Gulf War veteran Arthur Boorman was told by doctors he would never walk again unassisted. For 15 years he didn’t. Then, he started doing yoga.

Casey and Shayne check in with RN and playwright RN Alison Whitaker. Some of you may remember Alison was on the show last year introducing her one-woman play called, Vital Signs. It’s a great show and she opens in June at the Marsh Theater in San Francisco. And if you are paying attention you can win two VIP tickets to Vital Signs.

And we talk with one of our favorite guests RN and Co-President of National Nurses United, Jean Ross. Jean will tell us about the upcoming Nurses Assembly in Chicago next week where over 1200 nurses will gather to talk about everything from healthcare to Medicare and beyond. The nurses will also hit the streets of Chicago in a peaceful demonstration to promote a Wall Street Transaction Tax.

And then..for you 60’s hippies…let's talk about Dropping Acid! That’s right...but of course, not the kind you think. Dr. Jamie Koufman will be with us to talk about acid reflux and what you can do to control or cure it by simply changing your diet. Dr. Koufman has written a book called Dropping Acid, The Reflux Diet Cookbook and Cure. According to the book, acid reflux affects 30-50% of the population. You won’t want to miss this. Read more...

… Read more

Our public leaders here in United States like to proclaim that we’re number one at everything, despite evidence to the contrary. When it comes to health care, now developing nations are beginning to leave us in the dust. In the article “U.S. lags in global healthcare push,” on… Read more

People are funny, and I don’t mean in a ha-ha sort of way. They could be neurotic, bi-polar, obsessive-compulsive, anxious, or agoraphobic, just to name a few types. Some of the ones who came to visit me… Read more

This is the first installment of a blog by Brandi Chase called Lymphoblaster. It is an online chronicle through Leukemia. Living in Australia with her husband, film composer Randin Graves, Brandi, grieving the loss of her father 2 months prior, began to feel ill. On a trip home to Utah in the… Read more

Nurse Talk will be there. Will you?

Robin Hood Joins Nurses’ Campaign to Heal America – Chicago Friday, May 18.

What in the world? The registered nurses of National Nurses United cannot wait to welcome one of the world’s leading defenders of common people to their uncommon May 18th march and… Read more

When I was a kid, my mother used vinegar for everything. If I got a bee sting she rubbed vinegar on it and if the kid next door bit me, she poured vingear on him and called his mother. There didn’t seem to be anything vinegar couldn’t fix in… Read more

NEW YORK- Moyers & Company, a current affairs program featuring Bill Moyers and airing on PBS stations nationwide, Sunday 6p.m. – most PBS stations will run a segment this Sunday evening with RoseAnn DeMoro, executive director of National Nurses United, the largest union… Read more

Sitting in the waiting room I watched the others as we passed the time…were they waiting for a loved one, like I was? Or were they just the driver waiting to pick up the patient post- test? The elderly woman sitting by the large fern in the corner sat… Read more

We recently found the coolest app we’ve ever seen or heard about! We all know what triage means, Nurse Talk brings you iTriage. iTriage was founded in 2008 by two emergency medicine physicians to empower people to make better healthcare decisions, and improve healthcare delivery. You can… Read more

Shayne and Casey have some fun with the story about the dentist who pulled all of her ex-boyfriend's teeth! At least as much fun as you can have over such a tragic loss. Dumping a girlfriend is never easy but having all 32 teeth pulled out by her is the worst that could happen to anybody. Listen and find out just how this happened. There is a moral to the story too. A fairly obvious one at that.

We also visit with San Leandro Hospital RN Carol Barazi about Sutter Corp's announcement to close yet another hospital in the Bay Area—this time in San Leandro---which serves the East Bay. Of the 27,000 patients seen in the San Leandro emergency room last year, more than 60 percent came from East Oakland, patients who will now need to drive many miles over crowded freeways for care. Again---closure of a hospital that serves the “underserved."

Ever wonder whats behind the old face? Angil Tarach-Ritchey RN, and national expert in senior care provides us with an insightful look at the lives of the aging. With over 30 years experience in senior care and advocacy Angil passionately talks about her elder advocacy project and book, Behind The Old Face. Angil is a frequent blogger on the Nurse Talk website and comes to Nurse Talk by way of our friends at Nurse Together.

Facebook and CEO Mark Zuckerburg win the Golden Bed Pan Award for starting the majorly successful organ donor project. More than 100,000 new organ donors signed up during the course of a week. Congratulations and great work!

My mom never ceases to amaze me. Today we spent most of the day at the hospital. She had to have a large cyst removed from her chest area, plus after our fall yesterday, I wanted her to be checked out.

The doctor told me… Read more

Whose your favorite nurse? We’ve all got one. Because nurses are with us at so many important points in our lives. They help us welcome new life and comfort us as we say good bye to loved ones. Nurses are present in medical emergencies and medical ordinaries. No other medical professional is so ingrained… Read more

The FDA has reported that it will now be putting just as much effort into the monitoring of drugs after they have been approved as they do during the pre-approval process. A report labeled “Advances in the FDA’s Safety Program for Marketed Drugs” goes on to describe a range of new… Read more

Nurse Talk won four 2012 Communicator Awards for our series IN MY DAY with Lynn Ruth Miller. We won in every category we entered! Congratulations Lynn Ruth for winning the gold for Best On Air Talent! Silver awards were won for Audio Editing, Audio… Read more

I usually write an inspiration to nurses on my blog and who knows maybe that is what this will end up being, but I feel the need to write about my experience yesterday and the decision that is solidified for me. I work in the ER, in case you hadn’t… Read more

Let's give a warm welcome to our new co-host RN Shayne Mason. We are so glad to have him with us and just to show our appreciation we had all kinds of studio chaos waiting for him. Three in-studio guests, advice from our retired co-host Maggie McDermott, technical difficulties and more. Shayne took it like a pro! Not to mention he brings to the show a wealth of medical expertise and, of course, a grand sense of humor.

