Honoring Hispanic Heritage: And Other Recommended Reading from AJN’s October Issue

The October issue of AJN is now live.

In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, AJN’s October cover features Wings That Remember, Wings That Resist, a work by artist Daniel Suárez-Baquero, PhD, MSN, BSN-RN, and graphic designer Nelson Martinez. Suárez-Baquero says that the image—a resplendent quetzal in flight—is a reflection on “migration, resilience, and freedom.” Read more here.

This month’s issue celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month. As noted by Tina Loarte-Rodriguez in her guest editorial, “The legacy of Hispanic and Latine nurses is one of courage, compassion, and an unwavering pursuit of justicia in health. Nursing must embody the equity it champions: by reckoning with racism, fostering healing within our profession, and elevating diverse nurse leaders who reflect and serve our communities.”

To that end, this special issue features:

2025-09-25T12:58:59-04:00September 25th, 2025|Nursing|0 Comments
Read More

Turmoil at the CDC Endangers Public Health

Sowing distrust in the science behind CDC guidance.

The turmoil roiling the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was on full view last Thursday at the Senate hearing convened to review the Trump administration’s health care agenda. The proceedings quickly descended into a shouting match as senators, both Republican and Democrat, challenged health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on his policies and recent actions, particularly regarding vaccines and the firing of CDC director Susan Monarez. Kennedy defended his positions while attacking the agency, as he has done repeatedly, accusing its medical experts and scientists of corruption and collusion with the pharmaceutical industry.

In late August, Kennedy called Monarez into his office and pressured her to resign, a mere 29 days after appointing her. At the time of her appointment, Kennedy lauded Monarez as “a public health expert with unimpeachable scientific credentials,” stating that he had “full confidence in her ability.”

Photo credit: Shutterstock

According to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Monarez was fired […]

2025-09-12T09:50:13-04:00September 12th, 2025|COVID-19, infection control, infectious diseases, Nursing, Public health|0 Comments
Read More

Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases: A Comprehensive Nursing-Focused Overview

Virtually all of us who have spent time in the outdoors have either heard about or experienced an encounter with a tick. Diseases transmitted through the bite of a tick represent a growing health concern in the United States and around the world. Tick bites can affect individuals who live in, work in, or travel to wooded, grassy, or brush-filled environments. Ticks are generally more active during warmer months of the year (usually April through September), but they can be active any time the temperature is above freezing. Therefore, taking precautions can be close to a year-round activity, including an increased emphasis during vacation travel when the climate may differ from that of your usual environment. Nurses play an essential role in patient education, prevention, early recognition, clinical management, and public health surveillance of these diseases—and their credibility and trusted relationships enable impactful opportunities.

Adult deer tick, Ixodes scapularis/via Wikimedia Commons

The following summary outlines key facts about tick biology and transmission, clinical manifestations of major tickborne diseases [TBDs], prevention strategies, post-bite care, public health reporting, and updates on vaccines—particularly for domestic and international travelers.

Understanding ticks and disease transmission

Ticks are blood-feeding arachnids capable of transmitting pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, and protozoa, […]

2025-08-25T11:04:09-04:00August 25th, 2025|infection control, infectious diseases, Nursing, Public health|0 Comments
Read More

Person-Centered Care of LGBTQ+ Adults: And Other Recommended Reading from AJN’s September Issue

The September issue of AJN is now live.

How can nurses create more inclusive and affirming health care environments for patients who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning, or have other gender identities and sexual orientations? Read this month’s CE article, “Best Practices for Person-Centered Nursing Care of LGBTQ+ Adults,” to learn more.

Our September AJN Reports, “Enrollment in Nursing PhD Programs Continues to Slide,” examines a trend that threatens nursing education and research into patient care.

In “Using the Brøset Violence Checklist Beyond Behavioral Health and the ED: A Mixed-Methods Study,” Russell-Babin and colleagues note that “Evidence has shown that the Brøset Violence Checklist (BVC), a six-item scale that takes less than two minutes to complete, demonstrates predictive validity for violent behavior in psychiatric and emergency settings.” Their study aimed to determine the relationship between BVC scores and the incidence of violent behavior among patients on adult medical–surgical, telemetry, progressive care, and intermediate and intensive care units.

The latest article in the Evidence-Based Decision-Making series, “Establishing Benchmarks,” reviews benchmarking in nursing practice; explains external and internal benchmarking; identifies sources for benchmarks; and outlines steps for benchmarking, including its application in DNP projects. […]

2025-08-21T13:07:50-04:00August 21st, 2025|Nursing|0 Comments
Read More

Some Gentle Reminders for Ensuring Appropriate Language Interpretation for Patients

Photo by Ling App on Unsplash

When I began nursing school, I never could have imagined how quickly I would be thrust into the heart of health care, quite literally. During my first semester, I started clinical rotations on a cardiovascular unit, where I began to understand the phenomenal intricacies of the human heart. It was a time of discovery, as I learned to navigate the complexities of blood pressure readings, mean arterial pressures (MAP), electrocardiograms (ECGs), cardiac catheterizations, and even the life-changing left ventricular assistive devices (LVADs).

By the time I began my second semester, I found myself in a cardiovascular surgical intermediate care unit, a place that would push me further into the depths of cardiac care. There, under the watchful eye of my clinical preceptor, I had the responsibility of caring for patients who had undergone some of the most intricate and high-stakes procedures imaginable. It was during this semester that I encountered a powerful lesson that has stayed with me long after graduation and well into my early years as a registered nurse.

A lesson in why clear communication really matters.

A Spanish-speaking Hispanic woman with coronary artery disease was admitted to our cardiac unit. Her electronic medical record noted […]

2025-08-11T14:15:43-04:00August 11th, 2025|family, family experience, Nursing, patient engagement, patient experience, patient safety|0 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