goldenKB | Veer

Do you think you could pass the NCLEX?

Take this quiz with these sample exam questions and see how you score!

[12 questions]

Study material provided by NCLEX-RN Exam Cram, published by Pearson IT Certification. Part of the Exam Cram series.

Pearson IT Certification is a publishing imprint born of a tradition of proven learning tools and educational training materials such as NCLEX-RN Exam Cram (ISBN-10: 0-7897-4483-X) that have helped generations of certification exam candidates succeed. Tapping into the exciting new opportunities provided by the technology advances of online learning and web-based services, Pearson has created a suite of products and solutions that address the learning, preparation and practice needs of a new generation of certification candidates. Pearson IT Certification delivers learning formats ranging from books to online learning and practice services, network simulators and video training.

Textbook info: 

NCLEX-RN Practice Questions Exam Cram, 3rd Edition 

By Wilda Rinehart, Diann Sloan, Clara Hurd, Rinehart & Associates

Published by 

Pearson

Image: ITStock Free | Polka Dot | Thinkstock

Does zucchini bread land on your list of daily vegetables? Is the peanut butter in a Reese’s cup your afternoon dose of protein?

Find out how good you are at counting calories with these nurse-favorite break room treats and vending machine snacks.

Please go to The nurse’s snack calorie quiz to view the quiz

iStockphoto | Thinkstock

There is nary a seasoned nurse who would dare show up for a shift without a nose saver, like a few Halls cough drops tucked away in the pocket.

Goodness knows there are all too many opportunities for icky smells to drift into a nurse’s workday.

Break out the peppermint oil and get a whiff of our top ten list of worst smells in the hospital!

10. Alcohol swabs

9. Benzoin tincture

8. Tube feeds

7. Cafeteria food

6. TPN

5. Code Brown

4. Bile

3. Vascular wounds

2. C. diff

1. GI bleeds

This list, by Abigail Raymond, RN, is the winner of our “Win Your Top 10 List on a Mug!” Giveaway. You can buy this mug for yourself or your favorite nursing instructor! Submit your own list here to enter!

Corbis Photography | Veer

Nurses—you’ve stolen our hearts! And we’re not saying that just because it’s February. Here are some special days for you to celebrate and acknowledge each other this month, including, of course, February 14, Valentine’s Day.

Nursing factoids:
February 2, 1901: The female Nurse Corps became permanent.
February 16, 1881: Mary Breckinridge, founder of the Frontier Nursing Service, was born.
February 17, 1943: The first class of Army flight nurses graduated.
February 18, 1945: Nurse POWs were awarded the Bronze Star.
February 26, 1858: Lavinia Dock, a social activist nurse who wrote a four-volume history of nursing, was born.

Circle these dates:
February 1-7: National Patient Recognition Week
February 3: Wear Red Day (heart disease is the number one killer of women—show your support for the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women movement by wearing red!)
February 6-12: PeriAnesthesia Nurses Week
February 12-18: Cardiovascular Professionals Week

February is also:
American Heart Month
Wise Consumer Health Month

Sources:
aahn.org/nursinghistorycalendar.html
nasrecruitment.com/docs/calendars/2012/Healthcare-Days.pdf

“My Watch!”

- submitted by Connie Rn

This Week’s Contest–January 30, 2012

image: iStockphoto | Thinkstock

What’s your best caption? Leave it it in our comments. Be sure to check back next week when we pick the winner!

See our past winners here!

goldenKB | Veer

Do you think you could pass the NCLEX?

Take this quiz with these sample exam questions and see how you score!

[12 questions]

Study material provided by NCLEX-RN Exam Cram, published by Pearson IT Certification. Part of the Exam Cram series.

Pearson IT Certification is a publishing imprint born of a tradition of proven learning tools and educational training materials such as NCLEX-RN Exam Cram (ISBN-10: 0-7897-4483-X) that have helped generations of certification exam candidates succeed. Tapping into the exciting new opportunities provided by the technology advances of online learning and web-based services, Pearson has created a suite of products and solutions that address the learning, preparation and practice needs of a new generation of certification candidates. Pearson IT Certification delivers learning formats ranging from books to online learning and practice services, network simulators and video training.

Textbook info: 

NCLEX-RN Practice Questions Exam Cram, 3rd Edition 

By Wilda Rinehart, Diann Sloan, Clara Hurd, Rinehart & Associates

Published by 

Pearson

Image Source Photography | Veer

We live in a culture where most people rigorously avoid talking about death, much less witnessing it firsthand. Over the course of a lifetime, the average person may be present at the bedside of one or two very close family members in their last moments. Depending on how long a person lives and the size of their social circle, they may attend a few dozen funerals.