Shayne holds an RN, BRN, NP, is an instructor at USF (University of San Francisco) and a psych nurse at a clinic in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood. That psych background will come in handy!

On the show this week is RN, humorist, author Terri Tate. What makes all the wrong things funny? Terri Tate will tell you. Terri claims that humor saved her life. Most people wouldn't find two bouts of disfiguring oral cancer, 30 plus hours of surgery, 7 weeks of radiation, endless complications and a 2% chance of survival all that funny. Terri wasn't laughing the whole time but claims that her sense of humor never completely deserted her. Nineteen years after treatment---alive and laughing, Terri talks about her remarkable path and her new book, As Is.

Wiz kid Cameron Harris is stops by for a visit. Some of you may remember Cameron, at the ripe old age of sixteen, started a podcast company (Harwood Podcast Network) that now boasts over 900 different shows. The line up includes IN RANGE Cameron's show with his advice about how to live a healthy active life with Type 1 Diabetes. Cameron himself was diagnosed at the age of eight.

Bay Area Sutter RNs Begin One-Day Strike
Hospital Giant Seeks Massive Cuts Despite $4 Billion in Profits
Nurses to Also Protest Sutter Plans to Close Hospitals, Cut Care

Registered nurses are on strike today at eight hospitals that are part of the wealthy Sutter corporate chain… Read more

I’m a registered nurse with a 30-year passion for senior care and advocacy. For the last 8 years I have owned and directed Visiting Angels, a private duty homecare agency in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is my honor and privilege to work with seniors and their families… Read more

Every day is becoming harder and harder with mom and her Alzheimer’s. People told me as her disease advanced that I would have days that seemed endless…today was one of those days. Mom is forgetting how to walk, I will be walking with

Nurse Talk joined the team Walk or Grow Wings last Saturday in Santa Rosa, California to walk for a cure for MS. Inspired by the people in our lives with Multiple Sclerosis, the team raised over $9000 under the enthusiastic and able leadership of Karen Krueger. Thank you to everyone… Read more

You can listen to more Lynn Ruth on Nurse Talk’s In My Day segment.

Sweetheart of the Nurse Talk staff, Austyn Leigh with team captain Karen Krueger

Nurse Talk joined the team Walk or Grow Wings last Saturday in Santa Rosa, California to walk for a cure for MS. Inspired by the people in our lives with Multiple Sclerosis, the team raised over $9000! Read more...

We have lots of great topics and discussions going on on our blog and Facebook pages. Stroke patient, Joyce Hoffman has been telling it like it is from the patient's perspective. Do you know how your patients see you or what a lasting difference your care can make?

And, we've got current events from National Nurses United. Nurses, Robin Hood and the band of merry women and men, and scores of friends are strapping on their boots and preparing to head to Chicago for a protest Friday, May 18 during the Staff Nurse Assembly.

Must See Video: Our resident comedian Lynn Ruth Miller as she wows the judges (all but one?) on Britain's Got Talent. See it here.

Due to the grave illness of host Casey's father we were unable to tape our show this week. Please hang with us while we give you one more rerun. We thank and appreciate each and every one of our listeners, friends sponsors and others for making Nurse Talk possible. WE WILL be back next week with current issues, our fantastic new co-host Shayne Mason, and some wild and crazy entertainment.

AND some great advice about taking care of your parents or other elderly loved ones. Kira Reginato joins us. Kira is the president of Living Ideas for Elders and is the host of her own radio show on KSRO, The Elder Care Show in Santa Rosa, California.

Nurses, Robin Hood and the band of merry women and men, and scores of friends are strapping on their boots and preparing to head to Chicago Friday, May 18.

The absence of AWOL G-8 leaders, who decided to run off and hide in the woods of rural Maryland rather than… Read more

New study shows,  “resistance training can indeed improve both your cognitive performance and your brain function. What is key is that the training will improve two processes that are highly sensitive to the effects of aging and neurodegeneration — executive function and associative memory — functions which are often impaired… Read more

Have you heard about the iTriage Thank a Nurse Contest? Would you like to thank a nurse for the impact he or she has made on your life? Visit the iTriage Facebook page to make a nomination or to vote.

Upload a picture of a nurse you’d like to thank with a story… Read more

From April 12 -May 12, 2012 staff at major hospitals throughout the Northeast will have paper dolphins available for a donation of $5 and blue dolphins $1. Dolphins will be displayed in a designated area of each hospital during Nurses Week, May 6-12, as a way for nurses to show… Read more

This no-talking situation was really starting to get to me, big time. I thought, What if I didn’t say another word for the rest of my life? What if I had to motion to things constantly and nobody paid attention? What… Read more

The average American spent over $7,900 a year for health care in 2009, making health care costs in the United States the most expensive of the 34 countries surveyed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The OECD surveyed its 34 members and found that, despite the hefty health care… Read more

In 1936, when I was three years old, I had my tonsils and adenoids taken out in Dr. Steinfeld’s office. I loved Dr. Steinfeld, because he was the same height I was. That man was so short, the nurse had to lift him up to reach my… Read more

Welcome to Nurse Talk where laughter is the best medicine!

