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.

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 began reporting…

Living with atopic dermatitis

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,…

Living donor liver transplant coordinator

Living donor liver transplant has helped overcome the global shortage of donor organs. Live liver donors who electively undergo major abdominal surgery require specific…

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…

Living with atopic dermatitis

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

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.

A call to action for all nurses

The federal administration’s willingness to put forth nonevidence-based polices serves as a direct threat to the health of our people and the…

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.

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, the patient…

Eclampsia

A 28-year-old woman who’s 8 months pregnant arrives at the obstetrics ED with right-side upper abdominal pain, a progressively worsening headache for the past…

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…

Decompression sickness

Kachina Montgomery, a 27-year-old woman, is spending her honeymoon in Florida learning to scuba dive. About an hour after her last dive, she develops…

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,…

Eclampsia

A 28-year-old woman who’s 8 months pregnant arrives at the obstetrics ED with right-side upper abdominal pain, a progressively worsening headache for…

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

State nurses association initiatives build on community ties. In June 2024, the American Nurses Association took a significant step forward in addressing…

The emergence of AI and practice

Since beginning my doctoral work in 2015, I’ve pursued AI to solve nurse staffing and scheduling challenges. The literature revealed that these…
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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…

Responding to workplace violence

In my work as an emergency department (ED) nurse, my colleagues and I routinely experience physical assaults from patients. At this point we question…

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…
forgiveness

Be your own nurse: Forgiveness

COVID-19 has taught us many lessons. Some of those lessons are painful and some are hopeful. In the time of pandemic, focusing…

How to be well

What is good health? The absence of disease? What is wellness? The ability to function optimally? These are some of the things…
Nurse using stethoscope

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…

Why I choose to be grateful

Around Thanksgiving, I bring blank thank-you cards to class and distribute them to my students. I ask them to take 5 minutes to handwrite…
Nurse

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…

Subarachnoid hemorrhage

Karen Thompson*, a 55-year-old woman, ar­rives in the ED via ambulance. She reports the worst headache of her life and sensitivity to…

Pediatric malignant hyperthermia

Daniel Sanchez*, an 8-year-old boy, arrives in the pediatric recovery unit after an appendectomy. You note that his electronic health record (EHR)…

Anticholinergics: Adverse effects

Anticholinergics, widely used in clinical practice for an extensive range of diseases, exert effects on circulation, respiration, alertness, and vision by blocking…

HealthCom Media, the publishers of American Nurse Journal, the American Nurses Association and Al Roker Productions collaborated to bring a few shining examples of the exemplary work being done by nurses in today’s very challenging healthcare environment to the American public.