The American Heart Association (AHA) has issued some revised guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for both lay and professional rescuers. The recommended sequence of CPR steps is changing from airway-breathing-compressions to compressions-airway-breathing. This change will apply to adults, children and infants but excludes newborns. The former approach which began with tilting a victims head back […]
Despite a widely held belief that nursing is a “recession-proof” profession, new graduates in some areas of the country report difficulties finding a job. Surveys by the National Student Nurses Association of 2009 and 2010 new graduates show that more than 40% of nurses that responded had not found a job by midsummer. The American […]
Prescription drug abuse is the nation’s fastest growing drug problem and our teenagers are right in the middle of it. The government reports that more than three million teens have abused prescription drugs. The majority of the teens are getting them right out of their own medicine cabinets. Seven out of ten kids say that […]
Editor’s Letter September brings us back to many things; back to school, back to favorites of autumn and back to a fall routine after the fling of summer. Since it is back to school for our teenagers, I wanted to bring some awareness to a growing problem that is in the news today. Rather than […]
Nurses have one of the most challenging, admirable jobs on the planet. Not only must they meet the changing demands of the workplace every day of the week, but they must also meet the demands of our ever-changing technologies and scientific discoveries by earning continuing education credits each year to provide the best, most up-to-date […]
Medical/Surgical nursing has evolved from an entry level position to an adult health specialty. It is no longer viewed as a stepping stone but rather the backbone to every healthcare institution. Considering the depth of this specialty, it is easily one of the largest groups of practicing medical professionals. They comprise more than fifty percent […]
Decades ago there was a bias towards male nurses but does that still exist today? Many male and female nurses say that although they have encountered or heard about gender discrimination against men, they believe it is the fault of a few individuals rather than a pervasive problem. “Most nurses don’t care who you are […]
Today there are 2.1 million registered nurses in the United States and only 5.4% of them are male. Men also make up only 13% of all new nursing students, according to MinorityNurse.com. Obviously these statistics point to a female dominant field, yet history reveals a different story. During the Middle Ages, most nurses were male, […]
Licensed practical nurses, also known as licensed vocational nurses, work under the direction of physicians and registered nurses. The role of an LPN is a supportive one that provides basic bedside care. LPNs are responsible for monitoring patient’s temperature, blood pressure, pulse and respiration. They can provide a variety of treatments for various ailments, record […]
Did you know….? It has been a little over four months since a devastating earthquake hit Haiti that left hundreds of thousands in need of care. Nurses have played a pivotal role in the care and rebuilding of some many lives. Scott Plantz, MD, the publisher of Nursing Spectrum and NurseWeek magazines and the host […]
