Thursday | April 20, 2023

Healthcare starts with you. This is your beat.

Hey-O Nursing Beat Friends!

I’m back with another questionable ancient medical practice for your Thursday. 

Tuesday’s One Big Number told you about people who get paid to poop so their stools can help treat others with infections like C. diff. Well, did you know that in ancient times animal poop was used by the Egyptians to cure just about anything? Ancient papyrus texts recorded the use of dog, gazelle, donkey, and even fly poop and their ability to heal illnesses and injuries and ward off evil spirits. Unfortunately, while the poop purportedly healed, it also caused a lot of secondary infections like tetanus. However, we can’t fault the ancient Egyptian physicians entirely because research has shown that there are antibiotic components in animal poop which may have been the unknown variable for the treatment’s success and why the poop was so frequently used. 

Ancient Egypt has always been one of my favorite historical periods to study, and for a long time, I wanted to be an Egyptologist instead of a nurse. After the reminder of the animal poop remedies, I’m glad I’m a practicing nurse in this day and age and not one in the time of the pharaohs. 💩

Big love and even better health,

Kel M.

Managing Editor of TNB

TODAY ON TNB'S BLOG 💬

MORNING BRIEF 🍳 ☕️

University of Alabama Sued for Neglecting Overtime Pay

Nurses at the University of Alabama Birmingham worked more than 40 hours a week without receiving overtime pay, according to a class action suit filed in early February. Danielle Larkin, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, CHPN, and Mia Neustein, MSN, RN, WHNP, two nurses working in the university’s gynecology and oncology unit from 2018-2020, filed suit for themselves and on behalf of their colleagues alleging that the university violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by not paying overtime and not paying nurses for “off-the-clock” work. 

The lawsuit alleges more than just withholding pay, however. The nurses also allege that nurses were frequently required to work during their breaks and were scheduled for extra shifts every two to three weeks. Further, because of high turnover that brought in inexperienced staff, the more experienced nurses at the hospital had to work longer hours and manage a higher workload overall, reports Becker’s Hospital Review.

Nurses Saved Two Lives in Their Communities with CPR

Nurses have made headlines twice recently for saving someone’s life off the clock. Ericka Huseth, a licensed practical nurse at the Essentia Health-Lisbon Clinic in Lisbon, North Dakota, was attending church with her two children when she heard a disturbance at the back of the church. An older man lay unresponsive on the ground with no pulse after a heart attack. Huseth immediately began CPR on the man, who regained consciousness and a steady pulse before being taken to the hospital by EMS, her employer reported.  

In the other incident, CBS Pittsburgh reported that North Carolina nurse Madison Johnston was leaving a burger joint in North Fayette, Pennsylvania when she heard people calling for a doctor or nurse. A woman was choking, and though several people tried to help, it was Johnston, who “swooped in like the Burgatory Batman,” who began chest compressions and brought the woman’s color back.

Nurses Rally for Patient Safety Concerns in North Carolina

Long patient wait times, broken hospital equipment, and unsafe staffing levels are among the problems at a North Carolina hospital that have led nurses to push for improvements. Supported by the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United, nurses held a rally yesterday at Mission Hospital in Asheville to draw attention to their concerns for patient safety and other unsafe working conditions, reported WHNS.

The hospital has denied violating the union’s contract, telling Becker’s Hospital Review that they continue to “assign RNs to provide safe, appropriate patient care.” On the other hand, the nurses allege that the hospital is sending nurses home even when patients are waiting more than 12 hours to receive care. “HCA is at it again with prioritizing profits over patient care,” Hannah Drummond, an RN in the hospital’s emergency department, told WHNS. “HCA doesn’t value our patients and the community we serve.”

COMMUNITY PICKS 🌼 

Need a new game for your next game night with your coworkers? Give Doctor Wars a try! You collect points by treating and curing your patients!

✏️ YOUR NEW THING STRATEGY powered by

I’ve Done a Lot in Nursing. How Do I Say That in an Interview?

Interviewing is tough, but when you share tangible examples of your impact, and keep it short and sweet, prospective employers notice. Here is what leaders are looking for in job candidates: 

• Specialties & Training: Name the specialties (ED, ICU, M/S) that you have worked in and training you have completed (such as nurse residency programs, rapid response, code team, trauma response, VAP accessing, preceptor, etc.)

• Job Stats: How many beds were in your unit and the facility, nurse-to-patient ratios, and the approximate number of patients served annually (this can be facility-wide or unit specific.)

• Leadership: Mention all leadership roles, including any preceptor and charge nurse roles, and how many people you managed.

• Money Earned or Saved: Emphasize projects that helped the unit earn or save money.

• Engagement: Include all committees, councils, task forces, or other work group participation, and include what you did as well as the results of your group’s work.

Ready for a new job? Use the Winning Nurse Resume & Cover Letter Templates to make 2023 your year! Join the conversation on IG or Facebook @newthingnurse and join nurses and nursing students focused on success!

DAILY DIVERSION 💊

If you find yourself in Chicago, don’t miss out on a visit to the International Museum of Surgical Science, the only museum in North America devoted to surgery. Among the fascinating exhibits highlighted on their website is Strips & Needles—A Day in the Life, about living with Type 1 diabetes. 

🤯 ONE BIG NUMBER

Thanks for reading! 🤓