I love seeing real nurses in pictures and films. I’ve had enough of the well-groomed-young-nurse-hugging-my-clipboard photos. Show me some real nurses. Here’s a few projects that do just that:
Joy Williams, RN, from Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses her work and love for Project HOPE in this short film.
Photographic film captures the essence of nurses and their work in The American Nurse Project, a “photojournalistic journey that aims to capture and share the images and stories of nurses from all across America and to celebrate the role of the nurse in this country’s healthcare system.” The creators chose six nurses to feature in a full-length documentary, and simply based on the nurses’ brief bios, this is going to be an amazing film when it debuts in Fall 2013.
NURSES, If Florence Could See Us Nowis a documentary celebrating the work of nurses. As the film trailer points out, most people have a hard time explaining what exactly a nurse does, but rather explain nursing through how nurses make them feel. That’s powerful stuff.
The Truth About Nursinghas a list of nursing-related documentaries, along with “nursing” and “artistic” ratings.
Nursesis a four-part documentary of Australian nurses. It was actually planned and filmed by nurses.
A quick search on YouTube reveals over 53,000 results. Looking through the first seven pages of results, at least, there are definitely gobs of short films on real nurses and their work. I love that. After page seven, the results get a little sketchier, so you might have to refine your search criteria to get real nurses who aren’t wearing – ahem – “unapproved” scrubs.
Are there any other photographic or film pieces capturing real nurses that inspire you?
The Hispanic/Latino population is the fastest growing population in the U.S. The group, which actually consists of many sub-populations, has a common set of physical, emotional, and practical concerns related to cancer and healthcare that all nurses (and really all healthcare professionals) need to recognize and understand.
LIVESTRONG, the Nurse Oncology Education Program, and Alpheus Media joined forces to develop the new, free continuing nursing education (CNE) video activity Advancing Care: Cancer in Hispanic/Latino Populations. Thanks to the beautiful videography, compelling patient stories, and accompanied multidisciplinary professional education, this CNE will leave you wishing every continuing nursing education activity was so entertaining, intriguing, and informational.
Whether or not you work in an oncology setting, Advancing Care: Cancer in Hispanic/Latino Populations is appropriate for you. It was developed with nurses and other healthcare professionals in all fields of practice in mind. Try it for yourself, and share it with your colleagues. Leave a review on the course site, and let me know what you think about it, as well.
Full Disclosure: I had the privilege of working with the developing organizations on this project from inception to completion. I am a part of the CNE planning committee for this activity. I did not receive any remuneration for this blog post, which reflects my opinions only.
A new report from the International Federation of Health Plans compares health care costs among countries; to no surprise, health costs within the U.S. exceed all other countries for 22 of the 23 services included in the survey. For example, the cost of Nexium® in the U.S. is $193, while it is $69 in Switzerland, $23 in France, and $3 in India.
American friends, you’ll likely be sickened as you take a peek at the average cost of a physician appointment in the U.S. versus other countries (page 17). I hope your ill feelings recover quickly, as the cost per day of a hospital stay in the U.S. is $3,949 compared to Chile – $1,552, Australia – $934, Switzerland – $690, France – $655, Germany – $632, Spain – $515, Argentina – $380, and India – $236.
There’s no denying our health care system needs a major change.
It’s easy to look back at moments in history and think, “How could they let that happen?” Now is one of those times our children will look back on, as well.
If you haven’t seen this video, please watch it. Yes, it’s 30 minutes long; yes, I hope it spurs you to action. If you think Joseph Kony has nothing to do with health care across the globe, you are mistaken. Separated by continents and oceans, we have colleagues in the midst of unthinkable war and daily life, people who need our help. Part of what we do as advocates is make the invisible people visible, the unheard heard. Now is no different. Nurses, physicians, pharmacists, therapists, nutritionists, and every other healthcare professional need to take notice and take action. It’s the right thing to do.
