Hello, Nurses!

Today kicks off National Infant Immunization Week, and as much as pediatric nurses hate making babies cry, we know it’s worth the protection they’ll get! Infants start the vaccine rounds at two months old, but they actually get one within 24 hours of birth—can you guess which one that is? See if you’re right here.

Today's Top Beats

🎬 From Bedside to Film Set
⚠️ Are CT Scans Actually Safe?

👚 Retro PACU Shirt

Stay Spectacular!

Abby McCoy

Managing Editor

HANDOFF

From Bedside to Film Set

After appearing in shows like She-Hulk and The Resident, Eden Lee is now starring alongside Robert De Niro in Netflix’s Zero Day, in which she plays an FBI agent. Despite this success, Lee has no plans to quit her “day job”—as a part-time ER nurse at Atrium Health Union in Monroe, NC. She says both jobs require empathy and compassion, and she’s had to put on her nursing scrubs in her acting work, both to play as a nurse and to help an injured coworker on set.

Two Hearts Save Three Lives

Ten-year-old Hend desperately needed a heart transplant, while Teddy and John (unrelated) needed new heart valves. In a first-of-its-kind New York procedure, surgeons from New York Presbyterian were able to save all three children’s lives at once. They transplanted a donor heart into Hend, and then transplanted functional heart valves from Hend’s non-working heart into Teddy and John. Meanwhile, surgeons at National Taiwan University Hospital have achieved another heart transplant first—one in which the donor organ continues beating throughout the entire process.

Are CT Scans Actually Safe?

Despite being vital for diagnosing serious conditions, CT scans do increase cancer risk, perhaps more so than previously thought. Using statistical modeling, researchers found that some 5% of all cancer cases could result from CT scans. However, experts like the American College of Radiology note that the projections are not based on actual patient outcomes, and no published studies directly link CT scans to cancer. The study authors urge reducing low-value scans and optimizing radiation levels, as doses can vary widely between facilities.

TODAY'S TOP VITAL

40%

The percentage of RNs who plan to quit nursing within the next five years. Find out how many have left since 2022.

NURSE ON-CALL

THAT REMOTE LIFE WITH NURSE FERN

What is Utilization Review and Management?

At Nurse Fern, we group jobs into two categories: Introverted (minimal phone time) and extroverted (lots of phone time/patient contact). And UR/UM nursing is usually an introverted role.

UR and UM nurses evaluate whether medical services are appropriate for a patient’s condition or situation using standardized criteria. While utilization review and utilization management appear similar, they happen at different points in the care timeline.

Utilization management typically deals with the beginning and active stages of the care journey.
Utilization review takes place retrospectively after services have been provided.

Due to its lack of phone time, critical thinking needs, and applying a set of known rules to a clinical scenario, nurses are very interested in pursuing this role. It’s also a role you can break into with your bedside experience. Get more info here!