WE'LL BE BACK NEXT WEEK TO INTRODUCE OUR NEW CO-HOST RN SHAYNE MASON.

If you missed Phyllis Katz talk about her hip surgery in India, or DeAnn McEwen's impassioned description of scripting and rounding...check this out. Or listen again. You know it was good!

RN DeAnn McEwen gives us a "spirited" overview of the marketing practice scripting and rounding now being used in the healthcare field. What's scripting and rounding all about? Listen to find out.

Stay tuned for this story---you won't want to miss Phyllis Katz. Phyllis is here to talk with us about her wonderful new book, Hipwrecked, My Health Insurance Sucked so I Went to India for Surgery.

This week Lynn Ruth talks about a favorite all-purpose remedy her mother used: baking soda. Told only as Lynn Ruth could---it definitely harkens memories from the old days!

Special guest at the National Nurses United Staff Nurse Assembly May 17-20 in Chicago. is Anna Deavere Smith presenting Tell Me Where it Hurts, Stories from the front lines of nursing.

Coming up...Hayward, California Kaiser closing pediatric unit? Parents say, not on their watch! And they are watching...

After the gift basket lady from Rehab X left me with stroke-related and other assorted take-aways, a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), which had her name and her title right on her tag, helped me into bed because I couldn’t help myself. She left right away and, it seemed,… Read more

A big highlight of the 2012 Staff Nurse Assembly in Chicago is Anna Deavere Smith, actress, playwright, and professor. She is currently the artist in residence at the Center for American Progress.

Ms. Smith, called by Newsweek “the most exciting individual in American theater” will… Read more

As the music starts pumping through the MP3 player speakers, the whole gym full of women take their positions and ready for the Zumba class to take off. My friend and I give each other a grin and laugh…this is our first class and though the gym… Read more

Missy took me to the doctor today, they did all kinds of tests, and I have to go back next week for one more. They found out that I am having seizures. Oh boy, if it isn’t one thing its something else. I feel fine and… Read more

What do The View’s Elizabeth Hasselbeck and MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann share, other than television air time? Both have Celiac Disease, an inherited autoimmune disorder that affects an estimated 1 out of 133 people. When those with Celiac Disease eat certain types of proteins called gluten, their small intestine loses the ability… Read more

To watch Henry—an elderly man who has spent over ten years in a nursing home, barely able to answer yes or no questions—come alive when listening to music from his past is a reminder of the powerful, inspiring, and affecting power of music. Read more of the original article, Man in Nursing Home… Read more

Nurse Talk is proud to support the MS Walk for a Cure 2012. We will be walking in Howarth Park, Santa Rosa, California on April 22. Our team, Austyn’s Allstars has joined forces with team Walk or Grow Wings to make one beautiful team. We invite… Read more

Coming Up Casey and crew rotate different co-host finalists through the show. Talk about being thrown into the fire! They were all champions and we thank each and everyone who auditioned or sent in their letter of interest. Next week we will introduce you all to our newly selected co-host.

We do manage to talk to our friend Donna Smith about the recent Supreme Court healthcare hearings, the upcoming May 18th Staff Nurse Assembly in Chicago (get ready to rumble) lets see---dancing in the streets, flash mobs and of course some serious business as well.

A big highlight of the conference is Anna Deavere Smith. Ms. Smith, called by Newsweek “the most exciting individual in American theater” will be performing a new stage monologue (as only she can) called, Tell Me Where It Hurts, Stories from the Front Lines of Nursing.

AND...the KNEES have it! Does anybody out there (not you twenty or thirty-somethings) escape the popular conversation of bad knees? It may be our age (o.k. mine) but everyone around us either has a knee injury, has had a knee surgery or replacement or is thinking about it just for the hell of it! Well, we thought we would call in an expert.

Dr. Lesley Anderson joins us to talk about the number one cause of knee problems, the treatments and how they have advanced and a "fresh blood platelet" treatment that is used very successfully on shoulders and knees. "I'll have a chef's salad and some of those "fresh blood platelets." Check it out.

Have you heard about the iTriage Thank a Nurse Contest? Would you like to thank a nurse for the impact he or she has made on your life? Visit the iTriage Facebook page to make a nomination.

[Editor's note: This article is second in the series, The Tales of a Stroke Patient. You can access the other articles here.]

I was still thinking, a week later, of the nurse who told me about her infant… Read more

From our friends the Laryngospasms. www.thespasms.com

“I noticed something caught up in the branches of a tree in the woods near my home. It was a balloon and tied to it was a note that simply read…”

–Dean Kalman Lennert
Director/Animator, Dear Anna Olson

These four simple words are an invitation to the reader to work past… Read more

In my day, everyone shared their telephone line with their neighbor. When I was small, my momma would say to me, “if you ever need help, call the operator and stop complaining!” When the kid next door spit at me, I called the operator and she said, “Tell your mother.” I… Read more

I was watching the show Undercover Boss the other night and it made me a little emotional. The show has a wonderful concept, the CEO of the company goes undercover and becomes a worker in 2 or 3 different areas of the company to find out how the company is really… Read more

[Editor's note: This article is second in the series, The Tales of a Stroke Patient. You can access the other articles here.]

