Nursing

Mentoring is key to the development of healthcare professionals and can play an important role in advancing the quality of care in the United States.

In nursing, competence and compassion go hand in hand, and reflection can help to cultivate both. As healthcare providers strive to create care experiences centered on the people whose health is in the balance, training nurses to reflect on their experiences is one way to help them learn to optimally care for other people.

As has become custom at the start of a new year, here’s a look back at the most popular posts from the previous year. 2017 was a year of uncertainty under a new presidential administration as well as ongoing change in the healthcare sector. Healthcare HR trends, nurses, background check compliance, and performance management are all topics that made this year’s list of most popular blog posts.

Healthcare professionals hold one of the most stressful and demanding jobs in our nation. In fact, the medical field is rated among the top 10 most stressful jobs in America, according to ABC News.

As many as 10,000 baby boomers are retiring each day. In healthcare, not only will this continue to exacerbate the ongoing issue of nurse shortages; it will also increase the deficit in knowledgeable, experienced nurses, threatening the safety of patients and the nation’s health as a whole.

Effective communication is a soft skill that is key for success in almost anything, whether it concerns maintaining a good relationship or remaining productive in the workplace. For nursing, however, good communication skills can make a big difference in the quality of patient care. Nursing educators can shape tomorrow’s nurses to become better communicators, allowing them to achieve improved patient outcomes and deliver high quality care.

Here are five ways to enhance the communication skills of nursing students, based on some of the latest research in the field.

Healthcare is a complex, ever-changing industry that requires strong, collaborative leadership across the continuum, specifically nursing. It is estimated that there are 3.6 million nurses in the U.S., making the nursing profession the largest segment of our nation’s healthcare workforce.

While the struggle for quality talent continues to rise, managers must search for new ways to motivate and inspire great nurses to become effective, positive leaders in their community.

With the recent observance of National Nurses Week, the month of May is also a great time to review best practices for educating tomorrow’s nurses. As this year’s PreCheck nursing honoree Chris Draper mentioned in his interview, nurses play a key role in collaborating with physicians to deliver better patient care.

No matter the size or location of your organization, you’ve probably felt the pinch when trying to recruit nurses. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there will be a net gain of 439,000 nursing jobs between 2014 and 2024. To survive in that competitive landscape,  healthcare employers will have to be at the top of their game when recruiting nurses.

The American Nurses Association (ANA) has established National Nurses Week as an annual event held May 6-12 to recognize the important role nurses play every day in delivering the highest level of patient care. This year’s theme, “Nursing: the Balance of Mind, Body, and Spirit,” is set to honor all nurses who lead the charge toward health and wellness.