Amy M. Collins, managing editor, Author at Off the Charts

Learning to Serve Others: The Key to Happiness

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgdhsjZ_CyY]

With Veterans Day tomorrow, it seems appropriate to highlight the achievements of Charles Kaiman, an artist and a clinical nurse specialist in psychiatric mental health who works with veterans, primarily those with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Kaiman recently received the Excellence in Behavioral Health Nursing Award at the 2011 New Mexico Nursing Excellence Awards for his work as a caregiver for veterans at the New Mexico Veterans Affairs Health Care System in Albuquerque.

In this video interview, posted on YouTube by KASA FOX 2, an affiliate of the Fox Broadcasting Company, Kaiman speaks about how he decided to become a nurse, the symptoms of and treatment strategies for PTSD, and what he sees day to day while working with Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans—an experience he calls “one of the most rewarding” of his life.

When asked why he became a nurse, Kaiman said he was first inspired when he was 10 years old, reading a book by Albert Schweitzer that argued no one could be happy unless they learned to serve others. Later, when Kaiman was trying to make ends meet as an artist, his father suggested becoming a nurse because he would “never be out of work.” And his father was right.

Kaiman has now worked as a nurse for 31 years, 26 of those specifically with veterans. When asked about the rewards of helping others and what he would say to those interested in entering the nursing profession, his answer was clear:

“I can’t believe I get paid for this. […]

Amy M. Collins, managing editor2016-11-21T13:11:28-05:00November 10th, 2011|Nursing|1 Comment

Legacy of the Living Legends: Slackers Need Not Apply

By Shawn Kennedy, editor-in-chief

Earlier this month, I attended the American Academy of Nursing 38th Annual Meeting and Conference. With e-mails flooding my inbox and a full meeting agenda over the next few days, I was thinking of skipping the 2011 Living Legends event that took place on the first evening. Thankfully, an old friend, nurse historian Sandy Lewinson, talked me into going—it was one of the more memorable nursing events I’ve attended.

The academy honors “Living Legends” in recognition of the multiple contributions these nurses have made to the profession and the impact these contributions have made on health care in the United States and abroad. This year’s honorees are shown in the photo, from left: May L. Wykle, Meridean L. Maas, Ada Sue Hinshaw, Suzanne Lee Feetham, and Patricia E. Benner.

Credited with such achievements as creating a nursing taxonomy on nursing error, building the science of pediatric nursing in the context of the family, conducting ground-breaking nursing research, developing and implementing professional nurse governance in employing organizations, promoting policy change, and addressing the nursing shortage, these nurses join 77 other nursing notables who’ve been so honored since the first class was named in 1994. […]

Amy M. Collins, managing editor2016-11-21T13:11:35-05:00October 27th, 2011|career, nursing perspective|2 Comments

Hurricane Aftermath

By Shawn Kennedy, MA, RN, AJN editor-in-chief

Well, Hurricane Irene has come and gone in the northeast United States. While it certainly destroyed property, downed power lines, and caused flooding, many are thinking that we escaped the worst, since Irene morphed from a hurricane into a tropical storm when it made landfall in Long Island, New York.

This is not to diminish the tragedy that it caused—in loss of life (CNN reports 25 Irene-related deaths) and destruction of property. And I sympathize with those who experienced flooding or lost power. Cooking, showering, and basic daily activities become major challenges and require ingenuity, creativity, and sometimes a touch of genius. While initially this merely seems inconvenient, after a few days it’s exhausting. I’m sure there will be many households without power for weeks, judging from some local news reports.

An important potential health hazard that wasn’t covered in depth on the news is walking or wading in flood waters in shorts and bare feet or flip-flops. Flood waters often contain contaminants from storm drains and sewers, including raw sewage (as one news reporter discovered only after he was covered in it). Debris, sharp objects, and even power lines may be hidden underwater, as well as ditches or drains (47-year-old postal worker Ronald Dawkins, from Orange, New Jersey, was killed when he tried to wade through rising water to a postal facility where he worked and stepped into a hidden drainage creek).

The Centers for Disease Control […]

Amy M. Collins, managing editor2016-11-21T13:12:02-05:00August 29th, 2011|Nursing|0 Comments

Fecal Impaction and Dementia: Knowing What to Look For Could Save Lives

By Amy M. Collins, associate editor

Last October, I wrote a blog post about my grandmother, who is 85 and suffering from the first stages of Alzheimer’s disease, and about the failure of many providers to assess and treat the underlying cause of a sudden and extreme acceleration of her dementia symptoms (mania, agitation, and violence, along with nonstop, nonsensical talking).

The post generated a slew of comments on both the blog and Facebook, with over 20 nurses suggesting the probable cause for her symptoms to be fecal impaction or urinary tract infection. They were right. But several physicians and specialists had been shockingly wrong, diagnosing her with everything from closet alcoholism to VERY-late-onset bipolar disorder.

My grandmother did, in fact, have a severe fecal impaction, finally diagnosed—after several weeks of family turmoil—by a nurse in an ED. She was treated, and within a few weeks her symptoms slowly dissipated. I’m happy to say that she’s now back to her sweet and gentle self, with no memory of the episodes she herself would have deemed crazy.

Although her Alzheimer’s symptoms are still heartbreaking (she recently introduced me to a fellow assisted-living resident as her ‘special friend’ instead of her granddaughter), she isn’t agitated, hallucinating, accusing people of […]

Amy M. Collins, managing editor2016-11-21T13:12:13-05:00August 4th, 2011|nursing perspective|6 Comments

Some Fun Friday Food for Thought

By Shawn Kennedy, AJN editor-in-chief

With rain and gray clouds clinging to the East coast, this week seemed especially long. Commuting into New York City took much longer than usual, but on a positive note, there was more time to listen to the radio or read the paper. This week, some of us at AJN came across some interesting stories. They got us through ‘til Friday, so we’re sharing them—they’re too good to keep to ourselves.

One staffer’s reading turned up this piece: the Ford Motor Company is developing in-vehicle monitoring of diabetes and allergies. According to the article, it’s “aimed at helping people with chronic illnesses or medical disorders such as diabetes, asthma or allergies manage their condition while on the go.” Meaning, while driving?
As we were having a laugh about what this scenario might look like in reality, one editor spoke of a friend who, while driving herself to the hospital in labor, was using an iPhone app to monitor contractions. I wonder if there’ll be new laws against using health apps while driving…
My favorite story has nothing to do with nursing, but I can’t resist sharing it. Time.com ran a story about the possible end of the world, which some people think will happen Saturday. What’s startling is that some companies are already cashing in. One company called Eternal Earth-Bound Pets has the answer for those worried about pets left behind: its representatives are confirmed atheists—they’ll take care of the pets.

I’m not sure who said it, […]

Amy M. Collins, managing editor2016-11-21T13:12:56-05:00May 20th, 2011|healthcare social media|1 Comment

About Amy M. Collins, managing editor

Learning to Serve Others: The Key to Happiness

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Legacy of the Living Legends: Slackers Need Not Apply

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Hurricane Aftermath

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Fecal Impaction and Dementia: Knowing What to Look For Could Save Lives

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Some Fun Friday Food for Thought

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