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Nursing Attire and Patient Perception

Published

on November 17, 2011

A Brief History of the Nursing Uniform

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Nursing Attire and Patient Perception Nursing has long been a female-dominated field, and it has undergone drastic changes in the past 100 years. However, images of those early nursing days (young women in white dresses and hats) have remained, whether as part of society’s tendency toward sexual objectification or by patients who actually remember a time when nurses were portrayed a certain way.

These days, nurses are often indistinguishable from other medical professionals—and researchers have yet to determine whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. Almost all care providers wear the same kind of colorful scrubs, which are built around comfort, and there are no differences for men and women. This can be difficult on some patients, since they might have a difficult time determining if they are being approached by a college-educated professional or by a supplementary staff member.

Several studies have been done to look at how nursing attire affects patient perception (and therefore patient care), most notably in the 2006 Journal of Nursing Administration and a 2008 Applied Nursing Research report.

Some of their key findings include:

Scrubs tend to make nurses appear less professional but more approachable.
Almost all generations prefer simple white uniforms to indicate nursing staff; this is especially true for elderly patients.
Pediatric nurses are the exception; on them, colorful uniforms are considered ideal.

For nursing students and new nurses, these findings might not seem conclusive enough to make a wardrobe decision, especially since you may be required to purchase and wear uniforms in keeping with the workplace dress code. You might not have the option of white scrubs, and you may be required to wear bright colors every day of the week.

However, what you can do is realize that your patients are affected by the way you look, regardless of whether you chose the outfit or not. Fun, whimsical scrubs might make you more appealing to younger generations, but older patients might not see you as the professional you really are. Plain scrubs are more likely to earn you respect, even if you’re a CNA on the first day of the job. And across the board, sexually ambiguous attire is best, as it takes an important step away from the early 20th century stereotypes that placed women in a less than professional role.

What is a Nurse Case Manager?

Published

on October 11, 2011

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Nurse Case Manager Within the nursing field, opportunities for job promotion and advancement aren’t as common as most people think. Most nurses work on a fairly level playing field, and although you might choose to specialize, chances are you won’t actually adopt a supervisory role without a real effort to get there.

One area in which you can set yourself apart and take on more responsibilities and management roles within the nursing field is to become an RN case manager.

What is an RN Case Manager?

Nursing case managers typically take a step back from being a hands-on care provider toward more administrative work. They oversee the admissions process for patients who need recurring care, often developing and coordinating plans for long-term outcomes. Similar to social work, in that the RN case manager works with an entire lifetime of care (and often in conjunction with other health and social services), there is nevertheless a much heavier medical focus.

Within a daily capacity, an RN case manager might:

Act as a liaison and advocate for patients, families, and the health care system
Create overarching care plans
Refer and admit patients
Coordinate medications
Provide/coordinate therapy and treatments
Evaluate plans and staff members
Dispense medical advice

Case managers work in hospitals, home health care organizations, nursing homes, hospices, insurance companies, and busy medical offices. Hospice and home health care are among the top employers for this type of work, since it is necessary to coordinate a long-term care plan that involves doctors, other nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and other care providers.

How to Become an RN Case Manager

First of all, all case managers must first become practicing nurses by attending a nursing school and getting the appropriate degrees and licenses. It’s typically best to have one or two years of experience before branching out into case management, though this isn’t always the case. There are some one-year programs that teach nurse case management above and beyond a two or four-year nursing degree, though these aren’t required to enter the profession, either.

The only accrediting body for case management is the American Case Management Association. Certification is voluntary, and requires the successful completion of their exam as well as meeting standards in education and work experience (2,000 hours of clinical practice and 30 hours of continuing education related to case management). There is also an annual fee to keep the certification current, and you can also opt for participation in the annual Association events.

Critical Care Nursing

Nursing Opportunities: Is it Better to Work at a For-Profit Hospital or Non-Profit Hospital?

Published

on October 3, 2011

Nursing Jobs that Aren’t in a Hospital

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For-profit and non-profit hospitals With the exception of government-run and VA facilities, hospitals fall into one of two categories: for-profit and non-profit organizations. As the names suggest, for-profit hospitals are those that are run as a business, dedicated to turning a profit for the shareholders. Non-profit hospitals, on the other hand, take monies earned and put them back into the company, whether for continued maintenance or expansion. In short, within a non-profit setting, company leaders make a salary, but they do not share in the profits of the organization.

When it comes to working as a nurse within the hospital setting, there are some subtle differences in the way for-profits and non-profits are run. These differences are not universal, but if you are choosing between two types of organizations, you may want to consider a few of these trends.

For-profit hospitals are businesses first, while non-profits focus more on the person. This means that when it comes to performance reviews, productivity, and accountability, for-profits tend to enforce a more numbers-based system. This is great for nurses who share the same traits, but may be an issue for nurses who prefer to think of their workplace as a community of shared interests and goals.