I went to the closest hospital on Sunday before noon, and now it was Monday,… Read more

I visited a friend of mine today at the hospital…healthcare…damn, I hate the word.

He is 91 dying of cancer, but alert, and just as charming as ever. The doctor came in while we were there and told him of a surgery they were going to do, to make him better. My… Read more

Our farewell to Dan...takes us on a walk down memory lane. Old favorites including the bits we did called "Is Anybody Out There Laughing" and "What Song Best Describes Your Nurse." We share the story about Dan's battle with racoons in his garage and some other silliness.

More on the decline (evaporation) of mental health services. We are joined by RN and Vice President of the Massachusetts Nurses Association, Karen Coughlin. Karen works at Taunton State Hospital which is on the chopping block. Closure would mean no place for the 147 patients they now serve, and no short-term mental health facility within a 150 miles for the community. This, unfortunately, is happening all across the country.

AND... The coolest APP we've ever seen or heard about! We all know what triage means, welcome to iTriage. Without giving too much away...simply put, you can download iTriage and use it all over the world to identify symptoms, find the nearest ER or specialist and what the wait times are in emergency situations---and is so user friendly---I can even use it!

Oh... and one of our favorite guests, RN Marsha Podd, aka the Baby Whisperer, weighs in on the latest controversial mommy gaffe---chewing food for your baby. Yes? No? Marsha say's "God love moms...it's a tough job!"

This is what happens when finals come sneaking around the corner, when you know the semester is almost over, when you can’t quite take it anymore, and when all of Baylor Louis Herrington School of Nursing cuts footloose!

[Editor's note: This article is first in the series, The Tales of a Stroke Patient. You can access the other articles here.]

I can’t really say what happened when I had my stroke on April 8, 2009,… Read more

What is a flash mob you ask? Its a spontaneous gathering of people doing the same dance moves to a popular song. Its a fun way to protest. NEW deadline is April 13.

Get your groove on. Get more information. Good luck!

This from Mental Health America of Texas.

“Shania becomes depressed and has thoughts of suicide after being bullied and going off her medication. She gets help from her sister, Sydney, her mother, counseling and love and help from her family. Her true story emphasizes that… Read more

Do you know of an elderly person who was treated poorly, disrespected, ignored, neglected or abused, either emotionally, financially or physically? Have you ever visited a nursing home and felt sorry for the patients and hope you never have to leave your home?… Read more

How is it possible that 50% of the Nurse Talk staff is "suffering" from shoulder injuries? We had to look into this a little further than just the pain, so we found whack job Clarissa Doolittle (on-line) "Body Part" Intuitive. Clarissa brings to the show her advice about what shoulder pain really means. Could it be burden??? She thinks they both need therapy---and not on their shoulders.

Greg Montes, an RN at the Contra Costa County (Northern California) jail for the past five years joins us. He cites an alarming trend. With more and more cuts in mental health services throughout the country—millions of Americans are going untreated. It is commonplace for the severely ill who suffer from conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder to enter the criminal justice system rather than mental health treatment facilities. In fact the number of Americans who receive mental health care in prisons and county jails has surpassed the number of those who receive services in hospitals or clinics.

How would you like to experience life as an ongoing, creative, unfolding "work of art? For over 40 years, Hal has been providing programs, courses and life coaching for individuals, groups and organizations in the areas of personal transformation. Hal's Core Wisdom® programs (offered through Hal Isen & Associates) provide fundamental spiritual principles and practices that allow for the release of past limiting conditioning, fears, behaviors, and beliefs, and the discovery and recovery of one's ability to respond naturally and creatively to each moment from one's true nature... Read more>

]]> http://nursetalksite.com/2012/03/28/coming-up-on-nurse-talk-this-week-shoulders-expectations-mental-health-more/

Data from the nurses health study shows women who used this treatment reduced their heart disease rates by almost half. Find out what it is!

Resources and information a range of common conditions, http://www.myfavouritemedicine.com

A Doctor-Professor answers… Read more

I have been a little confused today. I talked to another friend of mine who also was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s the same time as me. She is on medications, I am not. We discussed this terrible disease and what it is taking from us.

I told… Read more

Posted on YouTube by Debbie Day, she says, “This is a song I wrote for a church talent show. My roommate and I got to perform it at our college’s “guitars unplugged” performance. It was lots of fun! By the way, we really are registered nurses. Please, tell me what ya… Read more

The world we live in is full of wondrous medical gadgets, like stethoscopes, thermometers, and pace makers. Ever wonder how these devices came to be? Join us Fridays as we explore the fascinating world of medical innovations and their history.

I’d like to say that I learned CPR so I… Read more

Nurse Talk thanks One Nurse at a Time for sharing this video and Partners in Health for the community-based humanitarian health care they are providing worldwide. Health care is a human right.

A young, dangerously emaciated girl, Pulane, in Lesotho is examined and treated at a specialized TB facility, in an attempt to reverse her life threatening condition(s).

Please enjoy this Best of...as Casey and Dan, the nurses usually on duty, celebrate spring break in Mexico with all the college students! Not really, but we thought it was a good visual. Join us next week for all new shows!

On the Show This Week

Nurses keep up the fight for RN to patient ratios...and we should all be very glad they do! We check in with our friends in Massachusetts who are working on safe staffing legislation. Casey and Dan visit with RN and president of the Massachusetts Nurses Association, Donna Kelly Williams.

