The Graduate Nurse

As a professional it is vital to maintain current evidence based practices as well as gain additional knowledge to be able to uphold a proficient practice and be a competitive in the current workforce. What ways can you keep up to date without causing a large financial burden? In some states nurses have to complete a certain number of continue educations to be able to renew their license. Even in states where it isn’t mandatory to complete CE’s it is of personal and professional benefit to learn changes in patient care and medical practices (Witt; Aug 2011). Some sites provide a yearly fee for unlimited CE’s, while some nursing associations and colleges provide free CE’s. Another way to keep up to date is by subscribing to nursing journals (Smith; Jan 1996). Some journal subscriptions may be pricey depending on the specialty, but non-specialty journals like Nursing Made Incredibly Easy and the American Journal of Nursing offer current issues and new practices at an affordable price....

Flexible schedules can be an attractive benefit to possible employees, but not employers see it as adventurous. The National Health Service found that an increasing number of nurses are choosing to work flexible hours (Nursing Times). The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recommends flex scheduling, especially to maintain experienced nurses in the workforce as a vital resource for other nurses (Bleich & et al; 2006). A Nurse Zone article points to how ANCC Magnet status hospitals have put in place several strategies to support and retain experienced nurses, one of which includes flexible scheduling (Larson; 2009).   The issues that arise at workplaces that do not provide flexible scheduling to nurses are several. One of the issues is staff nurse conflict of schedule between work and continuing education. With the increasing focus by many major nursing organizations in increasing the education level of registered nurses there are many more nurses who work and study at the same tim...

Body piercings and tattoos seem to be on the raise according to a report by Anne Laumann and Amy Derick (Laumann & Derick; 2006). Should professional nurses be allowed to have visible tattoos or additional body piercings that aren’t covered? This would depend where in the country you are and the facilities affiliation. Even though getting a tattoo is a personal choice, society and primarily business leaders, have objective to body art calling it unprofessional. In a study conducted by Westerfield, Stafford, Speroni and Daniel, they concluded that administrators should develop policies about visible tattoos and body piercings on health care practitioners (Westerfield et. al.; 2012). The study found that a majority perceived that nurses with tattoos and body piercings where less “caring, confident, reliable, attentive, cooperative, professional, efficient, or approachable” than those of who did not have visible tattoos and piercings. Female nurses were seen “as less pro...