Better, RN

Many nurses have heard that keeping a water bottle at the nurses station violates The Joint Commission standards. But is that true?

In this episode of Better RN, hosts Alyssa Saklak, BSN, RN, CMSRN, and Laurin Henderson​, MSN, RN, CMSRN, talk with Northwestern Medicine Accreditation, Clinical Compliance and Policy managers Rene Catalano, MS, RN, and Besa Tole to separate fact from fiction. They explain where the "no drinks at the nurses station" myth likely began, who sets workplace safety standards and how regulatory surveys help nurses provide safer care.

What if nurses could spend less time charting and more time connecting with patients? At Northwestern Medicine, nurse leaders Sarah Richmond, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, and Karen Mahnke, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, have been piloting ambient listening technology that generates documentation from natural conversations with patients at the bedside. In this episode, they share how nurses are helping to shape this technology and why the future of AI in healthcare may be more human than many expect.

"The goal of technology is to make your life easier. So, you have to be willing to push back a little bit, and hopefully there will be enhancements that end up helping your workflow."

-Sarah Richmond, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, Patient Care Manager, Northwestern Memorial Hospital

"Nursing is a caring profession and there's so much more to it than checking the boxes. I would encourage everybody to not be afraid of [technology] but to use it in a way that it enhances your practice."

-Karen Mahnke, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, Bernthal Family Chief Nurse Executive, Vice President, Operations, Northwestern Medicine Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital

When our hosts sat down to talk to real nurses at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, one major theme emerged: It's all about the people. The people they work with and the people they care for keep them going. Our hosts talk to new nurses and nurses with decades of experience, asking them questions about the nursing profession and sharing some laughs and advice along the way.

Understanding the health of the community is essential to providing excellent patient care at Northwestern Medicine. Karin Podolski, MSN, MPH, RN, director of Community Health Services at Northwestern Medicine, talks about how she uses her nursing skills to focus on the needs of vulnerable patients.

"In the Community Health Institute within Northwestern Medicine, we're focused on making an impact and improving the health of the community. We serve very diverse areas, whether it's the rural community of DeKalb or the city of Chicago."

Karin Podolski, MSN, MPH, RN

Director, Community Health Services, Northwestern Medicine

Northwestern Medicine nursing leaders Karena Brown, MSN, RN, CMSRN, and Katie Doyle, MS, RN, delve into the challenges and rewards of nursing careers and their paths in leadership, emphasizing the importance of having nurses in decision-making roles.

In this episode of Better RN, hosts Alyssa Saklak, BSN, RN, CMSRN, and Laurin Henderson, BSN, RN, CMSRN, talk to Amy Druml, vice president and chief nurse executive at Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital about how she's been able to enact change in the nursing profession through involvement in committees and professional organizations.

In this episode of Better RN, hosts Alyssa Saklak and Laurin Henderson talk to Katie Kennon and Kristy Murphy, two nurses on the patient safety team at Northwestern Medicine, about the concept of psychological safety and how creating a safe and open culture improves both patient outcomes and healthcare team well-being.

In this episode of Better, RN, hosts Alyssa Saklak and Laurin Masnari talk to Tacora Love, program director of Northwestern Medicine Clinical Schools. Northwestern Medicine Clinical School offer various clinical education programs that prepare students for careers in the allied health professions through hands-on clinical training and specialized didactic instruction. Tacora talks about her journey in nursing and education, the growth of the programs and empowering future healthcare professionals on their education journeys.

"I just love the Northwestern Medicine Academy. I always tell people that during my journey at Northwestern, I always wanted to end up in the Academy because education is really my passion. And when you get to merge the two, nurse and education, it's just, it's phenomenal."

Learn more at clinicalschools.nm.org.

In this episode of Better, RN, co-hosts Alyssa Saklak and Laurin Masnari talk with Eianncris Panaligan, a fourth-year nursing student at Chicago State University who recently took part in the Northwestern Memorial Hospital student nurse internship (SNI) program. During this intensive, eight-week summer program, student nurses partner with a nurse preceptor to develop critical-thinking skills, hone technical skills and learn how to prioritize care.

"I was really able to trust myself and my ability to take care of patients and grow my confidence. I was able to practice phlebotomy, Foley removal, head-to-toe assessments, IV removal."