse Practice Act? C’MON……. Last week a good friend had bilateral knee replacements and chose to ‘buy up’ for her recovery by selecting the hospital’s “Concierge Unit.” Many hospitals now offer such a unit, requiring patients to pay out of pocket per night in addition to their expected insurance payment. In my friend’s case, it was $40o each night. . . . → Read More: $400 Per Night and Still No Benadryl Ointment!! I had the privilege of listening to Dr. Peter Buerhaus, Professor of Nursing at Vanderbilt University, this morning as he presented information on his ongoing research about this country’s nursing shortage. For years, data has predicted not only a shortage of nurses entering the workforce but as baby boomer nurses plan (oh please, oh please) . . . → Read More: Good News About Nursing Shortage I was on the receiving end of healthcare this week. Being a patient, and a nurse, is a little like being a “secret shopper.” I don’t usually admit that I’m a nurse when checking in, filling out the voluminous forms, or being interviewed on my personal health history by the intake nurse. I want to . . . → Read More: New, Ridiculous Policies |
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