Non-profit hospitals have the advantage of providing built-in workplace motivation. Although most nurses get their job satisfaction from working with individual patients and families, there is also a larger contribution to the good of society to consider. When a hospital operates under a mission like serving low-income communities, it can contribute to higher feelings of personal growth in the workplace.

For-profit hospitals are better equipped to handle financial setbacks, but this might be done at high costs. Because they almost all have long-term financial plans in place, for-profit hospitals tend to know where they can make cutbacks to avoid having to close their doors for good. However, this could be done at the cost of staffing ratios, and nurses may be asked to take on larger workloads to compensate for a bad fiscal year.

Accountability tends to be higher in for-profit hospitals, and nurses who may not be pulling their own weight in the team setting are more likely to be reprimanded for their actions. This can lead to a smoother workplace, where everyone is required to pitch in according to their job description and salary.

For many professionals coming out of nursing school, it will be virtually impossible to tell the difference between for-profit and non-profit hospitals. Both are dedicated to a high quality of care and keeping their employees happy, and only after a few months or years will these subtle differences be evident.

If you feel very passionately about one or the other, be sure and tailor your job search accordingly. Both for-profit and non-profit hospitals can provide a long-lasting and satisfying career, but knowing what to expect is a great way to ensure that you find the right professional nursing fit for you.

Related Topics:

Ethics in Nursing

Nursing and Malpractice Insurance

Published

on September 21, 2011

Forensic Nursing and Legal Nurse Consulting

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Nursing and Malpractice Insurance One of the things new nurses are commonly told is that they’ll need to purchase malpractice insurance before they can start working at many hospitals and other health care organizations. In some cases, the employer (or state licensing board) requires the insurance; in others, it’s simply good business sense.

No matter how hard nurses work or how careful they are with their jobs, mistakes can and do happen—and in some cases, patients or their loved ones may choose to take action. Malpractice insurance is your layer of protection against a personal suit that could cost you your savings account or even your home.

Why Nurses Need Malpractice Insurance

In addition to workplace requirements, nurses are liable for their patients in cases in which negligence can be proven. In this situation, “negligence” can mean many different things, including making an error in dispensing medication, failing to respond to a call light, or even having an oversight in care caused by exhaustion or overworking.

While this might seem like it opens a Pandora’s Box of possibilities, only cases in which the negligence can be proven in a court of law are those that require a financial payout. That’s good news for nurses who aren’t guilty of the lawsuit against them. In the meantime, however, you might be stripped of your license, be required to pay for a lawyer, and be forced to stay away from work until everything is settled.

What Does Malpractice Insurance Cover?

Depending on your policy, you can expect different levels of coverage. Good policies will cover all your legal fees and expenses; even better ones might also compensate you for time you were forced to spend away from work, including lost wages, lodging, and even meals.

Some employers have their own coverage, which is used to cover all of their staff as a blanket of protection. In these cases, you might be tempted to forgo the personal malpractice insurance altogether. Be wary, though, since the limit might not be very high or there may be an indemnity clause that holds you responsible above a certain payout limit.

The sad truth is that nurses—good and bad ones—get sued all the time. When this happens, the damages aren’t only financial. You’ll also get reported to the Board of Nursing and potentially lose your license. While prevention is certainly your best course of action, it always helps to be prepared and have a professional safety net there to catch you.

Personality Traits of a Good Nurse

Published

on September 14, 2011

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Traits of a Good Nurse Although the current nursing shortage in the United States pushes a lot of people to consider nursing as a career, it’s not the type of job that’s suited to everyone. Like teaching or social work, this profession is one that can quickly wear down a person who is not 100 percent committed to making a difference. If this is a field you’re interested in, you might want to take an internal look to see if you’ve got the personality suited for nursing.

Caring Personality: Nurses, by definition, are caregivers. They provide both physical and emotional care to patients, families, and other stakeholders in health. Being concerned about the well-being of others is one of the most important traits you can have. This includes traits like empathy and compassion.

Detail-Oriented: The health care field is one that pays very strict attention to details. All patient care is charted and documented, and nurses often have to juggle several patients all at one time. Being focused and able to work through mountains of paperwork are key.

Emotional Strength: Nursing can be heartbreaking, devastating work. Patients die, babies suffer life-altering diseases, and families break down before your very eyes. If you don’t have the capability to handle this kind of devastation (or if you don’t have a support framework in place to help you), this might not be the right job for you.

Physical Strength: Nursing is also physically demanding work. You’ll most likely be on your feet, moving through the hospital, and lifting patients through the whole eight hour shift (if not longer) every day. Being strong and healthy and paying attention to your overall health are important in avoiding burnout.