Donna discusses how critically important nurse staffing legislation has become especially with the increase of for-profit hospitals. It’s “deplorable and patients are at greater risk every single day,” says Williams. “When for profits are looking to increase profits they look for cuts in front line nurses at bedside...It doesn’t make sense for anyone with any sense of morality at all.” Based on scientific studies, the MNA advocates for a ratio 4-5 patients per nurse on medical surgical units. Donna also talks about the MNA’s endorsement of U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren, who supports safe staffing ratios on a national level.

I love to have my old hands massaged. Missy was giving me a bath this morning. She always massages wonderful smelling lotion on me after my bath. On days that she feels ok, she massages my hands for a long time with the lotion. It feels so good.… Read more

[Editor's note: This article is part of the series, The Tales of a Stroke Patient. You can access the other articles here.]

The 27-year-old analysis, including 28 studies of more than 300,000 people,

… Read more

The UAB ER rap was concepted and created by ER nurses for a National Nurses’ Week contest and celebration. UAB nurses and other staff members are featured in the video.

David Goldhill, a media and technology executive is the author of the Atlantic article, “How American Health Care Killed My Father.” Listen to his story. He asks, “Aren’t we also likely to get worse care in any system where providers are more accountable to insurance companies and government agencies than to us?”

Read the whole article at: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/09/how-american-health-care-killed-my-father/7617/

In my day we didn’t spend a lot of money on medications to cure depression. We didn’t have Zoloft or Paxil. If we complained my mom pushed us outside and told us to get back on the horse. What she meant was, get over it. Never did find that damn horse.… Read more

Inside the Dementia Epidemic: A Daughter’s Memoir, is a book by Martha Stettinius of  Syracuse, NY, an editor with a master’s in English Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, she  love’s  language and  she plans to self-publish this important memoir and call to action. She needs financial help to get… Read more

RN Greg Mercer of Arlington, MA has called for a boycott on the State of Arizona in response to the Amanda Trujillo case. He is collecting signatures on change.org, here is the what they say:

BOYCOTT ARIZONA FOR NURSES AND PATIENTS

After multiple invitations to… Read more

Kelly Cassidy pictured with her 3 sons. WHO IS KELLY CASSIDY? She gets this weeks Golden Bed Pan Award. So what charitable act or cause has she engaged in? Hmmm. Who is Kelly Cassidy? Find out.

Welcome to Nurse Talk, where laughter is the best medicine. Dan is on the Island of Bursitis this week so our resident funny lady Lynn Ruth Miller sits in for him. Given our discussion about some pretty serious topics, Lynn Ruth finds a way to bring her compassion and humor to the table.

AND she's back. Our friend and D.C. correspondent Donna Smith is with us. No one can articulate the D.C. health care news like Donna. She makes sense where there is no sense to be had. Ever wonder when you might hear about single payer health care again---good , bad or indifferent? How about Social Security and Medicare? Education? Listen this week for an update.

Later we talk with Canadian Musician Singer/Songwriter Brian Asselin. When a family member of Brian’s was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s—Brian wanted to make a contribution to help others going through the same thing. He did what he knows best---wrote a song to pay tribute. Listen to I Will Remind You.

We live in a world of constant pressure and stress, which seems to be getting more challenging all the time. Especially in healthcare, organizations are forced to do more with less, putting pressure on the staff to exceed the superhuman pace that they are currently working at. Nurses are especially vulnerable… Read more

As nurses, you are certainly aware that stress is one of the major medical problems of our times. Studies show that nurses are the single sickest group of workers in the workforce. Ouch! This is appalling. When I worked nights in the PCU, I noticed that there were many more obese nurses working… Read more

Walkout to Target Bay Area Sutter Hospitals, Long Beach Memorial
Nurses Cite Patient Care Issues, Cuts in Healthcare Coverage

Nurses are poised to hold a one-day strike at California’s second largest private hospital, and one of its most profitable corporate hospital chain December 22.

The strike will affect 2,000 RNs at Long… Read more

Separated at birth? Nancy Reagan and our resident funny lady Lynn Ruth Miller pictured with the legendary Mr. T as Santa.

We wish you a warm and peaceful holiday with loved ones and friends (and maybe a cruise if you were good).

We can't thank you enough for your support of Nurse Talk. We've had all kinds of fun and visited with some amazing people. We covered the Madison, Wisconsin rallies, talked with nurses while they marched on Wall Street, Main Street and every street in between.

ON THE SHOW this week, Dan got run over by a reindeer, so we are airing last week's wildly popular show again. Who says there are no second chances? Listen to RN Jean Ross, co-president of National Nurses United, The Yoga Nurse, The Teen Doctor and our research on under-the-radar nurse behavior. Read more about this show and look for all new shows in the new year...and a great line-up of topics and guests. Read more...]]> http://nursetalksite.com/2011/12/15/from-our-house-to-yours-happy-holidays-from-nurse-talk/

‘Twas the night before Christmas and the nurse is at work

Many a creature is stirring, including a jerk.

All the IV’s are hung by their poles with care

In hopes that 7am would soon be there.

