11.12.13
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Embarking on a Health Journey: Connections Made on the Road

The following is the second in a series of posts documenting the path of two Graduate nurses embarking on an unconventional Health Journey… This second article discusses connections made on the road. I met Maggie and Chelsea at a Gypsy Nurse Meet & Greet in Knoxville back at the beginning of May 2013. Maggie and Chelsea were at that point, nearly Graduate Nurses, with only a few short days left of finals and Graduation.  I’m still uncertain why they chose to attend the Travel Nurse Meet & Greet but I am thrilled to have met them and been invited along on their their unconventional journey of learning, exploration and travel… The sun has been up for a solid two hours when I finally crawl out of my sleeping bag. I stretch and greet the fresh morning air with a yawn, slip on sneakers and decide to go for a run. As I trot along the small paved rode in the campground, I look up and can see the very tip of the Tetons peeking up over the trees. My morning run has been what gives me a rhythm in this seemingly rhythmless lifestyle and also reminds me of how different each place is. Has it been a month? That seems so strange. Our time is now kept straight by location, rather than days of the week. The past few states — South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming — have given us peace of mind and a beautiful feeling of insignificance. Our first night […]

The post Embarking on a Health Journey: Connections Made on the Road appeared first on The Gypsy Nurse.

11.11.13
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Weekly Nursing Vital Signs: What’s new and happening in the News

Here are your weekly Vital Signs for week ending 11/8/13 Compiled and written by: Teresa Posthumus, RN Acetaminophen and Alcohol a Bad Mix Study Suggests Taking the recommended dose of acetaminophen, combined with a small to moderate amount of alcohol, produces a 123 percent increased risk of kidney disease, according to a new preliminary study. FDA Protecting and Promoting Your Health FDA Drug Safety Communication: Updated recommendations to decrease risk of spinal column bleeding and paralysis in patients on low molecular weight heparins 11/6/2013 The effects of Lovenox on a certain patient population.  What are the newest safety practice for Healthcare Providers   Europe at ‘polio risk’ from Syria As Americans we don’t always feel like news from around the world can affect us.  There is a lot of travel between Europe and America.  Read the following article and see how small the world can be. That sums up this weeks Nursing Vital Signs, covering the topics that have been prevalent in the Nursing and Healthcare news streams for the past week.  Please visit us again next Monday for more Weekly Nursing Vital Signs.  

The post Weekly Nursing Vital Signs: What’s new and happening in the News appeared first on The Gypsy Nurse.

11.11.13
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A Gift for Veterans

This Veteran’s Day, the Pentagon Federal Credit Union Foundation (PenFed Foundation) is giving veterans something very special: The Lee and Penny Anderson Defenders Lodge, the nation’s largest free hotel for veterans receiving medical care. This project, the first of its kind, will serve outpatients at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Hospital in California, and is made possible through a $17 million public-private partnership between the PenFed Foundation and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“Giving the gift of the Defenders Lodge isn’t just an endowment from the foundation, but from all of our generous donors who opened their hearts and made the idea of a free hotel for veterans come true,” said Christopher Flynn, president and CEO of the PenFed Foundation. “Through the support of our donors and the community-at-large we’ll be able to provide veterans and their caregivers up to 20,000 free nights of stay annually at a hotel with world-class accommodations.”

Set to welcome guests in January 2014, the Defenders Lodge will serve veterans receiving medical care at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Hospital along with their caretakers. As part of a partnership with the VA, the PenFed Foundation is raising $11 million in private donations to pay for construction of the hotel and so far it’s raised about half of the funds.

At over 34,000 square feet, the lodge features 52 first-class rooms and 104 beds, a family room with a fireplace, an upgraded kitchen, an activity room, a laundry room, an open-air atrium, and a library stocked with books. The entire project from the ground up takes accessibility into account. All doorways and bathrooms are wheelchair accessible.

“Our veterans deserve the world,” added Flynn. “And we are starting by giving them the Defenders Lodge.”

To learn more about the Lee & Penny Anderson Defenders Lodge visit: www.defenderslodge.org.

11.11.13
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Veterans Day: She’s in the Navy now!

Each year at Veterans Day, The Gypsy Nurse likes to mention those in our nursing profession that serve the greater good.  Those that sacrifice their lives, their loved ones and their families each and every day for their dedication to the US Military.  Not all are Veterans, not all are even Military.  Today, we hear a story of one civilian nurse that is also part of a Military family. To all of the Veteran Nurses, civilian nurses and to our brave men and women fighting in what sometimes seems, un-endless wars: Thank you for your service to our country! She’s In The Navy Now! Written by: Julie Cunningham, RN I am a Lieutenant in the Navy Nurse Corp. I have been a nurse for 15 years; labor and delivery most of the time, NICU on occasion, ER sometimes and ICU when the going gets tough! I am a Reservist and have worked both stateside and overseas. I live in Oklahoma, and do travel nursing when not on deployment. I just came home from Guam on deployment and will leave to go back again next month.  I joined the Navy Nurse Corp 3 years ago to broaden my experiences as a nurse while serving my country. I have worked in “tent clinics” literally setup by hand hours before accepting patients all the way to full hospitals on bases. The biggest contrast from civilan nursing is the lack of “things.” And by things I mean anyTHING! As nurses, we learn to make due when supplies are short or equipment […]

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11.11.13
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Typhoon Disaster in the Philippines – What RNs Can Do to Help!

National Nurses United

RNs: Sign Up, Donate Now to Help Our Response to Typhoon Haiyan  in the Philippines.

RNRN Facebook share image.

Super Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda has left a path of devastation in the Philippines. Communication channels are not yet re-established to many areas, but current reports indicate as many as 10,000 deaths, with fears of many more casualties yet to be assessed. Several hospitals, along with thousands of homes and schools have been damaged or destroyed, and hundreds of thousands left homeless – many with long term shelter needs.

The international community is rallying to respond, and teams are already on the ground from the UN, local and international NGOs as well as disaster experts from the US, Australia, and the European Community.

Through Registered Nurse Response Network (RNRN), NNU is reaching out to support affected Philippine communities, and the local caregivers who are on the front lines of the response to Super Typhoon Haiyan

  1. Volunteer to help If you are willing to respond to the tragic situation in the Philippines, please sign up here and provide information on your availability for the next few weeks.
  2. Contribute to the RNRN fund established to support disaster relief services.
  3. To donate by mail: Make checks payable to CNF/RNRN and mail them to: CNF/RNRN, 2000 Franklin St. Oakland, CA 94612.

RNRN Disaster Relief Fund: National Nurses United and the Registered Nurse Response Network (RNRN) work to send nurses to disaster stricken areas both inside the U.S. and internationally. Please complete this secure donation form and share it with friends to ensure that RNs are among the first responders. RNRN is a project of the NNU and the California Nurses Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Donations are secure, and tax-deductible to the extent of the law.

Thank you,

California Nurses Foundation
Registered Nurse Response Network
2000 Franklin St.
Oakland, CA 94612

RNRN is a project of the California Nurses Foundation (CNF)*, working in cooperation with National Nurses United (NNU). NNU is the nation’s largest and fastest growing union of direct-care RNs, representing more than 170,000 RNs in all 50 states. We are our patient’s safety net. RNs are in a unique position to continue our long and proud history as social advocates, fighting for and providing equitable healthcare for all. *CNF is a nonprofit, founded in 1971, dedicated to charitable, scientific and educational purposes.

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