Off the Charts

In Times of Overwhelm as a Nurse and Citizen, Begin with One Intentional Act at a Time

Hui-Wen (Alina) Sato, MSN, MPH, RN, CCRN

With the recent devastation and loss around our local Los Angeles wildfires as well as our country’s political disarray, one of the most difficult things about trying to remain empathetic, engaged, and informed as an individual and a nurse has been a sense of utter overwhelmedness.

I think most nurses are both empathetic and action-oriented, traits which can be helpful—but also sometimes crippling when we see needs for help and advocacy everywhere and don’t know where to start. Any action feels like such a miniscule drop in the bucket.

I was carrying this emotional, mental, and spiritual heaviness into work with me a couple of days ago. I sat down to get report on my patient assignment. My patient was so sick, so complicated; she’d been teetering between life and death in recent days. Her parents had been on a roller coaster of the worst kind. ‘Two weeks into this hospitalization, are we still holding onto hope for recovery? Are we gathering relatives to say goodbye?’

I knew I was walking into a space that was very loaded for the parents. They had seen many nurses, respiratory therapists, and doctors come through their doors. For as long as they had been in our […]

Hui-wen Sato, MSN, MPH, RN, CCRN2025-03-03T14:13:18-05:00March 3rd, 2025|family experience, Nursing, nursing perspective, nursing stories, pediatrics|0 Comments

The Work Environment and Nurses’ Well-Being: And Other Recommended Reading from AJN’s March Issue

This month’s cover honors Thelma M. Schorr, nursing trailblazer and past editor of AJN. Read a tribute to Schorr here.

The March issue of AJN is now live.

This month, you’ll find two Original Research articles:

“The Relationship Between Perceived Discrimination and Blood Pressure in Black Adults: A Narrative Review,” which explores the current literature on the relationship between perceived discrimination—everyday, lifetime, or both—and its impact on blood pressure among Black adults
“The Effects of the Physical and Professional Workplace Environments on the Well‑Being of Nursing Staff,” which examines the relationship between nurses in tertiary care hospital facilities and their professional practice environment; their self-perception of the physical hospital workplace environment; and outcome measures, including overall psychological stress, burnout, job satisfaction, and job stress (CE credit available)

In “Leaving Against Medical Advice: What’s a Nurse to Do?,” the authors explore the nurse’s role and ethical responsibilities when a patient chooses to leave the hospital AMA, highlighting steps nurses can take to prioritize the patient’s well-being and advocate for the patient’s interests.

“Improving Discharge Education and Outcomes for Patients with Heart Failure,” the fourth article in a series on applying implementation science (IS), describes how a nurse-led team at […]

Diane Szulecki, editor2025-02-24T09:40:43-05:00February 24th, 2025|Nursing|0 Comments

When Politics Overrides Nurse Workforce Diversity and Patient Care

(Guest opinion from a nurse practitioner and educator.)

Elizabeth Hanna, DNP, PMHNP, AGACNP

I am deeply concerned by recent legislative actions in my home state of Utah and a number of other states that undermine the foundational principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in publicly funded higher education. While I am fortunate to teach at an institution not subject to these restrictions, I am a proud alum of Utah’s state university system, which educates the vast majority of our nurses and nurse practitioners.

Utah’s “Equal Opportunity Initiatives” law (H.B. 261), which took effect on July 1, 2024, prohibits DEI practices, programs, policies, and initiatives in higher education and government employment. As a result, DEI offices and cultural centers have been dismantled at institutions such as the University of Utah, Southern Utah University, Utah State University, and Weber State University. Eliminating these initiatives threatens the quality and integrity of nursing education and undermines our commitment to culturally competent care.

The loss to patient care and workplace diversity.

It has been shown that more diverse and culturally competent nurses achieve better patient outcomes, including improved satisfaction, treatment adherence, and overall health. DEI initiatives help train nurses to recognize implicit biases and reduce health disparities. Furthermore, […]

Guest Author2025-02-19T11:57:03-05:00February 19th, 2025|Nursing|5 Comments

H5N1 Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) Update for Nurses and Other Health Providers

Influenza is a clever virus and one that deserves respect. Current concerns with the H5N1 avian influenza virus strain demonstrate why public health around the world continues to watch and monitor for impact on human health. Although the situation is not one that currently affects us on a day-to-day basis, it is important that we have a basic understanding of why this remains newsworthy.

Spread and evolution of H5N1.

Since its emergence, H5N1 has spread across multiple continents, affecting wild birds, poultry, and mammals. In late 2023, the virus was detected in Antarctica for the first time, raising concerns about its impact on native wildlife. By 2024, H5N1 had been reported in various regions, including Europe, Asia, and the Americas, leading to significant poultry losses and economic challenges.

In the United States, H5N1 has been detected in wild birds, poultry, and mammals across all 50 states. As of early 2025, nearly 70 human cases have been confirmed, primarily among individuals with direct exposure to infected animals. In December 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the first severe human case of H5N1 in Louisiana, involving a patient hospitalized with severe illness.

We have seen H5N1 move across nonhuman animal species, to situations where humans have become mildly ill after contact with animals, and now to situations where animal contact has resulted in severe human illness.

Since this particular strain of influenza has been detected in a variety of animals, but rarely in humans, what is the concern? The concern […]

Guest Author2025-02-13T12:42:43-05:00February 13th, 2025|infection control, infectious diseases, Nursing, Public health|0 Comments

Human Metapneumovirus: Another Important Cause of Respiratory Illness

Photo by Maria Kovalets/Unsplash

Respiratory viruses are part of our surrounding ecology, with rates increasing and decreasing across seasons and in accordance with the individual virus environmental preferences and human interactions. The SARS-CoV2 pandemic heightened international concern regarding respiratory virus presence and continues to serve as a stark reminder that illness anywhere in the world can have a profound impact on health in the United States. Recent surveillance information from East Asia and the United States have recognized an increase in a respiratory virus that may not be familiar to many, human metapneumovirus (hMPV or HMPV).

Human metapneumovirus is a respiratory virus that belongs to the Paramyxoviridae family, the same family as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and parainfluenza viruses. Although hMPV was first identified in 2001, it has not gained as broad name recognition as other respiratory viruses and may still be unfamiliar to many.

This virus causes respiratory tract infections in people of all ages, but it is most common in young children, older adults, and immunocompromised individuals. hPMV infections are common in late winter and early spring. By the age of 5, most children have been exposed to the virus; reinfections can occur throughout life, though they are generally less severe in healthy adults. This […]

Guest Author2025-02-03T13:49:44-05:00February 3rd, 2025|Nursing|0 Comments

In Times of Overwhelm as a Nurse and Citizen, Begin with One Intentional Act at a Time

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The Work Environment and Nurses’ Well-Being: And Other Recommended Reading from AJN’s March Issue

The March issue of AJN is now live.

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When Politics Overrides Nurse Workforce Diversity and Patient Care

The loss to patient care and workplace diversity.

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H5N1 Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) Update for Nurses and Other Health Providers

Spread and evolution of H5N1.

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Human Metapneumovirus: Another Important Cause of Respiratory Illness

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