To err is human and in nursing, sometimes to err is to put another human at serious risk of harm. But why do these errors happen and who, or what, is really to blame? Turns out it's complicated.

To Err Is Human (landmark study)

Just Culture (a balanced approach to accountability)

The War on Drugs is and always was a tool of oppression targeting communities of color and the opioid crisis is the result of rich people trying to get even richer. Adjust your prejudices accordingly. 

Sources:

A seminar detailing The War On Drugs from content experts and scholars 

TJC report on drug diversion in healthcare

NPR article detailing ways patients suffer when we divert

The bonus plan. It's the only surefire way to make the money that more closely resembles what your labor is actually worth,  you simply have to work a shit ton more. The obvious upsides are you make more money, the hospital is better staffed, everybody seems to win. But what are the downsides? Let's discuss.

The mental health effects of voluntary vs mandatory overtime

Increased work hours associated with increased stress (groundbreaking)

Increased nurse working hours associated with poor patient outcomes

Travelers are not necessarily more expensive than staff nurses (pre-pandemic article)

There's nowhere near enough nurses to go around

Nursing Economic$ finds a way to blame nurses for the nursing shortage (joy)

As the famous movie quote goes, there's a difference between mostly dead and all dead. As a nurse, knowing what to do when someone who is mostly dead arrives in your ED is called ACLS; let's talk about it.

American Heart Associations ACLS algorithms

Traumatic cardiac arrest survival rates study

UpToDate ACLS info

Some new years' resolutions for a better work life, including spending our time where it will do the most good and tips on how to avoid spinning your wheels on things that cannot be changed. 

It's a new year and what are you going to do with it? As nurses, we spend a lot of our thoughts and feelings and energy at work, so how are we going to spend more of those valuable things at not-work. I have some ideas. 

For some bedside nurses, working holidays can be a definite downside. On the other hand, getting paid more to work slightly less with lots of homemade food to boot? Sounds like a good time to me. Let's discuss. 

As nurses, there is a lot we can handle (like, a lot a lot), but there comes a point when you just can't take it any more. This is a tale of me hitting that point. 

It's been one glorious year since I went back to bedside in the Emergency Department and on this episode we're taking a look back at what has changed, what hasn't changed, and whether or not I deeply regret this life-changing decision (I do not). 

Unhappy patients, unhappy family members, unhappy coworkers; dealing with unhappy people is the bane of any nurses’ existence, especially when we’ve been doing our best and now we’re being told that just ain't good enough. So how do we deal? Let’s talk about it.