When I think of Carolyn, I remember her smile and her courage. Hobbled by breast cancer for years, it could not suppress her spirit.

I think about her especially during October-- National Breast Cancer Awareness month—when we are reminded once again by the National Breast Cancer Foundation of how important early detection is.

Carolyn was my brother-in-law’s older sister. I had long admired her when I was growing up in our small town in Iowa. In my eyes, Carolyn had ...

Like many families, mine is large, complex, and tends to travel in different directions over the Thanksgiving holiday. When my girls arrived home from college last weekend, we gathered for a special family moment before the Thanksgiving road trips began.

But Thanksgiving is not just a time to focus on family – it is also an opportunity for reflection. So, I took some time to reflect on the nursing profession and want to share my top five reasons for being thankful this year.
...

With a year of experience under our belts, a nurse colleague and I relocated to begin a new phase of our professional careers. The year was 1982, nurses were in demand, and we could set our own schedules. Several facilities offered us good positions but we turned them down thinking that we shouldn’t have to rotate shifts. After three months of unemployment we changed our minds.

Working as a staff nurse, I lost count of how many family dinners, holiday gatherings, and other events ...

Flu season is approaching and here I am, once again, plotting how I'm going to get immunized this year. Yes. It's true. I am a believer. I make the effort to get a flu shot every year, but it is never easy. It shouldn't be so hard to get a flu shot, but it is.

Last year, the drug stores in my area were dishing out flu shots in the pharmacies. I had to Google where the drug stores were that were participating and the days and hours nurses would be there giving the shots. I made plans ...

I'm a sucker for infomercials. If you think about what they can do, they work wonders. They take us from the experience of complete disinterest in their product to being sold and unable to be without it. I'm wondering if we can take a lesson from their lure to tell folks about nursing.

Here's how it all began:

I'm pondering whether to buy an aqua globe as a favor to my potted plants. You know what those are, don't you? They're the glass bubbles with hollow spikes that ...

Something's working. The CDC says the smoking rate has dropped below 20% for the first time on record. The credit is given for these reasons: smoking bans in public places, higher taxes that drive up prices, and more medications to help people quit.

I would like to thing that one of the reasons people decide to quit is because of a nursing intervention. When I practiced as an NP, I could tell someone smoked pretty quickly--you could smell the smoke on their clothes, their breath, ...

“No one ever thinks they have enough money or enough love, no matter how much they may have.” So says my daughter-in-law, quoting an old Russian saying.

This wise pronouncement stopped me in my tracks the first time I heard it. It’s true. No matter what we may have, we always seem to want more. But often enough, what we already have is enough.

Why is it that too often we dont recognize and appreciate the valuable gifts we already have—be it health, friends, family, ...

“No one ever thinks they have enough money or enough love, no matter how much they may have.” So says my daughter-in-law, quoting an old Russian saying.

This wise pronouncement stopped me in my tracks the first time I heard it. It’s true. No matter what we may have, we always seem to want more. But often enough, what we already have is enough.

Why is it that too often we dont recognize and appreciate the valuable gifts we already have—be it health, friends, family, ...

My eyes were glazed and I was crying out for mercy. Those columns of numbers and rows of statistics were numbing my brain. I was having a hard time attending to what was being said and had to force myself to pay attention.

Meanwhile, the financial expert I was with could hardly contain her enthusiasm. She was so proud of all those figures spread over the 5 pages that lay on the table between us. I was not believing the glee with which she went over each detail. I looked on in amazement ...

Nurses are going to have to justify they are worth their salaries before long. I'm talking dollars and cents here. With the economy the way it is, hospitals and other businesses are having to scale back and cut the fluff to keep afloat.

Because so many don't understand what our work is, even the colleagues we work with every day, many of us may be considered expendable when it comes to making cuts.

I guess we cant blame those in positions of authority for not understanding ...

It's New Year's resolution time again. Every year right about now, my thoughts turn to how I want to do things differently this year. And every year, I find myself dragging out and dusting off the resolutions from previous years: exercise, organize, nutrition-ize. Will this be the year to get it right?

I heard on TV yesterday ways to make NY's resolutions stick. The secret, a TV psychologist said, is to enlist a buddy to help you. This buddy would be a cross between a cheerleader ...

The American Nurses Credentialing Center has set aside March 19 as
Certified Nurses Day so nurses certified in their specialties can be
honored for their accomplishments. see www.CertifiedNursesDay.org

Why March 19? That day happens to be the birthday of Margretta “Gretta” Madden Styles, known as the mother of nurse credentialing.

I recently learned about Certified Nurses Day from Joanne Gucciardo, RN, MSN, NE-BC, Director of Professional Practice at ...

What motivates and sustains us is different for each person. For me, it’s achieving. My greatest satisfaction comes from successfully completing a project or reaching a goal. Once one challenge is met, I am off to take on the next.

Even though a paycheck pays the rent and is the primary reason most people are employed, there are many other things that bring satisfaction from working. Even in these uncertain times, it’s not just about the money.

Knowing what motivates ...

In an effort to see the glass as half full, I find myself thinking our financial crisis may actually bring some good. This may be a chance to reevaluate what is really important to us and learn all over again what are the elements that bring satisfaction and fulfillment to our lives.

Before our financial system came crashing down, we had become a consumer-centered society. We filled up our lives and spaces with the things we bought and our dreams consisted of acquiring yet another ...

Hello,
I took a new position back in July with Utilization Review and am now finding myself in the place of having to write an appeals letter/request at the second level for Medicare. Does anyone have any suggestions for resources or where to go with this?

Thanks,
Jo