Off the Charts

Thinking About Writing? Here Are the Next Steps

Been procrastinating?

We’re entering August, when many people take at least a few days for vacation before the busy school year begins. For those of you who’ve been procrastinating on writing that article you swore you would write over the summer, and for those who will face writing a capstone paper in your next semester, now’s the time. Here are some suggestions and resources that may help.

At www.ajnonline.com, under the Collections tab at the top, you can access our “Writing Resources” collection, where you’ll find our award-winning step-by-step series, Writing for Publication. It’s a free four-part series that guides you through the writing process. Also listed under the Collections tab is another step-by-step series, Writing Systematic Reviews.

The process of writing: set aside small regular time increments.

Forget trying to churn out a paper in one weekend—it’s a stressful and unfulfilling way to write, and the end product will fall short. If you want to really become a good writer, you need to write. It takes practice, like any other skill.

Commit to set aside a bit of time for writing. It doesn’t have to be a lot; start with 30 minutes, maybe three times a week, and get started writing. Commit to that time faithfully—make an appointment with […]

Shawn Kennedy, MA, RN, FAAN, editor-in-chief (emerita)2019-07-31T09:34:10-04:00July 31st, 2019|Nursing, nursing career, writing|0 Comments

August Issue: Obesity-Related Cancer, Simulation-Based Education, Secondhand Smoke Screening, More

“A respite for nurses may be more needed than ever. Workplaces are more complex than they used to be and . . . changing faster. . . . And there never seem to be enough people to do what needs to be done.” —editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy, in her editorial, “A Day By the Sea”

The August issue of AJN is now live. Here’s what’s new:

CE: Original Research: The Clinical Research Nurse: Exploring Self-Perceptions About the Value of the Role

This study analyzes how clinical research nurses perceive the value of their practice, specifically as it relates to the care of clinical research subjects and the implementation of clinical research protocols.

CE: Obesity-Related Cancer in Women: A Clinical Review

The author discusses the role of obesity in the development and recurrence of breast, gynecologic, and colorectal cancers in women; describes weight loss interventions that may help overweight or obese patients reduce their cancer risk; and explains interviewing techniques nurses can use with such patients.

Special Feature: The Changing Landscape of Simulation-Based Education

This article details three foundational concepts of simulation-based education: prebriefing, debriefing, and safety in simulation. It also provides examples of academic, hospital- and health care center–based, and in situ simulation programs.

Cultivating Quality: Improving Screening and Education for Secondhand Smoke Exposure […]
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Diane Szulecki, editor2019-07-29T13:28:02-04:00July 29th, 2019|Nursing|0 Comments

Addressing Health Care Worker Trauma with an Off-Site, Overnight Workshop

Everyone experiences loss and other personal trauma, but those of us who work in health care are obliged to cope with our own personal grief and stress as well as witness the suffering and pain of our patients. Do these words ever describe you at the end of a shift at work?

” . . . angry . . . anxious . . . hopeless . . . stressed . . . depleted . . . depressed . . . frazzled . . . “

One health system gets serious.

There’s a lot of talk these days about addressing clinicians’ burnout, and in some workplaces staff now are offered a meditation room, or aromatherapy or massage.

But since 2013, Montefiore Health System in Bronx, New York, has seriously invested in their staff’s mental and emotional health by offering a two-day, off-site experiential and educational workshop twice a year. And by paying for the program, retreat center, and meals for all participants so that staff can attend for free.

In “Helping Care Providers and Staff Process Grief Through a Hospital-Based Program” in the July issue of AJN, Ronit Fallek and colleagues share their experiences in developing this program along with their analysis of feedback about its effectiveness. They offer enough detail to confirm […]

Betsy Todd, MPH, RN2019-07-25T11:18:15-04:00July 25th, 2019|Nursing, nursing career, wellness|0 Comments

Duty to the Patient: A Crucial Element in any Malpractice Case

It’s frightening to be named in a malpractice lawsuit, or even simply to be asked to provide a deposition in a case in which you personally have not been charged. When things go wrong at work, the possibility of legal action adds to the upset a nurse may already feel about a patient’s injury or death.

A primer on the basics of malpractice.

In “The Elements of a Nursing Malpractice Case: Duty” in this month’s AJN, nurse and attorney Edie Brous provides readers with the first of a four-part “primer” that delves into the basics of malpractice.

What exactly is duty to a patient?

In every malpractice case, the plaintiff is required to prove four “elements” in order to win:

that the nurse or physician named in the suit had a duty to the patient;
that this duty was breached (that is, not fulfilled);
that the patient was actually harmed in some way;
and that the breach of duty was the direct cause of harm to the patient.

[…]

Betsy Todd, MPH, RN2019-07-22T09:36:11-04:00July 22nd, 2019|career, Nursing|0 Comments

A Detailed Look for New Nurses at What Happens During a Code

Photo by Ashley Gilbertson / The New York Times / Redux.

There’s an article in the July issue that I highly recommend to all new graduate RNs—or to anyone who is returning to acute care. The article, one of the offerings in our Transition to Practice column, which is geared to new nurses, is “Surviving Your First Code.” It offers a detailed look at what happens during a code and the various responsibilities of the resuscitation team.

You never forget your first code.

I clearly remember my first code—and I bet every nurse does as well. I had seen cardiac arrests before, but that was when I was a nurse’s aide and my job during a code was essentially to get out of the way. It’s very different when you are a nurse and play a role.

It was my fourth day as a new graduate nurse working in the ED. We heard the sirens coming from a long way off. When the ambulance arrived, the stretcher came crashing through the ED doors with the paramedics yelling that the patient had just arrested as they arrived.

My role that day was to be the crash cart nurse, so I put myself in front of […]