We’re really going for a dramedy…. You have extremes in a hospital. You have life and death. The quirkiest, funniest things happen in hospitals. I never really thought of that. The stories that these (real-life) nurses were telling me — just things that you would never imagine that happen. And it’s something we even want to explore more…. We really tried hard and continue to do so in making this a place where you laugh and cry.

Could HawthoRNe prove to be the ‘dutiful older sister’ to ‘wild child’ Nurse Jackie? Hear real life nurses voice their opinions about HawthoRNe and Nurse Jackie here.  Scrubsmag.com also hosts an exclusive interview with Jada Pinkett Smith’s mother – a real life veteran nurse – about her daughter, Jada, the nursing profession, and Jada’s new show.

HOW TO NOMINATE

Nominating someone is easy – you can now electronically send in a nomination using the ICA’s online form.

If you’ve never nominated a nurse for this award before, Cherokee has you covered.  Read through these helpful tips on how to write a winning nomination.

BENEFITS OF NOMINATING

Be sure to tell all your colleagues to nominate a nurse – your professional association, school of nursing or employer may be eligible to win a grant based on the number of nominations Cherokee Uniforms receives.

Winners of the Cherokee Inspired Comfort Awards as well as nominators of the winners receive prizes ranging from an all-expense-paid Caribbean cruise for two and up to a $1,000 worth of Cherokee uniforms and footwear.

And the last benefit of nominating: knowing that an outstanding nurse has the chance to be recognized for all she or he does everyday to help others.

“While we expected an increase in employment, we were surprised by the magnitude and by the shift from non-hospital settings into the hospitals,” says study co-author Peter Buerhaus, a professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. “This surge in employment will ease, if not end, the hospital nursing shortage.” (Nashville Business Journal)

According to the same study, however, the real problem looms ahead. Nurses aged 50 and over – soon to be the largest group in the nursing profession – will inevitably create a huge vacuum upon retirement.

To read more about nurses and the nursing profession visit scrubsmag.com.

“Change of Shift” is a Blog Carnival started by popular nurse blogger, Emergiblog.  She writes:

““Change of Shift” is intended to be a blog about nurses and for nurses, but all are welcome to submit! This includes nursing students of all ages and in all stages of their programs!”

For more details on rules and how to submit, visit the “Change of Shift” main page.

This month’s edition at florencedotcom (named so because she “channels Florence Nightingale”) features blog posts from nurses about Nurse Jackie, the new Showtime series; a patient’s nightmare experience with e-health; why nurses should consider being health coaches and much more from Nurse Ratched’s Place, Emergiblog, The Man-Nurse Diaries and others.

If you enjoy reading stories for and about nurses, you may also want to check out scrubsmag.com – the new lifestyle magazine written by nurses and their most ardent fans.

“…In the end her symptoms, and the numbers, said it all, so she went back to intensive care, still gasping for air, her mouth open and tense under the mask. Breathing took so much effort that the muscles of her neck were drawn in deeply, like gills….” (NYT)

Ex-English professor/oncology nurse, Theresa Brown tells her fish out of water story in the New York Times’ article, “Basic and Vital: A Struggle to Breathe.”

In the article, Brown reflects on her decision to leave academia for the more meaningful work of nursing and tells a compelling story about the challenges of being a first time nurse and the stuff that stays with you when you lose a patient.

“I almost fell out of my chair when I saw ‘Nurse Jackie.’ What are my patients going to think when they see that [show]?” said Barbara Crane, president of the National Federation of Nurses. (NY Daily News)

The New York State Nurses Association this week requested that Showtime add a disclaimer to the end of its new show, Nurse Jackie in hopes of protecting the image of real life nurses.  According to The New York Daily News,  NYSNA Chief Executive Officer Tina Gerardi’s letter to Showtime stated:

“It is our responsibility as the state nurses’ association to speak out on behalf of our profession, which often is misunderstood and marginalized by the media.”

Showtime has denied the request on the grounds that the show is clearly intended for entertainment and not meant to be a documentary about nurses.  The star of the show, Edie Falco states that Nurse Jackie is not about nurses but rather, about a nurse.

Find out what nurses are saying about Nurse Jackie and TNT’s upcoming show starring Jada Pinkett Smith, HawthoRNe at scrubsmag.com.

The cafeteria at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vermont, relies heavily on seasonal, organic produce grown by local farmers. It serves entrees such as veggie paninis (made of roasted garlic hummus, spinach, tomatoes, roasted red onion and balsamic drizzle) and whole wheat flatbreads topped with roasted vegetables and basil pesto. The cafeteria attracts more than hospital visitors and employees; it has morphed into a destination spot for the downtown lunch crowd.

Three years ago, Fletcher Allen Health Care started using mostly local ingredients, such as grass-fed beef and lamb, artisan cheeses, mesclun and butter lettuce. (CNN)

This concept of connecting healthy practice with healthy preaching has begun to spread to hospitals in New York, California, and Tennessee for the benefit of patients as well as hospital employees.

Overweight nurses may find it difficult to commit to building new, healthier eating habits with busy and often irregular schedules.  Hopefully more nurses will be able to enjoy the convenience of having locally grown produce available at their workplace.  For more information on healthy living and (secret?) weight loss tips for nurses, visit the Health section at scrubsmag.com.

No matter how funny, how dramatic or how well written “Nurse Jackie” is, you are doing nothing to advance or promote the nursing profession. But then I guess the goal is ratings and nothing defines a “hit” like sex and drugs. (Emergiblog)

Nurse Jackie faces stiff competition this summer from two other nurse shows – Mercy on NBC and HawthoRNe, starring Jada Pinkett Smith which premieres June 16th on TNT.  To find out what other nurses are saying about Nurse Jackie, visit scrubsmag.com.

“I would rather have plastic surgery than a free car,” said Ms. Kalivodova, who opted for cosmetic breast surgery that would normally cost €2,600, or about $3,500, as well as liposuction on her thighs and stomach. These were physical enhancements, she said, that she could not afford on her €1,000 a month salary.

“I feel better when I look in the mirror,” she added. “We were always taught that if a nurse is nice, intelligent, loves her work and looks attractive, then patients will recover faster.” (NYT)

Offering the plastic surgery incentive,  according to the managing director of the private surgery clinic where Kalivodova is a surgical nurse, is less expensive than raising salaries.  Other perks in Kalivodova’s contract include free German lessons and a five weeks paid vacation.