Flu season 2020-2021

Flu season 2020-2021 has the potential to be very different from past years due to the continued impact of COVID-19. Planning for this flu season by health systems will likely be reactionary, as their focus has been largely on the pandemic. Don't be caught off guard this year—read on for three of the most likely scenarios we could experience in 2020-2021. Read more

Five online CEUs you'll actually want to take —

License or certification expiring soon? With many in-person courses cancelled due to COVID-19, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite online continuing education courses to make it easy for you to earn those credits. Once you take the course, you can also easily track your CEU credits right on your Trusted profile, so you’ll never have to scramble before your license expires again. Check out these online CEUs: 🌈LGBTQ Cultural Competence Training, 🌿Herbal Medications: An Evidence-Based Review, 🎗Cancer Screening Among Racial/Ethnic Minority Women, 📿The Role of Spirituality in Health and Mental Health, and 🐶Pet Therapy. Read more

Top five nursing resume questions answered —

Nursing resumes are an incredibly important, albeit often overcomplicated, part of making your way through nursing assignments. So, what are the most asked nursing resume questions? (1) Do you have any tips to help with Applicant Tracking Systems? (2) What order should the categories on nursing resumes be in—skills, education, work experience, etc? (3) Is it helpful or hurtful to include birth date (age) in a resume? (4) Any recommendations for travel nurses with really diverse nursing experience on how to best market that experience concisely? (5) Would you try to condense your resume onto one page, or is it okay to have more? Follow the link for the answers and explanations! Read more

Why do Black men face a greater threat from prostate cancer? —

Recent research has found that Black men have a 51% higher death rate from prostate cancer than their White counterparts. On the other hand, Hispanics and Asian-Americans/Pacific Islanders have 6% and 22% lower rates, respectively. So, what are the major factors? Education, income, and health insurance status. For example, if Blacks and Whites in the study had more comparable levels of education, median household incomes, and access to insurance, the survival disparity would decrease from 51% to 30%. What can we do now? It begins with awareness: September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. If you have at-risk patients, make sure they're aware of screening measures. Read more

Former Army nurse, now 100 years old, recounts memories of WWII —

At 24 years old, Regina Benson joined the Army Nurse Corps following graduation to serve the United States overseas. Benson served between 1944 and 1946, traveling from Hawaii to Japan and throughout. She worked 12-hour shifts in Army hospitals across the Pacific, spending her time in medical wards and operating rooms. She believes the most important thing she did was "give comfort to those troops who were dying." Speaking to younger generations today, she reminds them to love their country, and to "remember the price [service members] paid for your freedom." Read more

Coronavirus Updates

Obesity and its effect on COVID-19 —

Since the beginning of the pandemic, many analyses have revealed that some of the sickest COVID-19 patients have been those with obesity. A recent meta analysis published in late August found that obesity is a standalone increased risk factor: people with obesity who contracted COVID-19 were 113% more likely to end up in the hospital, 74% more likely to be admitted to the ICU, and 48% more likely to die. But why is obesity alone such a great risk factor? There are a variety of factors, from impaired immunity and chronic inflammation, to blood that's more prone to clotting. Even the fact that obesity is often stigmatized causes people with obesity to be less likely to seek medical attention. Moreover, people with obesity are more likely to have co-morbidities such as heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes, none of which improve recovery chances. Read more

Labor Day weekend results in COVID-19 spikes —

Going into the holiday weekend, Dr. Anthony Fauci suggested that people continue to social distance, wear masks, and avoid groups as they enjoy the weekend (outside, of course). Still, many across the country gathered in large groups, including in San Francisco, where more than 1,000 people showed up at at an event in celebration of Burning Man culture. Tybee Island's beaches in Georgia, as well as Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, experienced similarly large crowds, with little space left to social distance, and not many masks being worn. The US is still seeing at least 40,000 new cases per day, with predictions that the death count could surpass 400,000 by January. Read more

Who should receive the COVID-19 vaccine first? —

Nineteen global health experts from around the world recently proposed a new, three-phase plan for vaccine distribution. This plan, called the Fair Priority Model, differs from the WHO's current plan, which states that healthcare workers, adults over 65, and adults with comorbidities should be prioritized. The plan's goal is to reduce premature deaths and other irreversible, or preventable, health consequences (regardless of the individuals' profession or age) from COVID-19. The researchers posit that the "primary measure of suffering ought to be the number of premature deaths that a vaccine would prevent." Three central components of their model: Benefiting people and limiting harm, prioritizing the disadvantaged, and giving equal moral concern for all individuals. Eventually, all countries should be able to receive an adequate number of vaccines to prevent transmission, which is expected to require 60-70% of the population to reach immunity. Read more

Upcoming Events

9/16, 3:30pm PDT: New Grad Nurses: How to Stand Out & Get Hired —

Clinicals? Check. NCLEX? Check. Landed your first nursing job during a pandemic? Um…? Landing your first nursing job comes with its own set of obstacles, add in a global pandemic and, well, even the most studious, successful nurses will experience challenges. We’re here to help you navigate these uncharted waters. Join speakers Tiffany Gibson and Ashley Haugstatter to learn the ins and outs of getting hired right now as a new grad nurse. You’ll gain insight into application how-to's, interview tips, and how to find a nurse mentor. Let this event be the catalyst for you to start your nursing career on a positive note! RSVP