I am joining millions of other individuals and thousands of websites worldwide, such as Wikipedia and Google, to speak out against American censorship, which is currently proposed by two Federal bills – the House’s Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Senate’s Protect IP Act (PIPA). The bill names sound great, and I am all for protecting privacy and curbing piracy but not in the name of censorship. Here’s a quick video of what’s happening. Thanks, Fight for the Future, for this video.
And if you want more info, check out the corresponding infographic. You know by now I love a good infographic. I wouldn’t want SOPA or PIPA preventing me from sharing my favorite finds in the future. If you want to join the voices, write Congress now. If you live outside the U.S. and still want to help, petition the State Department. Tweet about it today and until the bills are voted on within the next few weeks using #SOPASTRIKE. If you blog or have a website, consider joining the movement today, as well.
Looking for a way to give back and see the world at the same time? You need to volunteer for my friends at Grounds for Health, a global nonprofit bringing women’s health to coffee-growing communities in Mexico, Tanzania, and Nicaragua. They use cervical cancer screening technologies such as VIAA to save lives in these resource-limited areas. Cervical cancer is a global threat, and you can make a difference.
Volunteering with Grounds for Health is sure to be an amazing experience. And if you can’t globe-trot, there are absolutely other ways to volunteer with this great organization. Get involved today.
Five Taiwanese patients recently woke up from transplant surgery with a very different prognosis than what was hoped. Yes, they each had new organs – heart, liver, lungs, and two kidneys – all desperately needed; however, all the organs were donated from an HIV-positive man. One error, resulting from one person taking lab results via telephone (“non-reactive” HIV-test versus “reactive” HIV test) – without a second confirmation or check, which is the hospital’s standard procedure.
It is for this reason that telephone orders for high risk/high alert medications and situations are a thing of the past or at least slowly becoming a thing of the past. There are just too many opportunities for preventable errors. In addition, numerous healthcare organizations are encouraging employees to have a questioning attitude, which encourages double and triple checks. However, processes and procedures are only as good as the people who utilize them appropriately.
"telephone ear piece" by Leo Reynolds via Flickr
While the impacted patients are absolutely the number one priority in this situation, the AP article alluded that the healthcare providers involved were under duress as a result of the situation, as well. I can only imagine. I was involved in a sentinel event, and there is no doubt it changed my thoughts about many issues and greatly impacted my career. I have heard numerous stories of other healthcare professionals – of all disciplines – as well, leaving their respective professions as a result of severe sentinel events. The losses associated with this case will likely continue for quite a while.
Organ donation and transplant are usually filled with so much hope and meaningful continuation of life lost. One moment shattered that. My thoughts are with the five patients and their families. My condolences to the organ donor’s family who not only lost a loved one, but first heard about his HIV-positive diagnosis through this tragedy. I wish the best for all the healthcare providers involved and the millions of others who dedicate their lives to people via professions intolerant of errors.
Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional. ~Unknown
This video is one of 50 in an excellent series – Life Before Death. Use the free videos. Use them to educate other healthcare professionals about pain and palliative care. Use them to change your own practice. Use them to improve the lives of the people you care for. Use them to change the world.
Tic. Toc. Tic. Toc. The clock ticks for all of us. Don’t fear it. Hearing it is a gift.
This TEDMED 2010 performance about end-of-life discussions and decisions (or lack thereof) is sure to make you think. It’s entertaining. It’s educational. It’s inspirational. It’s everything you’d expect from TEDMED. Yes, it’s 19 minutes long; it’s worth it. Healthcare professional education faculty, you’re going to want to write this into your curricula. It’s that good.
Many helped with a Break Cancer world record attempt the first week of April. Well, I submitted the world record video to URDB who then changed the record title, denying the video. I am unsure why they did so and have not received any explanation.
Still, the effort was to raise awareness of adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer, and that it did. World record or not, we still broke cancer, and we will continue to do so.
