Populations with unrestricted access to the benefits of society will have better outcomes than those with restricted or no access to benefits, regardless of the contributions and efforts of each group. Actions can be taken by the nurses on the personal, community, and national levels with the intent of creating a more equitable distribution of healthcare resources for rural Americans. 

Adrianne answers the questions of a listener who is nervous about taking on another student in their three-person study group. Keeping in mind worries of emotional blowouts and the detriment of all four students, Adrianne musters her most responsible, objective voice to help talk this listener through a very common nursing school dilemma.

 Here in the United States, we’re experiencing the “Dog Days of Summer”. As the heat and humidity persist, many of us have no tolerance for poly-blend scrubs and running our butts off for half the day. Sadly, quitting a job from May to October just isn’t realistic for most of us. That in mind, let’s talk about some more ways all you fellow sweaty nurses can make it through these final hot weeks of the year. 

I asked my pal and graduate student, Brad, what school supplies he felt were essential for nursing students. He replied “books, a binder and a pen”. Clearly he doesn’t have the love for office supplies and organization that I do, so we’re going to leave him out of this conversation for now.

In this little ramble from Adrianne, she confesses to some bad behavior and vows to make it right.

Mike writes in and asks about heavily scented chapstick that Adrianne has mentioned somewhere down the line. She fell down and Amazon rabbit hole and found a number of anti-stink options for nurses in a variety of settings. Check out these items guaranteed to make things smell better, or will at least make you laugh.

National Nurses Week will take place May 6-12, 2019 . It’s a great time to show the nurses in your life how much you appreciate all the things they do to improve the lives and health of others. While the gifts we really want are adequate staffing and a violence-free workplace, we also appreciate the smaller gifts ranging from beautiful gestures to helpful gadgets. Here are 25 ideas.

It took me a long time to design my perfect get-ready-routine, but I’ve learned through trial and error what makes me feel good and what doesn’t. I encourage and of you newbies, or any healthcare worker to pull any steps I’ve laid out that may smooth out those pre-work hours. As your shifts roll on, pay attention to what things have the most lasting positive effect on your work and dump anything that doesn’t.

I got a question from a listener about this and wanted to share it here for the students and newbies who may be having the same problem.

Q:  How do you hear breath sounds with the noise of the room? I have a hard time hearing anything at all and I'm afraid I'm going to miss something.

While I love spontaneity as much as the next person, I am very much a creature of habit. This is especially true during the hours before I show up for a 12-hour shift and the hours after. Here’s a step-by-step rundown of what I do before each shift.