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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Continuing Education

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,…

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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Current Journal

Support planetary health

Actions to promote and protect the environment Spring marks a time of renewal and reawaken­ing with cleaning, planting, and other fresh starts,…

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…

Macular hole, not macular degeneration

As the population ages, nurses will need to have a better understanding of macular hole symptoms, treatment, prognosis, and potential complications. This…

Rapid Response

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…

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

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

My Nurse Influencer

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…
nurse writing poem child death school

A nurse-poet writes what she knows

I started writing poetry in grammar school in Harvey, North Dakota. Our curriculum emphasized writing and poetry—I still have the anthology we…
hyponatremia

Recognizing acute hyponatremia

Sam Johansen, age 42, is admitted to the medical-surgical unit after 3 days of acute nausea, vomiting, and watery diarrhea associated with…
myxedema-coma

Myxedema coma

Myxedema coma is the most severe, potentially life-threatening form of hypothyroidism and a medical emergency. It frequently results from untreated or undertreated…

Acute flaccid myelitis

Nursing implications and public health Takeaways:  Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is a perplexing condition which, to date, has no concrete effective treatment.…

A warming planet and human health

Although most Americans voice concern about climate change (climate breakdown), many remain unaware that they’re experiencing its effects today. In fact, those…
His Bundle

His bundle pacing

For patients with sick sinus syndrome and nonreversible atrioventricular (AV) conduction block, pacemakers provide the only effective treatment by electrically stimulating heart…

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.

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