You know it is not going to go well when the person you're interviewing starts off by asking, "How much work can I miss before I get fired?" You ever have one of those? Yet that's probably not the worst I've heard.
By now you've heard plenty about Medicare sequestration cuts. But you might not realize that some projects not only survived cuts, but they are getting money for projects while more important ones are slashed.
Once again the war on drugs catches frail elder patients in the crosshairs. Basically a "drive by" that shouldn't happen.
Kentucky may well be remembered for something better than its bourbon and horse races. In early February, the Kentucky Senate passed a bill where the claimants have to go before a review panel prior to filing suit against a nursing home.
Well, it wasn't easy to get there, but we have a new CIA director sworn in. With John Brennan taking over the spy agency, now's a good time to think back to what happened to his predecessor, General David Petraeus.
You may have read that spending time on Facebook has been shown to reduce stress levels but now new research suggests that learning to use Facebook may have the benefit of sharpening of mental abilities on adults over 65. OK, I'm just going to ask: Has anyone out there tried to teach a parent how to use Facebook?
OK, so I just figured out why geriatricians are the some of lowest paid physicians in the profession. It's because no one knows who the heck they are! We have proof.
"To reduce avoidable hospitalizations, you must have a meaningful flow of information." These are extremely wise words we need to really think about.
Have you ever read Dr. Seuss's "Pill Drill" from "You're Only Old Once"? Wow, it's obvious he must have experienced our fragmented health system, where older adults see multiple specialists who never speak with each other and overwhelm a patient with medications they can't keep up with.
I recently attended the National Transition of Care Coalition Summit in Washington. It was an eye-opener.
I don't believe there is one person who can hear about the tragedy at Sandy Hook and not be moved. I think many people are moved to a "call for action" in some way.
A recent randomized trial showed that marijuana extract pills may help some patients with multiple sclerosis. Apparently, body pain, spasms, and other outcomes responded positively to the cannabis pills. However, there were associated side effects.
I love being a nurse and I can't think of being anything else. Do you remember a time when there was a turning point, that is, there was something that actually framed or shaped WHO you would become in your career?
What if compounding pharmacies were given even a quarter of the scrutiny of long-term care inspections? If that were done, I don't believe there would be a fungus among us!
This past summer, Medscape had an article titled "The Top 15 books for Nurses." They were "heavy" reads and not the self-help books I thought would have been on their summer "must-have" list. I've been thinking about writing some books of my own and thought I would share what my "Top 10" list would look like.
So we all know that nurse have a love-hate relationship with "medical shows" on TV. The good news is there is at least one thing to love.
Did you hear the one about the seasoned detective who finds a body in a field? Surrounded by young detectives, he immediately announces, "She was a nurse and worked in long term care!" Stunned, the newbie detectives ask, "How on earth can you tell that?" "Easy," he says.
If you think you've seen it all, you haven't. That's because they didn't bare all, just almost all. This is awesome. A dozen women in their seventies and eighties decided to raise money for their retirement community's benevolent fund by becoming "calendar girls."
Nurses continue to experience stress at higher rates than most other groups, according to the American Holistic Nurses Association. OK, so we know nurses get stressed — just walk into any nursing home or hospital and look around —but let's break this down.
Basic infection prevention and control isn't rocket science. It is essentially following some general guidelines. Some of them pretty simplistic. Not too hard right? You would think, but ...
A panel of doctors was asked for its opinions about a proposal for a new wing at the nearby referring hospital. It was tough to get a straight answer.
Let's talk about that controversial topic: mandatory healthcare worker influenza vaccination. I can hear the arguments for both sides already. But I say the case is clear.
A proposed reclassification of painkillers is one more example of how the long-term care setting gets left out of policy discussions, and frail elders will pay the price.
Oh, happy day! Now here is a study that I think pretty much everyone can get behind. Researchers found that dark chocolate (at least 60% cocoa) may be an inexpensive and effective way to help prevent cardiovascular events and reduce your risk for heart disease.
Some of us are blessed to still have our moms; some of us are blessed with memories.
OK, I can't help myself. I'm in an incredibly silly mood as I sit to write my blog today. And I was thinking about how we as nurses see the world differently from "normal" folks. We are a sister- and brotherhood of odd humorists. Because if we can't laugh at it, we can't be a nurse!
So I was reading this article in a publication related to improving patient-centered care. It stressed that essential to delivering that type of care would be physician/patient-centered communication skills.
