HUDDLE
|
Good Morning, Readers! |
Did you know that January is National Blood Donor Month? Every two seconds, someone needs blood in the U.S.—the need for blood and blood product donations is constant.
Most of us have given a patient a blood transfusion at some point in our careers, so you’ve seen first-hand how important blood donation can be!
Donating is easy and quick. Check eligibility requirements here and find a blood drive near you. 🩸
|
Today's Top Beats |
🩺 Hawaii Nurses Strike
😷 Respiratory Illness Rates
👟 More Steps, Less Depression
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
HANDOFF |
Hawaii Nurses Plan Strikes |
Thousands of Hawaiian nurses have called for strikes in two different hospital systems. First, more than 19,000 nurses at Queen's Medical Center, the largest hospital system in Hawaii, announced plans for a 3-day strike, starting January 13, at the Queen’s Manamana
and Queen’s West locations. Their biggest concern: staffing ratios. Then, days later, the Hawaii Nurses’ Association announced a different 3-day strike at Wilcox Medical Center in Honolulu that will begin January 14—also largely to secure better staffing ratios.
|
|
|
Flu and Covid Rates Rising |
Right on schedule, flu and COVID activity is rising, the CDC reports. Respiratory viruses commonly spike after the holidays, when families have just spent a lot of time indoors together. The good: Vaccination can slow these rates substantially, and it’s not too late to get
vaccinated. The bad: Less than half of Americans planned to get flu or Covid vaccines this year. The ugly: The threat of a mutated bird flu makes vaccination more important than ever.
|
|
|
More Steps, Less Depression |
The science is clear that getting in at least 8,000 steps a day can significantly lower your risk of heart disease and early death. But it’s more than just your physical health that benefits from moving those feet—it’s also your emotional health. A recent meta-analysis of more than two dozen studies found that people getting at least 7,000 steps a day had a 30% lower risk of depression than those getting fewer than 7,000 a day.
|
|
|
TOGETHER WITH SUBWAY
|
|
Power Up Your 2025 Team Meetings |
Looking for an easy win with your team this year? Transform routine huddles into memorable moments with Subway catering. Whether you're planning a unit meeting or upcoming CE session, Subway’s platters and boxed lunches will keep your team engaged and energized.
Available with just four hours' notice and starting at just $7 per person (varies by location), it's your simplest resolution yet. When teams gather, good things happen. Plan your next team meeting with Subway catering.
|
|
|
TODAY'S TOP VITAL
|
91 |
The number of norovirus outbreaks reported in the first week of December, 32% increase over the previous week and a 40% increase over the same week from last year. Can you guess one of the worst hit states?
|
|
|
PRN
|
MYSTERY Dx MINUTE WITH NURSE KEL |
Mystery Diagnosis Minute |
Happy New Year everyone! I hope the start of 2025 has been full of the excitement that only a new year can bring. Did you know that January is Thyroid Awareness Month? Who knew that the little butterfly-shaped organ garnered its own awareness month! I guess it should come as no surprise that I’m going to focus our Mystery Diagnosis Minutes in January on thyroid diagnoses. Let’s get into it!
🦋 This disorder occurs after a pregnant person has delivered a baby, had a miscarriage, or had an abortion.
🦋 It’s characterized by the inflammation of the thyroid which, at first, causes the gland to excrete an excessive amount of thyroid hormone into the blood.
🦋 Patients can recover fully from this… or they can ultimately have irreversible thyroid damage that leads to an underactive thyroid for the remainder of their lives.
Think you know the answer? Click here to see if you’re right!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kelly McClure, MLS, BSN, RN, is a nursing school instructor for LPNs and
RNs at Ehove Career Center in northeast Ohio. She is also TNB’s resident trivia guru.
|
|
|
|
Did you miss our last newsletter? Click here.
|
|
|
|
|
Ways for Nurses to Achieve Work-Life Balance |
Discover why nurses need a healthy work-life balance and how to create harmony between your career and personal life.
|
|
|
|
|
BREAK ROOM |
What a Queen! |
Actress Ashley Tisdale recently opened up about having this surprising autoimmune disease. You’ll never guess what she has. We love an open and honest queen!
|
|
|
DISCHARGE INSTRUCTIONS
|
|
|
Share your unique link below 👇 via text, email, or snail mail and share it with your besties! The more friends you refer, the more swag you earn!
|
|
|
