Nursing Comments

Good afternoon all!  It has been awhile and I’m sorry for the delay – today’s post is actually a guest post by Maryanne Osberg and her contact information is included in the post.  Good to be back!  Stephanie

_______________________________________

If you’re interested in medicine and would like to work in this field, perhaps becoming a nurse is the best way to go.  Sure it’s great to be a doctor, but you must spend at least ten years of your life in school before you get to practice medicine on a full-time basis.  If Read more…

          Aphasia is a disorder that results from damage to portions of the brain that are responsible for language.  For most people, these are areas on the left side (hemisphere) of the brain.  Aphasia usually occurs suddenly, often as the result of a stroke or head injury, but it may also develop slowly, as in the case of a brain tumor, an infection or dementia.  The disorder impairs the expression and understanding of language as well as reading and writing. As nurses, we need to take a full assessment of the disease process in Read more…

           For anyone in the nursing field, sleep deprivation is real and a concern for patient safety.  The term refers to the absence of sleep during a period of time that is determined by an individual’s need.  According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), most adults need about seven to eight hours of sleep each night to feel alert and well rested.  Nurses and student Read more…

         This year my oldest son went to the Orange Bowl in Miami.  Oddly enough, he had tickets to the game before he knew that the Iowa Hawkeyes would be playing in this bowl – we had guessed Iowa would be in the Fiesta Bowl.  Since we are from Iowa and he is a huge Hawkeye fan, it was a perfect scenario!  Anyway, while he was there, he met an intensive care nurse from Omaha, Nebraska.  This will be the first part of a two-part posting on intensive Read more…

          Not very long ago, I was the Administrator for a same-day orthopaedic surgery center.  I just loved it and never dreamt that one day we would have a sentinel event.  By sentinel event, I mean an event that is an unexpected occurrence involving death or serious physical or psychological injury, or the risk thereof.  Any such injury signals the need for immediate investigation and response.  Sure enough, after two and one half years on the job, the nightmare and horror of a wrong-site surgery emerged Read more…

           Choking is a blockage of the upper airway by food or other objects.  This blockage prevents a person from breathing effectively and complete blockage of the airway can lead to death.  When the airway is completely blocked, oxygen cannot enter the lungs.  The brain is extremely sensitive to this lack of oxygen and begins to die within four to six minutes.  It is during Read more…

          As a registered nurse with numerous years experience in caring for the oncology patient, one of the most rewarding fields has been preparing the individual, family and friends for the end-of-life process.  Unfortunately, however, all too often there are inexperienced nurses that jump into this arena with little or no advice and/or knowledge of the death and dying stages.  According to Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, there are 5 distinct Read more…