As the year comes to an end, the Campaign would like to take a moment to thank each of you, our dedicated Nursing Notes readers, for all of your contributions to the nursing community this year.
In 2016, we interviewed dozens of nurses from all corners of the United States for more than 50 stories, profiles and recaps about a wide variety of nursing topics and specialties here on the website and on our podcast, Nursing Notes Live. Here are just a few of our favorites:
February: Nurses' Project Creates New Standard for ICU
Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurses Kerrie Klepfer, BSN, RN, CNIII, and Jennifer LeBlanc, BSN, RN, CCRN, CNIV, had no idea that their efforts would save their hospital $2.9 million and inspire similar initiatives across the globe. They just wanted to see their patients experience a safer, quicker recovery.
March: Improving Psychiatric Care: One Nurse-Led Idea
Angela Mackay, MSN, BSN, PHN, RN, and her Psychiatric Emergency Response Team help maintain a safe environment through the use of therapeutic communication – which results in better outcomes for the patient and healthcare team.
April: Mobile Apps Help Boost Efficiency for Nurses
Some healthcare organizations today provide nurses with apps to use on hospital-issued mobile devices to help easily document, retrieve and communicate patient information at the point-of-care.
May: White House Nurses Serve the First Family
President Obama and the first family need healthcare, just like the rest of us. Have you ever wondered who helps provide that care for the president? Meet the White House Medical Unit.
May: Celebrating the Nurse Effect
How have nurses impacted your life? This year for National Nurses Week, the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future launched the “Nurse Effect,” a new initiative that showcased the positive ripple effect nurses have had on individuals lives – and ultimately – society as a whole.
June: Rethinking the Term “Male Nurse”
“The term ‘male nurse’ immediately separates me from the rest of nursing,” said Chris Stallard, MSN, RN, FNP-C, COHC. “Whether it is meant in a positive or negative way, it sets me apart from every other nurse and makes me feel not quite 100 percent nurse.”
July: Music Helps Alzheimer's Patients Recall Memories
“When the music played, the patients went to a beautiful place in their mind. We saw them dancing or tapping their feet and moving their heads. It was amazing to watch.” - Kristine Carpina, LPN
August: Father-Son Nurse Duo Find Calling in Flight Nursing
Tim Lenth, RN, and his son Adam Lenth, RN, are air medical flight nurses. They must work together to administer care in high acuity situations – all while flying 145 miles per hour, hundreds of feet above ground, in the tight confines of a helicopter.
September: From Childhood Cancer Patient to Oncology Nurse
For many people, childhood experiences can influence future career decisions. This certainly rings true for LeighAnna Hutchinson, BSN, RN, an oncology nurse at the same hospital where she was once a patient, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Tex. We sat down with LeighAnna to learn more about her unique calling toward oncology nursing and her first few years in the field.
October: Robots and Nurses: Using Tech to Advance Patient Care
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Mass., conducted a research study to determine if a robot could assist nurses in scheduling and other managerial tasks on the labor and delivery floor.
November: The Future of Data-Driven, Value-Based Care
On the surface, big data and nursing may seem unrelated. However, nurses contribute to the collection of big data every day by capturing health information via electronic health record (EHR) systems. But how is this data being used? We sat down with John M. Welton, Ph. D., RN, FAAN, a professor at the University of Colorado College of Nursing, to learn more about how big data is transforming nursing practice.
Here’s a dose of nursing inspiration for your holiday season, with quotes from nurses featured in Nursing Notes throughout 2016. Happy holidays, nurses! Thank you for all that you do to keep our communities safe and healthy!