In contrast, nurses are faced with death and all the emotional turmoil that comes with it over and over at work. Whether you serve in a hospice setting, OR, ED or ICU, there is no escaping these events. Even if you aren’t physically present at the side of your patient when he passes, hearing that he didn’t make it is still difficult.

Next: It’s Okay to Grieve →

iStockphoto | Thinkstock

Here at scrubsmag.com, we spend a LOT of time looking for images to go with our articles, which means we spend a LOT of time looking at pictures of nurses.

Sometimes, though, we hit a wall. We just can’t look at another trite picture, and it got to the point where we just had to laugh at the whole situation. You probably see your share of stereotypical nurse pictures, too. Right? So let’s have a chuckle about it together!

Oh, we readily admit that we’ve used all of the below portrayals once or twice. So we link to articles where we have been the offenders.

10. The group of nurses perfectly posed (clustered in the hallway, standing about the nurse’s station), facing the camera. Smiling.

Who has time to stand in the hallway posing with your team?

9. The nurse standing there, holding the steth chestpiece up at eye level like she’s going to plant it on your face. Even worse, the nurse holding the stethoscope up to a patient’s mouth.

Have you ever approached a patient like that? Excuse me, I’m going to listen to your eyeball.

8. The doctor talking authoritatively to or standing in front of a group of fawning nurses.

Switch the imagery around and maybe we’ll talk. But we have yet to find an image of a doctor looking fascinated by whatever the nurse has to say.

7. The stethoscope on an open medical book.

We need that shot panned out to show the sleeping nursing student (can we add a little drool for effect?) who is using his steth as a bookmark while he catches a little shuteye.

6. The use of media nurses to portray real nurses.

Please, not another picture of Nurse Jackie in articles referencing nurses. And Nurse Ratched? Come ON.

5. Nurses who look like they ate their last meal in 1983.

Enough with the Olive Oil nurses! We need to see some healthy looking people who reflect what we really look like. And on the other end of the spectrum you get images of obese nurses. So it’s either one extreme or the other.

4. Nurses wagging their fingers.

Really? Have you ever wagged your finger at a patient or coworker? After that, were you wearing a splint?

3. Nursing looking all retro in their caps and dresses.

We guess that’s fine for an article about old-timey nurses, but when we see a modern photo with a retro looking nurse, we can’t help but think, “Halloween costume!”

2. Speaking of which: Sexy nurses.

‘Nuff said.

1. Closeup. Nurse. Mask. She looks serious.

This is the catch-all image, really. And we admit it’s kind of a copout. You want to illustrate an article about nursing? You don’t want to be too flippant? Find a closeup of a nurse in a surgical mask. Done.

See a slideshow of the worst photos we’ve encountered, then tell us, what did we miss? What pictures of nurses do you encounter again and again that you’d rather never see again?

Pretty and Plugged In
There’s more than one way to recharge your batteries—or those of your most necessary gadgets—during a long workday. This snazzy Glam Personal Media Case from Kangaroom nestles all of your electronics in separate cushy sections as they charge, keeping cords neat and out of sight. $10 at greatusefulstuff.com.
Three Squares in One
While spending months in the hospital with her ailing daughter, an entrepreneurial mom noticed nurses’ lunchboxes bulging with breakfast, lunch and dinner. That’s when she created the 12-Hour Shift Bag, a dual-compartment tote that handles hot and cold foods with ample space for multiple meals, snacks, cutlery, even ice! $27 at balanceddaylunchkit.com.
Hold Everything!
The hippest way to ensure you have essential supplies at your fingertips? The Med Pack, a belt pack with 17 pockets and pouches in varying shapes and sizes, including one with a Velcro closure for valuables. Just grab, snap on the adjustable belt and go. $21 at nursepropack.com.
Bag the Handbag
Bypass heavy totes—and shoulder soreness—with this lightweight stand-in from Travelon. One side of the Travel Wallet offers a tidy compartment for storing makeup, phone, keys and more; the other boasts built-in credit card and money slots. You may be able to do away with your bulky wallet! $17 at amazon.com.
At Your Fingertips
Keys, lipstick, hand sanitizer, cell phone…is your purse a black hole of necessities? Purseket Purse Organizer to the rescue! This multi-pocketed liner slips easily into any handbag, compartmentalizing items and making them easy to retrieve. Changing purses becomes a cinch, too. Available in several sizes, colors and patterns. $18 to $24 at purseket.com.

“He’s the one they call Dr. Feel good
He’s the one that makes ya feel all right
He’s the one they call Dr. Feel good…..”

- submitted by nurseandrew08

This week’s contest–January 23, 2012

image: iStockphoto | Thinkstock

What’s your best caption? Leave it in our comments. Be sure to check back next week when we pick the winner!

See our past winners here!