Hit me with your best shot

50% of Americans aren't getting flu shots, and it's a problem —

While 60% of adults believe getting a yearly flu shot is the best way to stay healthy, only 52% plan on getting one. So what about the other 48%? They’re of the belief that flu shots don’t work, the side effects are concerning, and that you can get the flu from getting a shot. For others, the needle just ain’t worth it. The good news? 5% more children were vaccinated during the 2018-2019 flu season than the season prior.

The Siri of EHRs —

Allscripts and Northwell Health have teamed up to produce the country's first cloud-based, voice-enabled EHR. The cumbersome and antiquated EHRs have long been a huge pain in our buttocks, cutting down on the time we could otherwise spend tending to our patients. It will be rolled out and tested by Northwell clinicians in the NY system before being deployed at a larger scale. Aka, this means hope is coming!

Nurses can see the future, says recent study —

Recently, 150 Mayo Clinic nurses were asked to predict the chance their patients' health would greatly decline in the following 24 hours. Nurses with a year or more of experience, who rated their "level of worry" as high, were proven accurate at a rate of 79%! (Yeah, duh!) Aside from revealing our psychic abilities, why is this noteworthy? Well, it proves that we nurses sometimes pick up on red flags before other mechanisms do.

Beam me up, Scotty —

On Saturday, Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX gave his annual "Starship" update. He said the company plans to have a Starship reach orbit in less than six months, with the end goal of providing a reusable mode of transportation between Earth and Mars. If all goes as planned, the hope is to have people flying sometime next year. Soon enough, travel nursing will take on a whole new meaning!

Night shifters, coffee may be doing more harm than good —

As if having to work nights wasn't tough enough, consuming too much caffeine later in the shift can potentially lead to circadian rhythm disruption, sleep issues, and hormonal imbalances. Sometimes sneaking in a snack between call lights can be just as effective: "For night-shift nurses, nutrient-dense foods replenish your energy far more than a second, third or fourteenth cup of [coffee]." We know it's tempting, but before you reach for another cup of coffee, try to sneak in a quick bite or two!

‍