‘Didn’t You Used to Be a Nurse?’: Finding the Nurse Within

The author of the Reflections essay in AJN‘s September issue, Kathleen Resnick, confronts a question many nurses must confront at some point: what is it to be a nurse?

And a related question: what is the essence of nursing work? If you can no longer work as a nurse because of physical constraints or for another reason, are you still a nurse?

Writes Resnick in “A Different Kind of Nurse“:

My nursing career was spent in hospitals, working mostly in critical care as a bedside nurse, then in management. I worked hard and my work was a large part of my sense of self-worth. I loved patient care and the satisfaction of making a difference. As a manager, I felt my  primary mission was to enable those I served to do their best work. . . . I was somebody. Now what am I? An acquaintance asked me, “Didn’t you used to be a nurse?”

[…]

2020-09-15T16:23:15-04:00September 15th, 2020|career, narratives, Nursing, nursing stories|2 Comments
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Documentary Filmmaker: The ED Reflects Everything Going on in Our Country

A new documentary profiles emergency nurses.

If you think the photo on the cover of the September issue is dramatic, it’s because it was taken during the emergency treatment of a young man with a gunshot wound. (See On the Cover for details.)

The photo is from the new film by filmmaking team Carolyn Jones and Lisa Frank, In Case of Emergency, which was made in concert with the Emergency Nurses Association to mark its 50th anniversary.

Michelle Lyon, RN, an ED nurse at the University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital, Lexington.

The film’s release is scheduled for October 14th, the beginning of Emergency Nurses Week, and we highlight the film in a photo-essay in the September issue. (The article is free until the end of the month, and best viewed as a pdf.)

The film follows the work of ED nurses in several parts of the country. As a former ED nurse, I was struck by the ability of these filmmakers to accurately capture the work.

Scenes showing what […]

2020-09-10T14:18:29-04:00September 10th, 2020|narratives, Nursing|0 Comments
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A Message from the Tri-Council for Nursing: Nurses Need to Vote in 2020

The Tri-Council for Nursing, an alliance between the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the American Nurses Association, the American Organization for Nursing Leadership, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, and the National League for Nursing representing nurses in practice, nurse leaders, and nursing educators, urges you to exercise your right to vote in the 2020 election.

The Tri-Council for Nursing calls upon all nurses to carefully weigh the positions, proposals, and legislative voting records of candidates who aspire to elected office on November 3, 2020. In these unprecedented times, voting may look different, especially with early voting options and vote-by-mail opportunities becoming increasingly relevant.

As we get closer to Election Day, the Tri-Council strongly recommends that you consider the safest way for you to cast your vote. To ensure you have the best information available and are ready to cast your ballot, follow these three simple steps:

  1. Register. Double check if you are registered to vote by going to vote.gov. Some states allow same day registration, but it is important to check now to ensure that you are prepared for Election Day.
  2. Do Your Research. While 2020 is a presidential election year, there are many open seats at the state and local levels as well. It is important to research not only who will be on the ballot, but any proposals that may also be up for consideration this election season.
  3. Vote. With COVID-19, states are […]
2020-09-04T08:57:21-04:00September 4th, 2020|Nursing|0 Comments
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Two Nurses Who Traveled to New York City to Care for COVID-19 Patients

“I’d been watching social media and seeing former colleagues and classmates who were working in New York City. [They were] very, very, burnt out and tired. I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to go and help them.” – Caitlin Doane

In the spring, when New York City was the U.S. epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, we watched with increasing concern as hospitals became overwhelmed, nurses and doctors worked long shifts for days on end, and PPE was rationed.

Reports from nurses working under these conditions were often horrifying. (Read one nurse’s story from those early weeks here: https://ajnoffthecharts.com/deserted-note-from-a-young-icu-nurse-as-covid-19-pandemic-intensifies-in-u-s/)

Nurses understood.

Nurses from around the country understood far better than the general public just how dire the situation was in New York City hospitals. Some of them traveled here to help. AJN had the opportunity to sit down (virtually) with two of these nurses after their return home, and their stories are featured in the August Profiles column.

Caitlin Doane, an ED nurse from Ithaca, New York, who comes from a family of first responders, joined a medical mission organized by her hospital to travel downstate to hospitals in the city. […]

2020-09-03T08:32:20-04:00September 3rd, 2020|Nursing|0 Comments
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September Issue Highlights: Discussing Gun Safety with Patients, Trauma-Related Hemorrhagic Shock, More

“It is abundantly clear from this pandemic that we are all connected and need the strength of nations working together to thwart any threat to global health and well-being. We ignore
our connectedness at our own peril.”—Pamela F. Cipriano in her guest editorial, “Standing with the WHO”

The September issue of AJN is now live. Here are some highlights.

Original Research: Nurses’ Knowledge and Comfort with Assessing Inpatients’ Firearm Access and Providing Education on Safe Gun Storage

The authors sought to determine hospital nurses’ knowledge of firearm safety and current state law, and their comfort with asking patients about gun access and educating them on gun safety.

Trauma-Related Hemorrhagic Shock: A Clinical Review

This article discusses the general principles underlying the pathophysiology and clinical management of trauma-related hemorrhagic shock.

Special Feature: An Intimate Glimpse of Emergency Nurses at Work

A photo-essay featuring scenes from a new film by Carolyn Jones, In Case of Emergency, which profiles the daily lives of ED nurses across the country.

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2020-09-01T08:51:36-04:00September 1st, 2020|Nursing|0 Comments
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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.
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