Flexibility: This can be a fast-paced field that is always changing and shifting—and you have to be prepared to change and shift along with it. The ability to make fast decisions and adjust to circumstances can go a long way in boosting your success.

Great Communication: You will spend your days navigating relationships between health care providers, patients, family members, advocacy services, hospital administrators, law enforcement, and a range of people who are both emotionally and financially invested in the health care outcomes you provide. A good nurse is able to handle all of this on top of an already heavy workload.

The good news for those who don’t have all these traits is that this list is primarily focused on practicing nurses in a clinical setting. If you find that some of these qualities aren’t exactly your style, you can always turn to academic nursing (research or public health development) or other fields (such as forensic nursing in a legal setting or even hospital administration).

Related Topics:

Nurse Interview

Is Nursing For You?

Term Papers and Projects to Expect in Nursing School

Published

Staying Healthy While in Nursing School

on September 6, 2011

in Nursing Education

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Nursing School Projects From the moment you start doing your undergraduate coursework to the time you apply to nursing school, there is a heavy emphasis on the sciences and on math. Starting with the very first day you decide to be a nurse, you’ll learn biology, chemistry, anatomy, statistics, and physics—and all with hands-on laboratory work like dissecting frogs and cow eyes.

Although this can seem overwhelming, it’s something most nursing students are prepared for, and the hard work is just part of the challenge of reaching your professional goals. What many students aren’t prepared for, however, is the other kind of work that you’ll be taking home: term papers and group projects.

Depending on where you are in your education, you might end a quarter of nursing ethics with a ten-page research paper, or spend an entire nursing theory course working with a team to create posterboard presentations, power points, and other large projects. These can be time-consuming and work-intensive, but a passing score here is just as important as it is during your clinical rotations.

Why Nursing Schools Include Papers and Projects

It might seem unfair to spend most of your time writing a paper when you’ll never be asked to write again, or to work with a team of nursing students who might not be willing to pull their own weight for a group presentation. However, these are common parts of the nursing curriculum. The reasons for this vary, but typically include:

Group Challenges: Being a nurse is very much a team effort. You’ll be working with doctors, therapists, nursing aides, and other nurses to provide a high quality of care. Some of these team members will be great; others will not. Getting used to working in a team setting—with all its challenges and setbacks—starts in nursing school.

Critical Thinking: Writing a ten-page report or paper requires quite a bit of planning, research, organization, and dedication. The focus here is not so much on how well you write or how good your grammar is—it’s on seeing whether or not you can pull together several different components to reach a whole.

Academic Learning: If you’re going to nursing school to get an MSN or even a BSN, you are going to be entrenched in the academic setting whether you like it or not. In many cases, you might even wish to go on to be a nursing instructor, nursing administrator, or research nurse. Having a background of academic learning and scientific documentation will really help boost this part of your career.

As is the case with any academic challenge, the key to writing successful term papers and doing well on your nursing group projects is to plan ahead and get the work done before the last minute. Nursing school is still very much a school, and although you’ll be drawing blood and seeing patients fairly early on in your education, you still need to focus on the textbooks and papers that will provide the foundation for learning for the rest of your life.

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Nursing Recruitment Bonuses: Are They Worth It?

Published

on August 8, 2011

Nursing Career During a Recession

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Nursing Sign On Bonus Although most people open the job ads only to be faced by a pretty grim prospect, nurses have the advantage of being in one of the most in-demand careers on the market. In fact, in addition to the regular advertisements for open positions, you might even find employment ads that promise recruitment or employment bonuses—and often to the tune of thousands of dollars.

For new graduates and experienced professionals, the appeal of signing on for employment with a $5,000 or $10,000 check already in hand is strong. However, before you agree to work for any health care corporation, it’s important to check the fine print and understand the employment situation. After all, there’s a reason these companies are short on staff, and bonuses almost always come with contractual obligations, so you can expect to be held to the contract for the duration of your term.

Here are a few questions to answer before you make a decision:

Is the bonus split or spread out over time? In many cases, a bonus will be split in half or divided into graduated increments (for example, 10 percent up front and the remaining 30 percent every three months). This is typically done to ensure that you don’t take the bonus, work your contractual time, and leave the organization hanging. However, you want to be sure that there aren’t other stipulations that will prevent you from getting your money.

If I leave the position, do I have to pay the bonus back? Read carefully to determine how long you are obligated to stay at the organization without getting a penalty. A $3,000 bonus might look appealing…until you learn you have to stay in the job for the next five years or risk paying it back.

Is compensation lower to make up for it? Even with a generous sign-on bonus, the other aspects of the job should be comparable to market standards. Rates of pay, retirement packages, insurance and health benefits, time off, overtime…none of them should be cut back or reduced to make up for the bonus. A bonus is meant to go on top of everything else, not in place of it.