The patients are snuggled all safe in their beds

While drug induced dreams… Read more

I had the awesome privilege of being able to speak to an Associate RN class on my experience with nursing, burn out, self-care and Reiki the other day. As I stood in front of the class and reflected on my 21 years of experience it struck me… Read more

From our friends at the Massachusetts Nurses Association:

Our  allies at Massachusetts Jobs With Justice are taking nominations for  their annual “Scrooge of the Year” competition, an effort to shine a  light on those policymakers, institutions or corporations that have  undermined the interests of working people in our state and the nation.   OK,… Read more

Our Facebook friends, Compassion for the Elderly shared one of their friends with us. Her name is Barbara Taylor Vaughan. She is 89 and in the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s. She started a Facebook page to help chronicle her illness and put a face on Alzheimer’s.… Read more

The Show is jam-packed this week. There is something for everyone, so make time to join us!

A segment every nurse needs, brought to you in partnership with Nurse Together.com, Annette Tersigni RN, The Yoga Nurse, and founder of Yoga Nursing. Nurses are often the last to realize the toll stress is taking on them and to take the time to do something about it. She has some great ideas on how the restorative principles of yoga can empower you to continue serving as the nurse hero that you are.

We'll talk with RN Jean Ross, co-president of National Nurses United. Jean is a frequent guest on Nurse Talk and she updates us on recent U.S. rallies organized by nurses to support nurse counterparts in Great Britain.

IT’S THE HOLIDAYS! Calling all parents of teens! You won’t want to miss our visit with Dr. Barbara Greenberg, a clinical psychologist who specializes in the treatment of teens and families. She writes a regular column, The Teen Doctor, in Psychology Today. Her recent article focuses on why teens can be so competitive during the holidays. She has some good ideas about what to do when you are about to cancel Christmas. ]]> http://nursetalksite.com/2011/12/08/rally-britain-learning-to-speak-teen-nurse-behavior-revealed-yoga-nurse-heals/

Nurses are the backbone of any successful healthcare facility and are prone to crippling stress. Stress related chronic anxiety is now the major medical complaint of our times. Stress is a killer, literally. Constant thinking, planning, worrying, wanting, and doing is literally burning our brain cells, releasing toxic hormones into the blood stream, causing harmful… Read more

I recently bit the bullet and started text messaging. It’s not like face time and it ain’t Hallmark, but it has its advantages. It was an added bonus to discover that a career’s worth of nurses’ notes was the ultimate preparation for a would-be texter.

I avoided texting… Read more

Nursing is hard emotional, physical, and spiritual work—it is also very rewarding and satisfying. Tension and turmoil come with the territory of being a nurse. Are your feelings of frustration simple stress or something more serious? Decide for yourself: is it stress, burnout, or compassion fatigue?

Stress—Life’s Storms
Stress is a… Read more

Occupational violence is not a new concern here in the nursing world but it is getting worse. The dept. of labors 2011 report states that being a nurse in the ER or in the mental health unit or community is ranked top highest job for violence. A nurse in the… Read more

More than three million embattled British nurses and other public employees were on strike (11/30/2011) to protest attacks by the British government on pensions and retirement security.

Like their U.S. counterparts, British officials want to slash public worker pensions to cut public deficits — even though, like Social Security in the… Read more

With up to two million British workers expected to join the biggest strike in the United Kingdom in a generation, the National Nurses United announced that it will hold support rallies for British nurses and other workers in six U.S. cities on Wednesday, Nov. 30.

National Nurses United has created… Read more

How many nurses have been patients a time or two? What do you recall from your experience in the hospital? Well RN and author Bobbi McCarthy is a contributing writer on the Nurse Talk blog and has written a great article called Through the Eyes of a Patient | What Will Your Patients Remember? It’s a great story and reminds us what it is like to be a patient.

And, check it out...as a nurse do you ever shy away from researching new medical information? It’s a time issue and a lot of nurses “run for the hills” from diving in to the medical journals—including our Nurse Talk hosts. Well, maybe those days are over. Dan and Casey visit with entrepreneurial RN, Stephanie Modri. Stephanie has just introduced a new medical research app called Precision RN.

Our friend RN Deborah Burger updates us on all things "Occupy," progress on the financial transaction tax, the invisible SUPER COMMITTEE AND MORE…]]> http://nursetalksite.com/2011/11/29/coming-up-on-nurse-talk-this-week-dan-raps-casey-snacks-rn-deborah-burger-rocks-research-ready-bobbis-blog-cabin/

From our friends at National Nurses United:

With up to two million British workers expected to join the biggest strike in the United Kingdom in a generation Wednesday, Nov. 30, the largest union of registered nurses in the U.S.… Read more

Most of the time, nurses are also employees. We go to work, and we leave work. While we are at our workplace, we practice nursing. Does that mean that I am only a nurse when I am on the clock and cease being a nurse when I am not at… Read more

When I graduated nursing school wayyyyyy back in 1991, I was hired immediately by the hospital I currently work for. I began my nursing career on a med-surg floor working the day shift alongside the nurse who was chosen to be my preceptor, Laverne… Read more

Republished from National Nurses United’s Blog
By Rose Ann DeMoro
November 10, 2011

Amidst the scourge of inequality sweeping the world, marked by continued profits, pay-outs and record levels of cash hoarding — the spoils of the 1% — one group has come forward with a remedy,… Read more

AND NOW—drum roll please—it’s time for a new feature on Nurse Talk! Out with the old and in with the new—-it’s time for THE GOLDEN BEDPAN AWARD! That’s right—EACH WEEK OUR GOLDEN BEDBAN AWARD GOES TO A DESERVING PERSON OR ORGANIZATION THAT HAS SOMEHOW PUT THEMSELVES IN THE NEWS OR OTHERWISE COME TO LIGHT FOR… Read more

We are thankful for...the smell of rain in the desert. Vicks VapoRub. Waking up to find a snowy morning. Supportive shoes. Belly laughs. A trail to follow. Authenticity. Relationships that get better with time. Chocolate in any form! A starry, starry night. Crickets. Random kindness from a stranger. Love. Coffee. Movie trailers. The distant sound of a train passing by. Scrubs with a lot of pockets. Friends, listeners and sponsors who make this show happen.

