The Real Nurse Jackie

The oddest job interview questions

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.

Sequestration equals starvation

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.

Granny caught in the cross-fire again

Once again the war on drugs catches frail elder patients in the crosshairs. Basically a "drive by" that shouldn't happen.

Kentucky lawsuit clarity: Better than bourbon

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.

Just ask Petraeus

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.

Facebook 'relaxing' ... for whom??

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?

The Unknown Profession: Geriatrician

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.

We need a meaningful flow of information

"To reduce avoidable hospitalizations, you must have a meaningful flow of information." These are extremely wise words we need to really think about.

Medication reconciliation — How would Dr. Seuss do it?

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.

Unicorns, leprechauns, CBO Scoring and other mythical things

I recently attended the National Transition of Care Coalition Summit in Washington. It was an eye-opener.

The Real Nurse Jackie

The Real Nurse Jackie is written by Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC, a 2012 APEX Award of Excellence winner for Blog Writing. Vance is a real life long-term care nurse who also is the director of clinical affairs for the American Medical Directors Association. The opinions supplied here are her own and do not necessarily reflect those of her employer or her professional affiliates.

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