Honoring our heroes
In honor of Nurses Week 2017, let's take a moment to offer a special "Thank you" to our nation's veterans who are once again serving our country and recognize military and VA nurses who are veterans themselves. Common diagnoses in veterans include depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and traumatic brain injury. Healthcare professionals with military backgrounds can provide knowledgeable and culturally sensitive care for their fellow veterans. These nurse heroes deserve a salute for their compassion, integrity, and dedication to the care of our nation's veterans.
-CHARLOTTE MURRAY, BSN, RN (Prescott Valley, Ariz.); STACIE SOLO, BSN, RN, NAVAHCS (Chino Valley, Ariz.); and SARAH VOSS, ADN, RN (Prescott Valley, Ariz.)
Editor's note: Check out "Healing our Heroes: Why I Became a VA Hospital Nurse" in the March issue of Nursing2017.
Fear of floating
I'm writing in response to "Addressing Floating and Patient Safety" (Patient Safety, February 2017). In my current role as a hospital supervisor in the acute care setting, I've witnessed the anxiety and increased stress levels nurses experience when they learn they'll be working on a different unit for the day. As a nurse leader, I help ease nurses' anxieties by reminding them that they're making a difference for their fellow nurses as well as our patients.
-ANA J. REYES, BSN, RN, CCRNBrookshire, Tex.
Some nurses embrace floating assignments because they'll be exposed to a new environment and may develop new skills. These are staff who should be recruited for floating when it's needed. They'll experience less anxiety and frustration and will be more productive.
Floating policies can help guide these practices. Floating won't disappear anytime soon, but the way it's done can be improved. Institutions should create a plan to alleviate float nurse anxiety and ensure patient safety.
-DELROSE XIMINES, RNBrooklyn, N.Y.
Keep your patients moving
I'd like to comment on "Preventing In-patient Falls: The Nurse's Pivotal Role" (March 2017). I believe immobility is an emerging risk factor for increased fall-related mortality. The importance of facilitating mobility from the day of admission can't be overstressed.
A mobility program was set up on my unit in November 2016 in which two unlicensed assistive personnel are designated to work 12-hour day shifts walking patients. They meet with RNs to discuss individual patient mobility plans. As a result, patient satisfaction has increased and falls have decreased.
-RAE RAMSDEN, MSN, RN, CMSRNYuma, Ariz.