What is the employer like, bonus or not? Look into the employer as you would any organization with which you’re signing a contract. Talk to existing employees, check the level of patient care, and spend some time doing your research. The point of a sign-on nursing bonus is to recruit top talent, but top talent should also want to sign on there because it is a good place to work.

Nursing students in a position to consider a sign-on bonus are in a good position because they have choices. You can choose to work for a large hospital, a small clinic, or a high-need office in an urban center. You can work part-time, full-time, or as a travel nurse. And as is the case with any choice, it’s important to look into all the aspects and make the decision that will suit you best for the long term.

Related Topics:

Nursing Salaries: Getting Paid What You’re Worth

Equipment and Clothing You’ll Need to Buy for Nursing School

Published

A Brief History of the Nursing Uniform

on August 1, 2011

in Nursing Education

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Nursing Equipment and Tools Depending on the program type and school you choose, the cost of nursing school can run anywhere from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. Like any college program, there are costs associated with housing and textbooks in addition to things like tuition and student fees. For nursing students, there may also be a need to buy nursing gear like scrubs, shoes, and even a stethoscope.

Student Nurse Attire

Scrubs and comfortable nursing shoes are common for both working professionals and nursing students. However, what you wear as a nurse and what you wear as a student are a little different. That’s because students must have some sort of insignia that indicates they are still going through the educational process. A badge, a school-assigned scrub top, or a patch might be used to make this distinction, and you may not have a choice in where you make your clothing purchases in order to meet these regulations.

Other issues (including nursing shoes and following policies for things like hair, jewelry, and accessories) will be dictated by both your school and the organization hosting your clinicals. Expect to meet all standards in safety and hospital procedures, even if you aren’t technically an employee there yet.

Student Nurse Equipment

The most important piece of nursing equipment you’ll ever buy as a nurse is your stethoscope. These devices, which run anywhere from $50 to a few hundred dollars, are a critical nursing tool used to check patient vitals and take blood pressure. Although some nursing schools might issue a standard stethoscope, this is one item it’s worthwhile to spend a little money on, since comfort and functionality will go a long way in making the most out of your investment.

Nursing books aren’t technically equipment, but they will make up a large portion of your nursing school costs, as well. That’s because these science-based learning tools (which range from hardback textbooks to laboratory manuals) tend to be expensive—and you’ll need several of them each semester. Many nurses hang on to these books throughout their lives, especially as they start to reach the end of their training and get more specialized materials. Things like medical dictionaries tend to come in handy no matter how long you’ve been on the job.

Before you splurge and buy all your nursing school equipment, however, be sure and check with the policies at your educational facility. Many schools offer these items as part of a complete tuition package, and you can save a lot of money by waiting until you are required to make these purchases yourself.

Related Topics:

Uniformity of Nursing Uniforms

Critical Care Nursing

Published

on July 26, 2011

Is it Time to Upgrade Your Nursing Degree?

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Critical Care Nurse If you are the type of individual who can think on your feet and deal with life-and-death situations every day, a career in critical care nursing might be for you. This nursing specialty places professionals in a hospital setting to oversee the care of patients who are in critical conditions, typically in an intensive care unit, an emergency room setting, or in post-operative recovery rooms. Whether they are dealing with a catastrophic accident or a prognosis that isn’t very positive, these patients and their families require a special kind of health care provider.

What Does a Critical Care Nurse Do?

Like many types of nurses, critical care providers act as the bridge between the patient and the larger health care setting. Vigilant daily care, medication dispensation, monitoring vitals, and charting make up the bulk of the day’s activities. They are complimented by patient advocacy, support to family members, and patient education—especially regarding end-of-life, living will, and organ donation issues. These professionals might also be called on to participate in a team setting to make decisions regarding the patient’s options and outcomes.

Critical Care Nursing Education

At the basic level, critical care nurses must be licensed RNs with either an Associate degree or a Bachelors degree. Further certification in critical care nursing isn’t required, but it can boost your career and open more employment doors.

Certification in critical care nursing is offered through the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, which requires two years of direct experience working in a critical care capacity as well as a passing score on the exam and regular continuing education credits.

Additional opportunities exist for nurses who are willing to return to school to get a Master’s degree in nursing or attend a BSN-to-MSN program. With this higher level of education, the nurse can become a clinical nurse specialist and take on a more supervisory and case management role for patients in critical care conditions.

Nursing Specialties for the Future

Because of the nature of the job and the job setting, critical care nurses work with some of the most advanced technology available in the hospital setting—and for good reason. Patients who might not have survived their injuries and illnesses even five years ago now have more options for both short- and long-term care thanks to medical advances.

That’s why any nurse or nursing student interested in this field should always be looking ahead. If you can handle the stress of critically care patients and their families, and you’re excited about health care technology and what it means for the future, critical care nursing and advocacy could be a perfect fit.