Nurses go to work and are exposed to human tragedy on a daily basis. On any given day, a nurse will see patients who are diagnosed with serious and/or terminal illnesses, death, domestic violence, child abuse, elder abuse, and more. A nurse is there to comfort those facing horrible news and terrible losses. The nurse [...]

It has been over 150 years since the thirteenth amendment abolished slavery; unfortunately, the concept is still alive today. The United Nations defines human trafficking as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons by improper means (such as force, abduction, fraud, or coercion) for an improper purpose (including forced labor or sexual exploitation) (UNODC, 2020). Human trafficking is a [...]

When working in healthcare, the main goal is to take care of people and provide them with exceptional, evidence-based care. Healthcare takes a multidisciplinary approach, and they all share one thing in common: the need for thorough and appropriate documentation.  It is rare to find a healthcare provider who will admit to enjoying documentation and [...]

Part Two of a Two Part Series In Part One, some disturbing information was revealed about the presence of germs in your residence. While it is impossible to completely rid your home of germs, there are ways to decrease the spread of organisms and maintain a healthy household. During flu season, and now with the [...]

Part One of a Two Part Series Germs have been all over the news. We are in the middle of flu season, and now the media has been broadcasting the potential spread of a new global crisis: The Wuhan Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Thank goodness you are safe from germs in your own home… Or are you? [...]

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2019a), “2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur in the U.S. each year, and more than 35,000 people die as a result.”  Antibiotic resistance continues to be a serious issue, and the general population does not seem to fully grasp the seriousness of this evolving issue. There are [...]

Electronic cigarettes, created initially to assist with smoking cessation, have been a point of controversy for some time. Recently, the rash of lung injuries associated with the use of e-cigarettes has placed this “safer” alternative in the headlines again.  But what exactly are e-cigarettes, and how were they originally thought to be a safer delivery method [...]

Part Two of a Two Part Series In 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a mortality report which showed an unprecedented and unpredictable rise in suicide deaths among children and teenagers. The last blog focused on the “Why?” It is important to know the “why” in order to formulate possible solutions [...]

Part One of a Two Part Series In 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a mortality report that contained startling statistics relating to suicide deaths among children and teenagers. The statisticians at the CDC expected to see a decline in mortality within this population. Instead, they saw their numbers rise due [...]

By the end of 2019, nearly 57,000 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer (Sheikh, 2019). Of those diagnosed, only one in ten will live longer than five years (Sheikh, 2019). Three-fourths of those diagnosed will live less than a year (Sheikh, 2019). Because it is not usually found until it is stage four, this [...]