AJN0115.Cover.OnlineAJN’s January issue is now available on our Web site. Here’s a selection of what not to miss.

Complications after cardiac repair. Nurses often encounter patients with complications that occurred years after congenital heart defect (CHD) repair. Yet many patients whose CHD was repaired in childhood have not had regular follow-up. Our CE feature, “Long-Term Outcomes After Repair of Congenital Heart Defects: Part 1,” the first in a two-part series, reviews six congenital heart defects, their repairs, and common long-term outcomes, as well as implications for nurses in both cardiac and noncardiac settings. This CE feature offers 2.5 CE credits to those who take the test that follows the article.

To further explore the topic, listen to a podcast interview with the author (this and other free podcasts are accessible via the Behind the Article podcasts page on our Web site, in our iPad app, or on iTunes). A video of an atrial septal defect device placement is also available in the iPad edition of this article.

Obesity interventions. Patients with obesity often face stigma and bias, even from the nurses who care for them. “The Obesity Epidemic, Part 2: Nursing Assessment and Intervention,” the second article in a two-part series, presents a theoretical framework to guide nursing assessment of patients with obesity and their families and reviews the most common lifestyle, pharmacologic, and surgical interventions. This CE feature offers 2.5 CE credits to those who take the test that follows the article.

Are you ready for retirement? Nurses might be retiring later than ever, but are they planning for it? “Preparing for Retirement in Uncertain Times” shows nurses how to optimize their future financial security before leaving the workforce.

Essentials for clinical instructors.Fostering Clinical Reasoning in Nursing Students,” the third article in our Teaching for Practice series on the roles of adjunct clinical faculty and preceptors, describes the importance of developing clinical reasoning skills and how instructors can help students learn them.

Reducing readmissions. While most public discussion about the Affordable Care Act has focused on providing health care coverage for uninsured Americans, the legislation also aims to improve health care quality while reducing costs. One way to achieve this is to reduce hospital readmissions. “Reducing Hospital Readmissions,” an article in our Quality Counts column, describes the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program and the implications of this program for nurses.

There’s plenty more in this issue, including AJN’s special “Annual Year in Review 2014” and the 2014 AJN Book of the Year awards.

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