impactednurse.com will soon be gone.
I have been writing here at impactednurse.com since around 1999.
But everything has its time, and it is time to move on.
This site will shortly be removed1
I thank everyone for their support and amazing participation here over the years.
I am still actively writing, and you can now follow my journey here:
theNursePath
Take care,
Ian.
I would love to keep it active for there is much of my nursing life recorded amongst its posts. But basically, I cannot afford to run 2 blogs. (Source: impactEDnurse)
Source: impactEDnurse - March 26, 2014 Category: Nurses Authors: impactEDnurse Tags: Features Source Type: blogs
less of me here, and more of me there.
Just to remind readers who may have not realised yet, that I have started a new site over at theNursePath and will be spending most of my energy writing over there for a while.
This is an experiment in getting out of my writing comfort zone.
I want to ramp theNursePath up to a new level of quality. The goal is to format it more as a magazine than a blog.
I will support you to:
Collect a kit of tools that enables you to provide excellence in clinical practice.
Build personal resilience.
Develop interpersonal and team fluency.
Practice with authenticity.
Discover what is really important to you as a nurse.
And finally, to (...
Source: impactEDnurse - October 13, 2013 Category: Nurses Authors: impactEDnurse Tags: ectopics Source Type: blogs
theNursePath.
I am really excited to show you a little project I am working on.
>>Please go take a look.<<
(Source: impactEDnurse)
Source: impactEDnurse - October 9, 2013 Category: Nurses Authors: impactEDnurse Tags: ectopics Source Type: blogs
Nominate Now: Social Media Nurse of the Year.
Nominations are now open for the 2013 Social Media Nurse of the Year.
Last year there were a total of 16 finalists who received a total of 2,577 votes.
This year we have seen a huge increase in nurses leading the way in developing their online work.
Work that has inspired, informed, influenced, entertained and educated.
This is an opportunity for us to acknowledge those contributions from around the world who have helped in building an interconnected supportive, professional online nursing community.
It also gives pause to encourage and inspire others to become active and find their own social media voices.
So go check you...
Source: impactEDnurse - October 2, 2013 Category: Nurses Authors: impactEDnurse Tags: the nurses desk: Source Type: blogs
Is the health system really a system at all?
We call it a health system, and there are times when it works with an incredible life changing, interconnected fluency.
But far too often what it is….is a complex bundle of separate silo-systems.
Every day there are hundreds of episodes of asynchrony within the patients journey as discrete silo-systems bump and scrape and snag up against each other. Some are minor annoyances that test a patients, well…..patience.
Others are truly exasperating experiences for everyone, demonstrating poor design, a lack of respect for our patients and a lack of advocacy by, well …….us.
Here is one very simple example of the healt...
Source: impactEDnurse - October 2, 2013 Category: Nurses Authors: impactEDnurse Tags: piss and vinegar Source Type: blogs
Book of Nurses: Chuck.
After a successful career as a software developer, I now find myself spending all my free time preparing to be a nurse. This wasn’t always my dream, but the older I get, the more I realized that I needed to do more than write code to develop the next somewhat useful application of which there are already ten available for purchase. So, I returned to nursing which I had abandoned 20 years ago because I thought it would take too long to finish. And now that I’m deep into my nursing education, I know this is the right career for me.
When I was in my fundamentals class, I was assigned to a patient who was very fra...
Source: impactEDnurse - October 1, 2013 Category: Nurses Authors: impactEDnurse Tags: ectopics Source Type: blogs
impactednurse on facebook & twitter.
Discussions, Resources and Ectopic adventures.
You can join the discussions with a large group of dedicated, funny, savvy, and extremely attractive Australian nurses to add a little international perspective!
My Facebook Page.
My Twitter feed.
(Source: impactEDnurse)
Source: impactEDnurse - October 1, 2013 Category: Nurses Authors: impactEDnurse Tags: ectopics Source Type: blogs
on falling down holes.
Have you fallen down any holes lately?
The thing about falling in a hole is in actuality it is, well……nothing.
In fact you can’t really fall into it, because there is nothing there to fall into.
So. Nothing has made you fall, and now you find yourself at the bottom of it.
OK, back up a bit. I admit…. its not exactly nothing. These holes tend to form when the stuff we rely on to keep us grounded (to keep us on the ground) are removed.
Bit by bit, small scoops of something are taken away.
Or perhaps something big and unexpected comes along and excavates out a giant slab of something.
Or perhaps someone ...