All of us here at Nurse Talk wish you and your loved ones many reasons to be thankful this holiday season. Casey and Dan are off to grandmother's house this week, so we are playing a Best of Nurse Talk to inspire and delight this weekend.

Lynn Ruth Miller stops by and shares home remedies we do not recommend to anyone. We get the lowdown on retaliation against nurses at Washington Medical Center from RNs Raj Rajini and Peggy Dinkel. Then, Greg Allen tells us all about how to travel the world while you work doing travel nursing. ]]> http://nursetalksite.com/2011/11/23/we-are-thankful-for-and-coming-up-on-nurse-talk-nov-26-27-2011/

Living in Tennessee as I do, I hear a lot of country music.  It occurred to me recently that no one has ever written a hit country song about nurses.  I trolled the internet to confirm my suspicion, and it seems to be true.  I think this is an egregious omission.

Nursing as… Read more

A nurse rolls her eyes at a co-worker as she picks up the assignment sheet that was created by a younger charge nurse. An ICU nurse pretends not to see her co-worker is drowning and ignores her request for help saying she is ‘too busy’. A newly hired RN who was previously a… Read more

Oh dear it is almost Thanksgiving! We at Nurse Talk wish all of you a wonderful holiday with family and friends---and DO remember---laughter is the best medicine! Yes of course we all love our families---but---we know too much about each other and that can lead to---well---o.k. fill in the blank. We say that with love and affection.

Massachusetts RN Karen Higgins joins us. Karen is a good friend of ours and she always takes time out of her busy schedule to talk with us. Karen weighed in on the Financial Transaction Tax, a.k.a. the Robin Hood tax that nurses and others all around the world asked the G-20 leaders to adopt.

And we’ll talk with the author of Critically ILL: A 5-Point Plan to Cure Healthcare Delivery. Dr. Frederick Southwick, author, teacher, respected researcher and decades-long medical practitioner, is an advocate for change to our country’s current healthcare practices, which cause thousands of hospital deaths and complications each year.

How many of us nurses have been patients a time or two?  What do you recall from your experience in the hospital?

I have been a patient only a handful of times in my life~ thank you Jesus!  I have had 2 children that were delivered in the hospital…one experience,… Read more

Walk into any nursing home today, and you’ll see them: The aging lonely. They are easily recognizable. Look for the sadness on their faces, the pain in their eyes. With a television on for company, these men and women sit alone in their rooms. Their shelves are bare,

… Read more

Nurses led the fight at last week's G20 Summit protests in Cannes, France at several events and at simultaneous rallies in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Los Angeles, garnering national and international press coverage. According to The Nation's John Nichols, "The nurses aren't just making noise. It looks like they're changing the debate, altering the policies of the most powerful players in Washington--and perhaps the world."

See the 3-minute video where nurses aid an ailing World Economy with the FTT.

On with the show. When the cats are away...the best of Nurse Talk must play!

Coming up this week Casey and Dan visit with Texas RN Monica Sanchez about the union vote that recently occurred in Texas and made history as the first of its kind.

If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.
-George Washington

At a recent legislative meeting, as I was physically encouraged to stop speaking and leave the premises.  I have been an outspoken and passionate patient… Read more

I had two pieces of furniture delivered yesterday:  a really nice lingerie chest and a basic nightstand.  They joined two pretty little tile stands that I bought for bedside use a few weeks ago.

I did not buy the basic nightstand to use at the bedside; I bought it to put under my internet… Read more

Note: Registered Nurses Linda Hamilton, Bernadine Engeldorf and Jean Ross wrote this column for the “Labor Voices” featured in the October 2011 edition of The St. Paul Union Advocate. It also appears on the blog at www.nationalnursesunited.org.

From Madison to Wall Street, from St. Paul… Read more

Apparently I always wanted to be a nurse.

I got home from work last night and on my counter was a book, “All About Me,” my mother had sent in the mail. It was one of those kindergarden through 12th grade books (including pictures and comments!) about friends and aspirations, grades and boyfriends.

My… Read more

Heal the world economy!

John F. Kennedy said, “One person can make a difference and every person should try.”

National Nurses United is making it easier with a mobile app called Payback.  It provides information about vital political issues for nurses such as the Main Street Contract and Occupy Wall Street. Plus tells you how to support nurses fighting to keep patients… Read more

I think we made a mistake. You know how sometimes when you gain a few extra pounds you feel like you have to let the seams out of your clothes? Well, this week on Nurse Talk we had so many topics we wanted to share we got a little carried away and packed the show to the point of bursting our time clock!

We visited with two of our friends from CNA/NNU (California Nurses Association, National Nurses United) RN/Communications Specialist Liz Jacobs, and Colette Washington, On-Line Communication Specialist. Colette shared about a new mobile app that NNU has created that makes it possible to be involved in shaping national and international policy and politics without leaving the comfort of your own home. Check it out by texting the word "payback" to 53000 from your mobile phone.

