Diversity.  It's a small word that means so much.  Diversity isn't just about gender or race; it encompasses so many other things.  Religion, age, and experiences are a few other factors that come to (my) mind.  It seems that there is a lot of talk about diversity in the workplace.  It makes me wonder who is talking about diversity just to sound good, and who is actually taking action. 

Nurses' Lounge - Chicago is focusing on diversity in our August issue.  We will examine who is talking the talk and walking the walk, so to speak.  An interesting perspective will be had from our article about bilingual nurses.  While some nurse employers have foreign language-speaking nurses on staff, there are also some employers who choose to use interpretor services.  I am curious to know the pros and cons of both, so if you have any feedback on this topic, please share it with me at shenning@nurseslounge.com.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Summer!

I wanted to take a moment to wish ALL nurses a HAPPY NURSES WEEK!  I have learned so much from and about nurses since joining Nurses' Lounge - Chicago, and for that I am most grateful. 

I hope that each and every one of you has a wonderful week, and I hope you know that you are all highly thought of and admired by me and my colleagues at Nurses' Lounge - Chicago.

Thank You! 

I recently observed two things that left an indelible impression on me.  One is directly related to nursing; the other, a little less so but still important.

I was recently talking with my boyfriend's 23 year-old daughter.  She has a very good friend who is currently enrolled in Pharmacy school.  Apparently, the friend isn't enjoying it very much and was seriously thinking about whether to continue on and hope it got better or to perhaps choose another field of study.  The observation was made that this person was extremely intelligent and had once considered medical school.  My suggestion that she consider nursing was met with the response of, "She's too smart to be a nurse."  How ironic that the person who said that is also an extremely intelligent young woman!  Her comment really made me wonder about the perception of nurses not only in the healthcare community, but also among the general population; specifically, college-age people. 

With the nursing shortage only intensifying, I wonder how many people who have the aptitude for nursing are overlooking it because they perceive it to be a "lesser" occupation or career?  It seems to be a double-edged sword, since nursing programs continue to turn away qualified applicants due to a lack of teaching faculty.  The perception of nurses and the fact that those who want to be nurses cannot is an extremely disturbing issue.

The second event I witnessed was very troubling.  As I was driving near my home, which is located near a well-known suburban hospital, I observed an ambulance coming up behind me.  As always, I pulled over to the right side of the road which happened to be at a major intersection.  The ambulance needed to travel through this intersection to get to the hospital.  I saw TWO vans blatantly disregard the ambulance's right-of-way and zoom right past the front of the vehicle.  The ambulance actually had to come to a complete stop for a good 20-30 seconds to make sure the coast was clear before proceeding.  I silently wished that those who had crossed the path of the ambulance did not have a loved one in it!  Those 20 or 30 seconds could be the difference between life and death for a heart attack victim or the difference between full or partial paralysis for a stroke victim. 

Although it seems as though Mother Nature refuses to cut us some slack, I am taking solace in the fact that we will "Spring" forward on March 9^th.  I will take an additional hour of daylight, even if it means having to see snow outside!  :-)

I hope this message finds everyone sufficiently recovered from all of the holiday craziness that seems to take over our lives between Thanksgiving and New Year's.

When it comes to The Nurses' Lounge, I am very excited about our new editor, Anthony Armstrong. Anthony has already distinguished himself as a talented and creative individual, and I think you will all like what he has done to make the "look" of TNL unique within its respective markets.

I am VERY excited about our January issue, which is addressing the state of nursing in Chicagoland. The already critical nursing shortage is only going to continue to grow. Hospitals are expanding to serve the needs of an increasing baby boomer population, yet nursing schools are forced to turn away many qualified individuals due to a lack of instructors. Which specialties are in the highest demand? How does the expansion of the healthcare industry impact our local economy? Find out in our January issue!

Although is may be rather weak, I think this is a good lead-in for me to get on my soapbox for a few minutes. There has been so much talk of the November elections in the news lately, and it is hard to avoid hearing about the candidates and who is projected to win which primary, etc. Heck, I just learned what a caucus is and how it is different from a primary! I have often heard that politics is one of the "taboo" topics in friendly discussions, but I do have to chime in and urge anyone reading my blog to VOTE in November. Personally, I have no real alignment with a party or candidate (at least not yet), but I think past years have shown that every vote really does count. I think healthcare is a topic that is on the forefront of this election, and we have the opportunity to cast our vote for the person who may very well dictate what our future will bring with regards to our own healthcare.

I hope everyone enjoys reading The Nurses' Lounge and will provide us with their feedback in one way or another this year. We welcome ANY feedback, whether it is positive or negative. This is YOUR magazine; tell us what we need to do to make it better! I wish each and every one of you all the best in 2008!

OK, this blog entry may not be directly tied into nursing, but so be it.