Source: impactEDnurse - September 29, 2013 Category: Nurses Authors: impactEDnurse Tags: not just a nurse. Source Type: blogs
Assess not assault.
The picture below is of a 26 yo female.
Second presentation over a week following poly-pharmacy and alcohol overdoses.
Can you identify the cause if this traumatic injury?
As part of our neurological assessment ( checking level of consciousness or calculating GCS for example) it may be necessary to elicit some form of noxious stimuli on our patients.
These stimuli may be divided into two categories. Central and peripheral.
It is important to remember that peripheral stimulation may illicit a reflex response, completely bypassing the brain and therefore not giving an accurate evaluation of cerebral function.
So we should a...
Source: impactEDnurse - September 26, 2013 Category: Nurses Authors: impactEDnurse Tags: clinical skills Source Type: blogs
Skill: assessing pupil response.
In conclusion, a pupil assessment is a quick but important skill that can give a great deal of information.
The eyes may indeed be the windows to the soul. But the pupils are the manholes to the ongoing neurological status of your patient.
————————————
Reference:
The Pupillary Response in Traumatic Brain Injury: A Guide for Trauma Nurses. Journal of Trauma Nursing.
Pupillary Responses. Stanford School of Medicine. (Source: impactEDnurse)
Source: impactEDnurse - September 20, 2013 Category: Nurses Authors: impactEDnurse Tags: clinical skills Source Type: blogs
Book of Nurses: Ally.
I’m Ally; I’m 23 and work as a Critical Care Nurse in Newy.
My parents pushed me into nursing. That sounds weird. But it’s really, very strangely, true. I nailed my HSC, had always been an academic achiever, and if I had gone with my gut or my guidance councilor’s advice, I probably would have become an economist. But my parents told me for as long as I can really recall, that I should do nursing, despite my personal interest in writing, economics, politics and the humanities.
As a profound sufferer of ‘middle child syndrome’ I felt my parents didn’t believe that I could achieve anything more…you kn...
Source: impactEDnurse - September 17, 2013 Category: Nurses Authors: impactEDnurse Tags: ectopics Source Type: blogs
Book of Nurses: Erin.
Don’t forget….We would love to read YOUR story. Click on the ‘Share your Story’ link below for more info.
Hello everyone. My name is Erin and this is my story.
I remember when I was in primary school I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. I said I wanted to be a teacher. Nursing was never on my radar as a job that I wanted to do, but when I think back on my life til now everything I’ve done has lead to me becoming a nurse.
When I first left high school I was accepted into and studied Medical Imaging Science. The human body had always fascinated me and I’m a curious perso...
Source: impactEDnurse - September 15, 2013 Category: Nurses Authors: impactEDnurse Tags: ectopics Source Type: blogs
Social Media Nurse of the Year 2013.
Nominations will open soon for impactednurse.com Social Media Nurse of the Year for 2013.
Time to start thinking about nurses that have most influenced, encouraged and inspired you over the last 12 months within the social media noosphere.
More details on how to nominate are just around the corner……
(Source: impactEDnurse)
Source: impactEDnurse - September 11, 2013 Category: Nurses Authors: impactEDnurse Tags: ectopics Source Type: blogs
Book of Nurses: Angela.
Angela is an Enrolled Nurse working in North-West Tasmania.
And don’t forget….We would love to read YOUR story. Click on the ‘Share your Story’ link below for more info.
I’m a student EN in Tasmania, and Nursing has always been a dream career. I started studying the Bachelor of Nursing at UTAS in 2006 at 18, and completed over half of the degree before I realised that I have a massive difficulty in communicating openly and honestly with people. I failed one of the practical components of an assessment, mainly due to the fact that I couldn’t talk to the mannequin I was bandaging. I...
Source: impactEDnurse - September 11, 2013 Category: Nurses Authors: impactEDnurse Tags: ectopics Source Type: blogs
emergency nursing #101.
Received the following question today from Sophie:
Love your blog, been a follower for a long time!
Just writing for some advice.. So I’m an EEN, studying B. Nursing (graduating next year) I’ve been hiding in Theatres for the last 5yrs doing Anaesthetics, I have just accepted a job at a major Sydney ED as I needed a little change..
Anyways, do you have any advice on textbooks, literature or anything that I can use to make me a half decent ED Nurse? As in ED Nursing 101.. I have played in ED previously, but that was a while ago..
Thanks Sophie….a good question.
To tell you the truth, if I spin around and look at the b...
Source: impactEDnurse - September 9, 2013 Category: Nurses Authors: impactEDnurse Tags: the nurses desk: Source Type: blogs
