HUDDLE
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Hey-O Nursing Beat Friends! |
It’s time for Trivia Tuesday! This one is for our OR nurses and surgical techs!
🏥 Which number scalpel blade is the most commonly used in surgery? (Hint: Surgeons hold it like a violin bow so it gives a straight cut.)
Think you know the answer? Check to see if you’re right, here!
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Today's Top Beats |
💉 From Arrowhead to Clinicals
🩺 Shortage Solution
💰 Student Loan Help
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Photo by Harry How | Getty Images
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HANDOFF
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From Arrowhead Stadium to Clinicals |
Playing for an NFL team that made it to the Divisional Round is an accomplishment in itself. But Kansas City Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire is headed for an even bigger achievement: graduating nursing school. It’s not easy juggling an NFL career with prep for a nursing career, but he takes inspiration from his mom, a nurse, and his sister, who was born with muscular dystrophy. In discussing his career trajectory, Edwards-Helaire also credited his fiancée for supporting him.
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Taking It To the Streets |
It’s tough to stay healthy when all your energy goes toward finding a meal and a warm place to sleep each night. So, faculty and students at the University of California Davis School of Nursing head out each week to treat the ailments of unhoused individuals and other vulnerable community members while teaching them how to care for themselves in
difficult circumstances. The new Integrative Nurse-Led Mobile Clinic project also helps students learn to promote health equity.
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Shortage Solution: High School Students |
What’s one way to address the shortage of healthcare workers? Get them interested while they’re young — in high school. That’s the approach of a new initiative from Bloomberg Philanthropies that will create new urban high schools to graduate students straight into high-demand healthcare jobs with wages that can support a family. The first-of-its-kind program will launch in ten cities and serve nearly 6,000 students combined.
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TODAY'S TOP VITAL
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17.5 |
The average lifespan of an unhoused (homeless) person is 17.5 years shorter than the general population, largely due to untreated chronic illness and exposure.
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PRN
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TECH TUESDAY WITH NURSE MANNY
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Explaining Xplaned |
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In perusing the interwebs recently, I came across a new AI tool called Xplained. It’s designed to explain topics quickly by harnessing web search results and is presumably less likely to hallucinate and provide a source. This could be a handy bedside resource for quickly catching up on unfamiliar concepts or brushing up on knowledge.
Say you have a patient diagnosed with a condition you haven’t encountered before. You could query Xplained for a simplified explanation of that diagnosis, giving you some basic background. This could be useful whether you’re a new grad still learning the ropes or an experienced nurse who simply needs a refresher.
While Xplained seems great for quickly grasping basics, it’s just another tool we can use. I’m not suggesting you utilize it in place of hospital protocols, procedures, or your clinical judgment. I think you’ll find it helpful for conveniently supplementing your knowledge. Give Xplained a try next time you need a quick intro on an unfamiliar topic!
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Nurse Manny is passionate about leveraging health tech for better patient care.
Want him to review your tech? Email him!
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PRN
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FINANCIAL VITALS WITH NURSEMONEYDATE™
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Real Talk on Student Loans
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Need help with your path to student debt freedom? Let's break down this student loan maze, nurse style:
Know Your Debt Like Your Meds
Are your loans federal or private? Each type has its own 'dosage' and 'side effects,' so get familiar.
Repayment Plans: Your Financial Care Plan
Fresh out of nursing school? Income-driven repayment plans can be your budget's best friend. They adjust to what you can handle.
Refinancing: The Double-Edged Scalpel
High-interest private loans eating you up? Refinancing could cut them down to size. Remember, you might kiss some federal loan perks goodbye.
If tackling your student loans is part of your financial journey, face it head-on with the smarts and grit you bring to your nursing shifts. Learn about how Nurse Mia is balancing debt and investing here.
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SUPPLY ROOM
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A Punny Headband |
Maternal health nurses, today is your day! Check out this “At Your Cervix” headband that will keep your hair in tip-top shape as you take care of birthing parents and their babies.
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BREAK ROOM
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We’ll Take That Tony Award! |
There are some things that happen in nursing that you just can’t make up. A chaotic 12-hour shift could feel like a whole Broadway show! If you need a laugh, watch what happens when Hamilton meets med-surg.
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