In the hustle and bustle of everday life, obtaining the correct number of contact hours for licensure and recertification can get pushed to the bottom of the 'to-do' list. If you’re anything like me, when license renewal time comes around, it’s a bit of a scramble to get organized and count up the number of hours I’ve accumulated since my last renewal and figure out how and when I’ll finish up in time. 

Since launching NursingCenter’s new CE Connection, we’ve had the opportunity to bundle topical collections of continuing education articles and made them available at a discounted price.  So far we’ve put together a collection around Understanding BRCA and Cancer Risk (9.9 contact hours for $24.99) and one on Caring For Veterans Suffering from War-Related Injuries (11.4 contact hours for $28.99). I’m working on some more of these collections, but would like to best meet your needs! So, please let me know – what types of collections would be of interest to you? Is there a certain clinical topic or patient population that you’d like me to address?  

Also, are there any special requirements for your state or your certification? For example, New Jersey now requires at least one hour of continuing education related to organ and tissue donation and recovery. We will do our best to keep you informed based on your profile selections on Lippincott's NursingCenter.com. If you’re not yet a member, you can certainly join now – it’s free!

We want to help you keep up with your requirements – please let us know your needs by leaving a comment or you can always email me at clinicaleditor@nursingcenter.com. 

Thanks!

Unfortunately, as healthcare providers, we must be prepared to intervene during emergencies that we would never imagine.  The bombings at the Boston Marathon have left me with a heavy heart, yet I am inspired by the stories of heroism that have resulted. My thoughts and prayers go out to all those impacted by this tragedy.

When a traumatic event occurs, I tend to immerse myself in information – not so much the media details surrounding the event, but in the human stories, especially about the “helpers” that I’ve been reading so much about over the last few days. We have several articles related to emergency preparedness that may give you some insight and confidence that you are the nurse that would be using your skills to care for the injured with expertise and compassion.

 Dealing with Disaster
Nursing Management, July 2007

 Disaster preparedness: Are you ready?
Men in Nursing, June 2007

 Emergency Department Response to Terrorism
Topics in Emergency Medicine, March 2005

Sending heartfelt wishes to those affected by the events of this week. Many thanks to the first responders for their swift action and to those who continue to care for the injured. 

NursingCenter.com really is a portal of nursing resources. With over 50 leading peer-reviewed nursing journals, the amount of clinical and professional information available is tremendous. We recognize that searching for information regarding a specific disease, patient population, or nursing issue can be time-consuming, so we've taken the initiative to do some of that leg work for you.

Over the past year, our editorial team has been pulling together collections of articles around topics that you, our NursingCenter.com members, search for most frequently. We've also been adding supplemental content, such as PowerPoint slide presentations of our highly-viewed articles, handy Take5 references to keep in your pocket, and animations which illustrate physiology and pathophysiology in great detail. These "Focus On" collections are available as a bundle at a special price or you can easily peruse the collection and select specific items.

Take a look at what we've got so far! In each collection, you'll find several resources that are available at no cost. Also, as always, our CE articles are free to read. Is there a topic you'd like to see added to this list? Please let us know!

• Focus On: Stroke NEW!
• Focus On: Diabetes
• Focus On: Nursing Ethics FREE!
• Focus On: Asthma
• Focus On: Heart Failure
• Focus On: Pneumonia
• Focus On: Magnet Recognition
• Focus On: Trauma
• Focus On: Influenza
• Focus On:  RWJF Future of Nursing Initiative