What You Should Know

Georgia nurse adopts 27-year-old so he can receive heart transplant —

ICU nurse Lori Wood adopted Jonathan Pinkard, a 27-year old with autism, merely two days after meeting him in the ICU. He had been in and out of the hospital multiple times due to a medical condition, with nowhere to go afterword. He was next in line for a heart transplant, but because he had no proof of a support system to monitor him following the surgery, he would have been denied. Wood asked him if he'd like to be adopted in order for her to provide the proper care and support following the transplant, allowing him to go through with the process. Pinkard is now on his way to recovery and plans to return to work.

The NICU of the future? —

Phillips is reimagining the perfect NICU room, incorporating technology, developmental care, and family involvement into their design. Parents and clinicians will be able to capture information about the babies before even stepping into the room. A collaborative dashboard interfaced via interactive tablets will be accessible to both clinicians and family members, providing comprehensive information about the baby. Both parties are met with even more technology once inside, from a sensor measuring sound, humiditiy, and scent to a projector displaying visuals of an outdoor nature scene above the baby's bed.

Writing obituaries for cadavers in anatomy lab? —

It might seem strange, but this is one of the many ways healthcare providers, and those studying the health professions, are now using the arts to combat work-related stress and burnout. We often depersonalize our patients in tough situations to help us cope with the tragedy, but studies now show that the arts can help us put difficult-to-process experiences into words, relieve stress, and lead to healing. Maybe it's time to put a creative twist on our self-care.

98,000 Americans are dying from medical errors every year —

This was the prominent headline behind a 1999 medical report called "To Err Is Human." However, in 2019 the numbers remain nearly identical. Two prominent findings: 10% of hospitalized patients are afflicted with infections acquired while there, and nearly 40% of patients in primary and outpatient care are harmed by medical error. One particular cause of error, "look-alike sound-alike drugs," such as epinephrine and ephedrine, must be broached at a greater, systematic level.

9 babies, 1 hospital —

On the other hand, nine nurses, all of whom work in the maternity ward at Beverly Hospital, gave birth to babies in the last seven months. The real kicker? They're all baby boys! It must be something in the water, because nearby North Shore Medical Center Birthplace had eight co-workers simultaneously pregnant.

Are required contact hours getting you down? —

If you're a nurse looking to complete your CE hours or know another who is, we've got you covered with our brand new (and free) online course! If you complete it, you'll be rewarded with four accredited contact hours!