What is cannabis nursing?

Nurses are always looking for ways to expand their knowledge and skills. Today, more patients have access to cannabis than ever before, and they have questions about using it properly. With federal decriminalization possible within the next few years, nurses must be prepared to meet the needs of their patients. Whether you’re looking to incorporate cannabis knowledge into your current workflow or start your own cannabis consulting practice, you must begin with foundational knowledge in the cannabinoid sciences. Read more

The state of bullying in nursing —

You've likely heard of, or maybe even experienced, instances of nurse-to-nurse bullying, sometimes referred to as "nurses eating their young." Officially, the ANA defines it as "repeated, unwanted harmful actions intended to humiliate, offend, and cause distress in the recipient.” In a stressful and often complex care setting, this behavior can take a lot of forms. Generally, though, nurse bullying accounts for higher-than-expected levels of burnout, depression, suicide, and lessened quality of patient care. The majority of bullying is witnessed by new grad nurses, particularly within clinical rotations (and often in hospital settings). Clearly this is a problem, but what can be done to address it? Read more

What are the hardest parts of being a travel nurse? —

A lot of people—both inside and outside of the medical field—tend to understand the benefits that draw nurses to become travel nurses. As a traveler, you will constantly receive commentary along the lines of, “It’s so cool that you get to go explore so many different places for your job!” or the oh-so-classic, “You must be making a killing doing that!” There are indeed some really stellar things about this unique career, but there are also some challenging parts that you should be aware of. That said, it's important to recognize them, talk about them, and work with your nursing community on ways to remedy them! Read more

Why is Amazon Care such a big deal? —

Amazon recently confirmed that Amazon Care will be available nationwide beginning summer 2021. Medical services will be delivered through Care Medical, a private medical practice that Amazon has contracted to be Amazon Care's clinical team. Why does this matter? Amazon Care puts a big (if not the biggest) tech firm directly into the healthcare ring for the first time since... ever. Amazon Care will capitalize on telehealth and home-based care, which emphasize remote patient monitoring in cases of chronic and post-acute care management. The target demographic will also be employers, meaning that Amazon Care will serve as a direct alternative to a saturated healthcare insurance market and ever-increasing costs. Most importantly, it promises to provide accessible care within 60 seconds for employees, including 24/7 communication via messaging or video. Think: Amazon Prime meets medical care. So, will Amazon Care raise the bar for existing providers, or eventually replace them? Only time will tell. Read more

Coronavirus Updates

Contracting COVID-19 after being vaccinated —

As more Americans are vaccinated and the numbers of infections in many places are seeing a decline, there is a small but growing number of individuals testing positive for COVID-19 weeks after receiving their second vaccine dose. The CDC recently released a report that almost 6,000 people have tested positive, or fallen ill, for COVID-19 at least two weeks or more after receiving their second dose. These aptly titled "breakthrough infections" are occurring in people of all ages, with the majority occurring in females and individuals 60 and older. Of this number, 30% appeared asymptomatic, 7% were hospitalized, and about 1% have died due to the virus. While certainly not what we want to see, keep in mind that 6,000 breakthrough cases of the more than 84 million Americans vaccinated accounts for an incredibly low number, and the vaccine still appears to be making a positive impact in controlling the spread of the virus. Read more

25% of Americans are fully vaccinated —

As of Monday, April 19, adults 16+ in all states are eligible to receive the vaccine. Additionally, at least 25% of Americans have been fully vaccinated, and more than 50% have received their first dose. This is great news, as the US is administering more than 3 million vaccines per day. Moderna and Pfizer are still the top suppliers of the vaccine, while Johnson & Johnson's vaccine remains paused due to blood clot concerns. While cases in some cities and states are on the rise, a positive outlook for the near future is becoming more of a reality. Read more

New vaccine rules for nursing homes —

At this point, only half of New York's nursing home staff have received the vaccine, and this is by choice. The implication of this has led New York's Health Department to issue new guidance that requires nursing homes to explicitly offer multiple opportunities to receive the vaccine to all consenting staff and residents by April 29 as well as within two weeks of a new admission into the home or new hire. If opting out, both staff and residents must sign paperwork acknowledging their declination. Facilities found not in compliance with these guidelines are subject to a $2,000 fine per violation. While many healthcare workers are still hesitant to receive the vaccine (roughly 30%), the Health Department is placing more of the blame on facilities for failing to clearly advertise and plan for vaccine availability. Read more

Upcoming Events

4/28, 3pm PDT: Online or On-Campus, Which Grad School Is Right For You? —

More nurses than ever are opting to return to school to pursue graduate nursing education, the most popular being nurse practitioner programs. With hundreds of schools offering both online and on-campus based programs, it can be difficult to determine which would be the best for you. Pediatric Primary Care NP and former on-campus grad student Ashley Sayles and current online Family NP student Brianna Bradley will discuss the pros and cons of both options and provide tips on how to decide which is best for you. All nurses are invited to this event, just make sure you RSVP!️

Nurses Week 2021 Events: May 6–12 —

We’re bringing you five amazing, treat yo’self-worthy event experiences that we know you’re going to love. You can get early access to these events by RSVPing on our new events page! If you want to join us for our Paint 'n Sip event on May 11, make sure you order your painting kit by April 27. Trusted is covering the cost of the painting kit for a limited number of nurses 🎨 Get your kit️