Yes, I'm a nurse! Celebrating Nurses Week

Its that time again! To celebrate nurses and all the amazing things we do! Yes, we do amazing things. I don't usually like to brag about it; in fact what we do, whether you are an LPN, RN, CNS, NP, and administrator or educator it is hard work. We have all been there at the bedside doing things no one else would or want to do. We have cried with patients and families. We have gone home and put our uniforms right into the trash. We have cried in the shower, swearing we could not possibly go back and do the job another day. But we do. Again and again.

I told my husband just yesterday that even when I come home after being screamed at by a desperate family member who is watching her mother with progressing Alzheimer's turn into someone she no longer knows, that I still love my job as a hospitalist. Even when I spend over an hour explaining there are no more options to a patient and her husband, that it is time for hospice and watch the hope fade from their eyes, yes, I still love my job.

I love being a dual-boarded APRN. I love teaching future nurses and APRNs this incredible profession. I love using my voice so that one day my state will be 'green' too!

Photo credits: AANP State Practice Acts and Administrative Rules

There are so many amazing things that nurses can do beyond the bedside: clinical education, quality, health policy, academia, informatics, professional organization, special interest groups, leadership, community health and volunteering - I could go on!

So this week, we take a moment and celebrate all that nurses do for patients, their families and each other. We reflect on where nursing has been and what lies ahead. Nurses are leading the way with inspiring nurses leaders like ANA President Pam Cipriano PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN who was recently selected among Top 25 Women in Healthcare and future and past AACN and AANP Presidents. We reflect back on history to influential nurses like Dorothea Dix who is attributed with creating the first mental health system and Mary Eliza Mahoney the first African-America nurse in the United States. And of course our beloved Florence Nightingale who became an advocate for the poor and infirmed, dedicated to improving the conditions for treating patients and used data to improve care. Our first nurse mentor that we still honor on her birthday.

Remember this week and every moment why we became nurses. Celebrate the good and amazing things we do. We have a lot of work to do but we are strong and compassionate professionals. And our patients deserve the best care we can provide to them.

The NTI countdown begins

So we are just days away from undoubtedly the largest gathering of nurses - the AACN's NTI conference in Boston, MA.

I have to admit, I have been slow to get excited for this conference; especially since the bombing occurred. Glued to the TV for days as the events of the attack unfolded, I was shocked and horrified and angry that yet again a senseless tragedy occurred on American soil. Relief poured over me when details emerged and the suspects were caught.

As many of my nursing colleagues have thought about I'm sure, I have prayed for not just the victims but the numerous nurses, paramedics, physicians, and other healthcare providers impacted by this act of terrorism. No doubt we will hear more this week from these frontline providers that worked tireless to save lives.

This is my first time presenting at NTI. Part of me is terrified. But I am starting to feel a tiny bit of excitement build deep within me...I am after all presenting on something I feel very patient about.

Over the past week or so I have given much thought about this trip to Boston...specifically NTI. I was reminded by someone very dear to me that it is a time to recharge my nursing batteries with many strong and powerful nurses. He's right. Nurses are strong and overcome crises and struggles everyday to care for patients and ensure the best possible outcomes. We are passionate and forward moving.

It turns out that Boston is a great place for NTI this year. Nurses and other providers always rise to the occasion and remain strong and resolute. So has Boston.

Yeah, I think I'm ready.

Boston Strong                                 Nurses Strong

Patient safety lessons from Starbuck's

Anyone who knows me, would agree that saying I like coffee is an understatement. In fact, coffee is truly one of my life's pleasures. Right up there with anything chocolate and the beach. A good cup-a-joe, anytime of the day - hot or iced, frappuccino or espresso, I'm guaranteed to love it.

So what does my love of coffee, Starbuck's and healthcare have in common? Probably very little at first glance; besides the fact that coffee is the fuel of healthcare providers and clinicians everywhere...we may be able to learn something from the highly rated java-giants.

A typical shift day for me begins with a trip to the local Starbuck's for my usual special latte for one last jolt of caffeine to get through my unpredictable day. No matter what time I visit, I am always greeted by a friendly voice in the drive-thru that identifies themselves first and says something like "Good morning or welcome, my name is so-and-so, how may I help you today?" WOW! It always impresses me...really. Every day. All the time. No matter the person taking my order. I respond the same...."Good Morning! (It's contagious you know) I'll have...I won't bore you with my special coffee needs" And here's the best part...wait for it.....the friendly barista READs BACK & VERIFIES my ORDER! (RBVO) Ta-Da! Yes, they verify what they heard you say. Amazing. And if it is wrong they correct it on the spot and you get the wrong drink in addition to the corrected order. Now granted, no one is going to die or be injured with the wrong coffee-drink, but that is not the point.

In our clinical practice settings we give and receive orders or diagnostic results or other patient-related communication all the time and it is extremely easy to misinterpret or transcribe them incorrectly. The difference is, we can't take back the wrong treatment, medication or diagnostic result and it can most definitely harm the patient. I give telephones quite frequently and I am surprised at how many times they are not read back & verified. I often ask them to repeat the order back to me or I repeat it myself.

If Starbuck's thinks it is important enough to Read, Back & Verify your Order (RBVO) shouldn't it be important enough to us where the stakes are much higher? Incidentally, those of use that work in the acute care (hospital setting) know that CMS and The Joint Commission already think so...this was a National Patient Safety Goal for many years; it is now part of the Provision of Care Standards and yes a hospital can actually be penalized for not demonstrating evidence that a verbal or telephone order was RBV.

Startbuck's greets their customers with kindness and reads back their orders to maintain a high level of customer service and satisfaction, not because people will die. Clinicians and providers at every level should make reading back and verifying communications a natural part of their practice and a priority for patient safety.