Well, I must apologise for the lack of updates to Nursing Handover of late. Like many of you I suspect, I have been swept away by the winter rush, and the winter illnesses.

This one has been circulating around the Internet for awhile, but I am not sure of the original source:

This topic may contain images or information disturbing for some readers. Please use discretion when reading this post.

In February of this year, the state of Victoria and the city of Melbourne were hit by the worst bush fires in Australia’s history.

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Nursing is usually a busy profession. Sometimes, however, we are forced to wait… …for the house officer to chart fluids for the dehydrated vomiting patient in Bed 4…

…for the helicopter to touch down on the roof with the next transport from the road traffic accident up north…

Stop laughing. There really are simple ways our learned friends can help us, and in doing so help themselves (and the patients).

Be clear.

A long hiatus from blogging recently, caused by a very busy winter and an unexpected illness in the family. Back to business with a new Grand Rounds submission!

At the recent International Council of Nurses (ICN) congress held in South Africa, a blacklist was discussed that features Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. What do these countries have in common? They are all popular destinations for nurses being recruited out of poorer countries, placing those countries in dire need.

This week’s QotW is also Nursing Handover’s submission for the Change of Shift blog carnival, which will be hosted by code blog on April 30.

Another NurseTV video this week, I know I used them last week but I thought this was very interesting. I’m discovering them all myself!

Consider this story from Wales of an unfortunate community nurse who made a dreadful drug error. The case has been extensively discussed on UK blog NHS Blog Doctor, with the usual back and forth regarding the nature of modern nursing training. I’d like to sidestep all that if possible and do a quick QotW on insulin administration.

Insulin is without question one of the most dangerous drugs we give. I wonder how many people can remember being told that in training? Insulin overdose can cause unconsciousness, seizures, and death if not treated quickly.

I would like to start a new feature today, where we share some of our work days. You might choose to relate the interesting, I did a complicated burns dressing using a new spray-on barrier product we’re trialing.

the arduous,

There were a number of responses to the post on “Why be a nurse?”, not all of them extolling the virtues of the profession! Which is perfectly fair, it is not all sunshine and roses by any means. Herewith some of the negative or difficult parts of the job.

I am going to start at the top with respect. Many nurses struggle with this: they find themselves in a workplace where they do not feel valued. Whether by their nursing colleagues, or management, medical and ancillary teams or patient families, this can be a disheartening experience. I think sometimes nurses are forced to keep going despite this lack of recognition by finding other, internal ways of seeing value in what they do.