Diane Szulecki, editor, Author at Off the Charts

From Staff Nurse to CEO

Regina Cunningham, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, and Kevin Sowers, MSN, RN, FAAN, both started their nursing careers as staff oncology nurses. Today, Cunningham is chief executive officer of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia; Sowers is president of the Johns Hopkins Health System and executive vice president of Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.

As they told AJN in our May Profiles article, neither necessarily envisioned themselves as high-level leaders. So how did they get to where they are today, and what can fellow nurses learn from their experiences?

TAKING CHANCES

After getting a master’s degree in nursing administration, and while earning a doctorate, Cunningham (photo at right) worked her way into progressively larger leadership roles within oncology nursing. Her experiences as a nurse manager and a nursing director led her to become the chief nursing officer at a New Jersey cancer center. Then, after serving as senior director for cancer nursing at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, she worked in nursing leadership at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

It was there, when the hospital’s chief nurse retired, that Cunningham took a chance she wasn’t sure about by applying for the […]

Diane Szulecki, editor2018-05-10T14:55:24-04:00May 9th, 2018|nursing career|1 Comment

May Issue: Transfusion Therapy, Sustaining Fall Prevention Programs, Nurses’ Role in Assisted Suicide, More

“Nursing students are the future of nursing. Treating them with anything less than respect, support, and nurturing is unacceptable and unprofessional.” —John Burkley, MSN, RN, author of this month’s Viewpoint

The May 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: Exploring Clinicians’ Perceptions About Sustaining an Evidence-Based Fall Prevention Program

Although hospitals have made extensive efforts to reduce patient falls through evidence-based fall prevention programs, sustaining such programs has proven challenging. This qualitative study addresses the knowledge gap between implementing and sustaining evidence-based fall prevention practices for hospitalized patients.

CE: A Review of Current Practice in Transfusion Therapy

The authors review the blood products that are commonly transfused, discuss the potential complications of transfusion—including TACO, TRALI, and TRIM—and outline current recommendations for transfusion therapy.

Special Feature: Assisted Suicide/Aid in Dying: What Is the Nurse’s Role?

This article presents the panel discussion that occurred during a policy dialogue on aid in dying (AID) at the American Academy of Nursing’s annual conference in 2016. The discussion explored the arguments for and against the growing state expansion of AID legislation, and the role of nurses in assisting patients who request […]

Diane Szulecki, editor2018-04-27T09:18:27-04:00April 27th, 2018|Nursing|0 Comments

April Issue: Delirium in Hospitalized Children, Lyme Disease Basics, Ostomy Care, More

The April 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: Recognizing Delirium in Hospitalized Children: A Systemic Review of the Evidence on Risk Factors and Characteristics

Among the key findings of this review was that delirium is multifactorial,
related to treatment (such as mechanical ventilation) and to a hospital
environment (such as the pediatric ICU) that deprives patients of normal
sleep–wake cycles and familiar routines.

CE: Lyme Disease: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

The authors describe the clinical features of Lyme disease, the appropriate use of diagnostic tests, the recommended treatment, and evidence-based strategies for preventing tick-borne diseases nurses can share with patients.

Environments and Health: The Great London Smog of 1952

Over five days in December 1952, smog engulfed London, killing up to 12,000 people. This article discusses the disaster’s impact on human health and subsequent pollution legislation—including the U.S. Clean Air Act—and its implications for nurses today, as dangerous air quality events continue and environmental regulations are increasingly under threat.

Supporting Family Caregivers: No Longer Home Alone: Ostomy Care at Home

The authors offer practical guidance, including an informational tear sheet and an instructional

Diane Szulecki, editor2018-04-02T09:22:34-04:00April 2nd, 2018|Nursing|0 Comments

March Issue: Oral Intake During Labor, Malnutrition in Older Adults, RN-Performed Lumbar Puncture, More

The March 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: An Investigation into the Safety of Oral Intake During Labor

In this study, the authors compared the maternal and neonatal outcomes among laboring women permitted ad lib oral intake with those permitted nothing by mouth except for ice chips. The findings support relaxing the restrictions on oral intake in cases of uncomplicated labor.

CE: Malnutrition in Older Adults

A review of the many cognitive, psychological, social, and economic factors that can affect the nutritional status of older adults, and how nurses can intervene to prevent and address malnutrition in these patients.

Cultivating Quality: Expanding RN Scope of Practice to Include Lumbar Puncture

A quality improvement initiative enhanced access to neurology services in an ambulatory clinic by teaching nurses to perform lumbar puncture.

Supporting Family Caregivers: No Longer Home Alone: Teaching Wound Care to Family Caregivers

Methods to promote wound healing that nurses can use to teach family caregivers, including a tear sheet of key points and links to instructional videos. This article is one in a series published in collaboration with the AARP Public Policy Institute.
[…]

Diane Szulecki, editor2018-02-23T09:00:42-05:00February 23rd, 2018|Nursing|0 Comments

Will Millennials Stave Off a Threatened Nursing Shortage? Hard to Say

The aging of the baby boom generation means that a large proportion of the U.S. population will soon be living with health conditions that may require complex care. At the same time, it’s estimated that a million nurses will retire by 2030, resulting in an enormous loss of experience and knowledge, not to mention the possibility of a national nursing shortage.

Millennials to the rescue? It’s complicated.

Can millennial nurses help mitigate the effects of this workforce shift? As discussed in our February AJN Reports, “Nurses Pass the Baton: Exit Baby Boomers, Enter Millennials,” millennials (born between 1982 and 2000) are becoming nurses in larger numbers than any generation before them. In fact, the nursing workforce is expected to grow by 36% between 2015 and 2030.

Why this surge of millennials? Commentators have speculated that those who reached adulthood during the recent recession may be drawn to the relative job security of the nursing profession, or that this […]

Diane Szulecki, editor2018-02-16T08:42:08-05:00February 16th, 2018|career, Nursing, nursing career|0 Comments

About Diane Szulecki, editor

TAKING CHANCES

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Millennials to the rescue? It’s complicated.

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