Nurses and Smoking: Have We Kicked the Habit Yet?
In the 1950’s advertising for Camel cigarettes marketed their tobacco products to the public using the claim that “more doctors smoked Camel” than any other brand. In the 60’s, an estimated 56% of the general population smoked. Eventually by the mid-1970’s society began urging medical professionals to refrain from tobacco-use in order to set a healthy example. After all, shouldn’t medically trained...
Traveling Nurses Are Valuable to Healthcare
By Erica Ronchetti It’s no secret that the healthcare industry is becoming increasingly demanding for nurses and traveling nurses, who must now care for the rising numbers of aging baby boomers and other health care demanders. In contrast, the number of prospective nurses and nursing students who will become professional nurses and travel nurses is decreasing, despite the growing community of people who require health care and...
Universal Health and Public Health Nursing Connected
By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN A Harvard University medical study found that once public health disparities such as age, socioeconomic factors, and access to health insurance are evened out, the effects of chronic disease are improved. Unfortunately, based on the current health care design, most patients will have to wait until they are 65 years old and become eligible for Medicare coverage in order to see these improvements. The...
Healthcare: Reform or Recycle?
By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN It seems like the idea of universal healthcare in America (emphasis on the word “idea”) has been a popular notion for the politicians and the people for as long as flying cars have been discussed. Although if the automakers can create “green” flying cars, then that notion may still have legs. Universal health care may be a little trickier. The current administration has slapped a $600 billion dollar...
Latest Swine Flu Travel Warnings for Travel Nurses
By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN There are none, except to Mexico of course, “ground zero” for the world’s latest disease outbreak. I used quotes around what I’ve deemed media terminology – entirely separate from public health terminology. While the media has done a decent job of letting World Health Organization (WHO) and other actual medical experts speak once in a while, swine flu is beginning to feel like more of a public...
Ethical Dilemma: Hospital Ratings vs. Patient Welfare
Nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale famously said that, “The first requirement in a hospital is that it should do no harm to the sick.” In today’s technological world, consumers have access to hospital records including mortality rates and other public health information. In light of that public knowledge, where can doctors and surgeons safely and ethically draw the line between acting in the best interests of the patients while...