AND Casey and Dan talk with author and EMT Kim Kircher. Kim has written a book called The Next 15 Minutes: Strength From the Top of the Mountain. When she wasn’t rescuing wounded skiers as a member of the ski patrol or bombing snow-congested mountainsides to control avalanches, she and her husband, John, were proving to the world that a full life was possible in spite of each living with an autoimmune disorder. Kim shares her inspiring story with us.

Are you ready for Thursday? That’s when nurses and other community activists are going to press President Obama and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner for a meaningful financial transaction tax. Nurses from four continents, including a delegation from NNU, will be at the opening of the G-20 summit in France to demonstrate… Read more

If you haven’t seen that little musical that took us all by storm a few years ago–Menopause The Musical–here’s your chance to see it in concert.

I’m telling you it is so much fun and some of us at Nurse Talk have seen it –well too many times to count. It’s… Read more

In this photo, a National Nurses United volunteer nurse provides first aid to a protester at Occupy LA, one of several stations set up at protests around the nation.

Casey and Dan check in with our friend and NNU Legislative Organizer Donna Smith. They talk with Donna about the Occupy movement, the nurses' participation, the upcoming Day Of Action on November 3rd, the G-20 Summit and the nurses demands for a Wall Street Transaction Tax and continuing movement on the state by state single payer healthcare efforts.

RN Maria Fehlig, a Las Vegas nurse calls in and gives us an on-location report from NYC Occupy. By the way...she says she sees no "hippies" there and in fact a lot of people don't even know what a "hippie" is. Very interesting times we are living in. Spoken like a true "old person!"

Then we chat with Judy Farrell the Assistant Director of Enrollment for University of San Francisco's Master's in Nursing Clinical Nurse Leader program. With Judy is RN Kristina Smith who is a manager of the ICU Unit at Santa Rosa, Calif. Kaiser Hospital and a student in the USF Master's program.

Don't miss the special discount for nurses for Menopause the Musical in Concert! Code "SG" or "Super" for Santa Cruz.

NNU Midwest Director and RN Jan Rodolfo appeared on Keith Olbermann’s show on Monday, October 24 to talk about the Occupy Chicago arrests on Sunday. If you missed it, here’s the clip.

And here’s a powerful video that shows nurses getting arrested early Sunday morning. At the 3:40-minute mark, you see the nurses… Read more

I lost my keys the other day. Most boomers would chalk it up to a senior moment and move on. Most boomers are not nurses. Nurses can be weird about keys. It was the beginning of a compressed, forty-eight hour, Kubler-Ross, Five-stage experience.

Denial
The keys were not lost at all, I reasoned—they… Read more

When Shelli was a new scrub nurse with only six months experience, she failed to anticipate that the surgeon would need a particular scalpel. Immediately, her preceptor deftly slapped the correct blade into the impatient surgeon’s outstretched hand with a glare in Shelli’s direction. The surgeon said nothing, but a look of disappointment briefly… Read more

NNU’s co-president Jean Ross talks about our first aid tents at Occupy actions and the need for a financial transaction tax.

New aid stations have been set up on San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington DC. You can volunteer to help.

This week on the show...we rewind. Hey you know you don't listen every week (but you wish you could) so here's your chance to catch something you might have missed. Enjoy our show.

Casey and Dan talk with a delightful woman named Judith Stark Frost. Judith was a second grade school teacher for 30 years. She loved teaching her kids how to read but even more than that she loved the humorous things they said. She wrote a very funny book called Priceless Proverbs From the Tongue of the Young. How about these: “A penny saved is…not much” and “He who marries for money…better be nice to his wife.” We all know how funny kids can be without even knowing it!

And later in the show RN Rita Batchley talks about her career as a labor and delivery nurse in a southern California public sector hospital. Rita has written an inspirational book for all nurses called Labor Pains, about authentic power and finding your true purpose. A very interesting perspective on connecting with your “inner nurse,” health care reform and social change.

How many legacies are you creating today?

You need to know this as a nurse: you’re not treating one patient at one particular moment in time. You’re leaving a legacy. Your actions are woven into the patient’s lifelong health tapestry.

As a lifelong patient, trust me on this one. Forty years of close care… Read more

The Vermont legislature has pioneered a bill creating a path for a universal, publicly funded healthcare system. James Haslam from the Vermont Workers’ Center is coming to California to share their story and inspire Californians to do the same. Donna Smith, featured in the movie “Sicko”, is a community… Read more

You could say that Ol’ Arthur beats my butt, or that I have a hitch in my git-along. In short, my back hurts.

Since the lifetime prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries among nurses is as high as 80%, I am guessing you are sympathetic, but not impressed. Your back probably hurts… Read more

This week on Nurse Talk Casey and Dan talk to RN Jill Furillo. Jill spent several days last week with Occupy Wall Street and will give us a firsthand account of her experience and what the Occupy movement is all about. To learn about how and why nurses are taking action listen to this show and go to www.nursetalksite.com/Nov3. In the carefully chosen words of Vice President Joe Biden, "In the minds of the vast majority of the American – the middle class is being screwed.”

And author and sex addiction therapist George N. Collins is with us. What we think we know about sex addiction is ...well...not particularly helpful or accurate. Mr. Collins has written a book, Breaking the Cycle, Free Yourself from Sex Addiction, Porn Obsession, and Shame and developed some techniques to help turn the energy of negative compulsions into positive life changes.