‘A Passing Shadow’: The Abiding Uncertainty of Cancer Survivorship

My husband and I wake into the narrow December dark. He brushes his teeth, dresses, then busies himself as I eat breakfast. His packed suitcase sits by the back door. It’s 5 AM, two days before Thanksgiving. At precisely 9 AM, the surgeon will remove my husband’s right kidney, the one he is 99% sure is cancerous.

That’s the start of “A Passing Shadow,” the December Reflections column in AJN. Written by Gail Lukasik, a poet and the author of several literary mysteries, this hopeful but tonally nuanced piece vividly evokes the uncertainty that all cancer survivors and their loved ones must live with. Click the link or the image above to read it in entirety.—JM, senior editor

Bookmark and Share

2016-11-21T13:11:15-05:00December 5th, 2011|Nursing|0 Comments
Read More

World AIDS Day, 30 Years On from That Fateful MMWR

By Karen Roush, MS, RN, FNP-C, AJN clinical managing editor

“In the period October 1980-May 1981, 5 young men, all active homosexuals, were treated for biopsy-confirmed Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia at 3 different hospitals in Los Angeles, California. Two of the patients died. All 5 patients had laboratory-confirmed previous or current cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and candidal mucosal infection. Case reports of these patients follow.”

So began the MMWR of June 5, 1981—the first herald of what became known as AIDS. Reading that report now, knowing the devastation that would follow, is chilling.

Today is World AIDS Day. It has been 30 years.

In some ways, we need this day more than ever, to remind us of the devastating potential of this condition—the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that only 28% of people in the U.S. infected with HIV get the treatment they need to suppress the virus. We need it to remind us of the millions who continue to suffer and die from it, mostly in Africa where two thirds of the AIDS cases occur.

We should also take time today to celebrate the victories. We’ve come far in the last 30 years. Effective treatments have been developed. Civil rights protections have been put in place. People with HIV can now […]

2016-11-21T13:11:16-05:00December 1st, 2011|nursing perspective|15 Comments
Read More

Bad News, Good News: Berwick, a Casualty of Politics, Succeeded at CMS Helm by a Nurse

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

When Donald Berwick steps down from his post as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on December 2, he’ll turn the reins over to Marilyn Tavenner, MHA, BSN, RN. Tavenner is not a new face at CMS—she served as acting administrator prior to Berwick’s July 2010 appointment by President Obama and has been principal deputy administrator at CMS since February 2010.

As noted by an article in The Washington Post, Berwick is stepping down in the face of organized opposition to his nomination by Republicans in Congress, who have vowed to block the confirmation he’d need to continue after his recess appointment expires on December 31.

On November 23, President Obama announced his intent to nominate Tavenner for the top post. In her e-mail to CMS staff (carried on the Kaiser Health News site), Kathy Sebelius, secretary of  Health and Human Resources, says of Tavenner, “Her career as a nurse, hospital administrator, and Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources give her unique insights that position her well to serve as Administrator.”

I certainly hope so. Berwick’s reputation and track record for pinpointing problems in our health system—and more importantly, working to do something about them through the Institute for Healthcare Improvement—was stellar, and he carried this zeal into […]

2016-11-21T13:11:20-05:00November 30th, 2011|Nursing|2 Comments
Read More

From the Blogs: Negotiating Medicare, Nurses Doing Research, Reader Comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOClkw1TNks&feature=player_embedded]
Medicare is confusing for providers who aren’t yet familiar with it. Here’s a Nursetopia post that draws attention to its complexity and notes the useful video above (it’s one of a series of videos on different aspects of Medicare). Those of you who know all about it already: Drop by her thoughtful (and consistently updated!) blog and let her know your own tips on handling the ins and outs of Medicare and Medicaid.

EBP matters. Terri Schmitt at Nurse Story has a frank and engaging post on evidence-based practice (EBP): “Translation of EBP: Why Creating Nurse Scientists is the Way to Improve Patient Outcomes.” Here’s what she promises to cover in it:

  • Research is sometimes far removed from bedside nurses
  • Research is COOL!
  • Research is about PATIENTS and not fame/fortune of researcher
  • Research is critical to practice and there are big gaps that nurses need to fill
  • Bedside nurses may be the most crucial link in research ideas, translation, and practice.

(Shameless plug for related AJN content: See our recent, amazingly useful step-by-step CE series on how nurses can get involved in evidence-based practice.)

Plus a brief note on reader comments: we’ve been getting a lot of great comments lately on this blog, and we’re grateful for that. So thank you. A fair number of the comments were on posts from previous months, such as this post comparing U.S. and Australian health care systems. Is somebody by chance teaching a nursing course that requires students to leave thoughtful, respectful, engaged comments in the blogosphere? If […]

2016-11-21T13:11:21-05:00November 29th, 2011|nursing research|0 Comments
Read More

On Euphemisms and Learning to Be Present

By Alicia Marie Hinton, who is a BSN student at the College of New Rochelle School of Nursing in New Rochelle, NY. This is her first post for this blog.

My senior year preceptorship was an assignment on a palliative and acute care unit at a busy medical center. When I received the assignment, I prayed that no patient of mine would die during my time on the unit. Every nursing student is afraid of their first patient death. Simulation and course work prepare students in various ways for this experience, but nothing can really prepare you for the emotions you’ll feel. Some students experience a patient death during an undergraduate nursing program, but for others it may not happen until their first year or two working as an RN. I hoped to never endure it, but knew it was inevitable.

During report, working alongside my preceptor, I listened anxiously to the status of the various patients. Since my first day on the unit, I’d practiced my therapeutic techniques and researched different cultural needs pertaining to the death of a patient. I felt culturally competent and well informed about what a nurse should do when a patient dies, but I couldn’t shake my fear. What would I say to the family? Would they value […]

2016-12-09T11:57:13-05:00November 28th, 2011|career, students|7 Comments
Read More

Comment ground rules

1. Please be respectful.
2. We moderate all comments.

Content disclaimer

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.
Go to Top