Transitions of care occur when a patient moves from one setting to another. Transitions are when the patient is most at risk for a medical error or injury to occur. To prevent unintended injuries and setbacks there is a focus throughout the healthcare industry to...
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. To bring awareness and hope, I share a note Betty Stover, a good friend and colleague wrote about her experience as a Breast Cancer Survivor. I hope her words will give all who read this post hope, strength and courage. ...
Last week I was invited to attend a patient reunion at HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital in Sunrise Florida. I was a patient at HealthSouth after I completed chemotherapy to treat the Brain Tumor I was diagnosed with in November 2014. Once the course of chemotherapy...
Last week, the US Virgin Islands and the State of Florida took a direct hit from Hurricane Irma. I have lived in South Florida for 29 years and have been through 5 major hurricanes, but this one seemed different. The news reports were saying South Florida...
Today consumers are being asked to take a more active role in their health and healthcare. But to be effective, they need help to understand how the system works and what their role is in the complex world of healthcare. If we are honest, most of us don’t worry...
I received terrible news this week that my cousin Paul Francis died suddenly. He was 61 years young and had a beautiful wife and two grown children. I was not aware of any medical problems, so that is why his sudden passing is a shock to us all. As like most...
As many of us know, life is full of detours. A detour is defined as a long or roundabout route taken to avoid something or to visit somewhere along the way. As with driving, a detour can cause frustration, angst, and anxiety so learning how to work through a...
This week, Nurse Advocate celebrates 2 YEARS in production! It has been a journey in which I have learned how to share information that benefits people who utilize the health care system as well as those who work in it. As I look back, I noted my first post appeared...
Continuous learning is a critical competency all professionals must engage as we move forward in our careers. Professionals must stay up-to-date of advances in practice, learn about new opportunities, and hone their skills. Last year I introduced 2016...
Each summer, for the past eight years I have shared my summer reading list with family, friends, and Social Media. The practice has become an annual tradition that I enjoy. This year, I have a wide variety of recommendations from a variety of family and friends from...
When I was growing up, a friend of mine told me, there will always be something that will throw your life off-kilter. It could be your job, your family, your love life or your health. Those words have rung true over the years as I faced many of life’s...
During my recovery from the brain tumor that changed my life, I spent a two-week inpatient stay, followed by weeks of outpatient rehabilitation at Health South Rehabilitation Hospital so I could regain my strength after completing an aggressive chemotherapy...
I received an email from Sylvester Cancer Center informing me that June 4th is National Cancer Survivors Day. As a result, they are planning a fun-filled week of activities. I had never heard of National Cancer Survivors Day, so I went to the website to learn...
In this week’s post, I wanted to share some tips you might consider doing this summer.Get in the pool: as a result of the complications from the chemotherapy that eradicated the brain tumor that changed my life, I have been doing water aerobics and swimming at least 4...
Over the past few months, I have lost three friends. Two to cancer and one to natural causes (she was 96 years young). The two friends with cancer were diagnosed around the time I found out I had a brain tumor. Once you are diagnosed with cancer,...
As a nurse, I was the one in our family who had healthcare experience and was looked to by family and friends when a healthcare challenge emerged. But when I was diagnosed with a Brain Tumor in November 2014, it was my husband who stepped in as my caregiver and...
Nurses are the backbone of the healthcare system, yet many times we wonder if anyone notices. Well last week, Jimmy Kimmel, shared a personal story to millions of viewers about how an attentive nurse noticed his newborn baby boy had a problem. In his monolog, he...
Today, the term empowerment is used in all aspects of the healthcare system. Before we can empower patients, healthcare teams need to ensure their workplace cultures encourage education and a forum where learning and growth are nurtured. In this week’s post, I...
