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April Issue Highlights: Nurses’ Views on Substance Users, Decarbonizing Health Care, More

“I was always the strong one, the one with the answers, the one people came to for advice….” – from the April Reflections essay, “Take Off the Mask: Getting Real About Depression, Trauma, and Loss“

The April issue of AJN is now live. Here’s what’s new. Some articles may be free only to subscribers.

CE: How to Write an Effective Résumé

In today’s job market, nursing students and new graduate nurses need to develop an employer-focused résumé geared toward a specific job. This article can assist.

Nurses’ Self-Assessed Knowledge, Attitudes, and Educational Needs Regarding Patients with Substance Use Disorder

This research study’s findings indicate that, “in general, hospital nurses have negative attitudes toward patients with substance use disorder” and are in need of empathy-based education.

AJN Reports: Decarbonizing Health Care

Nurses can be involved in solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the health sector.

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Jacob Molyneux, senior editor/blog editor2023-03-27T08:10:27-04:00March 27th, 2023|climate change, environmental health, environmental health, family caregiving, Nursing, pain management|0 Comments

Heat Illnesses: Nursing Essentials from a NYC Emergency Department

As complex as health care may be in an emergency department (ED) setting, the weather and seasonality have added additional variables to that complexity. It is critical that registered nurses in the ED understand the health care trends associated with the weather and seasons. As in many other places, the summer here in New York City is a time when people are more active, spending time outdoors and traveling. This summer we have experienced several stretches with temperature in the high 90 degrees. July recently had a seven-day stretch with temperatures nearing and exceeding 100 degrees in New York. These heat waves can become physiologically unbearable.

Jonathan Nover, MBA, RN

Who is most vulnerable to heat illness?

During these heat waves, it is important to recognize the pockets of vulnerability among us. Older adults are often the most vulnerable because of decreased capacity to thermoregulate in response to changes in temperature. It is also important to consider the effects of heat on the homeless community and people without access to air-conditioned environments. Children are more susceptible to heat illness than adults. Some medications, such as diuretics, and consumption of alcohol and illicit drugs can increase a person’s risk of heat exhaustion. Additionally, individuals who perform strenuous […]

Guest Author2022-08-18T11:39:58-04:00August 18th, 2022|climate change, environmental health, Nursing, nursing perspective, Public health|0 Comments

Celebrating Earth Day: Connecting Health and the Environment

Photo by Fateme Alaie via Unsplash

Earth Day, celebrated on April 22, is an annual event to demonstrate support for environmental protections. First held in 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated in more than 192 countries across the globe. The Earth Day celebration that stands out most for me was the 20th anniversary held in Central Park in New York. The event was estimated to have drawn more than 750,000 people—a big incentive being the free concert, which included a performance by the B-52s (who doesn’t love “Love Shack”?).

This year marks the 41st Earth Day, and amidst a global pandemic, activities will look a lot different. (Click here for more information on the virtual events taking place this year.)

Free articles from our environments and health column.

In honor of Earth Day, AJN would like to offer free access to the below selection of articles from our Environments and Health column until May 15. There’s a lot to unpack in these articles—from steps to reduce waste at the hospital level, to how nurses can get involved in fighting climate change, to how patients’ health can be affected by our environment, particularly the mental health conditions that may arise amid extreme […]

Guest Author2021-04-22T14:42:23-04:00April 22nd, 2021|climate change, environmental health, environmental health, Nursing|0 Comments

10 Years After Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, an Actionable Preparedness Reminder

The 10th anniversary of this disaster is a reminder to review the availability, accessibility, and dosing of potassium iodide.

In the midst of a global health pandemic, it’s difficult to imagine focusing on the seemingly more nebulous threat of a nuclear accident. Yet the 10th anniversary of Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster on March 11, which occurred following an earthquake and tsunami, serves as an important reminder of the unexpectedness of these events and the need for greater preparedness, especially among health care providers.

Climate threats to nuclear plants raise concerns.

“More than one-third of Americans live or work within 50 miles of a nuclear power plant,” the authors of the February issue’s Environments and Health article, “Lessons from Fukushima: Potassium Iodide After a Nuclear Disaster,” point out (the article will be free until March 21).

As the frigid weather last month in Texas demonstrated, sources of power are particularly vulnerable to severe weather events. This threat is especially acute for U.S. nuclear power plants, many of which are situated in areas, such as along the East Coast, susceptible to extreme weather. Hurricanes in the Atlantic, for instance, have been occurring more frequently and intensely in recent years.

Concern that such climate change events could lead to a nuclear accident has heightened awareness of the need for preparation.

Ensuring potassium iodide availability as a public health preventive measure.

Corinne McSpedon, senior editor2021-03-03T12:05:23-05:00March 3rd, 2021|climate change, environmental health, Nursing, Public health|0 Comments

Nurses Drawdown: A Global Climate Movement for Nurses

By Katie Huffling, RN, MS, CNM, FAAN

When a small group of nurses first got together nine months ago to strategize how we could harness the collective power of nurses to address climate change, we had no idea what changes 2020 would hold for the nursing community. We were excited for the Year of the Nurse and Midwife and Florence Nightingale’s 200th birthday. What better time to bring nurses together to address climate change, one of the most pressing public health challenges we currently face?

Still the most trusted profession.

Now here we are midway through 2020 and the world seems completely different, with much of the globe still in quarantine as we battle COVID-19. But one thing hasn’t changed, and in fact the response to the pandemic has only made it more apparent to the world: nurses truly deserve the title of the most trusted profession. We are now in the spotlight, showing the exceptional professionalism, caring, and passion that are hallmarks of our profession. It is these qualities we are hoping to harness with the new initiative, Nurses Drawdown. If we can be leaders in responding to the global pandemic, nurses can be leaders in supporting solutions to climate change.

Nurses around the globe are invited to participate in Nurses Drawdown. The initiative is based on the science of Project Drawdown, a “research organization that reviews, analyses, and identifies the most viable global climate solutions, […]

Guest Author2020-08-05T10:30:58-04:00August 5th, 2020|climate change, environmental health, environmental health, Nursing, Public health|0 Comments

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Who is most vulnerable to heat illness?

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Free articles from our environments and health column.

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Climate threats to nuclear plants raise concerns.

Ensuring potassium iodide availability as a public health preventive measure.

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Still the most trusted profession.

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