The Chicagoland area experienced its first accumulation of snow last night/this morning.  As an avid runner, I try not to let the weather deter my running plans.  This morning was no exception.  My friend and I started our run while it was still dark outside, however, we made our best attempt to stick to well traveled streets.  We took as many safety precautions as we could, including running against the flow of traffic and wearing reflective gear so that vehicles could see us.  Of course, we did receive a few puzzled looks from those who were outside shoveling/snowblowing their driveways and others who were driving past us.  We only saw ONE other person out running. 

After it became daylight, I started to notice just how pretty everything looked with this coating of snow.  Combined with the many holiday decorations that were displayed, I started to feel much more festive and in the holiday spirit.  Unfortunately, that feeling was short-lived.  As more and more cars appeared on the roads, it seemed that there were a few very impolite drivers who made it known that THEY were the only ones who belonged on the road this snowy morning.  Don't get me wrong - I would say that 75% of the drivers were accomodating and gave us plenty of space, but as always, it is the few bad apples that make the whole lot look bad. 

I run for many reasons, health being the main one.  Obesity is at epidemic levels in this country, and there are more fat kids than ever.  More and more healthcare facilties are finding it necessary to provide special equipment and care for their bariatric patients.  I try to live a healthy lifestyle and plan on being around for a long time.  I feel that I am not a burden on the healthcare system of this country, nor do I ever plan to be one.   I really hope that those people who honked at us this morning and felt angry enough by our presence on the streets of Glen Ellyn and Wheaton think a little bit about what THEY are doing to be healthy and set examples for others.

I have now been part of The Nurses' Lounge team for over a year.  In this time, I have continued to be amazed at the opportunities available within the field of nursing.  Before joining TNL, I assumed that the only role of a nurse was patient care.  I could not have been more wrong!  After meeting so many amazing people in the field of nursing, I have learned that nurses can make an impact on our lives in a variety of ways.  Nurses can be educators - teaching and molding future nurses.  Nurses can be recruiters - deciding where a nurse will work best and make the biggest difference in an organization.  Nurses can be entrepreneurs - business owners who desire to make an impact by assessing the demand of a particular service and hiring the people they want to help them deliver that service based on their desired standards.  Nurses can be salespeople, marketers, consultants, ANYTHING!  The bottom line is that nurses make a huge impact on our society in everything they do! 

Greetings to all!

Today my colleague, Mike Maher, and I attended the Illinois Nursing Centennial Celebration and Conference. This event was to honor the 100th anniversary of nursing education, practice, and regulation in the state of Illinois. It was held at the newly opened Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center in Schaumburg.

The opening ceremonies were quite a spectacle, with members of the Shannon Rovers performing on the bagpipes for the procession, the Prairie Brass Band performing the overture, and the Little Company of Mary Hospital Choir singing the "Star Spangled Banner". Evonda Thomas, a nurse for the Evanston Department of Public Health, was a soloist. Her rendition of "Battle Hymn of the Republic" brought a lump to my throat.

It would probably take me many hours to recount the entire event, so I will stick with a few highlights. The video that showed the history of nursing regulation in Illinois was particularly interesting and very well done. I had no idea what a long, arduous road it had been to achieve nursing regulation in our state. I am sure that those who were instrumental in this process 100 years ago would be very proud of today's nurses!

There were several speakers presenting topics that ranged from "Honoring the Past" "Recognizing the Present", "Creating a Vision for the Future", and "The Purpose of Regulation". The committee members who were on the 2007 Illinois Nurse Practice Act Task Force shared the changes that are currently pending.

All in all, the event was a great way to celebrate this momentous occasion. What will the next 100 years bring? That decision is YOURS!

 

I am going to do my best to update this blog periodically, but no promises! 

The past few weeks have been a complete blur - from working really hard to get as many ad sales for the May issue of The Nurses' Lounge - Chicago, to driving around the Chicago Metroplex area to deliver it to our advertisers.  Although it has been exhausting, it has been completely exhilerating at the same time.  Does that make any sense?  I can only imagine that it might be somewhat like nursing, where a nurse loves their job and is passionate about it, but puts so much of themself into it that they run themself ragged.

I have been on board with The Nurses' Lounge for nearly a year now.  How time flies (does that make me sound old?)!  I can honestly say that I have never had a job that I enjoy as much as I do this one.  I have the opportunity to work with great people (not trying to be a brown-noser here) in an entrepreneurial environment (does this thing have spell check?) where everyone's ideas are valued, and in many cases, implemented.  It is tremendously gratifying to see the magazine come together each month.

Although I like to infuse a little bit of humor in everything I do, I will do my very best not to say anything too silly as to offend anyone in the least bit.  I sincerely hope that each and every one of you who checks out our site finds value in it, no matter which section grabs your attention the most.

INSERT PHILOSOPHICAL, YET WITTY, CLOSING LINE HERE  :-)

Welcome one and all to my site!