About everyone on this Earth knows a nurse, has a family member that is a nurse, or has encountered one at some point in their life. However, many do not know what it means to be a nurse. What exactly does a nurse do? When asked this question, I often find it quite difficult to answer. A mere job description just does not do it [what occurs during our 12 hour shift] justice. Although there are many different levels of responsibility or degrees for the RN, the foundation of th

As the health care system begins to shift towards a value-based purchasing system (VBP), hospitals are utilizing Pay for Performance (P4P) initiatives to monitor patient outcomes and patient satisfaction in accordance with Centers for Medicaid and Medicare (CMS) standards. The Journal of Healthcare Management says that this standard provides a financial reward or penalty based in part on measures of patient experience to promote patient health by creating an atmosphere that

Nursing is a challenging field in various ways; therefore, it can be quite difficult for nurses to achieve balance in work and life. Factors such as shift work and rotating shifts disturb health care workers circadian rhythms, which results in sleep issues, accidents, and illnesses. Nurses with rotating shifts often suffer from psychological issues and feel isolated from family and friends who work do not work the same schedule. Also, the nature of health care work place pati