Nurse multitasking

Multitasking: Gift or Nursing’s Curse?

A study that examined the cognitive mechanisms involved in task switching, particularly how executive control processes manage multiple tasks (think of the time you checked a text message while programming an I.V. pump), suggests that multitasking reduces efficiency because the brain must disengage from one task before fully engaging in another. If multitasking is both inefficient and unsafe for patient care, why is it regarded as a key indicator of clinical performance success?

Diana L. Fors, RN

I remember: Reflections of a hospice nurse

As I drive down the road I pass familiar houses. The homes flood me with memories. I remember the faces. I remember the look in your eyes. The smile when I came through the door. The pleading look when the pain was bad, asking me to help.

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Long COVID, a stigmatized and somewhat controversial condition, has begun to gain the public’s attention as some who previously had acute COVID-19 began reporting…

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A healthy 4-month-old baby boy of Eurasian descent is exclusively breastfed. This morning, his mother changes him and finds crusty, red oozing blisters covering…

Medication safety

In 2023, the CDC reported that the most common types of adverse drug events are associated with allergic reactions, side effects, over-medication, medication errors,…

Navigating Long COVID

Long COVID, a stigmatized and somewhat controversial condition, has begun to gain the public’s attention as some who previously had acute COVID-19…

Education and Career Guide

Education can be the key to professional success. Whether you’re a new or experienced nurse, returning to school to get your BSN or another advanced degree can make the difference between thriving and stagnating in your career. Tap into the articles presented in this year’s education guide for tips and thoughtful advice on nursing education. The American Nurse Education and Career Guide, provides you with facts, figures, other nurses’ experiences, and tons of other resources to help you in your journey.

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Everyday ethics: Privacy and trust

As a perioperative nurse, I understand I should ensure the privacy and confidentiality of my patients and their information while providing care…

Building financial well-being

Ky Arnold has nurses’ best interests at heart. When Ky Arnold, BSN, RN, noticed that financial uncertainty caused stress to many of…

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Aspiration: Blocking the airway

You’re caring for a 75-year-old man admitted to your unit with a diagnosis of ischemic stroke, left-sided weakness, and dysphagia. He receives continuous feedings…

Acute dystonic reaction

Acute dystonic reactions, movement disturban­ces, fall under the umbrella of extrapyramidal side effects. They’re associated with medications (including antipsychotics and antiemetics) that mediate dopamine.

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A 48-year-old woman with a history of cystic fibrosis, is admitted to the surgical unit with a small bowel obstruction. At home, the patient…

Eclampsia

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Syncope

An 88-year-old man experiences syncope after sustaining a patellar fracture related to a fall. He’s admitted to the telemetry unit with fall and injury…

Aspiration: Blocking the airway

You’re caring for a 75-year-old man admitted to your unit with a diagnosis of ischemic stroke, left-sided weakness, and dysphagia. He receives…

Acute dystonic reaction

Acute dystonic reactions, movement disturban­ces, fall under the umbrella of extrapyramidal side effects. They’re associated with medications (including antipsychotics and antiemetics) that…

Cystic fibrosis

A 48-year-old woman with a history of cystic fibrosis, is admitted to the surgical unit with a small bowel obstruction. At home,…
PTSD: Increase screening and treatment

Many nurse practitioners (NPs) provide care in medically underserved areas, some in one of the more than 1,400 free clinics throughout the United States. More patients who access care at free clinics meet the diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than those who receive care at fee-for-service clinics.

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EBP, QI, and IS

Some use the terms evidence-based practice (EBP), quality improvement (QI), and implementation science (IS) interchangeably. However important differences exist. Clinicians must understand those differences…

Catalysts of change

2025 Innovation Award winners close disparity gaps. Nurses’ insights and experience in developing solutions that matter illustrate The Power of Nurses™ in dynamic and…

Empathy in ostomy care

Empathy relies on understanding an experience from another’s perspective. A simulated learning activity such as wearing an ostomy bag for a day, in combination…

Focus on nurses’ well-being

Nurses hold demanding and frequently stress­ful positions and hectic lives. Managing the stresses and strains of work and finding a positive work–life balance can…

How to balance a bed shortage

Bed shortages remain a concern in hospitals across the country. For example, since the COVID-19 pandemic, most of Washington’s larger hospitals and…

Advancing antiracism

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From the Ethics Inbox

Everyday ethics: Privacy and trust

As a perioperative nurse, I understand I should ensure the privacy and confidentiality of my patients and their information while providing care through­out pre-,…

Everyday ethics: Prioritizing patients

It’s my understanding that a nurse’s primary commitment is to our patients. Recently, while working as a travel nurse, I’ve been concerned about some…

Ethics in everyday care

The pandemic, from its earliest days in March 2020, exposed not only a health and healthcare crisis but also deep inequities in our society.…

Asking for a change of assignment

I’ve been a charge nurse for several years and find passion and purpose in my responsibility directing the care team and being a nursing…

Everyday ethics: Privacy and trust

As a perioperative nurse, I understand I should ensure the privacy and confidentiality of my patients and their information while providing care…

Ethics in everyday care

The pandemic, from its earliest days in March 2020, exposed not only a health and healthcare crisis but also deep inequities in…

Yes, you can write

I often meet nurses who say they “wish” they could write, but know they “can’t.” I counter with “Yes, you can” because…

My Nurse Influencer

Nurse multitasking

Multitasking: Gift or Nursing’s Curse?

A study that examined the cognitive mechanisms involved in task switching, particularly how executive control processes manage multiple tasks (think of the time you…

The case of the vanishing stethoscope

A 2001 study assessed the cardiac auscultation skills of 314 internal medicine residents from Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The results…

Nurses as Pilgrims

The travel writer Rick Steves describes three types of travelers: tourists, traveler, and pilgrims. I’d like to propose that those same terms can be…

Mindfulness for medication safety

Break the cycle of rushing and multitasking. Takeaways: Patients experience an average of one medication error per day. Many medication errors are…
Anaphylasxis_schoolnurse

Anaphylaxis in the school setting

School mealtimes are important for socialization and nutrition, but food allergies can be life-threatening. Quick assessment and action by school nurses are…
bowel-obstruction

Small bowel obstruction

Abdominal pain, bloating and distension, vomiting, and obstipation are warning signs of small bowel obstruction. Small bowel obstructions are treatable if recognized…
Pediatric Sepsis

Pediatric sepsis: Are you ready?

Implement protocols for early identification and management.  Takeaways: Sepsis has received much attention recently, but the pediatric population is missing from many…

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