About Diane Szulecki, editor

Editor, American Journal of Nursing

January Issue: Antineoplastic Drug Administration and PPE Use Among Nurses, Helping Students Be ‘Gritty,’ Much More

“Grit is an essential component of a great nurse. Hardy, tenacious, tough nurses are the result of experience and knowledge.”—Linda Koharchik, author of the January Teaching for Practice column

The January issue of AJN is now live. Here are some of the articles we’re pleased to have a chance to publish this month.

CE: Original Research: Antineoplastic Drug Administration by Pregnant and Nonpregnant Nurses: An Exploration of the Use of Protective Gloves and Gowns

Despite longstanding recommendations for the safe handling of hazardous drugs, it’s not known whether nurses—including those who are pregnant—wear protective gloves and gowns when administering chemotherapeutic drugs. This study examines this practice among nurses in the Nurses’ Health Study 3.

CE: Addressing Food Insecurity in Vulnerable Populations

The authors discuss the factors that contribute to food insecurity and the populations at greatest risk, as well as screening tools and resources for vulnerable patients.

Teaching for Practice: Helping Students to Be Gritty

Strategies for fostering grit—a trait marked by perseverance and resilience and associated with success—in nursing students.

Cultivating Quality: Early, Nurse-Directed Sepsis Care

This article describes a single-center, multiyear quality improvement initiative designed to promote early recognition and treatment of sepsis and examines its effect on sepsis-related mortality rates, bundle adherence, and the need for rapid response team calls.

Book of the Year […]

2019-01-02T09:30:30-05:00January 2nd, 2019|Nursing|0 Comments
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Breaking onto Boards: Tips for Nurses

Photo by Steve Debenport / Istock.com.

A 2014 survey by the American Hospital Association found that nurses—the largest group of health care professionals—held just 5% of hospital board seats (by comparison, physicians held 20%). It goes without saying that health care organizations stand to gain valuable insight and leadership by including more nurses in the boardroom. But as discussed by Blima Marcus in this month’s Professional Development column, nurses face many barriers to getting a seat at the table. These include:

  • the perception of nurses as “background” care providers rather than leaders
  • the tendency of board members and executives to nominate candidates who they are already familiar with and who work in a similar field
  • lacking the knowledge and skills needed to serve on a board (i.e., leadership and organizational skills)
  • not being a part of the socioeconomic class often associated with board membership—often, members are asked to make donations to their organizations

Overcoming the barriers

While these barriers may seem daunting, Marcus notes that there are practical actions nurses can take to put […]

2018-12-18T10:03:55-05:00December 18th, 2018|Nursing, nursing career|0 Comments
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December Issue: Nurses’ Advance Care Planning–Related Beliefs, Managing Movement Disorders, Delegating, More

“When despair for the world grows in me…. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water…. I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.”—Wendell Berry, as quoted in the December editorial

The December issue of AJN is now live. Here are some of the articles we’re pleased to have a chance to publish this month.

CE: Original Research: Advance Care Planning: An Exploration of the Beliefs, Self-Efficacy, Education, and Practices of RNs and LPNs

The authors of this study surveyed RNs and LPNs working in skilled nursing facilities to learn about the similarities and differences in their advance care planning–related beliefs, sense of self-efficacy, education, and practices.

CE: Managing Movement Disorders: A Clinical Review

This article discusses the pathophysiology and assessment of three different, common neuromuscular disorders—muscle tightness, spasticity, and clonus—as well as the treatment options for each.

Cultivating Quality: Creating a Culture of Mobility: Using Real-Time Assessment to Drive Outcomes

The authors describe how they implemented an intervention based on the use of three new assessment tools to promote awareness of the importance of early mobility among nurses and physical […]

2018-11-26T08:38:54-05:00November 26th, 2018|Nursing|0 Comments
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November Issue: Patient Handling in Nursing Curricula, Pediatric Pressure Injury Risk, More

“The technical skills and knowledge needed for nursing can be learned. For some nurses, this is enough. They do nursing, but nursing isn’t part of their identity. So how do we change that?” —EIC Maureen (Shawn) Kennedy in her November editorial

The November issue of AJN is now live. Here are some of the articles we’re pleased to have a chance to publish this month.

CE: Original Research: Patient Handling and Mobility Course Content: A National Survey of Nursing Programs

What do nursing programs teach students about lifting, turning, transferring, repositioning, and mobilizing patients? Despite evidence supporting the use of safe patient handling and mobility practices, the authors’ findings suggest that most curricula need updating in this area.

CE: How to Predict Pediatric Pressure Injury Risk with the Braden QD Scale

This article offers guidance on use of the Braden QD Scale—a pediatric risk assessment instrument that reliably predicts both immobility-related and medical device–related pressure injuries. Readers can test their skills by assigning scores to patients in a variety of scenarios.

Looking Back: Nurses Fight for the Right to Vote

The author shares the stories of four nurse suffragists—Lavinia Lloyd Dock, Mary Bartlett Dixon, Sarah Tarleton Colvin, […]

2018-10-26T08:30:41-04:00October 26th, 2018|Nursing|0 Comments
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AJN’s Recent Breast Cancer Articles: From Screening to Late Treatment Effects

Image via Flickr / Ted Fu

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It’s a time when we hear and read much about breast cancer statistics, the importance of screening, and the stories of those affected by the disease. According to the National Cancer Institute, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States; an estimated 12% of women will face a diagnosis during their lifetimes.

In recognition of this month, we’re sharing a list of some of our most recent articles on the topic, which cover the latest in screening guidelines, treatments and treatment effects, and more:

All of these articles are free to access this month.

2018-10-15T09:16:13-04:00October 15th, 2018|Nursing|0 Comments
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Views expressed on the blog are solely those of the authors or persons quoted. They do not necessarily reflect AJN’s views or those of Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
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