A recent article in "Research Activities Report," an AHRQ publication, was titled "Primary Care Coordination is More Difficult for Patients Who See Many Specialists." The study "suggested" that a patient's high use of specialists might strain the primary care practitioner's ability to coordinate care. Really?
I think you can tell a lot about a person by what is in his or her nightstand.
We do a lot of "stuff" in nursing that makes no sense (both in acute care and long-term care — I'm not singling us out here). We do a lot of things that waste precious time and are definitely not evidence based. Let's take a look at some myth busters.
So right around Thanksgiving I was watching a trivia game show and the question came up: "What do 23% of Americans have for Thanksgiving?" My immediate thought was, "A burning desire to discover that they were adopted."
I have to wonder why, when some people get in a "power" position, they kind of turn into real ... dictators. We've all seen it, everyone from the nursing assistant who gets promoted to mentor "newbies," to CEOs of large associations or corporations, to some in political positions. Maybe they feel serving their own needs outweighs others.
So here's a Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) 101 primer so you will understand why I am so upset.
Do you ever sometimes just want to say, "I'm not buying that one" when you get some absolutely bizarre excuse from a staff member as to why she called out?
As I was thinking about packing for a recent convention — and those who know me know a lot went into wondering about how many pairs of shoes I could get into my suitcase — I started thinking about the healthcare conventions I go to. Specifically, I reflected on just how different the Q&A sessions are.
A new study on coffee drinking habits and results should give nurses plenty of reasons to smile. I can back up the results personally.
Why are Western doctors so resistant to complementary alternative medicine and supplementation? When you mention this, no matter how evidence-based, they look at you as if you just said, "Hey, let's get a naked, chanting shaman in here waving clucking chickens over your patient's head."
Hey, does anyone out there remember my first blog? I mentioned sexuality in aging to get things started off? Well interestingly, a recent study by researchers at the Stein Institute for Research on Aging at the University of California showed that successful aging and positive quality of life indicators correlate with sexual satisfaction in older women.
Patrick Henry once said, "The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people; it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government — lest it come to dominate our lives and interests." Wow, how timely.
Last Thursday, the president spoke on the American Jobs Act. I was very surprised he didn't mention that geriatric care is THE way to stimulate the economy and create jobs.
I'll bet that "regdiculous" and "disgustipating" would become a part of normal vocabulary at your workplace immediately.
We've been talking for a while about transitioning of our residents to and from the facility and some of the problems associated with it. But let's talk now about just one huge problem, that big elephant in the room: medication reconciliation. This stuff is scary.
OK, I'm not talking about your kids, because we all know they NEVER leave, and if they do, they keep coming back like boomerangs. I'm talking about your residents. Let's face it, one day your resident is going to have to leave the facility. Come on, don't act so surprised.
OK, so we all know that the pressure ulcers always form in the ambulance on the way back to your facility from the hospital. It's ALL YOUR FAULT. Bad, LTC, bad!
My Mom's biggest fear is that she will get Alzheimer's disease and become a burden to me. If Mom would ever realize that fear, I would do everything to ensure that I honored her. I know what mom wants.
I've already written about it being a blessing and a curse to work in long-term care because we know so much about aging and what happens to our bodies as we age. And because I know what is happening, there are just some things I really don't want to see. OK, so here's my latest beef.
Let's face it: Often there isn't any solid evidence as to why a resident is on a medication. Many times, they came from the previous location on a bucket load of medications and they stay on them.
So it's 4 a.m. and I'm still up finishing a project and jonesing for a cup of my favorite brand of coffee, NuJava. Yes, I am a coffee snob, because I like my coffee like I like my men ... straight! (And hot and strong and full bodied ... and where was I going with this? Sorry, I digressed!)
So there I was, out having a blast on Cinco de Mayo, enjoying an "adult beverage" and some really great food with plans for NOT working for the rest of the evening, and I get an emergency text from my boss.
When did it become so popular to be "antipatriotic"? Does it make you "hip" nowadays?
One of the things about working in long-term care is that it's both a blessing and a curse — knowing about aging. For example, it's not a good thing when you aren't prepared for it, right? I remember clearly (it's actually indelibly imprinted on my brain for all eternity) the time I was not prepared for the changes aging brings.
Let me introduce myself. My name is Jackie and I am (proudly) a long-term care nurse. The editors at McKnight's are brave enough to let me start a blog. It might at times be slightly irreverent, thought provoking and challenging, and it might cause you to become introspective. Throughout, I promise you one thing: I'll keep it real.
